The 2nd Annual VGF Awards 2008

Despite what others have said across the industry, 2008 wasn't exactly the best year for the industry.

Sure, we saw the return of great franchises such as Grand Theft Auto, Gears of War, Resistance, Metal Gear Solid, Call of Duty, Mario Kart, and Super Smash Bros., but because of such there was little innovation to be found this year.

Regardless, 2008 was still a great year filled with enough new content to keep gamers entertained well into 2009.

Below are the 2008 VGF Awards, the most prestigious award show on this blog this year!

Feel free to comment and voice your opinion on what you feel are the greatest games of the year:

Best Visuals:

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3)

The first time you experience Metal Gear Solid 4’s seamless sequences from an engaging cinematic presentation to immersive gameplay you know you are looking a great visual presentation. The mere fact that there is no distinguishable difference between the game’s many cinematic sequences and gameplay is a true feat in the visual capabilities of this title. Pushing the Playstation 3 to its extremes and showcasing its true visual capability, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is truly the most beautiful game of 2008.

Best Story:

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3)

Maybe I am a little biased, but the epic conclusion of one of the industry’s best storylines is something to make note of. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is not only a fantastic game, but a crowning achievement in story telling unparalleled in the medium. Producer/Director Hideo Kojima crafts a familiar cast of characters yet added enough depth to keep each interesting. None of MGS4’s characters are static. The emotional connection Kojima conveys with each character via the story make this an experience gamers will not soon forget.

Best Music:

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3)

Once again Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots excels in providing a complete media experience with its excellent soundtrack. The Metal Gear Solid franchise is nothing new to Hollywood composer Harry Gregson-Williams and his experience with both forms of media helps to further exemplify the cinematic experience of the game. Coupling heart-breaking scores with emotionally impactful moments helped to tangibly covey the psychological ambiance of this engrossing title. In other words, the music is fantastic!

Most Overrated Game:

Grand Theft Auto IV (PC, Xbox 360, PS3)

I know that I am bound to receive a lot of flack for this, but Grand Theft Auto IV is the most overrated and disappointing game of 2008. Sure it’s the first GTA game to grace next-generation consoles, but that doesn’t automatically mean the game is superb. GTAIV pails in comparison to earlier GTA titles such as Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Missions are overly repetitive not only onto themselves but repetitive of previous GTA titles as well – you can only clean up and drive away from messy drug deals so many times before its gets boring. Also, you can no longer purchase property, a diverse arrangement of clothing, or manipulate your hair style or physical appearance. Money is practically useless in the game aside from purchasing weapons. However, the game replaces monetary gain with a new incredibly annoying, and tedious, friend system where characters you interact with in the game constantly call you to hang out and if you don’t, you are no longer friends. When you do eventually agree to being roped into doing something with these characters you have to drive across the city to pick them up, drive back across the city to do whatever they want to do (such as spend 5 minutes bowling), and then you have to drive across the city again to drop them off – no of which is any fun. You can choose not to engage to these activities, but what’s the point in having this option if you aren’t supposed to be friends with these people? GTA4 simply has too many annoying distractions that subtract from an already watered down shell of what the series has previously been. It’s just sad when this is a game worse than its four-year-old predecessor.

Best Online Multiplayer Content:

Little Big Planet (PS3)

With Resistance 2 featuring multiplayer matches with up to 60 players and Call of Duty: World at War further polishing its unparalleled multiplayer experience, it becomes very difficult to choose a winner here. Nevertheless, Little Big Planet dares to do something new with nearly limitless possibilities. Providing players with the necessary tools to craft their own levels in any way they see fit is truly extraordinary. I have played anything from beautifully crafted night life scenes to complete remakes of classic Super Mario levels to imaginative adventures in the Ghostbusters universe. With no signs of slowing, added content coming every couple of weeks, and a wide user-base, this is an online experience that makes the game’s $60 price tag well worth the money.

Most Unique Nontraditional Gameplay:

Wii Fit (Wii)

Congratulations to Nintendo for tricking gamers and non-gamers alike into working out and the Wii balance board makes it all possible. Calibrating everything from your weight and balance to your posture, the Wii balance board quickly blurs the lines between playing a video game and serving a useful purpose. Not to mention you can use the Wii balance board to play with your butt flying downhill in Rayman: Raving Rabbids TV Party: something I never thought I would do.

Best Plateformer:

Little Big Planet (PS3)

Nothing like a game that can revive the nostalgia when we played games the same way we read books: left-to-right. Little Big Planet not only does that but looks beautiful in the process. The game that literally captivates our imagination also showcased outstandingly beautiful visuals, surprisingly realistic physics, and incredible online content. This was surely a title PS3 fans had waited a long time for and with good reason. Little Big Planet was charming, whimsical fun that was unmatched this year.

Best First-Person Shooter:

Call of Duty: World at War (PC, Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, DS)

Always a tough category, the industry is constantly flooded with first-person shooters. However, the sequel to last year’s winner takes the cake another year. Despite initial criticism that the series was returning to the tired World War II genre, Call of Duty: World at War does what many other first-person shooters fail to try - attaching emotional connections to the reasons you are fighting. Peppered with as many dramatic sequences as its predecessor and adding additional content such as cooperative campaigns and even a mode to slay waves of Nazi zombies (a la Left 4 Dead) this is another installment of a series that continues to showcase the pinnacle of the genre.

Best Multiplatform Game:

Fallout 3 (PC, Xbox 360, PS3)

Difficult to be classified in a genre, Fallout 3 is certainly the one game in 2008 no one saw coming. Reviving as the sequel to two strategy games released ten years ago, Fallout 3 makes a fantastic reentry to the forefront of gaming. Its beautiful synthesis of RPG and FPS gaming mechanics make this game feel like a next-generation update of Deus Ex, without the conspiracy. Regardless if you have a PC, Xbox 360, or PS3 you need to check this one out.

Best Wii Exclusive:

Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)

No list of the greatest games of 2008 could be complete without a mention of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, easily the must-own title for Nintendo Wii owners this year. Not only is this the best Super Smash Bros. game ever made, it is the greatest collection of Nintendo all-stars (and even others) to date. Finally, Nintendo fans are able to take their much honed Super Smash Bros. skills online and compete with gamers across the globe. Add a surprisingly lengthy and thematic single-player sub-space emissary mode and you have the best game on the Wii this year. Not to mention this is a game open to all Nintendo fans with the option to play with nearly any control scheme available on the Wii.

Best Playstation 3 Exclusive:

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3)

Hailed by many as a system seller even years before its release, Metal

Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is a game people will point to as defining the Playstation 3 for years to come. Making this game an exclusive on Sony’s console may have saved the dreary machine from its slump. The shear technical mastery of the game makes this something that only the PS3 could pull-off and showcases what the console has to offer. Excellence in presentation, story, and music, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is a game no PS3 owner should be without.

Best Xbox 360 Exclusive:

Gears of War 2 (Xbox 360)

You take perhaps the greatest game of 2006, polish its visuals, expand gameplay, and include additional content and you have the must-own title for Xbox 360 owners this year. Gears of War 2 is bigger and better than its predecessor in nearly every way to make this

an incredibly enjoyable experience for fans of the genre or even folks how just like to shoot things or kill people with chainsaws attached to their guns. Regardless, not much else can be said of a series that continues to impress upon the entire industry coupling brilliant visuals with killer gameplay.

Game of the Year:

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots(PS3)

I know you must be tired of hearing the name of this game once again and I personally believe that longer and more creative bouts of gameplay could have been added to perfect this game, but taken into perspective, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is the best game of 2008. Something has to be said about the artistic synthesis of both a film and video game in a way that moves the entire medium forward. No doubt, Metal Gear Solid 4 will make a lasting impression on anyone who played the game with its countless emotional and almost surreal sequences which are clearly unmatched by anything in the entire industry. Were there games with better gameplay in 2008? Certainly. However, Metal Gear Solid 4 is a technical masterpiece in every sense of the word. Add that with the best story and music of the year and you are left with no other choice than to hail this as simply the best game of 2008. In the same way that the Academy Awards has helped to highlight films that helped the entire industry progress by their aesthetic prowess, Metal Gear Solid 4 truly illuminates the potential that the video game industry has not only in story telling, but as an interactive entertainment medium. That is why this will be a game that will be remembered for years to come as the best of 2008.

Preview-Review: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

9.5 out of 10










Here is the VGF Preview-Review of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Click below for the podcast or take a look at a brief synopsis below:

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Visuals

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is hands-down the most impressive Playstation 3 title visually. This is a shear graphical and technical triumph with gorgeous and fantastic cinematics that blends seamlessly with gameplay. Nothing short of superb.


Gameplay

Unfortunately, gameplay can be sparse at times and is not the star of the production. Controls are difficult at times - especially for fans of the series - and usually include some combination of buttons to perform a certain, even something as specific as firing your weapon. Thankfully, camera controls are fully customizable because they are difficult to begin with.

Sound

The sound of MGS4 is as outstanding as the visuals. This is another element of the bar-shattering presentation that makes this an outstanding title. Sounds and music are crisp and appropraite, plus you can use your in-game "ipod" to listen to classic tracks from previous games in the series.


Mutliplayer

Metal Gear Online feels like a valiant attempt to piece together good online content, but falls short in their first attempt. Typical deathmatch and stealth gameplay doesn't function the way you think and you have to sign-up for two separate accounts online because they want you to purchase content such as an additional character - you get one. I would suggest playing Call of Duty 4 online and ignore the money-grabbing online content here, which is upsetting in and of itself because you already paid $60 for the game, you deserve all of their online content. Boo to Konami.


Overall

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots seems to be an outstanding game thus far (I am about 5-6 hours in). However, it is not a perfect game. In fact, if you haven't ever played a Metal Gear Solid game before, don't play this game and look for why in the podcast. If you are a Metal Gear Solid fan it should prove to be an amazing experience that has to be taken as such rather than merely a video game, but a full presentation. Mastery in storytelling and technically, but with some flaws in gameplay.

Metal Gear Solid 4 Reviews

Just days after the release of Metal Gear Solid 4 for the Playstation 3, critics have hailed the title as one of the best of the year.

Could this be what PS3 owners have longed for?

Checkout the video reviews below, however, they have warned that spoilers exist, so be weary.

I have not even watched any of these since I want to experience this game all for my own and I will have a preview-review available in a few days.

Until then, enjoy:

Gamespot - 10 out of 10

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is the most technically stunning video game ever made. It's also a fine example of storytelling prowess within its medium, combining gameplay and narrative so slickly and beautifully that it's impossible to extricate one from the other. It's likely you will emerge awestruck from your first play-through, wishing the experience would continue yet nonetheless satisfied with its conclusion. It's difficult not to sound hyperbolic when discussing MGS4 because every part of its design seemingly fulfills its vision, without compromise. There is no halfway.

1up - A-

So, yes, MGS4's heritage is at once its greatest strength and most damning shortcoming. Perhaps these compromises in the name of closure are for the best, though -- after all, now that Metal Gear is over, Kojima Productions is free to give these phenomenal gameplay concepts a fresh start, free from 20 years of continuity. But only if they choose to, of course. That's the whole point.

IGN - 10 out of 10

Indeed, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots shatters the proverbial bar, becoming a technical, cinematic and gaming standard that future action and stealth titles will be judged by. It's been a long time coming, but this game is a true classic and a masterpiece from Hideo Kojima, Kojima Productions and Konami.

GamePro - 5 out of 5

Metal Gear Solid 4 is a masterpiece, an unforgettable game that shines like a beacon amidst a sea of mediocrity. It is not only the best Metal Gear game, but one of the best games ever made, period. If you own a PS3, put this at the top of your to-buy list. If you don't own a PS3, well, chances are you will buy one soon just to play this game.

Little Big Planet Leads Interactive Acheivement Award Nominations with 10

Sure the film industry has the "Academy Awards" as their big award ceremony, but what does the video game industry have?

It seems as though the Interactive Achievement Awards is the closest thing to an "Academy Awards" of video games.

Hosted by the peer organization of the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences, February 19th award ceremony will mark the 12th in the organizations history.

Friday, their nominations were announced with Sony's "Little Big Planet" leading the pack with 10 nominations including "Overall Game of the Year."

Look for a VGF top picks of the IAA coming soon, but if you can't wait, take a look at the 2008 VGF Awards!

Below is the complete list of nominees for the 12th annual Interactive Achievement Awards :


Family Game of the Year

* Boom Blox - Electronic Arts - EA Los Angeles
* LittleBigPlanet - Sony Computer Entertainment America - Media Molecule
* Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party - Ubisoft - Ubisoft Paris
* Rock Band 2 - MTV Games - Harmonix Music Systems, Inc.
* Wii Fit - Nintendo - Nintendo


Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year

* Advance Wars: Days of Ruin - Nintendo - Intelligent Systems
* Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 - Electronic Arts - EA Los Angeles
* Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution - 2K Games - Firaxis
* Sins of a Solar Empire - Stardock Entertainment - Ironclad Games
* Tom Clancy's EndWar - Ubisoft - Ubisoft Shanghai


Outstanding Achievement in Animation

* Castle Crashers - Microsoft Game Studios - The Behemoth
* Gears of War 2 - Microsoft Game Studios - Epic Games, Inc.
* Left 4 Dead - Valve Software - Valve Software
* Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. - Kojima Productions
* Prince of Persia - Ubisoft - Ubisoft Montreal


Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction

* Dead Space - Electronic Arts - EA Redwood Shores
* Fable II - Microsoft Game Studios - Lionhead Studios
* LittleBigPlanet - Sony Computer Entertainment America - Media Molecule
* Mirror’s Edge - Electronic Arts - Digital Illusions
* Prince of Persia - Ubisoft - Ubisoft Montreal


Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering

* Gears of War 2 - Microsoft Game Studios - Epic Games, Inc.
* LittleBigPlanet - Sony Computer Entertainment America - Media Molecule
* Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. - Kojima Productions
* Resistance 2 - Sony Computer Entertainment America - Insomniac Games
* Tomb Raider: Underworld - Eidos/Warner Bros. Interactive - Crystal Dynamics


Outstanding Achievement in Game Play Engineering

* Fable II - Microsoft Game Studios - Lionhead Studios
* Fallout 3 - Bethesda Softworks - Bethesda Game Studios
* Left 4 Dead - Valve Software - Valve Software
* Spore - Electronic Arts - Maxis
* Tom Clancy's EndWar - Ubisoft - Ubisoft Shanghai


Outstanding Character Performance

* Gears of War 2 (Dom) - Microsoft Game Studios - Epic Games, Inc.
* Gears of War 2 (Marcus) - Microsoft Game Studios - Epic Games, Inc.
* LittleBigPlanet (Sackboy) - Sony Computer Entertainment America - Media Molecule
* Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (Old Snake) - Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. - Kojima Productions
* Tomb Raider: Underworld (Lara Croft) - Eidos/Warner Bros. Interactive - Crystal Dynamics


Outstanding Achievement in Adapted Story

* Lego Batman: The Videogame - Warner Bros. Interactive - TT Games
* Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe - Midway - Midway
* Naruto: The Broken Bond - Ubisoft - Ubisoft
* Quantum of Solace - Activision - Treyarch
* Star Wars: The Force Unleashed - LucasArts - LucasArts


Outstanding Achievement in Original Story

* Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway - Ubisoft - Gearbox Software
* Fable II - Microsoft Game Studios - Lionhead Studios
* Fallout 3 - Bethesda Softworks - Bethesda Game Studios
* Grand Theft Auto IV - Rockstar Games - Rockstar North
* Professor Layton and the Curious Village - Nintendo - Level 5, Inc.


Role-Playing Game of the Year

* Fable II - Microsoft Game Studios - Lionhead Studios
* Fallout 3 - Bethesda Softworks - Bethesda Game Studios
* Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time - Nintendo - Chunsoft
* Tales of Vesperia - Namco Bandai Games - Namco Bandai Games


Outstanding Innovation in Gaming

* Braid - Microsoft Game Studios - Number None
* Left 4 Dead - Valve Software - Valve Software
* LittleBigPlanet - Sony Computer Entertainment America - Media Molecule
* Spore - Electronic Arts - Maxis
* Wii Fit - Nintendo - Nintendo


Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition

* de Blob - THQ - Blue Tongue
* Dead Space - Electronic Arts - EA Redwood Shores
* Fable II - Microsoft Game Studios - Lionhead Studios
* Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. - Kojima Productions
* World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King - Blizzard Entertainment - Blizzard Entertainment


Outstanding Achievement in Soundtrack

* Guitar Hero World Tour - Activision - Neversoft Entertainment
* LittleBigPlanet - Sony Computer Entertainment America - Media Molecule
* Motorstorm Pacific Rift - Sony Computer Entertainment America - Evolution Studios
* Rock Band 2 - MTV Games - Harmonix Music Systems, Inc.
* Singstar PS3 Vol. 1 - Sony Computer Entertainment America - SCE London Studio


Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design

* Dead Space - Electronic Arts - EA Redwood Shores
* Gears of War 2 - Microsoft Game Studios - Epic Games, Inc.
* LittleBigPlanet - Sony Computer Entertainment America - Media Molecule
* Prince of Persia - Ubisoft - Ubisoft Montreal
* Wipeout HD - Sony Computer Entertainment America - SCE Studios Liverpool


Computer Game of the Year

* Fallout 3 - Bethesda Softworks - Bethesda Game Studios
* Left 4 Dead - Valve Software - Valve Software
* Mass Effect - Electronic Arts - Bioware
* Spore - Electronic Arts - Maxis
* World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King - Blizzard Entertainment - Blizzard Entertainment


Adventure Game of the Year

* Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia - Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. - Konami
* God of War: Chains of Olympus - Sony Computer Entertainment America - Ready at Dawn
* Mirror’s Edge - Electronic Arts - Digital Illusions
* Naruto: The Broken Bond - Ubisoft - Ubisoft
* Prince of Persia - Ubisoft - Ubisoft Montreal


Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year

* EVE Online: Quantum Rise - CCP - CCP hf.
* Pirates of the Burning Sea - Sony Online Entertainment - Flying Lab Software
* PMOG - GameLayers - GameLayers
* Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning - Electronic Arts - Mythic Entertainment
* World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King - Blizzard Entertainment - Blizzard Entertainment


Sports Game of the Year

* FIFA 09 - Electronic Arts - EA Canada
* Madden NFL 09 - Electronic Arts - EA Tiburon
* MLB 08: The Show - Sony Computer Entertainment America - SCE Studios San Diego
* NBA 2K9 - 2K Sports - Visual Concepts
* NHL 09 - Electronic Arts - EA Canada


Racing Game of the Year

* Burnout Paradise - Electronic Arts - Critereon Games
* GRID - Codemasters - Codemasters
* Mario Kart Wii - Nintendo - Nintendo
* Motorstorm Pacific Rift - Sony Computer Entertainment America - Evolution Studios
* Pure - Disney Interactive Studios - Black Rock Studio


Fighting Game of the Year

* Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe - Midway - Midway
* Soul Calibur IV - Namco Bandai Games - Project Soul
* Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Nintendo - Nintendo, HAL Laboratory, Sora Ltd.
* Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix - Capcom - Backbone Entertainment
* WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 - THQ - Yuke's Co., Ltd.


Outstanding Achievement in Online Game Play

* Call of Duty: World at War - Activision - Treyarch
* Gears of War 2 - Microsoft Game Studios - Epic Games, Inc.
* Left 4 Dead - Valve Software - Valve Software
* NHL 09 - Electronic Arts - EA Canada
* Rock Band 2 - MTV Games - Harmonix Music Systems, Inc.


Action Game of the Year

* Call of Duty: World at War - Activision - Treyarch
* Dead Space - Electronic Arts - EA Redwood Shores
* Far Cry 2 - Ubisoft - Ubisoft Montreal
* Gears of War 2 - Microsoft Game Studios - Epic Games, Inc.
* Grand Theft Auto IV - Rockstar Games - Rockstar North


Handheld Game of the Year

* Advance Wars: Days of Ruin - Nintendo - Intelligent Systems
* Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia - Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. - Konami
* God of War: Chains of Olympus - Sony Computer Entertainment America - Ready at Dawn
* Patapon - Sony Computer Entertainment America - Sony Computer Entertainment International
* Professor Layton and the Curious Village - Nintendo - Level 5, Inc.


Cellular Game of the Year

* Reset Generation - Nokia - RedLynx
* Spore Origins - Electronic Arts - Babaroga, Tricky Software
* Trism - Demiforce - Demiforce


Casual Game of the Year

* Braid - Microsoft Game Studios - Number None
* Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhurst - Big Fish Games - Big Fish Games
* Patapon - Sony Computer Entertainment America - Sony Computer Entertainment International
* Professor Layton and the Curious Village - Nintendo - Level 5, Inc.
* World of Goo - Nintendo - 2D Boy


Outstanding Achievement in Game Design

* Fable II - Microsoft Game Studios - Lionhead Studios
* Fallout 3 - Bethesda Softworks - Bethesda Game Studios
* Gears of War 2 - Microsoft Game Studios - Epic Games, Inc.
* Left 4 Dead - Valve Software - Valve Software
* World of Goo - Nintendo - 2D Boy


Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction

* Fallout 3 - Bethesda Softworks - Bethesda Game Studios
* Gears of War 2 - Microsoft Game Studios - Epic Games, Inc.
* Left 4 Dead - Valve Software - Valve Software
* LittleBigPlanet - Sony Computer Entertainment America - Media Molecule
* Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. - Kojima Productions


Console Game of the Year

* Fallout 3 - Bethesda Softworks - Bethesda Game Studios
* Gears of War 2 - Microsoft Game Studios - Epic Games, Inc.
* Grand Theft Auto IV - Rockstar Games - Rockstar North
* LittleBigPlanet - Sony Computer Entertainment America - Media Molecule
* Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. - Kojima Productions


Overall Game of the Year

* Fallout 3 - Bethesda Softworks - Bethesda Game Studios
* Grand Theft Auto IV - Rockstar Games - Rockstar North
* Left 4 Dead - Valve Software - Valve Software
* LittleBigPlanet - Sony Computer Entertainment America - Media Molecule
* Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. - Kojima Productions

Review - Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

9.5 out of 10

Not often enough does the work in any medium transcend the barriers and laws foreboding others within its realm and reach a level clearly and unarguably known as art.

That is where a masterpiece is born.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is one such masterpiece.

MGS4 is a masterpiece in visual display, sound design, music quality, and overall mastery in storytelling.

This is not a standalone story however, but a culmination of one of the greatest video game franchises to ever be released. This is the final chapter of that epic saga, because of such, one of the most unique experiences I have ever encountered.

Never before has there been such as well-crafted video game franchise have a definitive end and having that knowledge, I literally felt anxiety about playing and completing this game.

I would purposefully limit my time playing - and at times to once a week. I simply did not want the journey to end.

Nevertheless, I completed the saga 20+ years in the making and I have found that this is truly a masterpiece worthy as a work of art.

However, the merit of this title can only be judged within the constraints in which it was created: a video game.

All too quickly do we forget that this is first and foremost a video game and should judged as such. It is far from perfect and even falters where its predecessors shined so brilliantly.

As I have said before, all games within the Metal Gear Solid franchise have been about the overall experience and not just simply gameplay, and MGS4 takes this to an extreme.

If we only viewed this game as an interactive film, it would truly be hailed as one of the greatest ever made because MGS4's presentation is second to none and truly inspires its viewers.

Director and Producer Hideo Kojima unveils a final chapter that wraps up every loose end and resolves every question you had from the series - However, the gameplay suffers because of it.

Sneaking missions are overly generic, feel overdone, and are simply an inconvenience between bouts of spectacular cinematic sequences.

The environments are rich and vivid and range from a war-felt Middle Eastern surrounding to a nostalgic walk through some of the series' classic locals.

However, little is done with these areas aside from simply traversing from point A to point B. Highly uninspired and disappointing from a series that previously provided unique and imaginative gameplay sequences.

The boss battles also seem to lack the same charm of previous titles. There is little imagination aside from the latter battles. Nevertheless, much like the rest of the title, these sequences are rendered masterfully and with pizazz. You will re-encounter one of the cleverest boss battles in video game history in one of these epic struggles.

One area where MGS4 stands up its predecessors is the realm of the cathartic impact you have as a player. Some of the game's more well-designed sequences toward the latter half of the game really make you feel the pain and agony that Snake faces. The shear feeling of desperation, fatigue, and suffering is unparalleled. These unique sensations add another dimension of connection you feel with the game itself.

The full integration of cinematic sequences and gameplay take you from one to the other seamlessly helps to bring the two halves together, but one seems to be more well thought out and polished than the other. That is the greatest dissappointment in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.

Throughout my journey into MGS4 I kept hoping for more from the gameplay, but was disappointed in every one of the five chapters encompassing the game.

Having said that, MGS4 uniquely brings some of the most diverse settings of any video game to date. Each chapter provides a new locale which really brings a sense of scope to the title. All of this made possible to each chapter being individually installed on the Playstation 3's hard drive.

This is also a title so graphically intense and massive that it could simply not be reproduced on any other console.

This means that this is a crowning achievement of the Playstation 3's capabilities and is a definitive exclusive title.

Is it system seller? Would you purchase a $400+ machine for one game?

Once again, it is the experience of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots that make this a masterpiece for electronic media and perhaps the only one of its kind for this generation of consoles.

This title is filled with some of the most deep and complex characters in video game history with an equally deep and enriching story to match. However, the story in MGS4 is only as good as its predecessors because there is little by way of new developments in this title, only the tying of loose ends.

This is where I reiterate my initial point I made in my preview-review: DO NOT PLAY THIS GAME IF YOU HAVE NEVER PLAYED ANY OTHER METAL GEAR SOLID TITLE.

This would only dilute the experience, and being privy to the franchise's past titles enriches the experience as a feeling of "being in on" the whole story.

I simply did not want it to end and was thankfully surprised with the finale especially with the final ending which had eliminated my preconceptions to how Snake's fate would stand.

The finale itself is an incredibly long venture with as many possible ending points that it rivals that of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King and rightly so.

This marks one of the only solid endings in any franchise and one of the few that should simply never end.

No need to fear as I did, it is a happy ending and I felt satisfied with my time with Solid Snake and crew.

This work of art should only be recreated in the eyes of other game developers, but the limitations of the standards of its medium is it's only downfall.

Congratulations Mr. Kojima for a job well done.

Metal Gear Solid Series Recap

If you are playing Metal Gear Solid 4 and you are all little confused or fuzzy on how the Metal Gear Solid series has gone down thus far, fear not because we've got ya covered.

Here is a compilation of plot outlines for the games in the Metal Gear Solid series as present on Wikipedia.

Click the game titles to see the complete Wikipedia page.

Enjoy!

Metal Gear Solid (1998) - Playstation, Gamecube

In 2005,^[25] FOXHOUND and a genetically enhanced Next-Generation Special Forces unit, lead an armed uprising on a remote isle in Alaska's Fox Islands called Shadow Moses. It is the site of a nuclear weapons disposal facility.^[20] They have acquired the nuclear-capable walking tank Metal Gear REX, and have threatened the U.S. government with a nuclear reprisal if they do not receive the remains of the "legendary mercenary" Big Boss within 24 hours.^[26]

As the game begins, Solid Snake is dispatched at the request of Colonel Roy Campbell to penetrate the terrorist defenses and neutralize the threat.^[27] Snake is also ordered to locate hostages Donald Anderson, the DARPA chief, and ArmsTech president Kenneth Baker. After finding the DARPA chief, he informs Snake of the new Metal Gear REX unit housed at the facility, but then suddenly dies of what appears to be a heart attack.^[28] Snake then finds the other hostage, Kenneth Baker. Revolver Ocelot challenges Snake to a gunfight, which is interrupted by a mysterious cyborg ninja. Baker briefs Snake on the Metal Gear project and, like the DARPA Chief; he suddenly dies of a "heart attack".

Snake then contacts Meryl via Codec, and agrees to meet her in the base's warhead disposal area on the condition that he contacts Metal Gear's designer, Hal "Otacon" Emmerich. Snake locates Otacon in his lab. The ninja reappears, and Snake realizes that it is actually his former ally Gray Fox, whom he believed he had killed years earlier. Otacon agrees to aid Snake remotely, using special camouflage to procure information and supplies while he remains invisible. Snake meets with Meryl and agrees for her to accompany him on his mission. Meryl gives Snake a PAL key and they head for the underground base. Part way through the base, Sniper Wolf ambushes them, wounds Meryl, and captures Snake.

While imprisoned, Liquid confirms Snake's suspicion that they are twin brothers.^[29] Snake is tortured by Ocelot^[30] and the player can choose to give in to this torture, or not. Eventually Snake is able to escape.

Snake descends into the bowels of the Shadow Moses facility. He discovers that the DARPA Chief who Snake encountered was actually FOXHOUND member Decoy Octopus in disguise.^[31] Shortly after, Master Miller calls and reveals that Dr. Naomi Hunter, a support agent, has given Snake the genetically engineered virus "FoxDie" during his mission preparations, and is sending coded messages into the facility. Campbell swiftly orders her arrest. The virus, designed to kill people with particular genetic markers via cardiac arrest,^[32][33] was responsible for the deaths of Octopus and the ArmsTech president.^[34] Naomi contacts Snake and confesses that she joined the mission to sabotage it. But upon learning of Snake's own past, she no longer had the heart to kill him directly having reprogrammed the virus.^[35]

Infiltrating Metal Gear's hangar, Snake overhears Liquid and Ocelot preparing the launch sequence for Metal Gear REX. Thinking he is deactivating it, using the PAL key, Snake activates Metal Gear REX.^[36] Master Miller then reveals himself to be Liquid in disguise. He informs Snake that his entire mission was manipulated by the renegades to allow the launch of the nuclear weapon.^[37] Liquid explains that they are the product of the Les Enfants Terribles project, a government sponsored effort to clone Big Boss, that was conducted during the 1970s. Solid received all of Big Boss' dominant alleles while Liquid received all the recessive alleles.^[38][39]

Snake destroys Metal Gear REX and then defeats Liquid in a fistfight. He is then reunited with Meryl or Otacon, depending on the player's actions (see next paragraph). They escape, while being chased by Liquid, in a jeep. Liquid dies from the FoxDie virus.^[40] Colonel Campbell, briefly ousted from command of the mission, calls off a nuclear airstrike intended to obliterate the evidence of the day's events and officially declares Snake killed in action to stop the US Government's search for him in the future.

There are two possible endings, depending on the player's actions during the torture sequence. If the player gives in to the torture, Snake finds Meryl dead and escapes with Otacon. If the player does not give in to the torture, Meryl survives and escapes with Snake while Otacon volunteers to stay behind and sacrifice himself to help Snake and Meryl get out not knowing that the nuclear strike intended to hit the disposal facility would never come.

After the end credits the player finds out Snake is actually genetically inferior to Liquid^[41] and has an indeterminate amount of time left before FoxDie kills him. Ocelot is revealed to be a double agent for the President of the United States (the third Snake, Solidus). His intention was to obtain Baker's disk containing Metal Gear's specifications and deliver it to the President, and kill whomever knew of his true motives, the reason for his "accidental" killing of the DARPA chief.^[42]

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001) - Playstation 2, Xbox

Sons of Liberty opens on a dark, foreboding George Washington Bridge in New York City,^[27] in 2007, two years after the Shadow Moses Island incident (the events of the original Metal Gear Solid). Solid Snake and Otacon, now members of the NGO Philanthropy, are investigating the development of a new Metal Gear^[28] consistently described as being amphibious and having been designed as a counter-Metal Gear unit to "wipe the floor with all the other models"^[29] which have been built since Metal Gear REX's design was leaked.^[30] Shortly after Snake's arrival on the disguised oil tanker U.S.S. Discovery, a group of Russian terrorists under the command of Russian nationalist Sergei Gurlukovich attack the ship.^[31] After sneaking up to the bridge, Snake encounters Olga, Sergei's daughter, who has refused to leave the tanker despite being pregnant.^[32]

After he successfully tranquilizes her in combat, he sneaks his way down to the holds in order to record pictures of the new Metal Gear, RAY, an amphibious anti-Metal Gear prototype.^[33] Matters rapidly escalate as Revolver Ocelot betrays and murders Sergei Gurlukovich^[34] It is revealed that Ocelot has received a new arm following Metal Gear Solid, that of the late Liquid Snake, which via unknown means causes a change in Revolver Ocelot's demeanor and behavior, with Liquid somehow 'possessing' him.^[35] Under Liquid's control he sinks the tanker,^[36] and escapes with RAY before regaining command of his body.^[37]

The player finds himself in control of Raiden, supposedly operating under a reformed FOXHOUND two years after the Tanker Chapter on April 29,^[38] 2009. Initially referred to as "Snake",^[39] his orders are to rescue hostages, including the US President, from the terrorist group Sons of Liberty (backed up by the rogue anti-terror training unit, Dead Cell), who are also threatening to destroy the Big Shell Clean-Up Facility they have seized.^[40] Raiden infiltrates the Shell via sea while SEAL Team 10 enters by air.^[41] He joins forces up with SEAL Lieutenant Junior Grade Iroquois Pliskin^[42][43] and bomb specialist Peter Stillman to disable explosives planted on the Shell by Stillman's former pupil, Fatman, now a member of the terrorists. While Raiden successfully eliminates Fatman, Stillman is killed as a result of one of Fatman's traps.

With the assistance of a mysterious cyborg ninja calling itself Mr. X,^[44] Raiden locates the President, and discovers that the Big Shell is actually a disguise built right on top of a new Metal Gear. Known as Arsenal Gear, it houses a powerful AI supercomputer, "GW", capable of controlling information transmitted digitally. The President also claims the democratic process is a sham, and the true rulers of the United States are an organization known as the Patriots.^[45] Revolver Ocelot kills him soon after, and Raiden proceeds to his final objective: disabling Arsenal Gear and thus halting a nuclear strike. Pliskin, having revealed himself as the true Solid Snake, and Emma Emmerich, an Arsenal Gear engineer, assist Raiden in attempting to destroy the "GW" AI by uploading a virus. On the way to the computer room, Vamp attacks Emma. The virus transfer is still installed, but aborts partway through; Emma dies due to a fatal knife wound from the attack from Vamp. Snake and Raiden are left with no choice but to disable Arsenal physically. As Snake's partner Otacon escapes with the surviving hostages by helicopter,^[46] Mr. X returns, revealing itself to be Olga Gurlukovich,^[47] and knocks Raiden unconscious by hitting him in the back with her sword.

Awakening naked in an Arsenal torture chamber, Raiden is probed by Solidus Snake, the true terrorist leader. Solidus reveals that he once adopted Raiden, a former child soldier, as his son during the Liberian civil war^[48] and that Raiden is now a Patriot agent. Olga, working as a Patriot double-agent within the Sons of Liberty, helps Raiden escape, and he locates Snake within Arsenal Gear. As they fight through the mammoth vessel, Raiden's commanding officer begins to act extremely erratically. It becomes apparent that the "Colonel" that Raiden has been taking orders from is actually a creation of the GW super-computer, pieced together from information about Colonel Roy Campbell coupled with Raiden's own expectations in order to manipulate him. The erratic behavior of the simulation is the result of the virus uploaded earlier beginning to damage GW's systems.

With Snake holding off a vengeful Fortune,^[49] Raiden is forced into battle with the battalion of 25 Metal Gear RAY units guarding the Big Shell. Olga intervenes to protect him, but is restrained by one of Solidus' robotic tentacles. Olga explains that 2 years ago, right after giving birth to her child, the Patriots took her away and have been holding her child hostage ever since. Olga continues to explain that the Patriots blackmailed her, ordering her to become a double-agent and make the S3 plan a success or her child would be killed. After explaining, Solidus shoots Olga in the head and throws her corpse out of the way. Her last words are: "Live, you have to!" The RAY units begin to malfunction, attacking each other and Solidus as the virus tears through the GW AI's program.^[50] Arsenal begins an emergency ascent,^[51] and Snake- now restrained by Fortune,^[52] Solidus, and Raiden are carried to the roof of the fortress as it surfaces. To Solidus' increasing rage, Ocelot reveals that he too is a Patriot agent, the entire episode of the day was a carefully coordinated attempt to reenact the events of the Shadow Moses Incident; what Ocelot describes as the 'S3 Plan', or Solid Snake Simulation, designed to turn Raiden into the perfect soldier.^[53] He kills Fortune and boards the prototype Metal Gear RAY stolen from the Tanker two years previous, and attempts to finish off the survivors of the exercise. However, Liquid possesses him, and announces his plan to hunt down the Patriots based on his host's knowledge.^[54] Setting Arsenal on a collision-course with New York, Liquid-Ocelot launches RAY into the ocean, followed by Snake.^[55]

Arsenal comes to a halt in downtown New York, launching Raiden and Solidus onto the roof of Federal Hall.^[56] Solidus reveals to Raiden his reasons for trying to steal Arsenal: a nuclear electro-magnetic pulse would take down Manhattan's digital infrastructure and allow Solidus to lead it as a republic against the Patriots, a nation of "Sons of Liberty".^[57] Likewise the Patriots, via another AI, contact Raiden to reveal the truth of their actions, the AIs being programmed to becoming "digital censors", removing trite and needless information from the electronic world in what they call "Selection for Societal Sanity", or "S3 Plan". The information fed to Ocelot was another part of this plan.^[58] However, with such a control over the flow of digital information, they could as easily be manipulating perceived history for the Patriot's needs. Believing the only option available is to track down the Patriots using the information in Raiden's neural implants, Solidus offers his son one final duel.^[59]

Raiden defeats Solidus, and as crowds descend upon the wreckage of Arsenal Gear, Snake and Raiden meet one last time, where his mentor informs him that only he can choose what to believe in, and that he must pass on what he believes to be true.^[60] Having planted a tracking device on Liquid-Ocelot's Metal Gear, he and Otacon plan to follow him, and to hunt down the Patriots, whose details were hidden in the GW computer virus disc.^[61] As Snake disappears into the crowd, Raiden is finally reunited with Rose, on April 30, 2009 - the 220th anniversary of George Washington's inauguration as President of the United States, and the anniversary of Rose and Raiden's first meeting.^[62]

In a brief epilogue, Otacon and Snake discuss the decoding of the virus disc, which reveals that all 12 members of the Wisemen's Committee (the Patriots' high council) have been dead for approximately 100 years, and that one of them is a major sponsor of Philanthropy.^[63]

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004) - Playstation 2

Metal Gear Solid 3 is set during the Cold War in 1964, where Naked Snake is sent to the jungles of the Soviet Union.^[12] Aided over radio by Major Zero, Para-Medic, and his former mentor The Boss,^[20] his mission is to rescue a defecting Soviet scientist named Sokolov who is secretly developing an advanced nuclear-equipped tank called the "Shagohod."^[20][12] The mission goes smoothly until The Boss defects and provides her new benefactor Colonel Volgin with two Davy Crockett miniature nuclear shells.^[21] Sokolov is captured by the Cobra Unit and Snake is heavily injured in combat by The Boss, allowing Volgin and his cohorts to escape with Sokolov. Volgin detonates one of the nuclear shells to cover up its theft,^[22] which is subsequently blamed on The Boss.^[23]

Having detected the US aircraft which deployed Snake flying over Soviet soil, the Soviet Union declares the United States responsible for the atomic attack, tipping both nations to the edge of a nuclear war. In a secret conference between US President Lyndon Johnson and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, a deal is hatched to prove the US's innocence and restore peace.^[24] The United States agree to stop Volgin's renegade faction, destroy the stolen Shagohod and eliminate the American defector, The Boss.^[25]

A week after being rescued from the region, Snake is redeployed into the Soviet jungle as part of Operation Snake Eater,^[25] to fulfill the United States' promises. During the mission, he gains the assistance of another American defector, ex-NSA agent EVA, who defected a few years earlier.^[26] After numerous encounters with the elite Ocelot Unit (led by a young Ocelot), and defeating every member of the Cobra Unit, Snake succeeds in locating Sokolov and the stolen Shagohod, only to be captured in Volgin's military fortress, Groznyj Grad. After witnessing the apparent death of Sokolov, Snake is tortured and has his eye injured when Ocelot shoots to kill EVA; Snake ultimately escapes.

When he returns to the facility to destroy the Shagohod, Snake learns of The Philosophers. Made up of the most powerful men in the United States, Soviet Union, and China, they are an Illuminati-like organization who control the world behind the scenes.^[27] However, after the end of World War II, they began to fight amongst themselves, and the organization broke down. The Philosopher's Legacy, a fund the organization had jointly amassed to finance their wars ($100 billion, about $1 trillion today when adjusted for inflation) was divided up and hidden in banks all over the world.^[28] Volgin had illegally inherited this money,^[29] and Snake learns that the US is attempting to retrieve it.

Snake continues his mission, destroying the facility and the Shagohod tank, while engaging Volgin, who is killed by a bolt of lightning during the battle. Snake and EVA travel to a lake, where a ground effect vehicle is hidden. Before they use it to escape the region, Snake confronts his old mentor, The Boss, whom he must kill to complete his mission. During this time a cut scene is shown stating that The Boss gave birth to a child (the father being The Sorrow) during a battle. Before this time however, during a radio call, EVA tells Snake that the reason Ocelot achieved the rank of major at such a young age was due to the fact that his parents were legendary soldiers. She also tells Snake that Ocelot's mother needed to cut Ocelot out during the birth, leaving a snake-like scar. This scar is seen on The Boss, which proves that she is Ocelot's mother.^[25] After an emotional battle, Snake overcomes his feelings and defeats her. He and EVA escape to Alaska, and spend the night together. During the night EVA disappears, and leaves behind a tape revealing herself to be a Chinese spy sent to steal the Philosophers Legacy for China.^[30] The tape continues, and EVA reveals that The Boss did not defect to the Soviet Union; rather, she was under orders to pretend to defect so she could infiltrate Volgin's ranks and find the location of the Legacy, which could be brought back to America.^[31] The final part of her mission was to sacrifice her honor and die at the hands of Snake, under the guise of a traitor, to prove the US's innocence in Volgin's nuclear attack from the beginning of the game.^[32]

Snake is awarded the title of "Big Boss" and given the Distinguished Service Cross for his efforts.^[33] Later, he arrives at an anonymous grave, The Boss', just one of thousands in the huge military cemetery he visits. Laying down The Boss' gun and a bouquet of lilies upon the nameless gravestone, he scans the endless rows before him, salutes, and sheds a single tear.

After the credits roll, Ocelot is heard talking (a telephone conversation), and reveals that the microfilm containing the information on the Philosopher's Legacy given to EVA was a fake, that Ocelot himself was ADAM, that half of the real legacy is in the hands of the US Government thanks to Snake, and that he was working for the CIA.^[34]