Snakes Final Fling

Before I start, I should warn you that there will be minor spoilers. Nothing Major, but if you are an obsessive plot freak, skip to the end.

Ok. Now they have buggered off, lets begin.

Metal Gear Solid 4 is the last (apparently) game in a long line of obscenely convoluted talk-a-thons, where the main characters try to bore each other to death with 10 minute monologues regarding the definition of what it means to be human and why we have a war based economy.

Now that may sound like I dislike MGS games, but I dont. You have to take them for what they are and that is a collection of the most self indulgent, self congratulating games on the face of the planet. They take themselves laughably seriously, wrap themselves up in plot knots and generally take an hour to get to the bloody point.

MGS4 is absolutely no different. In fact, one of the main plot devices is to, basically, give Snake alzheimer's. Since the plot is so fantastically complicated, Snake has to ask every character to repeat what they have just said, simplify it or to generally remind him of a key piece of terminology every time they open their trap.

The result is a mildly hilarious form of autism as Snake requests clarification for everything he is told;

"You have to shoot them with your guns"
"Guns?"
"Yes. The pointy metal thing in your hand that fires bullets"
"Bullets?"

And so on and so forth...

This, to be perfectly fair should have sent most waverers running by now. After all, it is likely that this is the first MGS game a lot of people have played, purely because of the dearth of good games on the PS3. If you are thinking of picking this up as an MGS virgin, it is certainly possible to make up the 10 years worth of back story. In fact, the game is almost geared towards newcomers.

The sheer level of new information you are blasted with, though, might be a little hard to take. I mean, I have played all of the MGS games, have finished this particular chapter twice and I still don't really get what's going on.

I think its got something to do with nanomachines and mustaches.

Anyway, yes, there is a lot of dialogue in this game. A lot. A lot. As much as you have heard there is, but it is delivered with such sincerity and balls out bravado that it gets away with it.

it also doesn't hurt that it is presented fantastically. This is by far and away the best looking game on the console and is a fantastic demonstration of why you bought the bloody thing in the first place and a slight salve of the guilty feeling that you might have wasted your cash on a big black doorstop.

MGS4 never looks anything short of jaw dropping and in its full 1080p glory it is simply a thing of beauty. The sheer level of detail you are witnessing is staggering, with cut scenes using the in-game engine looking better than most pre-rendered ones. It is polished to a shine and really raises the game from a slightly insane sci-fi movie, to an absolute epic.

It also features probably the most advanced buttock rendering in gaming history (which, in fairness, it needed to be as you spend most of the game staring at Snakes arse).

Outside that, you have a fairly standard 3rd person shooty stealthy effort. The controls are OK, but convoluted, often requiring 3 or four button presses to shoot something, Snake takes an age to turn around and the game includes the equivalent of a 'Win Button' with a silenced gun that knocks everyone out in one shot.

But, arguably, those things dont matter as much in a game like this. Its the experience, rather than the shooting stuff.

So, yes, while reviewing is incredibly subjective, this is more subjective than most. Never has the phrase 'Your milage may vary' been so appropriate.

Chances are you will hate the story and the constant interruptions, which will increase your irritation with some of the flaws in the actual gameplay. The chances are equally good that you wont and you will experience a pretty thrilling, preposterous and overwrought ride to the end.

Oh, and the MGS Online multiplayer is pretty good, even if Konami seem to actively hate you and don't actually want you to play it.