If Only All Old People Were This Awesome

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

There's pretty much nothing I can say about Metal Gear Solid 4 that hasn't already been said. For example:

1) It's gorgeous
2) The controls are solid
3) The story is fantastic
4) Hideo Kojima is an amazing director

The list goes on and on... The game is (for its genre and video games in general) the closest thing to perfection in the medium this console generation. The fine folks at IGN gave it a perfect 10 and for good reason.

In MGS4, you play as Old Snake, an elderly Solid Snake. The cells in Snake's body are breaking down prematurely as a result of the method in which he was cloned and wouldn't you know it, the world needs to be saved pronto. To add to the drama, Snake's cells are also a ticking time bomb. Snake's blood carries a virus that after a month or so, will mutate and spread like wildfire across the populous. So in a nutshell Snake has to save the world before his body breaks down and then off himself to keep from becoming a walking biological weapon. Draaaama. Throw in friends, family, and a motley crew of nihilistic enemies and you have MGS4.

I know what you're thinking, "With so much praise it must demand heavy investment of time right?" Well... yes and no. You're first time through, MGS4 should take a solid twenty-four hours. Time wise, it's no Elder-Scrolls or Legend of Zelda, twenty something hours is feasible for people with busy lives. A skimpy schedule of playing an hour a day (two a day on the weekend) and you're done in a bit over two weeks. Sounds great right?

Well, enter the time constrained player's problem... A hallmark of the MGS franchise is the story, and MGS4 has a lot of it. As the supposed 'final' game in the series, Kojima-san's mission was to wrap up the story and put a sexy little bow on top. It's the fourth game in a series that spans the better of twenty years (counting the original Metal Gear on the MSX/NES). That's twenty years of a continuous video-game storyline. A good one at that. I'm talking two decades of storytelling, insanely complex plots, character arches, etc. And he pulls it off as perfectly as humanly possible.

For all of this sensational story to be told Kojima uses the always fun cut-scene. MGS4 is chock a block full of cut-scenes. These scenes can range anywhere from 5 minutes to upwards of 40 minutes. This can be a problem for the gamer on the run. If you sit down to play for one hour at the end of the day, half of that or more may be spent watching a cut-scene. Mind you these action/exposition visual feasts are often better than watching any summer blockbuster, but games aren't games until you're playing them.

To somewhat remedy this problem, MGS4 comes with an online multi-player game called Metal Gear Online. MGO is your typical online shooting affair. You, friends, and strangers are dumped into a map and kill each other either cutthroat or cooperatively. One thing that separates MGO from other 'deathmatch' affairs is its almost RPG elements. When you create your character you can choose from a list of attributes specific to your character. These skills (sniping, running speed, etc.) level up as you use them creating a fun system to show off your improvement in each area. Unlike MGS4, you can bail off into MGO for five or ten minutes, and do nothing but play. And for that reason, it was a smart inclusion on Konami's part.

In conclusion, while MGS4 isn't long by some standards, it does require a solid investment per sitting to really get your hands (and combat knife) dirty. At the same time, the game is so far above quality standards of modern games that you'll make time to play it. It's a tough call, but here's the official One Life break down:

The Game: 10 / 10 (Phenomenal)
Controls, direction, story, action, graphics... whatever you want in a video game is there seven-fold.

The Time: 8 / 10 (You can make time to play this)
While the cut-scenes are demanding, it's almost impossible to cut the system off once they start. The game can be paused mid scene so that you can scoot around and do things, which is a plus. At twenty-so hours total, it's do-able and totally worth it.

The Verdict:
If you're a fan of Metal Gear Solid, it's a definite buy. If you're wanting to expand your PS3 collection and can't make up your mind, it's also a very solid buy. This game is a fantastic showpiece for all you hi-def junkies out there with its top notch video AND audio. But for the One Life target audience, you could get away with one or two week long rentals at your local video place, depending on how much sit down time you get.

All in all, MGS4 is the crescendo to an epic twenty year opus. You'll laugh, you'll cry (if you're a loser like yours truly), and you will be privy to one amazing story. In closing, whether you've got time to spare, or hardly no time at all, Metal Gear Solid 4 will float your boat.