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Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
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So, called into service by your old buddy Colonel Roy Campbell (now retired), you jet off to a Middle Eastern war zone, disguised as just another grunt. This is where the first act of MGS4 takes place and it’s your first exposure to the particular vagaries of the game. The biggest hurdle any player needs to get over is the fact that a LOT of the game takes place via cut scenes… long cut scenes. Previous Metal Gear games have never been any different, so if you’re fine with this you can really set to enjoying their over-the-top extravagance (plus, they can be skipped). Others simply won’t be convinced, hence nick-names for the series such as ‘Metal Gear Cut-Scene’.
The opening sequence introduces you to two things: the world of MGS4 and the absolutely sublime soundtrack (check our review of the soundtrack on pg. 24). “War has changed,” rasps Snake, and this quote encapsulates the theme of the entire game. In MGS4’s near-future universe, war is something that keeps the world’s economy ticking over. It’s ubiquitous; no longer considered something that can, or even should, be avoided.
BUSINESS IS GOOD
War is big business, and the world’s armies have such a need for ready soldiers that a massive market exists for private military companies (PMCs). Snake’s nemesis, Liquid Ocelot (who is in fact Revolver Ocelot but with the transplanted arm of Snake’s twin, Liquid Snake – it gets… weird after that), commands such a massive amount of troops that his resources represent a major threat. The UN is afraid that he could possibly rival the US military.
In order to keep PMCs in check, a system has been developed that tracks and controls the nano-machines swimming about in every soldier’s body. Not only does the system allow the military and PMCs to track the physiological and psychological states of their grunts, it also lets them affect and control the battlefield. In a world where experienced flesh is rare, it has become cost effective to inject a raw recruit with nano-machines to subdue his fear impulses and give him increased perception, more stamina and greater accuracy, all via the manipulation of his body’s systems. This is the new face of war – where one person can sit back and control an army of automatons.
FAN SERVICE
There is a moment in the game, during the Act 3 Briefing, when one of the characters offers a pearl of wisdom: “A secret to good cooking is to keep who’s going to eat it in mind.” If Hideo Kojima is the cook, then he’s done a damn fine job of making a meal designed for fans of the series. So much so that casual gamers (ergh, I hate that term) will almost find themselves locked out and confused as to what the hell is going on (although there is a large back-story exposition midway through the game)
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