Courage is solid. So am I.

By Thomas Hodgson

I don’t know of any other way to say it ~ Metal Gear Solid 4 is arguably the greatest game ever made. Solid Snake’s journey comes to a heroic conclusion after 20 years, but he does not ride quietly into the sunset.

Solid Snake is a loyal dog on his last leg surviving the only way he knows how ~ through war. Private Military Companies (PMCs), the five largest of which are under the command of Snake’s brother, Liquid Ocelot, fight proxy wars as a form of business. The world’s soldiers are implanted with nanomachines and given ID tagged weapons, all of which are controlled through the Sons of the Patriot (SOP) system. Controlling the battlefield means controlling the world. Solid Snake must set out to eliminate Liquid before he takes hold of the SOP system.

Advertising MGS4 with the motto “No Place to Hide,” producer Hideo Kojima concludes the series with a step in a different direction. Metal Gear Solid 4 sheds its espionage skin to a more free-form playability. Sneaky and stealthy or guns drawn and heads rolling, it’s all up to you. This feature enhances the replay ability and is the perfect balance of stealth and action and is accessible no matter what your capacity as a gamer.

A few other key additions change the game play dynamic. Octocamo is Snake’s newest addition to his stealth arsenal ~ a body suit that adapts the pattern of anything he touches. The Metal Gear Mark II is a small reconnaissance robot with the ability to stun people. The Solid Eye enhances Snake’s vision and knowledge of the battlefield. A Threat Ring visibly vibrates when an enemy is close. Lastly, the Psyche Meter replaces the stamina gauges found in later games of the series. This meter makes it difficult to aim when depleted and produces steadier shots when full.

Perhaps the most drastic of changes is the addition of Drebin points. Shortly into your journey, you meet Drebin, a gun launderer who newly defines your experience in the Metal Gear series, tossing out the constant weapon scrounging of old. The new Drebin system allows you to purchases weapons, ammo and upgrades on the fly. You are able to sell him any repeat weapons you collect and turn them into Drebin points, with the ammo added to your cache. Drebin points are a fitting addition to the franchise.

These additions coupled with undoubtedly the greatest plot, sound, music, graphics, game play and production value found in any video game elevate Metal Gear Solid 4 to legendary status. For fans, the plot provides answers. For newbies, you’ll be able to hit the ground running. Initial complaints were of the in-game cinema being long-winded and detrimental to the experience. Anyone who doesn’t believe it’s the greatest contribution to the video game doesn’t have a pulse and should stick to Pong or Microsoft Solitaire. It is truly awe-inspiring how seamlessly welded the cut scenes and single-player aspects are. Their individual perfection compliments each other like Redman and Method Man, like Farley and Spade, like DeNiro and Pacino.

If ever there were a reason to own a PS3, this is it. Metal Gear Solid 4 radiates brilliance from every aspect of its being. It is just as able to awe and inspire as it is to constantly innovate. I was stunned to the point of paralysis at some points, with my mind trying to compute the nirvana it had just experienced.

I understand now how people felt in theaters when Sonny was shot in the tollbooth or when Luke destroyed the Death Star. Nothing has ever come remotely close to replacing my fondest memories of the first Metal Gear Solid and its subsequent releases, nor have any titles ever come close. Metal Gear Solid 4 has shattered my definition of perfection after all these years. From start to finish, I have never felt so compelled or engrossed in any form of entertainment in my entire life.

At its purest level, Metal Gear Solid 4 is a story about compassion, perseverance, heroism and hope. It’s hard not to feel for Snake and the various cast members as they rise and fall in the name of their beliefs. But if one word can best describe what this game is, it’s “epic” ~ a grandiose masterpiece like a Mozart symphony. It will take eras before something even approaches its greatness. In all of its splendor and glory, Metal Gear Solid 4 epitomizes everything that is good about video games and modern technology. It is perfection from start to finish.

I’m sad to see Solid Snake go, but he leaves us with one hell of a swan song. Get some rest Snake. You’ve earned it.