It’s secure to say that Metallic Gear Stable is not only a fantastic franchise; it’s a sequence that has revolutionized video video games as we all know them. The unique Metallic Gear Stable mainly laid out the framework for what a contemporary stealth sport must be, and subsequent entries constructed upon these foundations in new and attention-grabbing methods.
Whereas the notorious Konami Kojima breakup has left the franchise in ruins, Konami has been making massive strides on this regard with the upcoming remake of Metallic Gear Stable: Delta Snake Eater. All of it’s nice stuff, however most followers would nonetheless agree that one of many greatest ache factors of a Metallic Gear fan remains to be the dearth of a Metallic Gear Stable 4: Weapons of the Patriots remaster.
One of many greatest points with Metallic Gear Stable 4: Weapons of the Patriots is the truth that the sport is locked on the PS3, and with no choice to expertise on trendy platforms like PS5 – anybody who needs to play this sport must observe down a console and a replica of that sport which is after all simpler mentioned than completed.
And even if you happen to do handle to do all of this, anybody with no prior reminiscences or nostalgia with the sport would have a tough time appreciating the fantastic thing about all of it. It doesn’t look unhealthy by any stretch, however Metallic Gear Stable 4 does pale compared to trendy AAA titles. It’s a disgrace actually that so many potential followers are lacking out on such a gem of a sport.
Each Metallic Gear Stable has a definite theme, resembling Metallic Gear Stable 2 having a give attention to the speedy unfold of misinformation and threats that include it or Metallic Gear Stable 3 having a give attention to guerilla warfare, and that works to nice impact as a result of that makes every expertise considerably a essentially completely different one – and a brand new entry within the franchise doesn’t render the older ones out of date.
Metallic Gear Stable 4: Weapons of the Patriots was all in regards to the digitization of battle. From personal army items to automated drones and, after all, the nanomachines, Metallic Gear Stable 4 places a powerful emphasis on showcasing a contemporary dystopia the place AI dominates the battlefield, and anybody in command of the nanomachines inadvertently controls the tangent of battle in that world. As one can think about, our world is regularly shifting in direction of this specific college of thought within the face of the speedy progress of synthetic intelligence and developments in biotech.
However even aside from the narrative stuff, Metallic Gear Stable 4: Weapons of the Patriots additionally options a number of the most interesting gameplay mechanics of the complete sequence. Certain, you won’t have the pliability of alternative of the identical magnitude because the Phantom Ache – however these strengths are swapped out for a extra streamlined expertise that has its personal distinct form of appeal.
The degrees are meticulously crafted to each nudge the participant towards a sure form of playstyle whereas additionally remaining open to experimentation. You see, sneaking by the battlefield is not only about leaping from cowl to cowl, however changing into one with the terrain itself. That’s the place the Octo Camo go well with is available in, and Previous Snake can primarily develop into a combating chameleon donning it because it regularly modifications color and texture to match that of the bottom itself.
The dimensions of warfare proven in Metallic Gear Stable 4: Weapons of the Patriots can be one thing that we actually haven’t seen in prior entries, and there are additionally new tips concerned within the course of of higher realizing an Previous Snake. There’s a psyche meter that tracks Snake’s psychological state throughout fight sequences, and if it drops too low, you begin experiencing tangible repercussions like lack of accuracy or again ache, which hampers your effectivity on the battlefield.
The narrative of Metallic Gear Stable 4: Weapons of the Patriots would possibly simply be essentially the most complicated one in the complete sequence, however simply the truth that it truly works in a cohesive style is nothing wanting an achievement in storytelling. You see, the complete plot of Metallic Gear Stable 4 is about tying all of the free ends left behind by earlier entries whereas additionally making an attempt to carve a narrative about Previous Snake and his adventures towards the nanomachines, which is why you would possibly really feel some form of disconnect in sure components of the story and that is additionally the explanation why Kojima has to resort to exposition dumps so closely to make all of it work.
As a franchise, Metallic Gear Stable has at all times been about meshing collectively the very best of gaming and cinema, and Kojima’s expertise really shines in Weapons of the Patriots. The cutscenes is likely to be a little bit drawn out (enjoyable reality: the ultimate cutscene is over 70 minutes lengthy and holds a world document), however every of those scenes is fantastically directed and voiced, culminating in an expertise that not often dips in high quality. There are many iconic moments in Metallic Gear Stable 4: Weapons of the Patriots’ story, resembling outdated Snake crawling by a microwave corridor or the fist struggle with Revolver Ocelot on the high of the Metallic Gear, that are unmissable for anybody invested in what the franchise has to supply.
And who can neglect the boss fights? These have at all times been the spotlight of Metallic Gear releases, and it’s no completely different with this entry. Whether or not it’s the aforementioned brawl with Liquid Ocelot or Crying Wolf or Screaming Mantis, there’s no scarcity of fantastic cinematic encounters that followers will keep in mind lengthy after the credit roll.
All in all, Metallic Gear Stable 4 was one thing that was means forward of its time. It won’t have been Kojima’s magnum opus, nevertheless it was a tightly designed expertise that got down to painting a dystopia and was fairly profitable at it. It’s additionally a extra mature tackle Metallic Gear, and all the pieces from Previous Snake’s cynicism to the aforementioned gameplay mechanics and even the color palette come collectively to deliver this imaginative and prescient to life.
On an analogous word, we also needs to point out {that a} Metallic Gear Stable 4: Weapons of the Patriots remaster wouldn’t simply be an opportunity to expertise this sport as soon as once more; it will additionally show to be a possibility to proper some wrongs with the sport. First issues first, Konami might use this chance to perhaps mould the narrative to be a bit extra streamlined and straightforward to catch on for followers accustomed to less complicated narratives.
The cinematic aptitude of Metallic Gear Stable 4 would actually shine when inbuilt a brand new engine like Unreal Engine 5, if optimized correctly. Characters would look a lot extra actual, and textures and environments might be delivered to life, and lighting might be solved by ray tracing and so forth and so forth. There are a large number of technical potentialities looming simply over the horizon, and we might additionally get so many high quality of life modifications on the gameplay entrance as properly.
However after all, that additionally brings us to the issues that include a Metallic Gear Stable 4 remaster. With out the presence of Kojima in Konami, altering something in regards to the base expertise will at all times be met with intense scrutiny from followers, whereas releasing the very same factor for a more recent platform wouldn’t be nice from a worth proposition, which places the prospect of a remaster in a rock and a tough place.
And that’s with out entering into the technical facet, which is one other mountain of issues that Konami would want to unravel in the event that they want to get Metallic Gear Stable 4 on a brand new platform. You see, the bottom sport was constructed for the PS3’s Cell chip that has a really completely different structure from what we’re used to with trendy programs. As such, transitioning the deprecated engine from that platform to a brand new one goes to be a very powerful process, requiring large revamps to the core expertise.
As such, one can solely be hopeful in regards to the future. The way forward for Metallic Gear Stable seems to be brighter than ever with the upcoming launch of Delta Snake Eater and if that enterprise seems to be a profitable one – it’s potential that Konami would possibly put collectively a workforce and provides them the assets to rebuild Weapons of the Patriots for the PS5 and Xbox Collection X/S, maybe it’s already in improvement as a part of the Metallic Gear Stable Grasp Assortment Quantity 2. The longer Konami waits, the extra MGS4 dangers changing into a relic as a substitute of a revelation.
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