FAN Service is, forlack of a better term, the kind of thing that a geek like me perishes at the thought of. It means a creative force has shrivelled up anddied on its feet, pandering to the whim of the fans as it starts to lose the plot.
24, the TV show, was affected by it, the new Star Wars films were affected by it (and couldnt get it right still) and practically 50% of second albums are affected by it.
Not only does it ruin a series, it makes it inaccessible to newcomers, which makes Metal Gear Solid 4 the most baffling paradox ever.
The game sets you asSolid Snake, an ageing spy, whose last job is to eliminate his brother Liquid. Anymore of the plot would have you scratching your head or completely ruining the game for you.
Needless to say, for fans at least, the story is emotionally engaging, reaching a surprising amount of depth, fleshing out characters who were little more than 2D pixels 20 years ago at the series start. What's especially notable about the ever-expanding storyline is the themes it deals with, with a degree of intelligence rarely seen in games.
Ageing; isolation, war economy, proxy wars, nuclear disarmament, the game seems determined to make a bold statement, and its to Hideo Kojimas credit (the creator and director) that although the game takes some seemingly weird tangents, he manages to communicate a story that can speak to different levels of different players.
If games like Haze or Dark Sector are the gaming equivalent of a Steven Segal movie, all loud noises and little else, then this is the Apocalypse, Now of gaming, brooding messages played out against an unrelenting backdrop.
And boy, will there be many different styles of players on this. Forever hyped as the gameto turn around the ailing PS3, previous entries have all been focused on stealth.
Mainly as a rally against gung-ho action titles, partly,as out and out action was very rarely possible, with a tricky camera and fiddly controls. MGS4 rectifies this superbly, not only making stealth an option instead of a necessity, it gives more players the freedom to tackle the game as they want, allowing for the game to beplayed, and completed, in many different ways.
The series invented stealth gaming, popularised by the Splinter Cell games, so needless to say that, its impeccable when it comes to being sneaky. Snakes Octocam will blend in with any environment, making Snake practically invisible on the battlefield.
Great for two things. A) You're in the coolest suit ever and B) You can help in skirmishes, earning respect from the local militia or completely avoid them, meaning Snake doesn't have a bullet shaped hole in him within 10 seconds.
But, that's all I want to reveal, gameplay wise, mainly as the game jumps through some many things and so many different styles, it's hard to imagine how they fitted it all on one disc.
Trust me, there is something for everyone, and I doubt that a percentage 0 and 1 will be disappointed. Put simply, you have to experience this for yourself.
Not only did they crama well-sized game, the graphics are hands down best on the PS3. And I'm sure very few will ever come close to the level of detail seen throughout the scenarios, with the audio in and out of cut-scenes being remarkably clear and visceral.
This serves the game well, as the soundtrack is another area the game excels in, thanks to series composer Harry Gregson-Williams.
Yet, to come full circle with my fan service remark, newcomers will feel out of their depth with the latter half of the story, and, if you've never heard or seen the game before, it will baffle you.
It's a head-trip to say the least; partly because that's what fans expect, so mixed in with the powerful story is a man who can't die, a smoking monkey and a mooing tank. As in a cow's moo.
But here is the important part, although this a prime example of fan service, it never feels like it's run out of steam, if anything, the constant shifts of gameplay might even annoy some fans, who want a proper sneaking experience like previous games, just as some jokes will wash over the heads of newcomers, the game is for the creator more than anyone else.
For a while, there have been few games that the PS3 can boast about, but with MGS4, not only does this change, but the whole notion of an interactive experience.
You'll spend half the time watching it, but it doesn't matter, as the game relies on its creators whim and these moments are equal to some spectacular ones that you play through.
Snakes finale is also his finest hour, and an experience that few games will come close to, even though it may annoy some, frankly, anything that approaches their medium with the amount of energy and detail that has, deserves your attention.
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