Review: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Metal Gear Solid 4
Konami,Kojima Productions
Available now for Playstation 3

If you asked me a month ago if a game that makes you put down your controller more often than you pick it up was a good idea and I'd have to say no, but that was before I witnessed the Hideo Kojima's masterpiece that is Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. I don't think I've ever played a game where I didn't mind sitting back and watching the long cinematics that pop up a lot, but this game just has all the right things working for it so that you actual enjoy them.

So MGS4's strange everything-but-the-kitchen-sink science-fiction military soap-opera storyline finally comes to an end after a long run for the series. Solid Snake's body has begun to age rapidly as part of his final clone programming and with his last bit of strength, he is determined to carry out his final mission: assassin liquid Snake who is now in the body of Revolver Ocelot.

From there the story starts jumping into a plot filled with many old faces from the Metal Gear series, soldiers controlled by Nano technology, strange sounds that drive people to kill each other, even stranger cybernetic women maddened by the terrors of war, etc and honestly if I were to try to explain the whole plot, this review would be a lot longer than my column - actually, it might be longer than this publication, so to keep it short: MGS4: an epic science-fiction tale full of betrayal, emotional moments, military warfare, espionage, future technology and that weird Kojima sense of humour. If you want any more plot info or game history than that, then I suggest Wikipedia or playing through the Metal Gear Series.




FPS fans will be happy to know that MGS4 has finally changed its usual “Don‘t get caught” style of game play to allow a “guns-a-blazing” method of finishing the game. Players can now choose to tackle most levels as they see fit which opens the world of Metal Gear to all the players who can’t stand sneaking through a battlefield. Though sneaking through a war zone while bombs are exploding, soldiers are firing at each other and you are mere feet away from it all, does really add a whole new level to the Metal Gear franchise. It’s almost too boring to run through the levels while mowing everyone down, because you miss so much of what’s going on it the game.

But if you really want to spend the game shooting everyone you meet, players will be impressed by Snake’s vast arsenal of futuristic weaponry which he will either find and unlock or purchase through Drebin 893, the slick arms dealer.

For those wishing to play the game true to the franchise, Snake also has new tools to help him stay one step ahead of the enemy at all times: his octocamo suit automatically blends into the environment, Metal Gear MK II, a mini robot which allows Snake to survey a small area ahead of him, and steel drums which have replaced boxes as temporary cover for Snake.

Snake really needs these new tools too with the increase in enemy intelligence. Our boy can simple wander off into a dark spot and magically disappear; no, now he has to work to hide from the enemies. Enemies will spot you in the darkest of rooms and see in complete 360 degree views of the area, so nowhere can you hide unless you actually hide.

Auto aim is available for rookie shooters which helped me out a lot, but Snake’s movements did take a bit of time to get a handle on. I found trying to get Snake to perform one move would always end with him in some terrible position on the ground or running away like a crippled old man. 3 difficult levels are available for players who would like an easier game or more of a challenge, but know that the easy level is really easy. I barely used my health items at all and finally had to switch to the normal mode for some challenge.

My one pet peeve with the entire game was the continuous installations after each chapter. No game should have to be installed several times over the course of its game play. I mean I did enjoy watching Snake chain smoke during each installation process and the health and game tips were nice touches, but honestly skip the numerous installs next time, Konami.

The movie quality graphics and sound can easily make me forgive the small matter of the annoying installs though as they lead to fantastic game play and even better cut-scenes. I honestly could have watch MGS4 as a movie, complete with popcorn in hand with how incredible the game was structured. Though the dialog a little goofy at times, the story had you laughing and crying with real emotion behind each. You cared about the characters and more importantly you believed their story and that’s hard to pull off with such a crazy storyline. This is the kind of game you feel guilty about if you don’t finish it and all story driven games should be like that, if they want to be the best title on the market today.

Metal Gear fans and anyone who just enjoys a great gaming masterpiece, this is the PS3 title that is going to make you purchase a Playstation 3 if you don’t already have one and I can’t stress enough how much I mean that. This is probably one of the best B movie storylines I’ve ever watched that breaks through the cheese and manages to stand as a great and epic piece of art.

Rating: 10 out of 10
Buy it!

Review: Deca Sports

Deca Sports
Konami, Hudson
Available for the Nintendo Wii

For all the sports fans out there, Hudson Entertainment has a brand new game for the Nintendo Wii that’s going to get your Wii remote swinging. Deca Sports, the newest contender in Nintendo’s sport games market features 10 new sporting events you won’t find in Nintendo’s Wii Sports or together on any other Wii sporting game out on the market right now.

With the Olympic Games coming up in Beijing soon, Deca Sports has the best select of sporting events to get gamers into an athletic frame of mind. You can choose from beach volleyball, kart racing, super cross racing, figure skating, archery, soccer, basketball, curling, badminton, and snowboarding cross. Each event can be played in different games modes: open match, tournament mode, Deca league and Deca challenge. Each of these modes allows you to complete against computer or play multiplayer with up to 4 friends. You can choose to compete in one sport or all of them, and you can even tweak each game’s options to fit each player’s level of skill.

Running through each of the sporting events, you’ll find some games probably easier than others. I personally liked figure skating and archery as the controls were easy to handle which made playing and winning fun and easy. Other games while easy to play weren’t exactly fun. While playing badminton and beach volleyball, it always seemed like the computer was controlling the movements of my character more than I was. No matter how I swung the controller, my character would perform the correct move 50% of the time and this really hindered my chances of winning the game.

Kart racing, super cross racing and snowboarding cross probably would have been better if their use of the Wii remote motion detection to control jumps and direction weren’t so sensitive. Tipping the control just a bit to the left or right moved the vehicle right off the track and into a wall. I tried to work through the rough controls in practice mode for the sake of this review and found smaller movements with the remote seemed to make getting through the events a little easier, but all in all, the developers should have made the controls with heavy-handed children in mind.

Finally playing through matches in the basketball, soccer and curling events were just down right confusing and frustrating. Each game utilized the Wii remote’s motion detection feature and while it makes sense for a game like curling, it didn’t fit for games like basketball or soccer. The controls were more complicated than they needed to be and took away from the fun of the games, rather than add to them. The curling controls would have been perfect with the motion detection, if the game designers had just kept things simple, but instead they put in too many steps to release the stone and things became too complex.

I was quite impressed with the layout of the game graphically. Everything was nice and big for everyone to see, which would make it easier for kids or seniors to play. All the characters, while not actually Mii creations from your console, do in fact look a lot like the Nintendo avatars, just with a bit more detailed in their clothes and accessories. The audio wasn’t stellar; there weren’t any crowds cheering when you won the tournament or stuck the bull’s-eye dead center and there wasn’t any cool music playing with you drove around the go kart track.

While usually 10 games for the price of 1 would make for an excellent deal, I wouldn’t suggest running out to Walmart tomorrow to buy Deca Sports. Wii Sports still reigns supreme as the king of sports mini games, while Deca Sports earns its place as just another sports mini game title.

Rating: 4 out of 10
Forget it!

MLB Power Pros Announced for Fall 2008

2K Sports, the sports publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. , and Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., today announced the next iteration of the wildly popular baseball franchise, MLB Power Pros 2008, scheduled to be available for Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 2 this July, as well as Nintendo DS later this fall.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Konami again, and with the Baseball season now in full swing, we’re proud to offer our fans a refreshingly smart and exciting baseball game that is easily accessible for all ages,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “Baseball enthusiasts will appreciate the variety of newly added features, intuitive game modes and improved overall feel, and we look forward to hitting one out of the park this season with MLB Power Pros 2008.”

With over ten different exciting game modes including the traditional Practice, Exhibition, League and Home Run Challenge modes, MLB Power Pros 2008 will bring gamers closer to the action than ever before. Gamers also get the opportunity to act as general manager and control the destiny of their own franchise in Season mode, or engage in entertaining role-playing story modes such as Success and MLB Life modes. As general manager, gamers can trade, sign free agents, coordinate practice schedules, purchase new equipment, call up and send down players from the Minor Leagues, along with other management options to bring in fans, win playoff games and eventually, earn the title of World Series champion.

In Success mode, fans can participate in a story-based career of rising players in the Double-A Minor League system trying to improve their baseball skills and make an impression on baseball scouts while also having to balance various situations in their personal lives. Through a variety of amusing training and game challenges, players who complete Success mode will also be able to take their created player files into MLB Life as well, or also play as either an existing Major League Baseball player in Dream Mode, or start as a rookie in Major League Career mode.

As a new feature in MLB Power Pros 2008, MLB Life is another story-based mode that will allow fans the possibility to simulate the exciting life and experience of being a Major League Baseball player over the course of a 20-year career. While continuing to play in games through the regular baseball season, players will also participate in a number of realistic situations such as signing contracts, purchasing houses and cars, making charitable donations, building up relationships with friends and teammates, picking up hobbies and much more.

With easy, pick-up-and-play hitting and pitching controls, along with intuitive Wii functionality, other new features in MLB Power Pros 2008 include support of 40-man rosters, change of ball speed, adjustment of defensive shifts, along with a real-time bullpen check functionality for substituting pitchers. MLB Power Pros 2008 will also support the option for players to import their Wii-based characters, Miis, from their Wii or Wii Remote to become part of the exciting action!