Metal Gear Solid : Primer

Metal Gear Solid 4 : Guns of The Patriots

Late as I might be, I finally got around to playing this flawed masterpiece. Metal Gear Solid 4. The first few starts were disappointing, even though I read countless reviews to get me enthused, I always left dissatisfied. Somehow, the game’s many faults (yes there are many) always left me wanting. But, finally I thought I’ll play through the first act, and surprisingly, I was hooked. I was at a disadvantage since I hadn’t played the earlier games in the series, so the story didn’t draw me in initially.

However, I started going for trophies, which led me try more features in the game I hadn’t tried before. And the game got a lot deeper than I had expected, specially the ‘Crop Circle Trophy’. I was intrigued!! And I ventured further, tried out more stealth elements, paid more attention to the interactive cut-scenes. And it got better!!

Eventually, the game’s story did have an impact on me. I was drawn in by the strong themes the game revolved around, most prominent of which were how brutal and routine war has become. Lengthy cut-scenes played out with great finesse, leading to exciting new stages. However, I was really put off by the portrayal of women, frequent loading screens, ten second gameplay moments which led to a cut-scene. Yes, the flaws are many, and glaringly so. However, the game shines due to solid gameplay mechanics, top notch visual and sound effects, and an astonishingly wide array of interactive options. There’s a powerful and evocative theme that holds all these elements together. Sadly, some of this falls flat in the face of Snake sneaking a peek up a women’s skirt, or almost every female character showing her cleavage.

However, every gameplay element is tight and precise, and its fun trying out the varied options and arsenal at your disposal. The game is a must play, and can easily be played multiple times before you see everything the game has to offer, since it’s a blast completing the game using different play-styles.

Metal Gear Solid V : Ground Zeroes

Now, this game is awesome!! Many would complain that it’s too short, or that there’s too little story and it’s just a glorified demo. Well, if so, this is the best demo ever made! Once again, all the gameplay aspects are perfectly balanced, catering to both ‘run and gun’ or ‘stealthy’ play-styles. The main campaign is short, but it barely scratches the surface of all that’s packed in this game. There are various ‘special ops’ styled missions which display how changing the time of day or the weather can largely change the aspects of the same level.

The controls have been fine-tuned to feel familiar as a modern shooter, without compromising on the wide variety of tactical options available. And the level feels more like a sand-box than in previous games, without the frequent loading screens as in previous games in the series. The visuals are once again top-notch, and very cinematic.

The story, though short, sets the stage for the upcoming Phantom Pain, and it does so very well, portraying a more mature direction style, while familiarizing the players with some of the characters from previous games. This game is a lot of fun, highly re-playable, and sets high expectations from the next in Snake’s adventures!

So, if you haven’t already, do play these two amazing games before The Phantom Pain comes out.