IGN UK Reviews MGS4 (no spoilers)

msmalls74

msmalls74

msmalls74

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Im sad that it only got a 9.9 :D Anyway here is the review, and like all the reviews doing the rounds at the moment its under strict NDA from KP and dont mention MGO. http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/877/877611p1.html

A few bits of info for those who cant view site,
Surprisingly, it gets off to a pretty slow start. Oh sure, there is something uniquely satisfying about the game's opening cinematic: the gruff, distinctive tones of David Hayter's Solid Snake, and the slow, measured edit. But there are various things that give the Metal Gear games a distinct, unique 'feel', and initially, it is the absence of those things that is most striking. The absence of fixed camera angles, for example, or of extended Codec conversations, or of the distinctive PlayStation 2 textures, making the game feel less like a Metal Gear game and more like a typical action title. As the game starts, with its fairly generic next-gen textures and desert battlefield setting, you can't help feeling that you could be playing the latest Call of Duty, or Assassin's Creed.
Play on, however, and you'll soon find yourself re-immersed in Hideo Kojima's distinctive vision of gaming in what is the definitive Metal Gear Solid – tying up every loose end, reprising every notable character and location, and recasting the entire series as nothing less than a re-telling of the Messiah story. If that sounds a little grandiose, well so be it. If you've been following all of the twists and turns across the series so far, you'll gain enormous satisfaction from the multitude of cut-scenes in MGS 4 because they wrap up everything you ever knew about the Philosophers, the Patriots, The Boss, Big Boss, Solid Snake and his brothers. And if you haven't been following? Well then it does a pretty good job of recapping the whole thing: if you've never played a Metal Gear game, you'll still enjoy all the overblown drama and intrigue. But the perfect preparation for the release of Metal Gear Solid 4 would be to sit down for a week and play through each game in turn, from beginning to end. It deserves nothing less.
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Unusually for the Metal Gear series, one of those directions is balls-out action. Unlike the previous games, Guns of the Patriot actually provides you with a fair amount of leeway if your chosen strategy is to shoot everything in sight. For a start, you can switch to a first-person view and almost play it like a conventional FPS if you so choose. More importantly, the Dreben Points system puts a much more powerful and diverse arsenal at your disposal, and every weapon can be upgraded in a variety of ways, from bolting on a grenade launcher to improving the laser targeting system or loading it with specialised ammo. Nevertheless, if you are going to treat MGS 4 like a conventional shooter, you'll need to keep an eye on Snake's stress gage. If it's not enough that extended gunfights with enemy snipers, tanks and helicopter gunships are sufficiently dramatic to get your own heart pumping, they're just as likely to send Snake's ticker into overdrive, making him heal more slowly and function less effectively. All that running round and shooting stuff really isn't good for his old heart, you know,
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Still, it is fair to say that sneaking around is just the tip of Metal Gear Solid 4's Titanic-sized iceberg of action entertainment. Brace yourself for a lot of variety as the narrative twists and turns to catapult you across the globe in a flurry of game styles and approaches to design. You'll find yourself climbing on car roofs to eliminate shambling hordes, or donning a raincoat to evade security forces while tailing a mark. One section requires you to use all of your wilderness skills to track down a target, scrutinising the way ahead for signs of your quarry. And, of course, you'll find yourself encountering fiendishly devised bosses. Because where would Metal Gear Solid be without bosses? As if to remind you, several of the bosses in MGS 4 are brilliantly evocative of some of the more memorable boss encounters from the series so far. They also prove to be pretty memorable encounters in themselves, too; running for cover through a research lab, while trying to locate a stealthily camouflaged femme fatale, for example.
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It is the ultimate in fan service, but it is also hard to see how this could be anything other than one man's uncompromised vision of what a videogame should be. The action sequences are faultless. The cut-scenes – well, yes, you could argue that there are too many of them, that they're too long, and that the dialogue is occasionally leaden. Indeed many of the most dramatic cut-scenes might make you crave action, or wonder why they couldn't have been turned into interactive sequences. But that's because they're the work of an auteur, and if you're going to enjoy the high points of Hideo Kojima's vision, there has to be an acceptance of his excesses, too.

Because this is a return to and a best of and an everything you ever loved about a Metal Gear game, all wrapped up and distilled into one, undiluted vision of gaming.
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Closing Comments
If you’ve ever loved any one of the Metal Gear games, or any moments from the series, there will come a moment when MGS 4 will send your spirits soaring. If you’ve loved them all, well then there’ll be many, many more. It’s a masterpiece. But forget you read that. Go play it and find out for yourself. Because it’s the kind of game that, if you play it after being told it’s a masterpiece, might end up disappointing you because of the hype. So forget the hype. Forget that it’s a magnificent, ground-breaking, masterpiece. Just play it, and enjoy a dazzling, heart-lifting, voyage of discovery.
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IGN UK Ratings for Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3)
Rating Description See Our Glorious Home Theater Setup!
out of 10 click here for ratings guideGet Ratings Information
10 Presentation
From the opening videos to the end credits, the attention to detail throughout Guns of the Patriots is astonishing, setting new standards for production values in games.
10 Graphics
The visuals in MGS 4 are as cutting-edge as you can rightfully expect from the latest videogame blockbuster, boasting as much style as technical expertise.
10 Sound
The surround sound effects are stunning, having actual in-game effects, from using birdsong to detect enemies to choosing your own tunes.
10 Gameplay
Guns of the Patriots is the definitive MGS, taking stealth mechanics to new heights and throwing in so much more that you just have to discover it for yourself.
9.5 Lasting Appeal
Aside from the fact that the cut-scenes bear repeated viewing, you’ll want to play through MGS 4 again and again, simply to unlock ever more exotic weapons and items and player rankings.
9.9
Incredible OVERALL
 
I wouldn't take any notice of the initial reviews for something this hyped.. i'm sure it will be brilliant for fans of the series, but I think GTA recently proved that reviews are a lot of nonsense these days :)

Quite surprised to read this though:

(Take note, however, that there are several minutes of install time to be endured, not just at the start, but before each act - albeit graced with a fantastic animated graphic of Snake smoking next to some health warnings.)
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Loowi_ashley said:
This is the first MGS I have bought and played, is there anything in the story line I need to know before playing the new upcomming one?
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I'm sure the opening 3 hour intro will bore.. sorry.. fill you in on anything you need to know ;)

Wikipedia has quite a lot of background info on the story and characters though if you wanted to read up.
 
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msmalls74 said:
lol just read the eurogamer review and they gave it an 8 http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=143797
Read the review its a strange one (the review that is) doesn't read like the score to me, but i dont ever take any notice of that site reviews, i think gamespot reviews are straighter lol.
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As the reviewer says said at the start, it's a love/hate series. Personally i can't stand the terrible story lines that are dragged out and out. Fans of the series should love this, but i can't see it shifting too many PS3's.
 
Owenb said:
As the reviewer says said at the start, it's a love/hate series. Personally i can't stand the terrible story lines that are dragged out and out. Fans of the series should love this, but i can't see it shifting too many PS3's.
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Exactly but like i said its the review i think is poor and the final line, "good bye snake dont come back" seems well dumb at that least.
 
msmalls74 said:
Exactly but like i said its the review i think is poor and the final line, "good bye snake dont come back" seems well dumb at that least.
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Indeed, snake is one of my favorite video game characters with a plot that doesn't treat the gamer like an idiot.

If gears of war and halo become the standard for a videogame "plot" then it is a truly wasted opportunity.
 
Owenb said:
As the reviewer says said at the start, it's a love/hate series. Personally i can't stand the terrible story lines that are dragged out and out. Fans of the series should love this, but i can't see it shifting too many PS3's.
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I think it will shift a lot of PS3s. There are a lot of MGS fans, and not all of them have a PS3 yet.
 
So excited now, just to top it off the 12th is my 21st Birthday!

Best present ever :D

I'm more interested to find out the story than actually play the game.
 
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