It's summer. I've played every MGS except for 4. Time to rectify that?

[Deleted member 19218]

A game is compromised of everything, not just the gameplay.

And if you are playing a STORY based game, then the story is the most important part. It's literally to move from one chapter to the next. To learn more about the story.

If you just want good gameplay then play something that is entirely about that.

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In all fairness, the gameplay in MGS4 is pretty damn rad, it's just there is not enough of it. It's definitely good fun, too bad we never got the equivalent of like PS1 VR missions or MGS2 Substance.

Spoiler

Imagine infiltrating Shadow Moses with genome soldiers and recreating elements from MGS1 or night time missions in chapter 2, advanced stalking missions in chapter 1, survival waves in chapter 5, film noir detective missions in chapter 3

 

[Squarealex]

MGS4 have no identity.

Just an episode to say "eh, remember that ? and that and that ?"

Like Endgame.

 

[Black_Red]

Dont play it, just imagine an ending and it will be better.

The good parts of the game are nods to the past games. Everything else is shit.

 

[chechi]

It's strange how perception of some games changes drastically over time: When MGS 4 came out, people loved it hard. Now over the years they started hating it, without usually ever playing it again. Strange thing - happens to a lot of titles, never understood why.

Honestly play it, its a good game. Just don't expect the fluid gameplay from MGS 5 (which is my favorite game to control ever).

 

[MontlyCure]

Play it. It's the best game in the series.

 

[deathsaber]

It sounds like its about time you "finished the fight". (MGS5 does NOT count, useless game, other than from a gameplay perspective where there is fun to be had).

 

[Schlauchkopf]

The gameplay is good but i think it has the worst and most annoying bosses of the first four titles by far. Raging Raven and Crying Wolf can fuck off in a dumpster for all I care.

The cutscenes are important, because only if this game shatters all your interest in the overarching narrative of the series can you fully let go and enjoy the dumb but fun adventure that is Peace walker.

 

[Aswitch]

Personally my favorite game out of the Metal Gear Solid Series so yes... i think you should change that. Considering you beat all of the others you already know there are going to be lengthy cut-scenes (that are great) so yeah i think you'll really enjoy this one. It also provides a wonderful resolution to the series as whole. I was engaged throughout the whole game personally.

 

[Greatest Ever]

The gameplay is good but i think it has the worst and most annoying bosses of the first four titles by far. Raging Raven and Crying Wolf can fuck off in a dumpster for all I care.

The cutscenes are important, because only if this game shatters all your interest in the overarching narrative of the series can you fully let go and enjoy the dumb but fun adventure that is Peace walker.

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Fun fact I've beaten Peace Walker 1 and a half times.

Boy does that game fall apart.

 

[Schlauchkopf]

Fun fact I've beaten Peace Walker 1 and a half times.

Boy does that game fall apart.

Click to shrink...

It really does, and only because MGS4 came before and took my Metal Gear spirit away was I able to go "Hot Coldman, yeah, alright, The Boss is an AI, the final boss fight is against an anime girl set to J-Pop music, alright, that's cool, this is what lead to Outer Heaven, I'll accept that."

 

[Greatest Ever]

It really does, and only because MGS4 came before and took my Metal Gear spirit away was I able to go "Hot Coldman, yeah, alright, The Boss is an AI, the final boss fight is against an anime girl set to J-Pop music, alright, that's cool, this is what lead to Outer Heaven, I'll accept that."

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It definitely got a lot of extra love for being on the PSP and having a lot of features - it's just the gameplay and story were so hamstrung by the system, core design choices (they really don't let you pause on a goddamn PSP while switching weapons? And mashing PSPgo buttons was one of the worst experiences I've had in gaming), and super Kojima esque writing.

 

[Euler007]

How else will you know if war has changed?

 

[Deimos]

It won GOTY twice for a reason.

 

[Deleted member 19218]

It sounds like its about time you "finished the fight". (MGS5 does NOT count, useless game, other than from a gameplay perspective where there is fun to be had).

Click to shrink...

MGSV will have an impact on how you view the events of MGS4 and it's characters. I wouldn't say it is irrelevant when it has one key revelation

Spoiler: MGS4 spoilers

Until MGS5 people have thought of Major Zero as the villain after the events of MGS4. In that game Eva lays out the war between Big Boss and Zero and how ultimately Zero inadvertently created the war economy due to his partriot system. In the end, he dies a villain when Big Boss turns off the life support.

Many fans expressed displeasure, wondering how the likable characters from MGS3 such as ParaMedic and Major Zero could become villains and for years that is what we thought. We lived a life of false truths just like Eva and Big Boss did for it's not until MGSV we realise that Major Zero was never the true villain, it was Skullface who took control from Major Zero and left Major Zero with severe mental disabilities.

When you play MGS4 after this revelation, that final scene is totally different. You no longer view Zero as the villain any longer but rather a pitiful victim of Skullface. MGS1 and everything beyond was never the result of Zero, all of it was the result of Skullface. Zero has his reputation destroyed, even those that were once his allies think he is the enemy

 

[Cess007]

Yes, you should play one of the best MGS games. Definitely

 

[Hutchie]

gameplay is great, gives you a lot of freedom (save for the beginning of acts 3 and 5.) Solid eye, MK-2 were great additions. Play it!

 

[Greatest Ever]

gameplay is great, gives you a lot of freedom (save for the beginning of acts 3 and 5.) Solid eye, MK-2 were great additions. Play it!

Click to shrink...

Thank you Hutchie

 

[SuperBoss]

What the hell? Its the best one, of course you should play it and watch all the cutscenes

 

[Zeel]

MGS4 is the GoT 805 of MGS and 5 is the 803.

 

[DrFunk]

Second best in the series after MGS2

Play it with beer. It'll all make sense

 

[zebetite]

So let's say I'm only asking because I enjoy tactical TPS games, general MGS gameplay, and AAA Japanese games, and not because I give a shit about MGS' story, why would you say you could?

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because i love all three of those things and mgs4 is bad at all of them - even if we discount my problems with the game's story (significant, in their own right), i just think its a really poorly-conceived video game.

each act (the game is broken into five acts btw) kind of has its own problems that cumulatively make it hard to summarize my issues without spending way more time thinking about mgs4 than i frankly want to, but my across-the-board gripes are that octocamo is really poorly balanced/designed and the level design in combination with that creates an environment that often makes it feel like your only two options are to slowly, boringly crawl through drab environments or to shoot your way through them. the thing i love about mgs gameplay is how fast-paced and arcadey it can feel once you've mastered the mechanics and mao layouts, and i never got that feeling with 4 - and thats to say nothing of the large chunks of the game where you're playing a dull tailing mission or "sneaking" around tiny robotic enemies that swarm unpredictably all over the place

i consider mgs2 and mgs3 to be easy contenders for an "all time top 5 favorite video games" list and consider their stories just the cherry on top and mgs4 disappointed me on that front too. i know people out there disagree with me, and i wish i saw in this game what they see, because i was HUGELY let down by it

 

[Prine]

Play it, but its complete and utter shite, save 2 parts.

Once your done, watch this:

 

[FarSight XR-20]

MGS 4 is my favourite MGS with MGS3. And it's so much better than MGS V.

 

[Legacy]

Grab some popcorn, sitback and just watch the cutscenes movie on Youtube

 

[abrasivemurk]

Shit no. Awful game. I bought the PS3 for it, barely touched it, shelved it for months, only to finally resume and finish it almost a year later, and I regret the time wasted.

Click to shrink...

Wow is it that bad? Bizarre that it's got such a high metacritic score.

 

[Greatest Ever]

Play it, but its complete and utter shite, save 2 parts.

Once your done, watch this:

Click to shrink...

Lol already seen it

 

[Pyro]

It's worth it. It's good, bad, and outright batshit insane at times.

 

[BrickArts295]

MGS4 is pretty much unhinged Kojima until Death Stranding. You gotta experience it to believe what the man is capable of.

 

[Phendrift]

Play it and enjoy the ride. There will never be another game like it.

I love it, flaws and all. It's batshit.

 

[shadowsdarknes]

MGS4 is an amazing video game. It's a shame it never saw a remaster with redone texturing.

 

[Ferrio]

It's got some highs, and a lot of lows. If you're a fan of the series's story at all, then it's a must. The cutscenes aren't too bad either, the problem is there isn't enough gameplay in between them like previous titles.

 

[RandomExpletive]

Just recently bought a used PS3 to finally truly experience MGS4 (I'd watched the cutscenes/someone play through the game, but never played the game myself)

Completely worth it, easy to see how it won everyone's GOTY in 2008, just an absolutely incredible game

 

[Geist 6one7]

Worst numbered MGS imo. You barely play during the last 3 parts. It's still a good game mind you.

 

[Techno]

MGS4 has Rex vs Ray boss fight, and the Shadow Moses intro.

And it becomes a fighting game at the end.

Definitely better than V.

 

[Betty]

Yes, it's got lots of great moments, the first 2 acts are stellar gameplay wise and it's a very memorable game.

 

[Jakisthe]

No.

Play the first 2 chapters, and then drop the game, as it's all downhill from there; increasingly bad gameplay, god awful story (of course), all ending with the worst final boss of all time.

Seasons 1-4 of GoT are all great though.

 

[Dabi3]

Wish I could've have grown with this series.

 

[The Fabled Englishman]

I will definitely hold expectations, I'm not expecting anything near MGSV let alone a game from 08.
but what about

Ya know

The game's

gameplay

Click to shrink...

It barely has any. It's not that the gameplay itself is bad, it's that the gameplay segments are relatively few and far between, especially after the first couple of chapters.

I really can't fathom playing MGS4 for anything other than the ridiculous story and fanservice.

 

[Jubern]

I actually started a replay a couple weeks ago and I really can't stomach this game. Don't care much for the gameplay because of little you get to actually play and experiment with the game, and the story was godawful to me since day 1.

Some of the cutscene direction is incredible though, especially when it comes to action.

 

[Segaswirl]

Don't waste your time on this garbage.

Worst game in the series by a mile.

 

[Druffmaul]

It's 2019 and you still haven't played MGS4?

YOU ARE ALREADY DEAD

EDIT: I've been a diehard MGS fan since I imported MGS1 in Sept 1998. I fucking loved MGS4. Don't listen to these naysaying sacks of shit and play it. Though based on your comments it sounds like you'll probably hate it.

 

[Nemesis-T Type]

I like mgs4

The cutscenes are sweet

And lots of good fan service

 

[TheBaldwin]

I love it, but thats because i really play mGS for its story. Sit back and enjoy the ride. Although the first two chapters are really great story wise

 

[R.T Straker]

Dog shit game.

Don't bother.

 

[Tenrius]

Yes, you should play MGS4. It was disappointing in some ways, but it's still a good game.

For the record, it's not summer yet

 

[Wazzy]

Metal Gear Solid 4 ruined the series for me. I was a massive fan of 1-3 but when I finished 4 I was left so disgusted I haven't gone back to the series even though I bought the Vita HD versions of 2 and 3. I just lost all interest in ever revisiting these games.

Don't do it if you value the time you had with the first 3.

 

[Kumomeme]

one of masterpiece game out there

sad there no remaster for current gen

 

[eraFROMAN]

I love 4, play 4, even if it's only once. Enjoy it for the movie that it wants to be.

 

[Ultimate Bear Cub]

I didn't like 4 very much. I think it was a mistake to follow the story after 2. Any kind of interquel would have been fine, but 4 was just a long boring cutscene.

That all being said, if you liked the trilogy, I do think it is worth playing at least once. It tries to be a fan service for the previous entries. I think it is largely hit or miss. It has some really cool callbacks/ bosses, but simultaneously some derivative lazy ones as well.

I stopped after this one and dread actually giving V a shot because of it. I think I will at some point, but not looking forward to it honestly.

 

[squidyj]

Man, a lot of people are being incredibly vitriolic about 2008's GotY.
it can't get more definitive than winning twice can it?