Metal Gear Solid 4 Final Preview

The Gist
Set in 2014, the game drops you on the front line of a proxy war orchestrated by Liquid Ocelot, the maniacal mutant hybrid of Snake's clone brother Liquid Snake and his righthand man Revolver Ocelot. Liquid Ocelot has built a network of private defense companies called Outer Haven, an army rivaling the U.S. military, and it's up to a rapidly aging Old Snake to dispatch him once and for all. While Metal Gear Solid 3 served as a prequel to the series, MGS4 is the omega, providing answers to questions that fans have awaited for nearly four years.

What You Already Know

Snake is an old man. Really old. Tom Selleck old. The product of a cloning experiment that also produced his nemesis in the game, Snake's genetics have caught up with him, accelerating the aging process. You learn early on that he doesn't have long to live.

Cut scenes. Cut scenes. Cut scenes. While playing the game, you’ll spend a lot of time... not playing the game. Which is fine, as the intermittent stoppages include well-choreographed chase scenes and conversations that advance the plot. You also have the option of skipping right through them—if plot gaps are your sort of thing.

Like most stealth games, MGS4 rewards players for sneaking through missions and avoiding confrontations altogether. We tried to run-and-gun our way through Act I and were fired upon by soldiers in all directions. We tried sneaking the second time, using side streets and buildings, and made it through with little resistance.

Initially, you'll be dropped in the midst of a conflict between two opposing forces. You have the option of ether fighting for one side and currying its favor, or maneuvering your way through the warzone to safety without engaging any combatants. Your call.

The game has been done since January, but has been delayed due to prolonged testing. You can expect the usual kinks, but for the most part, gameplay is smooth, graphics—especially the character models—are superb, and the frenzy of war is accurately captured.

MGS4 is set in five locations, including the Middle East, South America and Eastern Europe.

What You May Not Know
Kojima has stated numerous times that this will be Snake’s last hurrah. If you haven't played any of the previous Metal Gear titles, expect to miss a lot of plot references. Flashback moments from the whole MGS series have been spliced into the game, initiated by pressing the X button during some cut scenes.

We were unable to play the online portion of the game, called Metal Gear Online, but various reports and what was seen during beta testing are promising:
- 16-player online battles in various environments inspired by locations within the game
- Known gameplay modes include deathmatch, team deathmatch, capture missions, base missions, and sneaking mission
- The ability to hack into your opponents' communications system to steal information
- Drebin Points, awarded in certain modes for kills, headshots, and other achievements, are redeemable for equipment not available in the standard deathmatch mode
- Solid Snake is a playable character in some maps
- Downloadable content over the PlayStation Network has been promised

Not to leave the real world behind, Snake will have the option of picking up a fifth-generation iPod in the game that will allow you to change the background music in the game. Additional tracks will be available for download online.

The game's live-action/animation opener is "something that's never been attempted before," according to one developer. We'll let you find that out for yourself.

Verdict
Don't expect to fly through this one—it's definitely a time investment. But unlike your plummeting stock options, this investment should yield exponential amounts of action and strategic missions. The game alone presents an outstanding experience, but we recommend preparing for its June 12 arrival by playing through MGS 1-3.

"COURAGE IS SOLID"