Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - Thoughts

Well folks, we’ve finally reached the end. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is the final entry in the Metal Gear Solid series (with the exception of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance which I will be writing about soon, but that game is less of an end and more of a new beginning. But also, an end because there were never any follow up games. Okay enough of this…)

A reminder about the play order of all the games if you would like to experience the story in chronological order within the in-game timeline:

• Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (1964)

• Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (1974)

• Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (1975)

• Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (1984)

• Metal Gear Solid (2005)

• Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2007-2009)

• Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (2014)

Be sure to check out my posts for all of these over here

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots wraps up the entirety of the plot threads started way back in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. There is more action, more cutscenes, more Snake and more silliness.

Guns of the Patriots was released in 2008 for the PlayStation 3. It’s only been about five years since the events of Sons of Liberty in-game, but Snake looks like a spokesman for the American Association for Retired Persons. What is going on here?

What I Liked 😃

Plot Heavy

image: reddit

It makes sense that Guns of the Patriots is fairly plot heavy. It’s attempting to explain and set up the events since 2009 but at the same time wrap up all the lingering plot threads from the previous six games. And, you know what? I thought it pulled it off spectacularly.

The world is now in even worse shape than it was previously. Nations are now wracked with mini civil wars that are fought between various Private Military Companies (PMCs), mercs for hire essentially. The government is way outnumbered as compared to the PMCs and so the world now relies on these PMCs instead of the government. Nothing matters anymore except war and the control of information. Liquid Ocelot is attempting to take over the Sons of the Patriots AI system. Snake, now called Old Snake, has aged due to being a clone along with other mutations. He can’t get around like the used to but he’s still a deadly one-man fighting force. This is a globe hopping adventure, with Snake going to the Middle East, South Africa and Eastern Europe. He fights Liquid the whole way, trying to stop him from taking control of the AI that would allow him to mold the world even further than he already has.

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On top of all of the new plot threads, the game tries to put a bow on the remnants of the plot threads introduced in previous games. Obviously, the game addresses Snake’s ultimate fate and his rapid aging. The game also touches on story beats for Raiden, Big Boss and Meryl Silverburgh who we haven’t seen since Metal Gear Solid on the PS1. Raiden’s story in particular continues to be a tragic tale and one that I became very interested in.

As I’ve posted my thoughts on each game, I’ve gotten comments from several readers about how they tried one of the games and bounced off or didn’t like it. I would really urge my readers to give this series another shot. Playing the games in timeline order really clears the muddy water around the plot. There is something profound about the narrative here and for me it’s the eeriness of how closely the story relates to our world. No, we aren’t yet at a place where private mercenaries are fighting our wars. And there aren’t huge metal monsters with nuclear capabilities roaming the countryside. However, the control of information, censorship and AI are certainly part of our world today and the best stories are ones we can relate to whether it be a fictional tale or not.

Lights, Camera, Action!

image: CBR

There are some wild action moments in Guns of the Patriots that could go toe to toe against some action films. There are scenes involving Snake and Eva in a high-speed chase on a motorcycle. The opening sequence that introduces Old Snake is a tense moment in a battle torn village. There are tons of bombastic and tension-filled moments in the latter half of the game as well, but I won’t spoil those. But not surprisingly, there are fights against Metal Gears (Metal Gear on Metal Gear?) and there is the ultimate fight between Snake and Liquid that’s been brewing since the events of Metal Gear Solid.

What makes it even better in my opinion is that Snake is barely able to keep up. He’s no longer the capable military machine that he used to be and everything he does makes him hurt. He’s coughing up a lung the whole time (while continuing to smoke those cigs) and you as the player feel like he could kick the bucket at any moment.

It all culminates into a really fun time. More than the other games, it feels like you are playing an interactive movie. Now, that notion might turn off some people, but there is plenty of game play to be had. And, because of the stakes and the fact that this is the climax of the entire series, everything is turned up to 11. There aren’t many subdued moments in Guns of the Patriots and Michael Bay would be proud.

No Place for Hideo

image: reddit

I normally don’t dedicate a section to just a specific scene. Normally I paint in broad strokes. But this time I thought I would describe a scene early on that really nails the tone of this game and the series as a whole.

Immediately after the robed figure who appears to be an old man - Snake hasn’t been officially revealed yet - thinks he is out of the woods from the barrage of war; he is beset upon by a couple of Gecko machines. For some reason the Gecko moo like cows. Yes, you read that correctly. His robe flies off and we see a much older Snake clad in some kind of skintight suit. He flees from the Gecko, cigarette in mouth, taking the chance to shoot at them when he can. He gets roped by one of them and barely escapes by jumping to the top of some broken stairs. On the next floor, he knows the Gecko is behind him and he sees another one in front of him. He also sees a cardboard box. Anyone who knows anything about MGS knows that a cardboard box is a good hiding spot. But this is an older and wiser Snake. The Gecko close in on Snake’s last position. They start scanning and find his cigarette. They then see the cardboard box. On the side of the box these words are written: “No Place for Hideo”. Of course, Hideo Kojima is the creator of the series. No one puts Hideo in a box. The Gecko proceed to smash the box and inside are a bunch of watermelon. Snake was hiding very close by and used his new fancy camo suit to evade the monsters.

This one little scene was a homage to the series, a set up for Snake’s new suit, demonstrated how smart Snake is, it provides a great introduction to the menacing Gecko machines, and it was very tense on top of it all. This perfectly showcases the line that Kojima balances on between silliness, 4th wall breaking and cool moments in all of his games.

What I Didn’t Like

It’s a Dang Movie!

image: reddit

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriot to this day holds the Guiness World Record for the video game containing the most cutscenes, clocking in at almost NINE HOURS! That’s more than a movie, that’s an eight-episode Netflix TV series.

Now do not misunderstand me, I think the cutscenes were done very well. They are visually interesting and the cutscenes in between acts actually lets you move around and peruse the carrier plane that acts as a base of operations. The cutscenes were absolutely important to telling this story the right way.

That being said, I did find myself inwardly saying “C’mon hurry up, I’m ready to play the game!”. And in some places, it seemed like just as I was getting into the gameplay, I would abruptly be stopped by many minutes of a cutscene, and it would kind of ruin my momentum.

Overall Thoughts

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is a spectacular ending to a legendary series of games. It’s epic, full of cutscenes and has some great action set pieces. The plot tries - successfully in my opinion - to wrap up all the plot threads from the past six games. It may not be as prophetic (yet) as Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, but it certainly paints a bleak picture of a future where war and the control of information is all that matters.

Where Can I Play This?

Guns of the Patriots has surprisingly only been released on the PlayStation 3 console. You can play the original or grab the Legacy Collection, also available for PlayStation 3.

I played the game physically via the Metal Gear Solid: Legacy Collection.