I was doing things act by act, but I ended up finishing the last couple of acts in one night, the day after finishing Act 3. I might be covering a lot in this post, but rather than break it down on an event by event level, I’m mostly going to sum up my thoughts on the game as a whole, spoilers included. So, Metal Gear fans, let’s jump into my final thoughts on Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, right after the jump.

After getting through the first part of Act 3, where things started slowly with a lot of sneaky pursuing, the game really picked up in pace and in drama. When Snake and Liquid meet up at the river, it was depressing to see a rapidly aging Snake just get slapped around by his more physically capable “brother.” Between this and Raiden’s near-death, you really start to feel the final page turning on a long and complex novel. Snake’s (and his allies) time is coming to a close, and despite his growing fatigue, he knows he has a job to finish before the final chapter draws to a close. However, as Snake sits there with a knife jammed into his arm and a half-burnt countenance, things look grim and I, for the first time ever in a Metal Gear, actually pitied Snake and felt a hint of sorrow for him. Yeah, I was actually caring about a video game character.

As the plot continued to progress I really liked how the storyline got specific on a lot of loose ends generated by each game in the series, but it also left a lot of things open to interpretation. Liquid’s intent remained somewhat fuzzy throughout the game, even up until the moment the credits rolled. Was Liquid just a bloodthristy killer that wanted perpetual war, or was it true freedom that he was after? Did he only care for freedom for himself, or did he believe it should be given universally? Obviously at some points it looked like Liquid wanted to be nothing more than an all-powerful dictator, but Big Boss’ words at the end of the game complicate that notion a bit. It seemed to me that Liquid just took a misguided route to fulfill The Boss’ ideals of a world without shackles.

I know I’m rambilng a bit, but here’s how I understand things to be in the Metal Gear saga:

Big Boss and Zero both started out with a common goal, but at some point their interpretations of that goal (based on The Boss’ wishes) deviated and the two could no longer trust each other or see eye to eye. As a result, two separate factions were created. On one side you have Big Boss and his followers, on the other you have Zero. Big Boss gave rise to the Outer Haven crew (Ocelot, Liquid Snake, Solidus, Eva, etc.) and Zero gave rise to the Patriots and their AI systems. While Zero was aiming for complete control of the battlefield and the soldiers that populated it, Big Boss was fighting to create a perfect world for his kind; which did not involve an overseer type of system. Both factions used The Boss as their figure to rally around, with Big Boss and Zero becoming the recognized authorities on her ideals within their respective groups.

As time passed, the two factions engaged in a global chess match that involved religion, politics, war, conspiracy, private agencies, and all other aspects of society. As the struggle aged, the two sides became more entrenched in the workings of the world and their causes molded society through war and unseen manipulation. Zero and Big Boss became two kings on a chess board with Solid Snake placed between them as the communal pawn. Both sides made use of Snake in the end, as the Patriots used the new strain of FoxDie to kill off the Big Boss faction at the same time Liquid and his allies were using Snake to destroy the Patriots’ system. In the end, both sides succeeded, and ironically their mutual demise was what eventually brought about the closest realization of The Boss’ goals. As Big Boss and Zero both die out in the final moments of the game, the slate is wiped clean and those that managed to survive the 40 years of conflict are now given the chance to be a part of a new and promising future. This is perfectly illustrated by Raiden’s reconciliation with his family in the hospital.

The emotion of the game was quite incredible, and the final conversation between Snake and Otacon was very touching. We know Snake only has months left to live, but Otacon isn’t going to just let him wander off and die like a dog that’s at the end of his days. It proves that their relationship was more than just professional, they really care for each other. Also, as Otacon plans to write Snake’s story, it signifies that Solid Snake is more than just a tool used by warlords; he is a man that deserves to have his story told for once. Otacon is going to help define Snake’s legacy and give him a proper and honest place in history. In the end, it’s justice for a misunderstood hero.

I loved the game. As said over at Nintendomain (here: http://nintendomain.com/?p=46), Metal Gear Solid 4 is one of the few games to live up to the hype that preceeded it this generation. I fired up MGS4 expecting the world, and I wasn’t disappointed at any time; which is in sharp contrast to my experience with GTA4, but I’ll leave that alone for now. As the sun sets on the Metal Gear Solid saga, I truly am thankful that Kojima put his heart and soul into this final title. Sure, it had some quirky things that make you roll your eyes a bit, but the overall experience was as good as any that I’ve had in the past 10 years playing video games.

Today I had enough free time to play through the entire second act of Metal Gear Solid 4, and I was pretty happy that I didn’t have to stop and save the game midway through the act. The second act was longer, but definitely more satisfying. My thoughts continue, after the jump.

Act two opened with Solid Snake, who keeps getting reminded that he’s Old Snake, sneaking through the outskirts of a South American village as he embarks on a search and rescue mission for Naomi Campbell. For me, sneaking took second priority as I joined the local rebel faction in their battle against the hired PMCs that were stationed there. I used the chaos as a backdrop to make my way to where Naomi was being held, only to be confronted with the first boss encounter in the game.

The first boss in the game, Laughing Octopus wasn’t much of a challenge, but I loved the fight. The boss was definitely creepy and I loved the multiple ways in wish she used her OctoCamo to hide. It gave me an idea of what the enemy soldiers in the game were going through when on alert and searching the environment for me. After taking her down and watching her shed her octopus getup, I actually opted to finish her off with tranquilizer bullets rather than going for the kill. I don’t know if the cut scene that followed was changed by my choice, but I’d like to know if anybody out there just went all out with guns blazing.

Shortly after defeating the boss and tracking down Naomi for a second time, I found myself escaping the area with Drebin, his hairless monkey, and Naomi. Gekko were making things difficult, as well as near brain dead PMCs that came out me like zombies. Later I found out that the messed up soldiers were a result of Liquid’s continual search for a way to gain full control over the PMCs remotely.

The highlight of act two, however, was easily Raiden’s appearance and battle with vamp and the multiple Gekko mechs. There was something sad about seeing Jack reduced to nothing more than a simple war machine. It seems that he still has some shred of emotion, but it’s definitely buried deep. I can’t wait to see how the story progresses for Raiden.  Between Snake’s rapid aging and Raiden’s soulless demeanor, you can really see that it’s time for the current characters to wind down and pass the reigns to a new set of heroes. If this is where things are going, I really want to see how this will be handled. If these characters are somehow to be preserved and allowed to fight for another day, well, I think I’ll be able to live with that as well.

So the next act appears to be taking place in Eastern Europe…nice.

Sorry, loyal readers, but I’m going to do something that I think will be kind of fun for me. Hopefully this doesn’t scare too many of you off. I’m playing through Metal Gear Solid 4 on the PS3 right now, and rather than just dump my thoughts on a message board, I figured I’d share them here. Each title will specify at what point I am at in the game, so if you’re playing as well you can avoid spoilers that are beyond where you are at and you can come back and comment later. Also, I’ll put each post behind a jump, so you’ll have to click through to the entire story to read anything discussed.

If anybody out there is playing as well, feel free to comment on each post, but PLEASE keep it spoiler free beyond what I’ve talked about. I don’t want to be spoiled, and I don’t think any readers do either. So, here are my feelings so far on MGS4 through the completion of Act 1.

Every time we get a new Metal Gear game, the hardcore community works itself up into a frenzy. There are few franchises that demand such loyalty and respect from its fans like Metal Gear does. Each Metal Gear release is a major event for gaming, much like when we get a new Mario, Halo, Zelda, or Metroid. The sheer scale of each Metal Gear game demands the attention of the gaming press, fans of the genre, and the casual passerby. Thankfully for all involved, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is no exception.

Through Act 1 there’s not a whole lot to go on, as the story is still getting established, but I do like what we’ve seen so far. Snake has aged a ton, and it’s all due to an accelerated aging that’s leaving him with “at best a year left.” Seeing Solid Snake in this condition is a bit sad. He’s a true hero, and he’s deteriorating rapidly. There’s nothing anybody can do to help, either. I felt a bit of sadness as I could see Snake’s age taking its toll on the legend. He groans and grabs his back at times, he runs out of breath, and he seems way more subdued emotionally. It’s an amazing thing Kojima and his team have done in transforming the invincible Solid Snake into a fragile, yet still dangerous, aging operative.

The gameplay has been tightened up over previous Metal Gear games, and I’m extremely thankful for that. I still find myself fumbling a bit with the transitions from 3rd to 1st person views, but it’s probably just me still kicking off the rust. I love the OctoCamo suit, the buy/sell system, and the ability to decide for myself just how much action I can handle. Also, for the first time in the series you can shrug off Otacon’s suggestions and just handle things how you see fit. Several times he’s warned me not to get involved, but I’ve chosen to ignore that suggestion more than once, and it’s not penalized me with an automatic game over even once. Awesome.

I’m completely blown away by the graphical punch the game delivers, but it’s the sound effects that provide the knockout. Call of Duty 4 did a good job of making you feel like you were in a war zone, but quite simply, Metal Gear Solid 4 puts that to shame. You hear bullets whizzing by, explosions in the distance, voices all over the place, and low range thumps and booms that sound rich and full. Ok, so now I’m a believer in using the Blu-ray’s extra disc capacity for gaming.

There are a few bummers. The initial install was a tough 8-10 minute wait, and then a second install screen came up at the end of act 1. I really hope these aren’t too common, they’re pretty annoying. Also, there are a lot of load points. It never occurs during gameplay, but they break the flow quite often. I’m still not a fan of Sony’s analog sticks, but that’s not a fault of the game.

At this point I can’t wait to see where things go. The game has shifted from one side of the world to the other, and the scenery is completely different. There’s a real sense of urgency to accomplish the mission before Snake’s time runs out, let alone before the villains in the game can accomplish their goals. Even at this early point, I can tell that MGS 4 is going to provide a unique and memorable gaming experience.