Here's MGS4 review made by out own TTP for the Italian magazine PS Mania 3 - not the whole review actually, but the beginning and the end where he talks more about the impression the game left on him. Left out are parts where goes in detail about the controls, Drebin points, Octocamo functionality and Online, but there are still some general gameplay impressions in there. The original Italian text was translated through Google Translator and then cleaned up (a lot) by me, and then him to make sure the essence of the original is somewhat preserved. Not an easy task to be sure, as I hardly speak a few words of Italian, but I tried to keep it in line with what I thought the original intent was. TTP has still told me however, that most of the beauty of his work was lost in translation
Anyways, here it goes:
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Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
GOODBYE SOLID SNAKE, AND WELCOME TO A LEGEND.
The war has changed. War is now a business. This is the premise central to the monologue spoken in the hoarse and deep voice of Snake, that marks the first moments of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.
We are in an unspecified theater of war in Middle East. A caravan of trucks carries soldiers to the battle, all silent as they approach the slaughterhouse. A sad and heartbreaking song accompanies the scene of their inevitable demise, while we see their expressionless faces, partially covered with scarves. Among them, a man veiled in a tunic, with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, his hands covered by the gray gloves of the Octocamo suit. It's Snake. And the cigarette is not even lit yet. Its almost impossible to believe, but the endless wait has come to an end. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, a chapter that concludes the saga of Metal Gear, and a reason to buy the console its on for many, has ceased to be a distant mirage, and became a reality - the kind that can be pressed on a Blu-Ray disc, at least. Its out there, on the shops shelves, available in return for a few dozen euros, just as any other consumer product. And here we are to review it, just as any other game. But we know that it is not just as any other. Beyond its commercial importance for Konami on one side, and Sony and its PS3 business on the other, MGS4 means much more to Hideo Kojima and fans of Solid Snake alike. For the former, it represents the completion of a project worth well 21 years of work. Ever since entering Konami, he practically dedicated his life to Snake. For the latter, its the answer to all the questions, the moment of absolute truth - and a farewell. And finally: is it really the grand finale that we all wanted it to be? The common sense makes us keep silent on the story details, so keep reading without fear, but we can at least tell you that the old Snake earned his dismissal with all the honors. MGS4 is undoubtedly the best chapter in the saga. Epic, galvanizing, moving. And that was, frankly, to be expected. It goes away with a bang. What we didn't expect is what really sets MGS4 apart from the previous chapters, what makes it unique from the other entries in the series. Albeit hardly repetitive, the previous MGS games were all about offering stealth gameplay mechanics in different contexts, adding layers upon layers of new possibilities and techniques episode by episode. Progressing through any one of those episodes, you'd go through different settings and tougher challenge rather than different mechanics. You were getting a new area, and a new set of guards to overcome. Nothing wrong with that, but MGS4 is different. In MGS4 the surprises keep coming. Without going into specifics, what initially seemed to be the conceptual pivot point of the game (and by this, we refer to the idea of war standing between different factions and Snake being free to decide whether and how to participate), instead of being developed further during the adventure, vanishes at around 1/3 of the game to make room for other things
The skirmishes between rebels and soldiers of private military companies (PMC) rage only through Middle Eastern and South American stages of your journey, offering room for a lot of experimentation and creating a setting (the theatre of an ongoing war) for the new series of events, but does not create consequences that affect things beyond the above mentioned environments. In fact, its only once their boundaries expire, that the game takes a turning point. And what a turning point it is. If you think that the final hours of MGS3 were exciting and unique, just wait to find out what MGS4 has in store for you. And not only during its finale, but for a much larger portion of its time. Its hard to even count the number of times we felt like some drug addicts, high on enthusiasm, in need of running to the nearest open window, so that we can shout out our love to Kojima. Sitting there on the sofa, as tense as a violin strings, biting our lips, so arrested are we by the events we play through, that we start seriously thinking about devouring MGS4 in a single marathon session, resisting hunger, sleep and all the natural urges for over 20 hours necessary to get to the ending credits. And the beauty of it is, that after this is done, youll probably feel the urge to immediately dive back in, exploring the game in depth, testing the new tactics, discovering the myriad of its secrets and the thousand facets of its gameplay that knows no repetition. Like the previous Metal Gear Solid games, the last chapter in the saga is so rich with content that it requires more than one play-through to digest everything. This time however, and not by a small margin, the pleasure to get deeper into Kojimas work is made even more delicious by the new control system, which alone makes the experience infinitely better. Despite his decaying physical condition, the old Snake has never been so agile. If in past games the armed conflicts were like a prelude to your death, all because of clunkiness of a control system designed to serve other purposes better, in MGS4 you feel like Snake can actually make it alive. And he can do it with a confidence typical of a war veteran. However, the enemy soldiers newfound aggressiveness (and their continuous reinforcements once alarmed), still discourages the open conflict, but at least this time the outcome of that conflict is not already etched in stone - and thats before even including the new element found in the economics of Drebin Points (more on that later). Above all, it is thanks to its superior controls that MGS4 can afford to defy the formula of the original game in so many different ways, without ever defying itself. Action and stealth are performed in equal quantities and with uniform quality. It can afford to support its awesome boss fights, the frightening encounters with bipedal Gekkos robots, the disorienting shootouts among the acrobatics of Liquids private army units, as much as it can support the cautious exploration of highly guarded areas, and the systematic torture of those patrolling them. Thats without even mentioning the positive impact this has on multiplayer with Metal Gear Online, which is included in the disc (more information on this in the Online section).
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*Control scheme, Solid Eye, Octocamo, Drebin Points system and other stuff explained*
[...]
But the most precious secret hidden within MGS4 is obviously something else. It's the truth about the Patriots. Who are they? Where do they come from? What do they want? And everything is explained. Each plot-node dissolved once and for all. Kojima has not compromised, the game has its necessary amount of cut scenes, long dialogues, "summaries of previous events." While on one hand you could criticize this abundance of relatively passive moments, on the other hand you cannot help but be amazed by the excellence of Kojimas direction, that has never been so inspired. Indeed, in many cases it offers the emotional charge to properly experience the following gameplay sections. Another thing from the previous games to be put to a well deserved rest, the Codec conversations are practically non-existent (to the point that the codec itself is almost redundant) and this time you can also pause cutscenes, in case you need to deal with urgent matters that may force you to move away from the screen. This last feature is all the more welcome since you can actually interact with the cutscenes, either by adjusting the zoom of the camera (or maneuver around freely in the case of briefing sequences), activating Snakes point of view by pressing L1, or playing the memories sequences with the X button, when indicated. Even though MGS4s story can be appreciated by newcomers to Kojimas epic, only those who witnessed the previous events of Snakes life first hand will enjoy it fully. Only those who were with him all these years will find a stronger meaning to the events which will mark his final mission - a meaning more intimate, personal, and moving - something hidden between the wrinkles of Snakes past. Is it a game made for the fans? It definitely is, and it could not be otherwise. Is it a best action game of the year? Definitely, and anyone will be able to appreciate this. Serious about its contemporary themes, but nevertheless rich with jokes and self-irony, clinically realistic in its looks, and yet blatantly game in its substance, MGS4 is much more than just a remarkable entry to the stealth genre. This episode in the series best fits the description that some years ago started accompanying its title: "Tactical Espionage Action". It dares to be more - MGS4 is what happens when a game excels in its every aspect, without compromises, realizing its potential fully. A joy to see. Fun to play. Intellectually stimulating. Emotionally touching. It has everything. Which makes the wondering about the future of the series an even harder pill to swallow. Is it really over? The idea of Konami accepting a future without Metal Gear seems unlikely. The universe is too rich to be left aside. But for Kojima, Snakes chapter of this story appears to be closed for good. And strangely enough, we feel sad despite being happy. A little like waving bye to a dearest of friends who departs for his dream destination. For Snake, this destination is that of a myth. The hero has become a legend.
INVOLVEMENT: 5.0
GRAPHICS: 4.5
SOUND: 4.5
GAMEPLAY: 5.0
FINAL VERDICT: 5.0 out of 5.0
