Metal Gear Solid 4

Even the original Metal Gear Solid showed signs of such hidden madness, its believable stealth action setting cracking the fourth wall occasionally with things like Psycho Mantis’ weakness to Controller 2 and a vital codec number being placed on the back of the game’s box. Since these glimmers of insanity, Kojima’s respected series has played the same card each time – an honest and very real set-up which promptly descends into the more and more ridiculous as the games go on. We’ve seen fat men on roller skates, action heroes slipping on bird shit, tommy guns made of bees, boss battles that can be skipped simply by not playing the game for a week, a hero nobody liked getting naked and more post-modern, referential humour than most other games combined. And that’s but the tip of a very silly iceberg.

You see, Metal Gear Solid 4 is the quickest Snake outing to break out the crazy juice yet. As the game begins (after nine minutes of mandatory installation, which only covers the first act – each subsequent chapter has its own 3-4 minute install), you’re treated to a pair of adverts or sample TV shows from the game’s universe, presumably to give you an idea of the war-ravaged world you’re about to enter. Which you’ll see in seemingly randomly determined as we’ve seen that opening three times and been treated to a different duo of commercials each time – there’s a Millionaire-style quiz show with questions on military factions, a bizarre cookery programme and ads for everything from perfumes to the PMCs themselves. You’ll watch in wonder, never quite sure why this was considered to be a good way to open the game, only to moments later question if that really just happened as the game starts proper and everything is as it should be once more.

As usual, the game opens in an explosive and realistic enough manner but if it weren’t for the fact that an energy bar pops up at the end of it, you probably wouldn’t notice that the opening cut scene was over and you were in control. This kind of seamless transition between story segments and action is one of the finest achievements of Guns of the Patriots, ensuring that the two potentially opposing elements are bound together with style and genuine cohesion. There’s still the odd load between areas but even this can’t kill off the tension or atmosphere of Kojima’s world in conflict.

Sometimes, you’ll find yourself in the middle of a battle in which you have no allegiance and in such situations, it’s up to you how you progress. While most private military factions will simply shoot anything that moves, there’s nothing to stop you using the ongoing war as a distraction to sneak by, unnoticed by either side. Similarly, if you’d rather save the stealth for when it’s more essential, you’re also free to take sides, with factions growing to like you as you do away with their respective enemy – potential procurement of weapons and ammo dropped by both sides makes this an often appealing and always lucrative option.

But if sneaking about is more your style, Snake’s new OctoCamo suit won’t let you down. Simply by pausing in an area while pressed up against a surface, you’ll take on the colouring and pattern of said wall or floor, leaving you almost undetectable to all but the closest of threats. And to help keep tabs on these is the threat ring, a translucent circle about Snake’s feet that highlights potential hazards with peaks that form around it and change hue according to distance and alertness. These two tools form your sneaking staples and, with a little practise, can get you through an area totally unnoticed.

When stealth fails you, though, at least you can take comfort in the fact that the gunplay is absolutely superb. Precision headshots drop targets instantly and by coupling this with elements of CQC, even setting off alarms and attracting the attention of an entire army aren’t inescapable situations. Direct confrontation is almost always going to put a dent in your supply of life-giving Rations, sure. But you also get to play around with plenty of tools that help ensure it doesn’t come to that in anything but the most desperate situations.

Enter the Metal Gear MkII, Snake’s robotic companion who is one part Nono from Ulysees 31, one part Batteries Not Included and but a splash of useful. With its ability to use active camo for virtual invisibility and a built-in stun baton to incapacitate enemies, this helpful little chap certainly looks good on paper. But in the field, a short operational range and the fact that Snake is left motionless and defenceless while using the MkII mean that often, ideas from the other end of the technical spectrum do the job far better. Old faves like the tossed empty clip and dirty magazine return (with the latter seeing a slight touch of class through Playboy branding) as does the ever-unconvincing cardboard box, usurped this time around though by the far more useful oil drum.

Not everything in your inventory has such an obvious practical application, however. The iPod for one comes across as a rather odd inclusion until its purpose is revealed – with a Psyche bar replacing the Stamina gauge and extremes of hot and cold, tension and insults all having their effect on Snake’s mental condition, you can always just chill out in the shade with some tunes to refill the meter quicker. And if nothing else, getting in on some private military action with the J-pop blaring is suitably amusing.

As brilliant as the general action is, however, the most powerful weapon in Snake’s arsenal is the element of surprise. And not just in creeping up on guards or leaping out of a well-picked hiding place for an instant CQC takedown, either. MGS4 throws many a curveball that even the most seasoned of gamers probably won’t expect – we wouldn’t dare spoil even a single one but in almost every aspect, Kojima’s latest masterpiece has something up its proverbial sleeve.

That the game can feel slightly old fashioned in places is the limpest of criticisms but may still put off those unaccustomed to the MGS way – it’s still very much a Metal Gear game, albeit the tightest and most technically impressive since the series’ PSone beginnings. The only real issue Guns of the Patriots has is just how much it can offer those without a full understanding of the series so far, with almost everything that goes on harking back to earlier events and at times bordering on dangerously self-referential. Sure, the same could be said of a lot of movie sequels but when a game is this well put together, you’d like to think that it could take and hold the attention of any given player. With looks like this, Lord knows it should be able to.

We should at least mention the whole Metal Gear Online side of things too, even if it is more a taste of things to come than a fully realised network aspect in its own right. But even as it is, MGO is a tasty and rewarding online component, brimming with neat ideas while keeping the same classic Metal Gear feel and mechanics. Upgrading your abilities in various ways allows you to develop your own role for any given team, although unless you usually play with a fixed bunch, you run the risk of ending up with a squad of near-identical specialists rather than a nicely balanced skill set. Sneaky types can choose to take chemicals with them to be injected into captured enemies, revealing their entire team to all of your allies on the map while the more gung ho player might just load up on weapon proficiencies and wait for the map to light up with red dots before going on a killing spree. The incredibly lengthy sign-up process is worth it, put it that way.

For all its daft moments and occasionally old-fashioned mechanics, Metal Gear Solid 4 still manages to wind up by far the strongest argument for buying a PS3 so far. It works the hardware like nothing else we’ve seen (or probably will for some time) and is the only game we’ve come across that actually demonstrates the technical superiority of the Sony console in the right hands. So long as you accept that this is a Metal Gear game and know to expect the odd cringe-inducing reference amid a sea of greatness, you’ll not be disappointed. Yes, it can be a bit silly. But at all other times, MGS4 is doing things that would make most other games shuffle their feet awkwardly and blush with embarrassment. A truly stunning achievement and easily the PS3’s strongest exclusive to date. ‘Fission Mailed’ this most certainly is not.