The initial shock and awe of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots has come and gone, and it's now time to reflect on Hideo Kojima's recently released opus. Though MGS4 is no doubt a stunning game and many would argue evidence for videogames being treated as art, it's by no means perfect. Having just completed the game and spent some time in Metal Gear Online, I'm here to share my gripes about the game. Being a long-time fan of the MGS series, it's frustrating to see MGS4 turn out the way that it did, but I suppose it is what it is. Be warned, I don't have any criticisms of the story, but I do discuss the gameplay in each Act of the game, so if you don't want anything spoiled, best to just move on.
1. No reason to be on the Playstation 3
Why is this game on the PS3 again, besides Sony likely throwing a ton of money at Konami to keep it exclusive? It doesn't utilize the Playstation 3's strengths at all. The previously shown SIXAXIS support is nonexistent in the final product, with only one small sequence that uses it, to poor effect at that. And don't tell me they needed the storage space for Blu-Ray. We all know it was merely an excuse for Kojima to use uncompressed audio throughout the game. Throw some lossy compression at the audio (that 99% of users will never notice) and this game could fit on a single dual-layer DVD.
Getting a change to play through the earlier Metal Gear games with only a week to go before MGS4 might be a little tough for people. Thankfully, someone from thesnakesoup.org has decided to make things a bit easier for those without the time or means to run through the Metal Gear saga. Here's the schedule:
The Snake Soup will have a Metal Gear marathon starting Sunday, June 1st. Each day, I will be broadcasting myself playing through several Metal Gear titles. Here is the schedule so far:
Sunday, June 1 - Metal Gear
Monday, June 2 - Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
Tuesday, June 3 - Metal Gear Solid
Wednesday, June 4 - Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Thursday, June 5 - Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
?, June ? - ???
The starting time will be 1:30 PM PST. This might change so keep on checking this page for updates!
You can watch it on their justin.tv channel, or embedded right here after the jump.
I thought it unlikely to find a single gaming magazine or website display a little integrity, but EGM has showed some class in telling Konami to shove their MGS 4 review demands up their collective ass.
If you're not in the know, Konami has a list of demands a reviewer must agree with before they will send you a pre-release copy of Metal Gear Solid 4. Usually, reviews only have a single demand in the guise of an embargo, but Konami is upping the industry ante by demanding reviewers don't talk about install times or the length of cut-scenes. Why don't they just ask for a 10/10 while they are at it?
Know this: Any review that appears on a major website or magazine days before MGS 4's official release was possible because the publication in question was more than willing to sell their integrity for a few extra hits.
It's not the Metal Gear Solid 4 "review," although that's generating the most discussion online -- the editors decided against giving out scores due to "the limitations Konami wanted to impose on our comments," so they just printed a five-page roundtable instead, one mostly filled with praise but also throwing a few jabs.
Kudos to EGM for standing tall. All you other sites and magazines should be ashamed.
That's the question asked in the latest trailer from Konami for one of the most highly anticipated games of the year, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Warning: you may consider this footage to have spoilers.
Between the young Snake in the TGS trailer, and now this, I can't take many more mindfucks from Kojima.
With Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots a scant two months away, eager games are no doubt wondering how to best prepare themselves for the conclusion of the Metal Gear saga (or so Kojima says). MGS4 is primed to answer all of the lingering questions that have built up over the decades that his series has been around, but how will first-time players know what's going on? Big Boss, Revolver Ocelot, and Solid Snake (among others) all have story lines that span multiple games across multiple platforms, so catching up could be difficult. MGS4 Producer Ryan Payton has promised us that newcomers won't be lost, thanks to an innovative system that will allow players to receive additional information any time an unfamiliar reference is made to earlier games (for example: "Shadow Moses" or "Zanzibar Land"), but if you really want to enjoy Metal Gear Solid 4, you've got to play its predecessors. Thankfully not all of the games are necessary, so I've compiled all of the Metal Gear materials for you and I'll set the record straight on what should be experienced.
We'll go through the overall story arc games first, then dive into the supplemental materials like re-releases and spin-offs. Depending on the game, there may be a better way to experience it than the original version, so I'll be sure to note that. I should warn you that the plot sections of each entry contain spoilers, so if you still haven't played them, you'll want to skip ahead to the verdict.
Hit the jump for details on almost two dozen entires in the Metal Gear saga!
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is no doubt one of the most highly anticipated games of the year, up there with Grant Theft Auto IV and Gears of War 2. MGS4 will hit store shelves on June 12, but until now there have been some lingering questions about the different SKUs that will be available. Thanks to today's update on PlayStation.Blog, the record has been set straight. Metal Gear Solid 4 will be available in four different SKUs, including a standard version, a Limited Edition, a bundled version with the Playstation 3, and a newly announced Limited Edition bundle.
Read on for more details about each SKU, and how the pricing breaks down.
With Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots a scant two months away, eager games are no doubt wondering how to best prepare themselves for the conclusion of the Metal Gear saga (or so Kojima says). MGS4 is primed to answer all of the lingering questions that have built up over the decades that his series has been around, but how will first-time players know what's going on? Big Boss, Revolver Ocelot, and Solid Snake (among others) all have story lines that span multiple games across multiple platforms, so catching up could be difficult. MGS4 Producer Ryan Payton has 
