War has changed.

Metal Gear Solid 4 is an achievement in fiction not just as a game or "movie" as some would describe it, but as a work of transformative art made only possible by a man as intricate and fascinating as Hideo Kojima. What Guns of the Patriots is able to do is close a chapter on the world of a franchise born in the eighties, with poignant and predictive storytelling truly ahead of its time. There is nothing like Metal Gear Solid in media today, there was nothing like it before, and there may be nothing like it after. The way MGS and Kojima were able to weave meta commentary on politics, war, and sociocultural impact is nothing short of miraculous. Touching on this story without devolving into spoilers is rather difficult, but I will say to anyone willing to embark on this incredible journey, it is worth it. This is the first time in a long time that I am truly speechless and having a tough time writing my post gameplay review. They almost always flow naturally from my fingertips, written as if they were a stream of consciousness... but alas Kojima has checkmated anything I could put to proverbial paper.

Metal Gear Solid 4 is a conjunction of MGS2/3's sneaking playstyle and the storytelling of a feature film. There's countless moments where you as the player are invited to put down your controller and watch a narrative maestro at work, carefully weaving together histories and plotlines that developed fifty years before this game takes place. In a way Chekov's gun reigns true, as KojiPro was able to close almost every conceivable plotline and moment from the series in this title alone in the way of convenient plot elements and character monologues/soliloquy. The story that began with the hero known as Snake aka Big Boss, Zero, Ocelot, and Eva all comes to a halt as does the hatred that drove them and the world all apart. The control of information and the puppetering of the war economy become a driving force for the antagonists as they steer humanity into a dark age of conformance. Can Solid Snake, Otacon, and their crew of problematic miscreants save the world in a myserious war against their psyches? The answer is provided in Guns of the Patriots, and it will take you and your creative whimsy into a previously untapped locale of media.

With the recent news of the revival of MGS for modern platforms, I am cautiously optimistic for a new generation of gamers to encounter (heh) the incredible world that Metal Gear truly is. I hope they are able to dissect the commentary that is written in about our future and our past from the game they are playing. I hope they can laugh in one moment to ponder the existence of memetics as a cultural driving force in the next.

Shine on Big Boss, Solid Snake, Otacon, and Hideo Kojima.

War has changed.

Puedo decir con certeza que Metal Gear es una saga que con el pasar de los juegos es más "seca" y "triste", es notorio que Kojima quiso finalizar con la 2da entrega de Solid, fue forzado por Konami a hacer Snake Eater y evidentemente, Guns of the Patriots.

El juego es el mejor a nivel gráfico hasta este año, pero peca de usar "la guerra ha cambiado" para colarte tiroteos en moto y tanque, diálogos de Hal y personajes principales para apoyar la idea de la economía de guerra, etc. Es un juego lleno de conveniencias, guionazos y fanservice, tiene sus grandísimos momentos, sus osts memorables y un final emotivo, mas este último intenta ser justificado a través de todo el juego, sin éxito y quitando peso al fallecimiento del legendario héroe, Solid Snake.

Este título demuestra que Kojima estaba harto de esta saga, y aún así lo intentó llenar lo máximo posible de cariño y amor, para que los jugadores sintiésemos como es la tristeza del final, un final desgarrador llegado por acontecimientos desgarradores.

No es un buen Metal Gear, es una catástrofe narrativamente hablando, pero se esforzaron por hacernos disfrutar del réquiem.

Nota final: 5/10 ("Bueno" en mi escala de puntuación).

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is the Koijimaest Kojima has ever been. This game is LITERALLY 40%+ cutscenes and it has no intentions of holding back any exposition dumps. MGS4 is often nonsensical because it decided to try to explain its predecessor’s stories. Snake is now old, and he must fight both lung cancer and a heroin addiction to stop Liquid (actually just Ocelot being a weirdo) from doing bad guy stuff. MGS was always self-referential, but it’s beyond control in MGS4, though the return to Shadow Moses was well done. Tying a bow on the title, the fake out ending is an incredible way to send off the franchise. I would expect nothing less from a series built on the art of the plot twist.

Literally bought a PS3 just to watch Kojima celebrate his own successes. Would do it again.