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Metal Gear Solid 4


Labeled With  metal gear solid 4 playstation 3 konami
Written by DM on Wednesday, June 11 2008

One significant change is the way Snake is able to purchase and use weapons. (Yet more story spoilers ahead) In the future setting of the game, almost all battles are fought by proxy. In other words, the actual fighters on the ground are mostly made up of PMC (Private Military Contractors), aka mercenaries. Since the governments needed to find a way to control these mercs, who are out for their own mostly, the Sons of the Patriots system was developed. This is a system of nanomachines, introduced into the bodies of the mercs and other soldiers, which allow the government to monitor their positions, health, and even helps soldiers to share senses. On top of all of this, the nanomachines will only let soldiers use weapons that are tuned to their specific nanomachines. This means Snake can no longer pick up battlefield weapons and use them. Those days are gone.

In order to deal with this new S.O.P. system, Kojima has introduced an arms dealer and weapons wholesaler called Drebin #893. This walking stereotype of a man and his freaky-looking hairless monkey are introduced early in the game as Snake’s connection for buying non-ID-tagged weapons and accessories. He also wears a pimp suit, is African-American, and speaks like a stereotype of that design should. It is almost as if Kojima knew he was making Drebin into a stereotype, but that is a discussion for another place and time. While Drebin is not so hot as a believable character, he is certainly mega-useful as a merchant. Once you meet him the first time, his shop is always accessible from the start menu. Now, and this is the big change in MGS4, the way you earn points to spend at Drebin’s shop (Drebin Points), is by collecting the weapons that fallen enemies and comrades drop. Since Snake cannot use ID-tagged weapons, once you walk over them on the battlefield, they are instantly converted into points to spend at the shop. Oh and here is a little tip, when it is Wednesday or Sunday in the real world, Drebin gives you 20% off all his items. Of course, you can set your PS3 date accordingly if you would like to get the discount on another day. Also, if you are lacking Drebin points, find a point in the map where the PMC soldiers and the rebels are fighting each other and just wait for a while. The rebels love to run into PMC bullets, it seems, and they all carry weapons (aka Drebin Points).




The weapons and accessories at Snake’s disposal increase as you progress, and they really do help you to take out enemies. For instance, if you add a scope to your M4 Custom, you will be able to take out enemies with headshots much easier, and throw on a suppressor and you have a quick, quiet, way to clean out an area. It does make the game a lot easier at times, so hardcore players may find it a bit “cheesy.” You can even buy weapons like a one-shot, muzzle-loading, flintlock rifle from the Revolutionary War Era. These fun weapons are a kick to use, but they honestly serve no practical purpose.

Another addition to the game is the ability to interact with the stationary weapons in Snake’s environment. In-game machine gun turrets and mortar positions are now usable by Snake, and they can often help you to clear out an area of PMC goons. It does bring to mind a certain paradox though. If Kojima bills the game as a stealthy action title, why provide opportunities to literally mow down many enemies at once, or send a shell to blow the heck out of a gaggle of baddies. It occurs to me this might be a bit less than inconspicuous. Personally, I think Kojima decided that the MGS series needed a bit of a turn toward the more mainstream action that you find in most of today’s military-type games. It may offend the purists, but in MGS4 it seems you have more of an option to play the game as a stealth title or play the game as more of an action title. It is a welcome addition, in my opinion.

Let’s talk about one or two of the drawbacks for a minute, the game loads and FPS. I am not talking about loading times either (the former above), those are barely noticeable. I am talking about the game’s caching of its files onto the PS3 HDD. There is the initial load of 8 minutes or so, but then every few chapters, the game will spend another 3-5 minutes loading even more files to the PS3 HDD. Konami decided to break up the HDD load, it seems, rather than having a long cache load session the first time you play. While this may not bother some players, it does make for distinct and specific breaks in the game’s flow. If this is a god or a bad thing, you will have to decide, but I would have preferred one huge 30 minute load, one time only. The FPS rate also is very inconsistent. I have personally witnessed it go from 60fps, focusing on Snake and nothing else, to 15fps, focusing on 20+ enemies in a courtyard. The jump makes for custscenes that are a bit herky jerky at times. Nitpicking? May be, but it is still true.

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