TGS: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

By Tom Bramwell Published 20 September, 2007

Sneaky.

Glance over the videos of Metal Gear Solid 4 - and there have been plenty, including the hilarious new Tokyo Game Show addition - and you might be given the impression that it's a complicated game full of fiddly little controls. That's certainly how it looks when Kojima acts it out. Fortunately, it's not how it plays. In fact, judging by the playable demo here in Makuhari, it's gone from being slightly awkward to deceptively but welcomely simple. And let us not forget that it has a monkey in it.

Spawning into the familiar Middle East warzone from the trailers - where we learn that a PMC called Praying Mantis, run by Liquid Snake, is battling the locals - "Old Snake" finds himself on a familiar mission of run and hide, but with obvious improvements to his arsenal from bottom to top. On the most basic level, he's much easier to control. X cycles between crouch and standing while holding X has Snake fall flat. Triangle is a context-sensitive button that allows you to vault objects and adjust your body-suit's camouflage to match the terrain around you. A camo-meter in the top-right helps you keep track of its efficiency. After all the faffing of MGS3, this is welcome.

As Snake comes into contact with gun-toting enemies, he can opt to take them out, using a range of close-quarters combat manoeuvres, or shoot them, or dodge round. CQC now incorporates a range of new moves, all of which have been superbly animated no doubt with help from Hideo Kojima's usual military advisor, and will come naturally to those who chose to master the option in the last game. Interestingly, direct engagement with a projectile weapon is now a more realistic option. This is partly because it's so simple - there's the traditional manual aim, and a first-person option, but you can also toggle an auto-aim option that lets you hold L1 to lock onto an enemy and then fire with R1.

'TGS: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots' Screenshot 1

You no longer have to press 68 buttons to kill this man! Woo!

Your heightened propensity for confrontation is also partly because of Snake's camouflage, which allows him to hide virtually in plain sight. With no Soliton Radar viewing cones to worry about, players have to keep an eye on a sort of threat ring around Snake, which conveys the location of nearby enemies, along with the camo-meter, to maintain anonymity. As well as hiding, it's also good for pressing your advantage: if the enemy can't see you, and they're facing the wrong direction, suddenly coming to life behind them puts you in a handy position. Worth learning some of that CQC. One of our favourite moments, though, was lying on the floor face up, watching an advancing enemy bob Raptor-like through the dust, before gently popping a silenced bullet into his head as he started to suspect something was up.

In the demo's case, combat is certainly emphasised, but certainly not enforced. Snake's job is to navigate a handful of dusty, run-down buildings and streets after an APC poured troops into them, and you can do this entirely without alerting them if you prefer. Using a mixture of camouflage and well-timed, crouched runs you can evade their probing attention completely, even hiding in the odd bin or barrel, or - as Kojima rather enjoyed demonstrating recently - by standing on a plinth gripping a statue by the balls. Whether this sort of tactic will stand up to the bigger enemies, like the mechanical walkers witnessed in other trailers, seems unlikely, but it's fun to sleuth around such an oppressive environment - and MGS4 does a good job of making it so.

'TGS: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots' Screenshot 2

Press triangle up against that wall and you get to look like a council flat.

There will be further complexity to consider beyond the bounds of what the demo introduces, of course. For instance, Snake's stress levels and mental health will be impacted by various external pressures of the battlefield (no doubt accompanied by about 84 hours of wittering about it and how it relates to Godzilla films), and that's likely to play a more active role in the broader game. There are certainly times when he'll wish he had Vamp's resilience.

But, as with the controls, there are counterpoints to increased complexity, like a simplification of the alert state. Judging by the demo, enemies are either aware of your presence or not, and behave more believably as a result, rather than cycling through a range of blinking alert phases that reduce their intelligence to a sequence of gradually diminishing coloured bars. Not that they will be Halo-esque geniuses, mind - you can, after all, get away with lying down on the ground in front of them providing you're correctly camouflaged. Do they not have specs in the future? At least they call in their friends if they spot you or get sufficiently spooked.

What's more, while the graphics are less visually arresting than they seemed at TGS two years ago - when we scarcely believed we were watching an actual game - MGS4's certainly no slouch in this department either, delivering a terrifically engrossing dustbowl, full of swirls and windswept litter, and very clearly a place where only the crazy brave would dare to tread. Snake himself is as beautifully animated as ever, although we sort of hope some of the sneaking animations for him and the enemies are "beefed" up between now and release. Right now a train of machine-gun-wielding enemies ambles along rather comically.

'TGS: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots' Screenshot 3

Snake gets to play around with assault rifles in the demo, but no rocket launchers or pornography.

Anyway, the demo (and the prancing) ends pretty much as soon as you're getting into it, and Konami doesn't love us enough to let us come round its house and play MGS4, so we have to make do with what's at the show. However, putting what we've seen into the context of Kojima's public demonstrations and the trailers released online, we get the feeling that the excitingly varied toolbox at Snake's disposal in MGS4 is backed up by a low end that will allow anybody with a basic knowledge of two-stick stealth games to get into it.

Whether the plot and storytelling style will be as penetrable is another matter (and judging by this week's trailer, it will not!), but in either case there's certainly cause enough here to raise your expectations ahead of the game's "early 2008" release on PlayStation 3. Let's just hope that Old Snake has finally picked up the adage about not having something important to say so not dialling Campbell up on the codec.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (68) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • quantumsheep #1 4 years ago

    \o/

  • Carlo #2 4 years ago

    O_O

    Is this in-game?

  • SeesThroughAll #3 4 years ago

    Yes, in-game.

    I've noticed that a lot of the environmental textures were downgraded quite a bit since the original "FPS?" trailer.

    Still looks great though, doesn't it?

  • Hugundo #4 4 years ago

    snake!

  • BeersOfWar #5 4 years ago

    Meh-tal Gear Solid

  • Hog-lumps #6 4 years ago

    You no longer have to press 68 buttons to kill this man! Woo!

    :D

  • IAmBatman #7 4 years ago

    > Still looks great though, doesn't it?

    [link url=http://www.eurogamer .net/view_screenshot.php?image=assets/articles//a/8/3/7/6/7/ mgs2.jpg.jpg
    ]http://ww w.eurogamer.net/view_screenshot...[/link]

    No, not really.

  • rudedudejude #8 4 years ago

    lol look at the uniform textures on that guard, awful!

  • Kenshin001 #9 4 years ago

    That trailer was bizarre. Monkeys, Big Mama, the guy with his pants down in the drum. WTF?

  • Carlo #10 4 years ago

    Look at the first picture, on the wall behind Snake. texturelol

    Is this the wii version?

  • JediMasterMalik #11 4 years ago

    People seem to have wildly different idea of what a bad texture is, those wall textures are excellent. Can't wait for this, apparently the sound is a huge feature which EG seem to not have mentioned.

  • Chaote-Imagicka #12 4 years ago

    Why on earth are the graphics worse?

  • Les #13 4 years ago

    Gameplay-trailer almost sold it to me. Loved the first one. Now if I could only find the time to finish numbers 2 and 3 before it gets released... Even if it would be postponed to late 2008 that would be a challenge...

  • Daryoon #14 4 years ago

    judging a game by graphics alone isn't at all retarded either!

  • JohnnyWashnGo #15 4 years ago

    This will be the game that makes me get a ps3.

    Unless of course, Kojima manages to completely mess it up in which case I can live without it.

  • dr_swin #16 4 years ago

    always found it difficult to adjust to the x=undo/back, O=action/select on MGS. quite often would find myself getting down on my knees and lying on the floor when I just wanted to shoot someone. (probably should explore the control options next time)

  • Kenshin001 #17 4 years ago

    Wow, someone is bitter it is not coming to their console of choice. LOL!

  • Pulsar_t #18 4 years ago

    Whilst the gameplay of Splinter is superior, I always liked the presentation of MGS (despite the ridiculous storyline).. Not enough to convince me to get a PS3 though. Same story with MGS2, I just got a Dreamcast at the time :D

  • jack_klugman #19 4 years ago

    Whilst the gameplay of Splinter is superior

    No. It is not.

  • Sebo #20 4 years ago

    I always thought Splinter Cell was a nightmare, MGS - pure brilliance. MGS3 is definitely still in my top 5 games ever.

  • Pulsar_t #21 4 years ago

    Yes, it is. And I won't argue it out with you because of your 'pre-defined mindset'. :p

    And I wish to reiterate that it's no use with game designers.. Are people with "sophisticated tastes" supposed to appreciate games, when they see tits flapping against a camera's lens?

  • niteninja #22 4 years ago

    Trailer was racist to fuck,game looks stunningly good.

  • El_MUERkO #23 4 years ago

    MGS reminds us yet again that the japanese are mad as hamsters with ninja swords but we've got to love them :D

  • dr_swin #24 4 years ago

    hey - lay off. I like tits.

  • themerlin13 #25 4 years ago

    Sod the review, that warhawk ad with the stupid noise is doing my head in!!!

    AAAARRRRGGGHHH!!

  • morriss #26 4 years ago

    The power of cell compels you!!!

  • Tenaflyviper #27 4 years ago

    I hate stealth games, but I REALLY hate MGS.

    I like PLAYING games, not watching them through hours of endless sodding talking.

    Yet another reason for me not to get a PS3

    Exclusive? Thank fuck for that.

  • wowami #28 4 years ago

    @TheMerlin13

    MGS.x stirs my loins not at all.

    Warhawk AD = Armageddon to EG-towers.

    Please make it stop

    that is all

  • Les #29 4 years ago

    "Exclusive? Thank fuck for that."

    Contender for most stupid remark of the day...

  • Sebo #30 4 years ago

    @tenaflyviper

    So you buy every Xbox360 game and have to play them all through?

  • JYM60 #31 4 years ago

    Looks excellent and sounds excellent.

    Oh, and Splinter cell is big black pile of shite.

  • jack_klugman #32 4 years ago

    Oh, and Splinter cell is big black pile of shite.

    Don't tell Pulsar_t. He's not a fan of opinions.

  • Feanor #33 4 years ago

    "For instance, Snake's stress levels and mental health will be impacted by various external pressures of the battlefield"

    There's nothing wrong with the word "affected", Tom.

  • morriss #34 4 years ago

    SC5 is a complete makeover, as in, a completely different game, controls, the lot. It's also made by Ubi Montreal who gave us PoP and BGaE.

    So to say it's shite is pretty fucking desperate and pathetic, really.

  • Yeevle #35 4 years ago

    This will probably tip me over the edge into buying a PS3. I think I pee'd a little.

  • JediMasterMalik #36 4 years ago

    No one's talking about SC5.

  • niteninja #37 4 years ago

    Splinter cell is a good game but its not in metal gears league.
    Splinter cell is your typical hollywood film, big action with a plot you could write on the back of a stamp.
    Metal gears story is so fucked up you dont really know what the fuck is going on.
    Shocked that nobody has commented on the Racism that was in that trailer.
    Im not going to point it out to people but its in there.

  • JYM60 #38 4 years ago

    Nah morriss, to say MGS4 looks crap and that SC plays better is pretty fucking desperate.

    Bringing up SC5 when we're obviously talking about previous games is also fucking desperate.

  • JediMasterMalik #39 4 years ago

    @niteninja - I fail to see anything racist, I mean there are 2 black men in the trailer, but neither is depicted in any possible ofensive way.
    Edited by 1 at 20/09/07 @ 18:16

  • besteman #40 4 years ago

    can't wait

  • greenthumb #41 4 years ago

    am i the only one that thinks the animation on snake is hilariously bad

  • Danoxth #42 4 years ago

    Helper monkeys for all....

  • sonsonate #43 4 years ago

    Well,

    This game looks like a convoluted mess once again....

    Here's to hoping it gives people answers and concludes some storylines. Jeezus H. Christ.

  • Kryon #44 4 years ago

    Looks rather 'last gen'. Hopefully the graphics will be improved in the imminent 360 Substance version of the game.

  • VMerken #45 4 years ago

    Well, unless this turns out to be a MGS2, I will definitely get it and the console stuck on its back. Dual Shock 3 should be available by then anyways. I like the return of Otacon and Meryl. The preview movie was great, and I'm probably old due to smirking at Meryl's "Eye Contact!" remark right before hitting patrol. Let's hope they bring MGS4 to the same level as MGS or MGS3.

    Hmm, I wanted to say something else. What was it again? ...

    ***PFFFFIIIIIUUUUUUUUUUUUUWWWWWWWWWBOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!* **

    Oh yeah! The infinitely repeating Warhawk ad is as vile as that SAY SOMETHIGN!!11 smiley concoction. We got the message, please KILL the audio now.

  • The-Bodybuilder #46 4 years ago

    >" I like the return of Otacon and Meryl."

    That was meryl? I thought she looked familiar.

    Shouldn't she (or otacon) be dead?

  • The-Bodybuilder #47 4 years ago

    AAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

    I. CAN'T. STAND. THAT. WARHAWK AAAAAADDDDDDDDD.

    And I know it's gonna go off again after this post. If EG continue without such irritating ads, I'll be forced not to come here.

  • JediMasterMalik #48 4 years ago

    I just love adblock ;p

  • Yeevle #49 4 years ago

    I forgot there were adverts on the internet. :o

  • Lov3 #50 4 years ago

    Damn, they've definitely put a lot of work into the models if nothing else! Can't tell much about the texture quality, but it looks like the character textures are a very high res, but the world textures are artifactey. Could be to speed up the engine, could be the av encoding, could be that they just haven't put in the sharp textures yet, who knows? Still probably the most graphically impressive piece of in game footage i've ever seen, the production values are phenomenal.

    Looks like the control system is getting an overhaul. The gameplay of mgs was always well balanced imo, so I have confidence in them. Story is still like some horrific tom clancy meets alice in wonderland fan fiction cross over though. Blech.

  • Isere #51 4 years ago

    Just in, thread filled with vevy vevy angvy Xbots. MGS4 am hate :'(

    Edited by 1 at 21/09/07 @ 09:10

  • Carrybagma #52 4 years ago

    Kryon wrote: Looks rather 'last gen'. Hopefully the graphics will be improved in the imminent 360 Substance version of the game.
    Another wretched post from the site spaz.
    SPAZLOL

  • samadriel #53 4 years ago

    >>Press triangle up against that wall and you get to look like a council flat.

    "We're after your help too -- you see here security footage of Solid Snake disguised as a school. He's been getting away with it for 12 years. Do you know him? Have you seen him? Please call."

    "Yes, we must stop that man, he really is a shit."
    Edited by 1 at 21/09/07 @ 02:58

  • Vandrius #54 4 years ago

    Those saying bad textures are just bitter little muppets looking for hugs.

  • drumbaby #55 4 years ago

    My first MGS game then. Looks ace.

  • lambtron #56 4 years ago

    ">>Press triangle up against that wall and you get to look like a council flat.

    "We're after your help too -- you see here security footage of Solid Snake disguised as a school. He's been getting away with it for 12 years. Do you know him? Have you seen him? Please call."

    "Yes, we must stop that man, he really is a shit.""

    Haha. Brass Eye FTW.

  • andromeda #57 4 years ago

    "texturelol"

    +10

  • miiiguel #58 4 years ago

    "over hyped shit"
    "I don't get it"
    "have been done, times and again"
    "I'm so smart, I just play RPG's"
    ...

  • VicViper #59 4 years ago

    I never really got into MGS, Beat Sons of liberty but that was about all I could take, apart for the fact that whoever is playing the new TGS trailers I seen is rubbish at the game, It looks good I suppose the qaulity of the videos I seen has not helped (gamevideos/gametrailers.com) but the enemy AI and the animation look excatly the same as they has always been (apart from the new moves of course), I can't help but feel slighty disappointed.

    With all the 15min+ trailer making it look all kinds of awsome maybe I set my expectation for the gameplay a bit high but I reserve judgement till I see a trailer where someone knows what their doing in the game first.

  • ParanoidZombie #60 4 years ago

    Am I the only one who thinks that the trailers are slightly embarassing? I mean, MGS's characters and cutscenes have always been over the top, but now they really crossed the line IMO. And it looks like another half gameplay/half cutscenes game, and I don't like that.

    BTW, stop comparing MGs to splinter cell, please. SC is a(n overrated) stealth game, MGS is a weird drama cutscenes extravanganza with tiny bits of gameplay stuck into it. As a stealth games maniac, I'm more interested in Assassin's creed right now.

  • samadriel #61 4 years ago

    Heck, it may be high-profile, but if anything, Splinter Cell's underrated; Double Agent was adequate at best, fucked at worst, and got press accordingly, but Chaos Theory seemingly slipped between the cracks, and it rocked.

    Of course, if Montreal really do decide to turn Splinter Cell into Bumfights: Conviction, then MGS'll be the only game in town. Oh well, we'll see.
    Edited by 1 at 21/09/07 @ 13:21

  • BobsUncle #62 4 years ago

    "Splinter cell is your typical hollywood film, big action with a plot you could write on the back of a stamp."

    Ding Chavez is coming for you, bitch!

    I wonder if this is going to be like the ever-so-slightly-interactive-fucking-pile-of-Jap-crap bullshit movie that the last one was?

    I love the way Snake keeps a crocodile outfit and all sorts of other shit in his bum bag, and can fully turn around whilst crawling through a tiny tunnel. AGGGGHHH!! THIS GAME PISSES ME OFF!

    And I loved MGS1 on my PS1. :-(
    Edited by 1 at 21/09/07 @ 13:18

  • Ryze #63 4 years ago

    Streaming? Blu-Ray transfer rate? 256Mb RAM?

  • m0thr4 #64 4 years ago

    Paranoid Zombie wrote:
    "Am I the only one who thinks that the trailers are slightly embarassing? I mean, MGS's characters and cutscenes have always been over the top, but now they really crossed the line IMO. And it looks like another half gameplay/half cutscenes game, and I don't like that."
    ------------------------

    No, you're not the only one. I cannot see the attraction of these games at all. If 50% of this game is actual gameplay, you'll be extremely lucky - the previous games in the series had more cutscene than gameplay.

    I played MGS on the PlayStation (and its remake on the Gamecube), but gave up halfway through MGS 2 because the story got too silly and the dialogue too hilariously awful (partly due to bad translation from the original Japanese). This looks even worse than those (can't comment on MGS 3).

    In the latest trailer, I was particularly amused at how an arms dealer has to explain what he does to a seasoned assassin. I was even more amused at the way he called himself a "gun launderer". Then we have a woman in a business suit designed deliberately to show that she wasn't wearing a bra, later ripping her skirt presumably so she can run faster... please excuse me while I vomit... are we back in the 1980's or something?

    It's all just a chauvinistic wet dream for teenage boys (or retarded 20-somethings) and I can't see the appeal at all.
    Edited by 2 at 27/09/07 @ 08:46

  • bdc #65 4 years ago

    7/10

    A somewhat decent stealth affair, let down by a convoluted plot that drags on.

  • Landmaster #66 4 years ago

    Cannot wait for this game :D

    x x x

  • menschenfracht #67 4 years ago

    i'm waiting for KOjima to announce that he turned down 3d stuff forever and using South park animation engine to render all the models.

    even then it would be a great game .) not the best, maybe, but surely great

  • anamenos #68 4 years ago

    MGS4 and GOW2 the best games of 2008...