I’ve reviewed most of the Metal Gear games for GamerDad, and as far as the critical portion goes, this is the easiest review yet:

If you’ve enjoyed previous Metal Gear games, buy it.  It’s worth getting a PS3 for if you don’t already have one.  If you’ve tried previous games and were turned off, run far away – this is not for you.

I’ll elaborate more inside, as well as give my thoughts on the game (and series) from a parental perspective.  And I’ll do it without spoilers!

For the uninitiated, the Metal Gear Solid games have you taking the role of a battle-hardened veteran soldier (typically one Solid Snake) and engaging enemy troops in a near-future world filled with vast governmental conspiracies.  You’ll go up against several weird and wacky boss characters throughout the game, including the titular Metal Gears; giant robot mechs that are intrinsic to the twisting and turning plot.  This time around, you’re going up directly against the shadowy organization known as the Patriots, who have practically taken over the world by means of manipulation of global conflicts.  However, you’re running on borrowed time, as accelerated aging has left you near death.  Can you survive long enough to help your allies overthrow the Patriots?

This plot, furthered by incredible, movie-like cutscenes, tends to take up more of the game than the parts you actually play, and nowhere is that more evident than in MGS4.  Several times I relaxed on the couch, not touching the Dual Shock 3 controller (yes, the game fully supports vibration) for fifteen minutes or so, watching cutscenes or listening to talking heads provide exposition.  This is not a criticism, rather a warning that this very definitely an “interactive movie” more than a traditional action game.

When that action does occur though, it’s pretty hard and heavy.  While there are still opportunities for stealth and avoiding enemies, combat is given greater focus in this final chapter of Solid Snake’s life.  New to the series is an impressively customizable arsenal hand-delivered by the quirky Drebin and his soda-loving monkey.  Yes, the Metal Gear weirdness is as strong as ever.  Drebin’s presence does change the usual dynamic of action games however – you don’t really need to worry about picking up ammo if you can buy more or change your weapons loadout at the drop of a hat.  Metal Gear has always been about setting your own little goals (not being detected, not killing any enemies, and so on), and it’s going to take more self-control now to not run in guns blazing.

If you’re a series newcomer, much of the backstory is briefly presented via flashing memories throughout the cutscenes so you shouldn’t be too lost, but this is first and foremost a game for the fans.  It ties up almost all the loose ends in the story, favorite characters are brought back, and you really feel a connection with the people you have watched grow up.  Perversely, this familiarity is one of the few criticisms I have, as I feel the whole “look!  this situation is just like it was in a previous game only different!” gimmick was already covered in Metal Gear Solid 2.

The level of polish in the presentation is simply incredible, from the slightly insane live action segments that open the game, through to the epic credits at the end (which of course you’ll watch all the way if you don’t want to miss out on anything..).  And you’ll be getting a lot of content for your money – the game itself is not short, and when you’re done with it you can hop online and indulge in some multiplayer gunplay.

So yes, buy it if you’re a fan.  Don’t if you’re not.

Rating as a fan?  5/5  Trying to be a little more objective?  4/5

Kid Factor

(This is the hardest section to write without giving away the game’s surprises.  I won’t be specific but I do have to talk about some elements)

On the basis of the gunplay, the language, the blood, the tinge of sexuality, and the very dark themes that are explored, I can’t suggest anything other than an Adult seal.  But I do believe that Metal Gear has an overall positive message that some teenagers could appreciate.

Yes, the game is violent.  It is a game about war, and about death.  As the player, you will be shooting a lot of humans (and perhaps not-quite humans) throughout the course of the game, or sneaking up behind them and breaking their necks or slashing their throat with a knife.  Despite this, Metal Gear does not glorify violence, and actively rewards you for not engaging the enemy (though what does it reward you with, other than self-satisfaction?  Drebin Points.  Which can be spent on..  more guns) and at times the stealthy approach is the only way to get through a section.  You can finish a level without killing anybody, though it has to be said that in most instances you will still have to shoot at the enemy, just using tranquilizing darts instead of bullets.  In addition, the series has always flown an anti-war flag, consistently driving home the futility of war.  This for me is the biggest contextual argument for permitting my teenaged son to play, though of course your feelings may be different.  For the most part, it is not a particularly graphic depiction of battle, though there is blood shown.  I still felt uncomfortable in some stages however, against backdrops that looked all too similar to the evening news reports from Iraq.  Players with friends and family fighting in the real war should be warned that although this is an obvious fantasy game, there is a scene showing the massacre of US troops.

The most disturbing portions of the game for me centered around the Beauty and the Beast Corps.  This elite unit of bizarrely-armored females is one of your main targets, and after almost defeating each member in combat, they shed their armor.  This is rather troubling, because not only are you then shooting at an unarmed woman, but there is some sexuality at play here as each character turns from pleading for their life to erupting in rage and back again, trying to get close to you to embrace you (to death).  One of them is constantly crying, which really had me squirming in my seat.   After killing them (or just about), you are then given the full details on their tragic childhoods that have only been alluded to before, as Drebin tells you about a little girl who suffocated her baby brother to death to avoid detection by military death squads, or a waif being forced to laugh as she tortured her own family.  Not exactly lighthearted stuff here, but it did leave me questioning whether I should be killing these people.

For the first time that I can remember, there is cursing in a Metal Gear game.  This largely consists of “s**t”, though there is at least one very distinct use of “f**k”.  And if you’re playing online with a headset, you can expect to hear all manner of foul language and racial epithets.

There has always been a cheesecake element in the series such as the use of girlie magazines to distract guards.  You can still do this, only now they carry the real Playboy brand and are in high resolution so you can actually flip through the pages.  It’s not explicit, but they are typical bikini pinup babe pictures.  The developer’s penchant for showing a lot of cleavage and butt shots is also as present as ever, as well as an implied sexual encounter.  On the lighter side, a romance blossoms that will have you rooting for the participants and adds a more human side to the light sexual content.

And of course, death plays a large part in the story, whether we’re talking about the player character’s inexorable march to the end, or the death of several people he is close to.  The game goes to great lengths to make you care about these characters, so these deaths do have an impact.

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