scoobs said:
scoobs said:
scoobs said:
10 Presentation
From the opening videos to the end credits, the attention to detail throughout Guns of the Patriots is astonishing, setting new standards for production values in games.
10 Graphics
The visuals in MGS 4 are as cutting-edge as you can rightfully expect from the latest videogame blockbuster, boasting as much style as technical expertise.
10 Sound
The surround sound effects are stunning, having actual in-game effects, from using birdsong to detect enemies to choosing your own tunes.
10 Gameplay
Guns of the Patriots is the definitive MGS, taking stealth mechanics to new heights and throwing in so much more that you just have to discover it for yourself.
9.5 Lasting Appeal
Aside from the fact that the cut-scenes bear repeated viewing, youll want to play through MGS 4 again and again, simply to unlock ever more exotic weapons and items and player rankings not to menti
Blablurn said:oh come on, ign...
9.9??
cooome on. just give the game a perfect 10 and everything is alright.
scoobs said:
MEltdown confirmed!!!scoobs said:
BlockBastard said:I only read the closing comments and the breakdown of the scores as I don't want to risk spoilering myself. Tell me guys, how spoiler-heavy is the review?
Dartastic said:Really? 9.9? WTF makes a game .1 percent less than a 10? That's just silly. :lol
BlockBastard said:I only read the closing comments and the breakdown of the scores as I don't want to risk spoilering myself. Tell me guys, how spoiler-heavy is the review?
flunkie4455 said:9.9 is the most that MGS4 was going to get - there's no way IGN would ever dish out two tens within a month.
That's still a great score, regardless.
BlockBastard said:I only read the closing comments and the breakdown of the scores as I don't want to risk spoilering myself. Tell me guys, how spoiler-heavy is the review?
psycho_snake said:9.9? Thats unlucky :lol
Who cares though. 9.9 is pretty much a perfect score.
psycho_snake said:9.9? Thats unlucky :lol
Who cares though. 9.9 is pretty much a perfect score.
Kagari said:Round up :X
Kagari said:Not very.
Slight spoilerish review IMO. The reviewer reveals 3 or 4 sub-genres of gameplay that I had no clue was in the game. While the info was very cool and something to look fwd to, i'd rather have no known about it to discover on my own.
9.9 is just a fancy word for loosing!psycho_snake said:9.9? Thats unlucky :lol
Who cares though. 9.9 is pretty much a perfect score.
brandonh83 said:sexy avatar! I would take one from the OP but I don't know which ones are taken.
BlockBastard said:Aces, reading now.
Damn, well, ugh. Thanks.
SolidSnakex said:Not to mention what?!?!
juicyfruitas said:Skip the 3rd paragraph on 'Page 2' and you'll be safe all the way through.
BlockBastard said:IGN had nothing but praise for the game.
Hello, Early reviews for MGS4 are creeping out on the internet and, like GTAIV, it's another near-perfect whitewash. "Without a doubt, one of the greatest games of all time", screams US magazine Gamepro, "Every once in a long time, a game will come along that changes all the rules... and MGS4's potential influence on the current state of gaming is nothing short of tectonic". Exciting? Yes. Accurate? No - it's total bullshit.
We've finished MGS4. Twice. And while it's an incredible achievement, it's no more a seismic leap for games, than GTAIV was from GTA: San Andreas, or GTA3. It's merely - and we say this with a hefty pinch of salt - a wonderful next-gen polishing of a largely last-gen experience. The gameplay mechanics - while surely the series' most polished - are instantly recognisable, and despite reasonably freeform opening levels, it's not a shock reimagining of the series. 'Shocking' or 'tectonic' gameplay would have been fully destructible levels with truly 'nowhere to hide', as once billed. Or *huge* open world crowds where you need to use disguise, or body language, or real voice reading via an audio mic, to blend in seamlessly - but despite some excellent stealth sections, MGS4's best efforts are 'only' a polishing of MGS3's camouflage-led jungle sneaking; bar an unexpected, if fairly linear, stealth episode half-way through.
To use a recent example, was GTA4 everything you'd been promised by 99% of the world's media? As incredible as it is/was - probably not. Folk were falling over themselves to award it perfect 100%, or 10/10, scores, setting expectations at ridiculous levels. Amazingly, our score of 96% was the world's lowest for a number of weeks, which truly beggars belief.
We're not saying MGS4 isn't brilliant - it clearly is - but temper those expectations with reality. While its individual components are hard to fault, the bigger question is whether it holds together as a whole - and that's an issue we'll attempt to resolve in our review, in PSM102, on-sale next Thursday. Truth is, MGS4 is so complex, nuanced and indulgent, it's too early to say whether it's the work of genius or madness, or - most accurately - both. The trick's whether Kojima's got the balance right from scene-to-scene.
One thing's sure: MGS4's certainly the most interesting game of 2008, and while we only know a select few who've finished it, we've already had in-depth, half-hour minimum, heated debates with all of them about what the game truly means. And, in fairness, we're one of the most dissenting voices - despite thinking MGS4 is incredible.
Can't wait to find out what you think of it - we'll kick off the debate in a forthcoming issue, with amazing prizes for those who can provide the most accurate description of its themes/worth. *Amazing* prizes - if not 'tectonic' - but you'll see. With just over two weeks to UK launch, the countdown has begun.
What are you curently thinking about MGS4?