MGS 4 Impressions

I've played through the first act of MGS4 and put in a few hours into the 2nd.  Some thoughts:

 

- While the game does have a required 9 minute install, at least it attempts to make those 9 minutes entertaining by having you watch Snake light up a few smokes while interesting (and often funny) messages appear on the screen.  The game also needs to install after every act apparently, although those are a lot shorter (just a couple of minutes).

 

- No doubt this game is cinematic.  Expect plenty of the MGS "formula".  Play for 5 minutes.  Watch for 5 minutes.  Rinse, repeat.  I just finished watching a cinematic that must have been about 20 minutes long.  I hear there are longer ones towards the end too.  While they look ultra slick, are extremely well directed, and highlight the amazing visuals (all the cinematics are in real-time), I already get the feeling that this is more of a interactive movie than a game.  A lot of really cool things happen in cinemas that I think you should be controlling.  Kojima needs to reel it in a bit.  There is a lot of talking that can be condensed by 75%.  Characters still go into their drawn out monologues way too often.  Thankfully, Codec conversations have been kept to a minimum (those long codec conversations for MGS2 still haunt me).  If I need to sit through a long boring speech, at least let it play it out a cut-scene and not two talking heads with scrolling text.  You can also pause cinematics now, which given their length and frequency, comes in very handy.

 

- The gameplay itself is the best in the series.  Snake can now walk while crouching (before he would begin to crawl on his stomach if you attempted to move from a crouching position, whoch got annoying).  The camera is extremely manageable.  Gunplay is also much improved.  The new Octocamo is awesome, taking MGS3's camo index and simplifying it (no more menus).  It also makes it a lot more realistic; just how was "Snake" switching camo patterns on the fly in MGS3? (Must be a fast dresser)

 

- Speaking of realistic (or lack thereof), one of my biggest pet peeves of previous entries - items and weapons that float and spin in the air - have thankfully been removed.  Items and weapons now lay on the ground in a realistic manner.  One thing that boggles my mind though is where Snake keeps that giant oil drum when he is not using it??

 

- David Hayter, who has voiced Snake since MGS, turns in another raspy performance.  A bit too raspy in my opinion.  Yes, Snake is older and has health issues, but his performance doesn't even sound believable to me anymore.  It just sounds like someone purposely trying to sound as raspy as possible and I found it comical more times than not.

 

- I just had my first big boss battle and it was a lot of fun.  That is one thing this series has consistently gotten right.

 

That's it for now.  Will give further impressions as I play (watch?) some more.