[Moogle]

I have started a thread for reviews here. It's going to be a public poll as all polls are required to be on these forums. Please don't rate the game until you have played it sufficiently enough to be in a position to give it a score. Remember all scores will be public so please keep that in mind. Thanks.

[nil102]

After several hours playing this game is something special

[the id]

Just finished Act 2...
Words cannot convey how breathtaking MGS4 is so I’ll stop now and maybe play just a little while longer.

[TankTopLover]

Surely people should wait until they finish the game before rating it a 9 or 10

[CurlyPutz]

Originally Posted by slinkywonka

Surely people should wait until they finish the game before rating it a 9 or 10

Normally I would agree but after 3 hours play, this is an easy 10 for me mate.

Gameplay, atmosphere, sound, lighting, graphics, storyline, acting, textures you name it.

No tearing, no jaggies, no problem!!!

[catisfit]

I'll give this some playing time before I vote as I always do, but based on the first couple of hours, it will have to do something horrific later on to avoid getting a 10 from me.

[featherhall]

8/10 for me, although I was teetering on the 9. For reasons I have gone into on another thread, the cutscenes mark it down.

Excellent that there is finally a quality game at last though. Thoroughly recommended

[QoreBlimey]

After playing the game for a few hours now, all i can say is that, i'm very impressed. However, i ain't going to cast my vote until i've completed the game.

[BradleyLove]

And we have the first spoiler vote...

Step forward j.rhy@n and take a bow!

I wish there was some way to prevent scores from counting unless an adequate explanation is provided.

[Mark Hodgkinson]

Originally Posted by Spank-A-Thon

And we have the first spoiler vote...

Step forward j.rhy@n and take a bow!

I wish there was some way to prevent scores from counting unless an adequate explanation is provided.

Very silly and it wasn't even a decent spoiler vote of 1 or 2

[shagaboopon]

I would label any vote less than 7 a spoiler vote and I'm not even a fan for the MGS series.

[CAS FAN]

Wow! Completed this tonight and i'm pretty lost for words.

I expected this game to be pretty good, but nothing could have prepared me for how amazing it is! I haven't put this much time into a game in such a short space of time since I was a child, but I just couldn't stop playing this until the end. Even now I want to play it all through again .

I've played some amazing video games of late (Super Mario Galaxy, The Orange Box, Bioshock, GTA4, COD4 etc.) but this is just on another level again! I never thought that i'd say that about SMG especially.

This is the best single player game experience i've ever had in my 25 + years of gaming. It can be no other score than 10 IMO.

An absolute Masterpiece!

[beowulf]

i'm thinking of trading in gta4 for this game

is that a good idea ?

ie; is this game THAT good !!?

[Anotherlimey]

Originally Posted by beowulf

i'm thinking of trading in gta4 for this game

is that a good idea ?

ie; is this game THAT good !!?

Yes it is that good, If you take GTA4 to Blockbusters you will only have to pay 4.99 for MGS4

[Kahled]

The PS3 games bandwagon has not really had a smooth sailing time enterring a market where another product had already done all the trailblazing and introduced console HD gaming to the 'masses'. So much hype has been made along the way with greatly billed titles like Lair and Haze coming and ultimately failing to deliver, and then there comes MGS4. Savior or another nail in the coffin?

Really not sure what to make of the initial installation screen, in an age of increased health awareness and the backlash against smokers (I am an ex 30-40 a day man so know all too well how attitudes changed) it is strange to see just the guy there chainsmoking away, really not sure what was intended there but it just came out as being somewhat juvenile like a fart joke ?!?

The first few hours are an unusual mix of trying to wrestle with the controls and wrestle with the actual game to let you have a go, people will always say if you are going to downplay a game that you should give it plenty of time before doing so otherwise it's not fair (although ironically it seems to be completely fine to massively rate the game experience on a shorter period of time) but I think the first few hours will set the whole attitude towards the game. If the cutcene/action mix is really not your thing (and yes, you can skip them but that does not make it any less frustrating) then it's not going to get much better, although they do reduce in frequency later. I actually liked the cutscenes although I was not so keen about the extra input to trigger other events during the scenes, I found the attention being distracted from the scene itself in favour of looking for an input to be pressed so you did not 'miss anything'.

Graphically the game looks good, very good in fact. Plenty going on within the playfield and lots of nice touches, the softer/muted palette will really split the camps between those stating the sharper and more vivid graphics of CoD4 top the tree or this. Luckily this is not out on the PC/360 (ever?) because the graphics comparrisons between this and GoW would be far more contentious with both engines having a similar flair IMO... really muddies those cross platform waters and all the fanboys will be rubbing their hands in preparation for a good slug out match on the graphics front over the next few months (if not years).

As impressive as the cutscenes and graphics are the controls sadly are not, it's far more fundamental though that just a dislike of the controller. For the most part the controls do work well but when the action hots up you do find there is some clumsyness and lack of response that usually ends up being fatal, also if you are compltely prone then the controls become counter intuitive and frustrating as you try to navigate through confined areas.

Gamewise this is pretty much what you would expect from an MGS game only better than the last two, and especially the last one. There is one thing though that just really grates and frustrates, enemy respawning... you clear out a path only to find a new bunch of enemies spawn and refill the territory. It had been getting frustrating but I literally threw the controller to the floor in anger when I was killed from behind at one point, not so bad but when I was coming out of a dead end at the time after a wrong turn the appearance of the enemy (and then almost immediately four of them) just utterly ruined it. This respawning also detracts from the stealth element of the game reducing it at times to sheer luck as to whether or not there is going to be someone waiting around the next corner or not.

The camouflage and detection system also seems somewhat flawed in execution. I'm sorry but I have to do it as there is an inevitable comparrison with Splinter Cell here, with Splinter Cell you could control and adapt the playfield to provide stealth or distraction as you saw fit (shooting out lights, distractions, etc) but no matter how well hidden or not you are in MGS it does have a certain randomness as to whether or not you are detected.

All in all though, a few annoyances aside, this is a very good game and I will admit that this is the first game to actually give me an incling that I may be using my PS3 for something other than DVD/BD in the future. It really does deliver on the hype for a change and the only consideration a potential buyer should really give is if the genre/type of the game is something you like or dislike. Certainly do not think anyone could say this is a bad game, it is simply a matter of everything you could have hoped for or flawed masterpiece.

7/10 overall as those frustrations are just too omnipresent.

[CAS FAN]

Originally Posted by beowulf

i'm thinking of trading in gta4 for this game

is that a good idea ?

ie; is this game THAT good !!?

Without a doubt! GTA4 is a good game, but this blows it away frankly. I wouldn't hesitate to trade GTA4 in for this if I had to.

I didn't share any of Kahled's frustrations with the controls and infact I can't think of a 3rd person game that contols this well. I was in a huge battle between troops & Gecko's at one stage and I was ducking, diving, swapping weapons on the move and taking them down with ease before finally finding some suitable cover. The controls do have a level of complexity to them, but once learnt they work as well as I could ever hope for.

[Anotherlimey]

Originally Posted by CAS FAN

Without a doubt! GTA4 is a good game, but this blows it away frankly. I wouldn't hesitate to trade GTA4 in for this if I had to.

I didn't share any of Kahled's frustrations with the controls and infact I can't think of a 3rd person game that contols this well. I was in a huge battle between troops & Gecko's at one stage and I was ducking, diving, swapping weapons on the move and taking them down with ease before finally finding some suitable cover. The controls do have a level of complexity to them, but once learnt they work as well as I could ever hope for.

I do find the controls slightly awkward but prehaps thats due to a lack of skill

Great game though and i'm sure that it will be a ten from me but am waiting until i have played a few more acts before i score it

[CAS FAN]

Originally Posted by Anotherlimey

I do find the controls slightly awkward but prehaps thats due to a lack of skill

Great game though and i'm sure that it will be a ten from me but am waiting until i have played a few more acts before i score it

No more so than any other game for me though. Wait until you've finished it to rate it (everyone should do IMO) as it just gets better and better .

I love this game and I feel that it's the sort of game which you will get so much benefit from playing through again.

[beowulf]

the loading screen is amazing

if the rest of the game's as good as this - it's gonna be a stunnah !!

[Idioteque]

Its a 9/10 for me. Was really close to giving this a 10/10.

For me the cinematic experience of the whole game is genre defining, and that was making me lean for the 10. The gameplay is excellent aswell. Have to agree with CAS that its one of the best 3rd person control schemes out there, but admittedly it takes a bit of time getting used to.

The graphics are excellent, yes there is the odd texture that seems a bit low res but they dont have very much impact on the graphics IMO. The cut-scenes dont seem to bother me aswell, i dont think any were at the quoted 90 minute mark that was being banded around, but i enjoyed them so maybe time flew by.

I think the reason ive marked it down to a 9 is the story, i just found it quite hard to follow, but this is the first metal gear game ive taken note of. Im not saying it is a bad story, at times its fantastic but as ive seen mentioned in some reviews, the inclusion of past characters just to tie up loose ends does really make it quite hard to follow.

I think my vote will probably be nearer a 9.5/10, its clearly the ps3's best game, lives up to the hype it had and is a fantastic game that should be tried by all.

[Anotherlimey]

I'd just like to add my opinion on a score here by J.rhy@n, Five out of ten?

I mean come on i know not everyone likes a game like MGS but as a gamer i fail to see how a epic game like this could score less than an 8, The effort put into the gameplay and graphics and add that to the story is amazing, A real Solid story

By scoring this a five can only make you look like a fool, IMO ofcourse.

[QoreBlimey]

After completing this game yesterday, i have to say, its one of the best games i've ever played, if not the best. Giving it a 10.

[beowulf]

after playing it for a few hours i have to say to be 100% honest , it's ok , average at best , i actually gave it 5/10 as i'm stuck on the middle east level and it's SO utterly boring and pointless i don't have a clue where to go next

***'s the point of a compass if it doesn't point where to bloomin go ??

NO way is it better than call of duty 4 on line

in fact i found it boring , prob take it back next week and buy something else

roll on bioshock for the ps3 !

bioshock IS amazing , makes this look really old fashioned and dull in comparison

[Kahled]

*takes a deep breath*

Okay, just want to point out that this is in fact an opinion poll and opinion is a personal prerogative.

Sure threads like this with big name games will attract the idiots who spoil in a negative fashion by giving '1' or '2' grades without ever playing the game, just as it no doubt will (have?) attract the positive spoilers as well who post '10' grades giving as little thought to the game as those negative spoilers. In point of fact I actually consider the positive spoiler to be worse than the negative one because someone might go out and buy the game based upon high grades but may delve further before before buying with negative... certainly neither is fair.

Threads like this can influence people into buying a game or not and so it is far better if there is a reflective opinion behind the marks (that means low scorers should justify their marks if they downgrade if they want to be taken seriously etc). Not every game is everyones cup of tea and so I doubt there will ever be a universally acclaimed perfect 10 game, and I hope there never will be because then what would ever be the point of doing anything else. But every bit as bad, IMO, as spoiling votes is some manner of instruction being given as to how people should vote because that simply renders the whole thing a meaningless farce... already this thread has two posts which state/imply that the game should not be marked as less than 7 or 8 as that should be classed as spoiling or not a gamers attitude. Such 'instructions' may themselves be classed as spoiling.

So come on peeps, let people have their own opinions without possibly feeling the need to adjust the score they want to give a game and ignore the inevitable nuts who just want to screw with people.

[beowulf]

so , you'd rate it above cod4 online ?

[CAS FAN]

Originally Posted by beowulf

so , you'd rate it above cod4 online ?

I haven't played this online, but to be honest even if it had no online it would still get a 10 from me. It's very different to COD4 though (stealth, not out and out combat) so it's difficult to compare like for like.

I've personally played 1000's of games over 20+ formats over the years and this is the pinacle for me. If it were up to me then Hideo Kojima would get a knighthood for services to digital entertainment.

[Anotherlimey]

Originally Posted by Kahled

*takes a deep breath*

Okay, just want to point out that this is in fact an opinion poll and opinion is a personal prerogative.

Sure threads like this with big name games will attract the idiots who spoil in a negative fashion by giving '1' or '2' grades without ever playing the game, just as it no doubt will (have?) attract the positive spoilers as well who post '10' grades giving as little thought to the game as those negative spoilers. In point of fact I actually consider the positive spoiler to be worse than the negative one because someone might go out and buy the game based upon high grades but may delve further before before buying with negative... certainly neither is fair.

Threads like this can influence people into buying a game or not and so it is far better if there is a reflective opinion behind the marks (that means low scorers should justify their marks if they downgrade if they want to be taken seriously etc). Not every game is everyones cup of tea and so I doubt there will ever be a universally acclaimed perfect 10 game, and I hope there never will be because then what would ever be the point of doing anything else. But every bit as bad, IMO, as spoiling votes is some manner of instruction being given as to how people should vote because that simply renders the whole thing a meaningless farce... already this thread has two posts which state/imply that the game should not be marked as less than 7 or 8 as that should be classed as spoiling or not a gamers attitude. Such 'instructions' may themselves be classed as spoiling.

So come on peeps, let people have their own opinions without possibly feeling the need to adjust the score they want to give a game and ignore the inevitable nuts who just want to screw with people.

While i agree with the sentiment of your post i stand by my statement, I questioned someone scoring this game a five and while i agree MGS is not eveyones cup of tea you have to admit a game that scores 50% out of 100% must be very poor and lets be honest this game is far from poor

[sirp]

i gave this a 10/10, and i have no intention of trying mulitplayer. My reasons, 4 words:

genious, work of art.

[shagaboopon]

Originally Posted by Kahled

*takes a deep breath*

Okay, just want to point out that this is in fact an opinion poll and opinion is a personal prerogative.

Sure threads like this with big name games will attract the idiots who spoil in a negative fashion by giving '1' or '2' grades without ever playing the game, just as it no doubt will (have?) attract the positive spoilers as well who post '10' grades giving as little thought to the game as those negative spoilers. In point of fact I actually consider the positive spoiler to be worse than the negative one because someone might go out and buy the game based upon high grades but may delve further before before buying with negative... certainly neither is fair.

Threads like this can influence people into buying a game or not and so it is far better if there is a reflective opinion behind the marks (that means low scorers should justify their marks if they downgrade if they want to be taken seriously etc). Not every game is everyones cup of tea and so I doubt there will ever be a universally acclaimed perfect 10 game, and I hope there never will be because then what would ever be the point of doing anything else. But every bit as bad, IMO, as spoiling votes is some manner of instruction being given as to how people should vote because that simply renders the whole thing a meaningless farce... already this thread has two posts which state/imply that the game should not be marked as less than 7 or 8 as that should be classed as spoiling or not a gamers attitude. Such 'instructions' may themselves be classed as spoiling.

So come on peeps, let people have their own opinions without possibly feeling the need to adjust the score they want to give a game and ignore the inevitable nuts who just want to screw with people.

I stand by my statement as its my opinion, you're entitled to yours too m8. Your review was excellent by the way and does highlight some of the main annoyances of the game.

The guy who voted a 5 was a spoiler voter, the fact he hasn't shown up to backup why he feels the game is so average would insuate this is fact. I guess I posted my statement because I wanted him to defend his vote with his opinion which could have been quite interesting if genuine.

[shagaboopon]

Originally Posted by beowulf

after playing it for a few hours i have to say to be 100% honest , it's ok , average at best , i actually gave it 5/10 as i'm stuck on the middle east level and it's SO utterly boring and pointless i don't have a clue where to go next

***'s the point of a compass if it doesn't point where to bloomin go ??

NO way is it better than call of duty 4 on line

in fact i found it boring , prob take it back next week and buy something else

roll on bioshock for the ps3 !

bioshock IS amazing , makes this look really old fashioned and dull in comparison

Thanks for your honesty, did you consider a guide to help you further?

I would agree on the COD4 front but then I don't consider any game released in the last 3 years to be a patch on it .