Project Thursday

There aren’t many games in this world that I would stand in line for three hours just to get a 15 minute glipse of. Fortunately, Metal Gear is one of the games that I’d happily stab puppies to play, so a long line isn’t asking too much of me.

Next to Nintendo’s many booths, Konami had one of the biggest showings at E for All this year, and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots was front and center. Sporting a fresh new control scheme, Konami’s booth was packed with gamers aching for a small taste of the masterpiece that would justify many of their PS3 purchases, myself included.

First, let me say that the controls are 100% better than all previous iterations of the series. While the game retains the upgraded camera from Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistance, Kojima and team have taken the time to reevaluate the rest of the control scheme as well, which will no doubt help decrease the learning curve for new players to the series.

The first of these improvements is the cover system. In previous iterations of Metal Gear, to flatten against walls, players were required to hold the analog stick in the direction they wished to flatten against. In MGS4, you may press against or remove yourself from a wall simply by tapping the Triangle button, easing up on the number of tasks your thumbs are performing at once. My only qualm with the cover system is that Snake no longer completely flattens against an object, and merely presses his shoulder against it. While that might be more realistic in a live combat situation, I found it difficult to tell whether Snake was pressed against the wall or not, which left me in more than a few precarious situations when I was discovered by the enemy.

In addition to the usual standing and crawling, Snake is able to use a new crouched, “silent walk” state (by tapping X), helping him to quiet his steps, while keeping from being caught in the prone position and having your ass riddled with bullets. To crawl in MGS4, you must now hold down the X button, ensuring that taking the prone state is a deliberate move on the player’s part.

Another significant improvement surrounds the games aiming system. You are given the option to use an auto-aim function, or a manual, over-the-shoulder style aiming system (think Resident Evil 4). You can switch between these two modes on the fly simply by tapping the Square button, but I found myself utilizing the manual mode a majority of the time. Yes, a majority of the 15 minutes I had to play…

Speaking of new controls, Konami had a surprise up their sleeve for lucky attendees; the demo systems were all utilizing Sony’s recently announced Dual Shock 3 controllers, harking the return of force feedback to the PS3 controller. Without going too far off topic, I was very pleased with the new controller. Not only does the extra weight feel more natural in your hands, but the force feedback felt very solid as well (though slightly more subdued compared to the Dual Shock 2).

Snakes new Sneaking Suit is outfitted with Otacon’s new OctoCamo technology. When prone or pressed against any surface without moving, Snake’s suit will attempt to mimic the texture of the surrounding environment. The effect is essentially the same as the camoflauge system featured in the PS2 Metal Gear copycat, Spy Fiction (the originator copies the copycat; how ironic). In any case, it’s much nicer than having to fumble through a menu system to select the appropriate type of camo.

Close quarters combat (CQC) also makes a welcome return, though I didn’t really have an opportunity to test the entire array of moves, aside from hostage taking and a few new jujitsu-esque takedowns.

I do have to mention that I was quite surprised with the overall verticality of the gameplay. No longer was I only looking left and right for enemies. I found myself being spotted from above and below quite easily, which led to many hilarious and panicked gunfights. I was glad to see that Kojima finally added that extra dimension to the gameplay, as it is a welcome and more realistic stealth challenge.

Overall, I was very pleased with the level of polish and detail surrounding the game, and it isn’t even coming out until 2008, so who knows what else will be improved by then. The game looks and controls better than any other MGS, and probably better than any other PS3 game to date.

Unfortunately, no pictures or video was allowed to be taken of the game in its current state, but rest assured, it looks and feels great…like a hot little chick with a nice rack…or a sexy pillow. Mmm, sexy pillow. Be sure to stay tuned for more details on E for All, or check out our Expo photos on the Project Thursday Flickr pages.