[PS3] Metal Gear Solid 4 *spoilers*

[DuckThor Evil]

I finally was able to put this thing into my PS3 and just finished act 1. The game is pretty amazing! I'm having lot's of fun with it. The only problem is that this is my first Metal Gear game that I have actually played more than 10 minutes, so at times I have no idea what the characters are speaking about. Is there a web page or some such that could help me get up to speed on what has happened prior to this game in the Metal Gear universe?

 

[Nesh]

I finally was able to put this thing into my PS3 and just finished act 1. The game is pretty amazing! I'm having lot's of fun with it. The only problem is that this is my first Metal Gear game that I have actually played more than 10 minutes, so at times I have no idea what the characters are speaking about. Is there a web page or some such that could help me get up to speed on what has happened prior to this game in the Metal Gear universe?

Search for the Metal Gear Solid Database at the Playstation Store. It is a downloadable MGS Encyclopedia. It explains everything from every single MGS game but beware a bit of spoilers.

Spoiler information if I remember correctly have a "!" on them (but then again you are allowed to see them if you choose to from the options and if you have completed the game if I am not mistaken).

 

[upnorthsox]

I finally was able to put this thing into my PS3 and just finished act 1. The game is pretty amazing! I'm having lot's of fun with it. The only problem is that this is my first Metal Gear game that I have actually played more than 10 minutes, so at times I have no idea what the characters are speaking about. Is there a web page or some such that could help me get up to speed on what has happened prior to this game in the Metal Gear universe?

Download the database, it helps alot (at least it did for an MGS noob like me).

 

[patsu]

Dr. Evil, you're in for a treat and wild ride !

The MGS Database is supposed to block MGS4 spoilers if you have not completed the game yet. So it's probably the safest route.

Here's an attempt by Joystiq: http://www.joystiq.com/photos/mgs4-need-to-know/855739/

I remember there was another sypnosis for the entire Metal Gear series on GameTrailer, but I can't find it anymore.

 

[Nesh]

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/usermovies/242343.html

http://www.videogamer.com/news/22-07-2008-8879.html

 

[Mize]

Holy cripes this game is frickin' amazing.
I just (48 hours prior) finished Gears of Ware (360 version) and loved it and MGS4 simply blows it away in every possible way.

Wow.

 

[patsu]

Where are you in the game now ?

 

[NVNDA]

Metal Gear in a nutshell. Wowza that could take awhile to explain

What is really great is all the refrences to past Kojima games in MGS4. The beginning of Act 3 was such a great throwback to MG2:SS. The music even had the same vibe.

 

[rounin]

Myself and another friend I know are still on the sidelines of this one. We keep hearing lots of awesome reviews, but from what I can see, theres a lot of references to older games that make the game extra good, and we're afraid that since we haven't played the older ones, we might miss out on a lot... then again we're too busy/lazy to play the older ones. What a dilemma.

 

[Arwin]

I played about 33% of MGS2, 2% of MGS3. Wat I did was watch the Subsustence video and that pre-order thing, others watched the gametrailers series. Personally though you'll live by just playing the game as the gameplay stands on its own and is awesome. I'm at the marketplace now and so far have really enjoyed the ride.

 

[djskribbles]

yeah, just watch the MG retrospective at GT. then if you want more details, look at the database. you don't have to know every single event, moment or character in MG to enjoy the series... as long as you know the main characters and base story, you should be fine.

 

[Mize]

I played a bit of one a long time ago (PS1?) and have no clue of the story line to be honest. Maybe I would like it better if I knew the rest, but I can't imagine it being better (forgive the gushing, but it puts Gears, GTAIV and Oblivion to shame IMHO). I'm not that far even and I'm this impressed. I played from about 11 to 1 am and met the arms dealer. It's slow going for the video segways, but I'm watching them all. Just wish I wasn't on vacation till Monday and sure hope the wife will forgive a bit of neglect in the days thereafter

For comparison the lighting/filtering/etc beats Gears, the textures kill the 360 version of CoD4 and the ambiance is RFoM*100.

 

[djskribbles]

this along with DMC3 are the only games i've beat more than 3 times.

 

[patsu]

Myself and another friend I know are still on the sidelines of this one. We keep hearing lots of awesome reviews, but from what I can see, theres a lot of references to older games that make the game extra good, and we're afraid that since we haven't played the older ones, we might miss out on a lot... then again we're too busy/lazy to play the older ones. What a dilemma.

I think knowing the "first" game is good enough. I played MGS: The Twin Snakes on Gamecube. The PSP MGS games are tangential to the main story line, so they don't matter.

Overall, I don't think the lack of background info is a show stopper. I find the story too long and have effectively skipped a few cutscenes here and there anyway. A read up of the earlier game plots should suffice. If you are well versed with scifi, anime or manga stories, you should feel at home with the settings.

Just enjoy it for the gameplay. I really like how they present the story. All those talks about particle effects, framerate, resolution, etc. are missing the point... IMHO. Please do find ways to experience the game. It's different in a Kojima way (flaws and awesomeness). ^_^

Mize, have you finished the game ?

 

[Nesh]

I think knowing the "first" game is good enough. I played MGS: The Twin Snakes on Gamecube. The PSP MGS games are tangential to the main story line, so they don't matter.

I think that Portable Ops plays an important role in 4's storyline

 

[patsu]

...about Big Boss' history and the origin of the Patriots. One can still complete MGS4 without knowing how they began though. It's like the prequels of Star Wars Episode 4. ^_^

In any case, much of these info can be learned from Wikipedia or the MGS Database.

 

[deepbrown]

I think all the games are important - I actually think MGS3 is very important for some the emotional contact to the characters.

 

[Mize]

Mize, have you finished the game ?

Nowhere close and still days away from my next session thanks to a vacation

 

[Xalion]

I didn't play any of the previous versions, nor did I read any background or summaries. I still thought MGS4 was excellent and probably the best game I have played in a long long while. I'm sure people will tell me I'm missing out and just don't understand the game, but in the end I think that this game can stand on its own for people who just want to jump in and see what the game is.

It is like most Hollywood movies I've seen. Almost all have references to great works of historical literature that the writers sneak in without the producer knowing. Most of the time, the audience doesn't even recognize them. When I do, I enjoy them. However that wouldn't stop me from saying people who may not have read that particular piece wont enjoy the movie. I think you can look at MGS4 the same way. Sure, some things will be more obscure for you, but in the end I think you can enjoy the game and really appreciate it without needing a detailed look at everything before. I know I did.

 

[DuckThor Evil]

I just finished this and my playtime was about 22.5 hours, and pretty much enjoyed every minute of it, heh I usually think that games don't have enough cut scenes or that they are too short, but can't really blame this for not having them I enjoyed every minute of them as well (well maybe Otacon was a bit annoying at times...)

I researched the back story quite well during act one and was reasonable well educated of it during the rest of the game. The gameplay really isn't that spectacular and some things, like the invisible walls and the fact that Snake couldn't climb except 40 centimeter boxes was a bit surprising, but I have always said that I play games for their stories, so that didn't bother me much.

The only game I have enjoyed as much as MGS4 this generation is Mass Effect, and I don't think there will be many others, which will rise into that level, this truly was something special.