Review – Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
- Ethan Cole
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This review contains a number of spoilers – typically; warning is given prior to spoilers (highlight to read). For the best gaming experience don’t bother reading any reviews, this one included.
This is the end. Everything is answered. Everything is tied up. Beyond the overly sentimental fluff exuded by the other characters Solid [Old] Snake just about gets the send off he deserves; but it’s not quite as epic-‘war-movie’ styled as it should have been.
The title screen: Snake standing in a graveyard; epic somber music plays – he’s smoking. The camera slowly tracking round – he pulls out a gun; one round in the chamber he gradually descends to his knees; in a fashion that evokes almost ritualistic suicide; an honorable death – for the modern age. With gun in mouth the camera tilts up to the horizon. This has to be the most dramatic title screen; possibly ever (time will tell).
The game opens in an unusual manner; Logan’s intro videos – each a TV show, which are pretty middling [SPOILER] though David Hayter’s cameo is cool [/SPOILER]. Each segment ends with a different PMC commercial (which are slick). One can see what Kojima had in mind, but it doesn’t possess the same epic quality of previous titles – since it’s just a taste of the state of the ‘world’. Whilst it does show a world entrenched in the war economy, it doesn’t have much bearing on the actual game – regardless of how much talk is spewed as to the changing world – since we don’t actually see any of it. The closest we get to this is a public sector in Eastern Europe, which isn’t too different from reality – except they can smoke.
The opening cutscene isn’t any where near as memorable as previous titles – lacking the excitement; the crescendo into gameplay – with Snake heroically posed. Not even the James Bond style: action set piece leading into the Kyle Cooper/Imaginary Forces title sequence. All this is missing due to the focus on a more ‘realistic’ endeavor – even as far as dropping the memorable stance with Snake; back to the wall. This loss is as expected, but in doing so; becoming more ‘realistic’ some of the ‘charm’ and character is missing. It’s one of the principle flaws that plagues many a recent next-gen title; sacrificing much in the way of enjoyment at its expense – forgetting the whole point of good entertainment is a vicarious experience; realism often gets in the way of this.
With MGS4 in particular, the titles prior were just realistic enough in terms of actions, story and environment – but not in so far as the established reality being grounded in pure tangible realism; which MGS4 tries to attain. The problems begin here. The MGS series has been known for some of its whacky elements, reality flipping and 4th wall breaking moments – with some exceptions of the latter, all work well within the predefined reality of the game world. However, with this new ‘reality’ – one that’s similar to our own, many of these moments come off jarring and worse… lame. Some issues of borderline cheese (which would almost fall into the lame – but not in a painful sort of way) present in former games were mostly due to translation or cultural issues. None of those are here. The moments of lame are painful to watch. One such instance involves the ‘awkward moment’ of a stupid comment that’s supposed to act as comedic relief – has always been lame in movies and is no different here, except that a title of this caliber shouldn’t have to resort to that inane shit. [SPOILER] Additionally the 4th wall gag of “Insert Disc 2” – right after a tense climactic battle is not only jarring but an annoyance; like working your ass off and getting a pie in the face for it – because pies in the face are funny. [/SPOILER]
Thankfully not all is lost, as the comic relief of Drebin’s monkey is amusing – you can’t really get enough of a monkey addicted to caffeine and nicotine (although you can see the monkey was done with a human mocap actor). Other elements such as [SPOILER] the UFO crop circle gag [/SPOILER] and Snake perving work, as well as the core MGS gameplay with the stars, Z’s, ? and ! above the NPC heads – the latter fitting in with the whole nanomachine world.
Realism in so far as the graphics: no complaints; with scratches on the lens, frost and snow and dirt; sand/dust flaking/falling off the lens in a most uncanny fashion. The water and blood however don’t carry the same impact – it looks good, but when it just fades away instead of trickling off – it feels dated. Generally the graphics look good but there’s an inconsistency – with some sections looking like MGS3 HD (due to an abundance of blur filters and lesser textures) whilst others look stunning. Aside from these few instances the animation is excellent; particularly impressive are the Dwarf Geckos bearing a fantastic other-worldly quality in their movement an behavior (much like the squid-like aliens of Crysis) which elevates the atmosphere when being swarmed by a bunch of them. The characters; the Western ones – come off a bit weird with the higher-poly graphics as their mannerisms are more noticeably Japanese, needless to say it’s fine for the Asians or the whacked characters. However the animation posses an enhanced quality – effectively conveying nuanced performances that actually emote realistically but with greater the subtlety; elements that bring a greater human-quality to characters. Augmenting this are the voice work; an excellent performance by David Hayter imbuing Snake with not only age but a weariness which come off particularly well during the quieter deliveries. Additionally capturing the evolution of Raiden is Quinton Flynn’s performance – no longer a pretty-boy, but consumed with an anger and pain; ghostly ad more experience yet still possessing a youthful quality.
The realism bug also takes its toll the most with the Mission Briefing’s. The sound design is great with a particularly excellent design/use of ambient silence and white noise – there’s just too much silence; the scenes playing out too realistically almost in real time, like watching a play rather than a movie. Given the length of scenes and the cutting-room-floor content there could’ve been some ambient music. If you’re making an art-house movie: make the artsy-fartsy-art-house movie, if you’re making a blockbuster: fucking cue the music for the dramatic effect. Its bad enough we have to sit through these irritating moments in real life (which we’re supposed to be living), but to endure it in a cutscene is asking a lot (though it’s understandable now why Naomi’s cleavage is exposed). What bearing does a kid cooking an egg perfectly (thanks to that bitch Naomi) have to do with the bigger picture? If there’s going to be this much attention to character motives then some context should be explored with Snake’s character to establish [SPOILER] reasons why he wouldn’t kill himself. [/SPOILER]
Not to mention it almost seems like a lost opportunity to focus on the Snake and the perception of death – a character study of one who’s been fucked over countless times [SPOILER] this would also have been a nice contrast with the whole “Fox Alive” element. Although this too is countered again with yet another incarnation of “Fox Die” – though conveniently isn’t killing Old Snake this is brought to light along with one of the biggest reveals: Big Boss meeting Snake in the graveyard (after he fails to snuff himself). This is an awesome scene that effectively makes the game – however the lead into the scene wasn’t appreciated. It’s an irritating fake out because first we’re left to assume that Snake bit the bullet – went off to die whilst Meryl and annoying Akiba get wed; sappy fluff… then it cuts to the credits. Almost feel cheated at that point - but then the credits pause upon the reveal of the voice actor for Big Boss – leading into the scene with Snake. Regardless it’s a sequence that not only answers more questions, but draws further parallel to the two characters as well as reflecting on the choices made. It’s an excellent send off for the two of them. Though one could only imagine the dramatic impact if Snake were to kill himself at this point – after everything was revealed. The completion of the cycle. Especially in light of the title screen sequence, it’s a total cop out that Snake doesn’t off himself in the final scene. Dramatically speaking; there’s enough with this intro scene to establish that this is an honorable suicide; a sacrifice – not some whiney prick killing himself because he can’t take it anymore and the world’s so harsh and cruel… This is Snake staking his life; fits into his character – doomed spy. However the narrative seeks to sacrifice a true to character moment with Old Snake recoiling – and proceed to deliver some message about ‘living’ and having a story to tell. Since it’s not really answered as to whether he’s actually got a cock he obviously won’t be shagging hookers till his lights go out. Snake: No hero, just a hired killer – the fact he doesn’t kill himself and goes on with some live-life almost feel goodery with Otacon is absurd especially given the cyclical nature of events. How dramatic would it have been for The Terminator to walk off into the sunset with John Connor in T2? The dialog post credits comes of as overly homo-erotic which isn’t a first for Solid Snake and Otacon – but here it falls more into an almost ‘alternate couple’ situation; mostly due to the way it’s written. To make there matter’s worse, he even says he’s going to quit smoking. Generic. Though thankfully he didn’t start chewing gum. [/SPOILER]
Where as CODEC conversations in past games have been a bit of a pace killer; the culprit here are some of the cutscenes; coming off more like an ‘extended/directors cut’ – scenes that show more of characters, but generally fucks up the flow. However when it comes to the cutscenes that deal directly with the Metal Gear Mythology; it’s at its best. It’s primarily the fluff of other characters that impairs the game a little – particularly since the player is effectively in Snake’s shoes (figuratively), yet he seems like a supporting player despite being at the center of most of the action – despite having more dialog and not spouting algorithm-inquiry based speak – he doesn’t have a strong presence; which is more a fault of the narrative than the situation; such is the pawn.
At this point, MGS3: Subsistence is the best of the series – what fans wanted, making amends for MGS2 in some ways; additionally striking a good balance between cutscenes and gameplay. MGS4 takes the best of the series and streamlines it into a more accessible experience so far as gameplay is concerned. Unfortunately as the MGS4 drew closer to release, there was a shift in some of gaming community; along the lines of “looking back MGS2 was really good” and “it’s not really as bad as we remember” … no, the same problems are still there: Rose is still an annoying bitch who wont STFU during missions, Raiden is a prettyboy and the cutscene issue – the complaints are justified. Shut up. Now with MGS4 it’s a wonder if the team repeated a mistake and decided to address the issues of some 13 year old girl from the focus group. Teenagers don’t know shit about shit; least of all some teenage girl. Though this time, the teenage girls are a majority of the gaming populace: the fanboys, the casual gamers - delusional fickle circle-jerking mutual-felating pussies… The praise may have gone to his head; the thought that a variant of MGS2’s style would work, as MGS4 is like a step backwards; reverting to MGS2 in the interactivity department – the bloated cutscenes coming off more a movie than a game, but with a greater sense of detachment. MGS3 featured an integration – switching in for a powerful dramatic moment keeping the player involved and invested [SPOILER] the most dramatic of which, the player pulling the trigger on The Boss [/SPOILER]. Conversely MGS4 features an alternate means of involvement, aside from the usual L1 for Snakes POV, tapping the O button when prompted initiates a blurry/distorted still-image flashbacks from games and events prior.
Cutscenes can now [finally] be paused (with the option to skip), a much welcome feature. The D-pad is now used to zoom in/out, rather than the pressure sensitivity of the triangle button and the right analog stick is still used to pan. The transition from cutscene to gameplay is uncannily smooth and natural – though there’s a sense of urgency at times which isn’t met, but it beats a blank screen. As the mission briefings come off like a real-time play, interactivity is offered up at specific times with the Mk-II, allowing real-time exploration of the two levels of the aircraft; in which items can be collected. Additionally there’s a split screen mechanic implemented – hitting L2 toggles between the two views; whilst the square button switches on/off the CCTV or activating the Mk-II. It’s a bit gimmicky – as it comes off more of as some sort of limbo; not really connected to the situation, but participating in the scene like a ghost. During the portions where you actually play the game; the Mk-II provides a range of interesting options, such as scouting potential; getting bearings (with cloak) – what lies ahead; disarming traps; distracting or zapping guards; collecting items or activating switches.
For Snake; the new control scheme takes quite a while to get used to – despite being similar to a lot of 3rd person shooters; the standard: L1 - ready weapon, R1/R2 primary/secondary attacks. Despite the primary focus on stealth – there are times when you’ve got to fight your way out of a heated situation; some issues are evident when it comes to hugging the wall. Hugging the wall is simple; tapping the triangle button when indicated - much like Gears of War. Snake no longer has his back to the wall, it doesn’t seem unrealistic were he to do so; especially since he cant even blind fire from this stance – which is pretty much standard for a third person shooter now. The pop and shoot mechanic is also different – no longer needing intermediate finger dexterity – Snake now automatically pressed against the wall; all that’s required is to move in the desired direction with the analog stick and fire.
Thanks to the Octocam suit you never really feel like you’re playing an Old man – Snake is still as proficient as he was previously. The aching back isn’t really a sign of age as much as crouching for an overly long duration – even the FROG’s require a ‘compress’ (which seems more like product placement than something actually useful in the game). To some degree it would have been a nice dramatic device to play a dying man, waning yet still having to fight we’ve seen it before in God of War and Call of Duty 4 – excellent dramatic devices [SPOILER] there is an almost CoD4 ‘last-breath’-like last moment where Snake’s staggering - crawling through a long tunnel; though as dramatic it is it doesn’t amount to much from the player other than mashing the triangle button. [/SPOILER] It’s a shame more wasn’t made of this as there’s massive potential for escalation here – the ensuing combat too, should have been playable, as the context allows for heightened tension in the situation; instead we have to watch a lengthy and overly melodramatic cutscene instead.
The CQC also takes some adjustment – though it’s easier to perform the new set of moves (when not hindered by the Sixaxis); the standard set of grappling; choking; and throat slashing; throwing enemies to the ground (but now you can mount them) and punch/kick combo. The disarming mechanic works well and especially useful when going for a non-lethal run. [spoiler] A good/faster alternative to choking becomes available; since the whole game is built around nanomachines you can stab enemies with a syringe inhibiting the nanomachines [/spoiler]. The hold-up mechanic remains, but now the option to pat them down becomes available; as well as a crotch check – knock them out after they’ve dropped their items.
Items are more realistically placed in this outing, as well as being available from dead/unconscious enemies – assisting the rebels or giving them a recovery item; they may return the favor with other items or ammo. Given the overall realism, it’s almost surprising Snake doesn’t physically pick items/weapons up – as opposed to them just disappearing ‘collected’, quite a few games have pulled this off.
Whilst they made the game more accessible in terms of controls – there isn’t really a ‘training’ mission – you’re left to read the Briefing; which informs you through text and animation – not the clearest of instructions but it’s not hard to learn through playing. Unless you’ve never played a game before – but that’s a different issue entirely; for what it’s worth this is the most accessible of the series. Further the menu is a bit strange – where you have to go into the “Save” menu to exit to the title screen.
Aside from using recovery items; health and psyche can be regained when crouched or prone in a place of safety. Alternatively there’s smoking cigs – the tried and true sanity-stick, but typically it’s at a detriment to Snake’s health. Psyche can also be improved by looking at Meryl’s chest (despite being covered with a tactical vest) or ass, the same goes for the B&B’s, [SPOILER] whilst the same can be said for Naomi’s assets, there appears to be no Freudian issues when Snake encounters Big Mama and her not-so-saggy mammaries (as she only appears in cutscenes no tests could be performed). [/SPOILER].
Another nice addition is Snake can wake up unconscious NPC’s – crouched; tap them until they wake up – it ties in fairly well to squad mechanics, but there it’s something that’ll could be more evident in Metal Gear Online, given there isn’t too much in the way of Snake interacting with squads – so much as just fighting in the same space. As far as NPC’s are concerned, there’s a strong portrayal of squad based behavior and communication; moving as units in patrols; covering – tapping them on the back to indicate the coast is clear – synchronized; the Sons of the Patriot system – a nanomachine world; all soldiers juiced; effectively controlling their emotions/pain whilst providing intel and vital stats etc. making squads a well oiled machine. Despite being in a battlefield without an allegiance to either faction, there doesn’t seem to be an advantage to aiding the PMC’s who are pretty much consider Snake ‘the enemy’ – so as far as alliance is concerned the only options are getting through undetected, killing everyone or assisting the rebels.
There’s also no real massacre potential, despite it seeming like an option in certain battle zones – but troops keep coming. Conversely it’s possible to get through the entire game without killing anyone including bosses. It’s a good challenge, but is usually more trouble than it’s worth – especially when they’re trying to kill you, and there’s no real incentive outside of ranking. The same goes for zero alerts – unless you’re playing on European Extreme in which detection is failure. Ways of being caught now entail of smell (been hiding in a trash can?), leaving corpses about, and some troops can detect Snake if Light-amplification/Night-Vision is activated. [SPOILER] This mechanic ties in nicely to the tracking missions. The tailing one in Eastern Europe especially; where you not only have to avoid detection by the target, but the PMC’s – whilst simultaneously aiding the target in elude patrols. The level is pretty much like being in a classic spy/espionage movie; excellent touch. [/SPOILER]
Aside from getting more pieces of the story and re-watching some of the cutscenes (since there’s no Demo Theater) there is some replay value through unlocked items – the most useful of which are the Emotional Bullets (which are available for purchase upon meeting Drebin). Rounds of Laughter, Cry, Rage and Scream (like the names of the B&B’s) are offered up. Like a wrench in the machine its use can change the dynamics of sneaking and mission completion tactics – effectively passing with a lower threat level and less caution; since they wont pass out instantly… or just shoot each other, depending on which dose they were hit with. As a result the bullets help to get through with zero kills easier. These bullets have no effect on FROG’s or the bosses – which makes sense, but it would’ve have been amusing to see a psycho-bitch boss get more psychotic: Laughing Octopus Raging, but nothing – too far gone…
I am Solid Joker in A Village Full of Laughs.
HAhHAhAhahahAHahahahAHAHAhahaAhahahahaHAHahahA
[grunt] ... why so serious?
[SPOILER] Psycho Mantis and The Sorrow puppets are carried over – the two effectively drop marionette strings onto NPC’s – jacking the controller about; the body flails with the former being a lethal attack on living NPC’s and the latter non lethal on cadavers. It can be used as a decent distraction for NPC’s and simultaneously provided some light amusement for some players – but it’s gimmicky at best. [/SPOILER] Also the infinite ammo bandana returns, along with the camera.
Drebin Points are gained by killing unmanned units and selling weapons – all automated – just by collecting/walking into them. Some weapons are ID Locked, meaning they can’t be used immediately; requiring them to be ‘laundered’ by Drebin. But for all this exposition the process is not anywhere near as complicated as it sounds – in fact it’s almost too simple: heading into the weapons menu and selecting ‘unlock’. Despite Drebin being an arms dealer/gun launderer there’s no ‘merchant point’ rather all is done in menu – complete with the sounds of the monkey and price dependent on the day of the week.
The B&B’s aren’t quite as interesting as the bosses from previous titles, but that much was evident from when they were announced. Their backgrounds entail of war-crimes-lite – light because rape and mutilation in a warzone is just as much a weapon as the gun. They weren’t raped (nor was it implied) but mostly mentally tortured with the threat of violence – forced into killing, torturing or eating loved ones or corpses, but nothing as extreme as genital/rectal mutilation with gun butts or smoldering muzzles – specific details aren’t mentioned; just the basics of the cause of their psychotic-break. Unlike previous games, they don’t tell you their life’s story – which makes sense since they’re insane – their back story is conveyed via codec courtesy of Drebin 893 who also reveals that [SPOILER] thanks to Mantis’ mind-warping (not to mention nanomachines…) the B&B’s are made into weapons, as opposed to regular PTSD victims who just shit themselves; shivering into a flashback of shellshock fuckery. [/SPOILER] Evidently the revelation of their history is supposed to make us care about them, though oddly their ‘real names’ aren’t revealed upon death – which seems to have been a big thing in the series. If there is some intent to make the player feel something (aside from an erection) it doesn’t succeed – so they were forced to do allegedly violent acts… great… my advice: you oughta’ve had the resolve of Keyser Söze. For one thing there’s something oddly attractive about a psychotic model covered in fluid – which confuses matters even more given they’re in skin-tight suits; with the camera tending to focus on their asses when they fall out of the armor (not necessarily a complaint) – even Snake seems to share in the confusion.
I only feel sorry that I had to kill something this attractive
[SPOILER] Laughing Octopus delivers the line “it’s all so fucking hysterical”. What with the series history, much like a PG-13 movie featuring the one and only allowed use of "fuck" (in a non sexual context) it comes off weird. "Shit" etc. is fine, but "fuck" just comes off jarring given the series language history. Not to mention it comes out of no where; its placement comes off weak – since it doesn’t have much of a dramatic impact. But it’s no where near as bad or awkward as a Doug Liman movie [/SPOILER]
Atop the digital world; the multi-limbed puppeteer: cool imagery.
[SPOILER] The return to Shadow Moses; a nice touch that compliments the cyclical themes and the paralleling events – starting with a flashback to MGS1; which is a bit jarring given it’s standard def original PSX render – the transition isn’t as smooth a it could have been were it just a cutscene. Also having to revert to the mechanics and control scheme feels odd – but appropriately amusing. There’s a sense of déjà vu in revisiting the area; yet simultaneously a stunning re-render of the environment, making it one of the best levels in the game – especially with the new gameplay mechanics. Further it fits in nicely with cyclical theme – in which Snake battles another ‘Wolf’ in the snow field. [/SPOILER] Except this time; thanks to modern technology it’s a real snow storm; a blinding blizzard – almost zero visibility at times. The weather effects here are phenomenal in addition to frost on the lens and the Octocam – the blizzard wind shifting the battlefield and tactics; visibility and movement. Not only do you have to take out the boss but you’ve to avoid being detected by FROG’s (or you could fight them too – more will spawn). [SPOILER] Delving further into history, the return and the cycle; Metal Gear Rex is revived, but this time it’s a device available to the player. But due to it’s history; finally getting to control Metal Gear feels peculiar and not particularly exciting – there isn’t really that strong sense of destructive power being helmed. Given it’s the apparent end of the saga, controlling Metal Gear is expected, but it’s an underwhelming experience – even with the destruction incurred during the battle against Metal Gear Ray. [/SPOILER]
Unlike other PS3 games that require an installation, there’s no slideshow here – it’s Snake lighting up and smoking, dropping ash, and disposing of the cig. Unfortunately this isn’t the only installation. After each “Act” there is a mandatory 3 minute install, without the option of quitting to the main menu or reloading an earlier save (say you’re not happy with your stats and want to replay it). This requirement is not only ludicrous but fucking annoying if you’re going back to replay different sections based from saves. To lessen the impact of tedium during the multiple installs text comes up informing you “you’ve been playing for 2 hours, you should take a break” or “it’s 3 AM you should rest” or “it’s after 5 AM” – thanks for the tip, but I sleep during the day. One massive 20/30 minute install from the start would have been fine, particularly considering the length of the game – maybe this is something that could be amended in a patch; as it would be rage inducing to have to sit through 3 minute installs just to watch the Demo Theater – if there ever will be one. The lack of this feature is odd, but not wholly surprising, given it’s a commonly included with the long-overdue European release or the re-releases (Substance, Subsistence). But why it’s not included in this release is a mystery – cant imagine gamers being too happy with picking up another MGS4 release. However it’s probably a feature that could be patched in at some point.
Returning to MGS4 is the ‘camera’ – which allows Snake to take photographs in-game. New to MGS4 is that with a second controller - the camera can be switched to a third person view – acting more as a gimmick for screen captures. The pictures can be tweaked, if you could call it that, as the options available are extremely rudimentary RGB, brightness/contrast – which pretty much amounts to options to ruin the image. But this is perfect for the mutual-fap-happy world of the internets, since these photos can be converted to JPEG’s (which save to the PS3 HDD). Unfortunately all the images are automatically watermarked with the Metal Gear Solid 4 logo – which is completely retarded, it’s not like they’ve created some groundbreaking feature that must be credited, it’s a fucking screenshot… although some could argue that screenshots on a console is something new… [SPOILER] There is some amusement to be found with the photographs (aside from perving out on the B&B’s with the ‘Photo Shoot’ Easter Egg), there are ghosts that appear in photos at certain sections of the game. Thus, in the gallery, the option to exorcize them is available – complete with an ominous note – an amusing touch. [/SPOILER]
MGS4 shares many of the same issues as MGS2; it’s launched on a new platform and has to be accessible to a new audience as well as cater to the fan base. Unfortunately Kojima fell back into the MGS2 frame; where the old (legitimate) complaints are still evident – coming off more like a semi-interactive movie than a game. Why it turned out this way… when MGS3 remedied that issue with an excellent balance. In a sense this game is like a ‘best of’ everything that was good made it in – extended boss fights, camouflage, stealth; solid mechanics. In spite of this, it still lacks the hard-hitting impact and the energy that made the previous titles what they were.
In essence MGS4 is a mainstream summer Hollywood blockbuster, whilst the other titles were more akin to action espionage spy thrillers, particularly MGS3 and the Bond vibe. In a sense it is inline with Japanese film making, however it comes off more as a Japanese film-maker’s idea of making a Hollywood movie – complete with the ‘point of no return’ slow-motion walking ‘team’ shot, rather than possessing the unique quality and dramatics; such as the opening cutscenes of old alluded to – the tone; the music; the feel – it’s not quite on that level. It was almost impossible for MGS4 to have lived up to the high expectations; rather it only just delivered to the base expectations. Regardless of flaws it’s a title worthy of existing in one’s PS3 game collection.
Rating: 9.3/10
Cumjackulation Rating: 9.6/10
(ratings explained)
LIMITED EDITION BONUS DISC
Hideo Kojima’s Gene (Internal Perspective)
Making of Metal Gear Solid 4 (External Perspective)
Logan Opening Videos (no commentary)
Hideo Kojima’s Gene – It’s interesting to see the Japanese style of making games; particularly one scene which transcends cultures: game designer vs the programmer; dreamer vs realist – a nice back and forth with some opinions from the staff.
Much like previous many Asian-region making of videos the narrator is a little on the annoying side, particularly in this instance where the narrator comes off like a puker-lite sports commentator – irritating but not the worse thing you’ve ever heard.
Effectively the content is more inline with ‘Making Of’ material for movies (which isn’t really surprising). Whilst not total shit like EPK fluff on some DVD’s, it’s not the most informative – offering basic information and a short peek into making the game. It’s interesting but amounts to little more than a whiff of what it could have been. You’re better off checking out gametrailers.com - 6 part Metal Gear Retrospective; it’s longer and more detailed/informative than the content on this disc (and it’s free).
