So there I was, flicking through the pre-owned titles in my local Game store, when I came across Metal Gear Solid 4 for just £15! When I got to the counter I was charged just £10. I didn't say anything and left feeling pretty pleased with myself. Oh, how the staff must have been laughing at me.
You see, having found MGS4 nestling amongst the pre-owned games, I naturally assumed that it was a game. It wasn't. It was a movie. I wouldn't have begrudged paying £10 for a movie. Especially a Blu Ray. But I wanted a game... A GAME!!!
In fairness, it probably doesn't qualify as a movie either. Firstly, it's longer than all three Lord Of The Rings put together. Secondly, and most importantly, there is a small amount of interactivity now and then.
Sometimes while watching the movie, you can hit the X button and see brief split-second subliminal screen-caps from previous MGS instalments. Occasionally, you can hold down the L2 button and watch the movie from a slightly altered angle for a few seconds. Best of all, once every hour or so, they actually throw you five minutes of game-play.
The game-play element of this movie consists of sneaking stealthily towards a red marker on the map in the top-right of the screen. Since each area has been broken down into much smaller areas (which have to load and which the bad guys can't cross) sneaking isn't really necessary, it just makes you feel like you're actually doing something that vaguely resembles "gaming". If however, you're anxious to get back to the feature film, just run.
I was compelled to write this review after 22 hours of MGS4. It was during the "Mission Briefing" cut-scene for act 3. During these parts of the movie, you take on the role of a little robot that can actually wander around in first-person mode and view the cut-scene from within. You can't influence any of the characters because that would come perilously close to constituting a game but you can move around, which is something.
After about 20 minutes of listening to people talk while looking at their ankles, I noticed a chicken coup. I approached it and found that I could slap the chickens with my robot tentacles. For five minutes, I slapped those chickens. I was enthralled by the sensation. Here I was tapping buttons on a controller and by the magic of technology I was able to manipulate the pixels before me.
Then it hit me. I'd been watching MGS4 for so long, I had forgotten how it felt to play a game. I own Grand Theft Auto IV and Pro Evolution 2009 but here I was getting excited about slapping a chicken.
If I can save one person from the tedium of MGS4, then this was worthwhile.
You see, having found MGS4 nestling amongst the pre-owned games, I naturally assumed that it was a game. It wasn't. It was a movie. I wouldn't have begrudged paying £10 for a movie. Especially a Blu Ray. But I wanted a game... A GAME!!!
In fairness, it probably doesn't qualify as a movie either. Firstly, it's longer than all three Lord Of The Rings put together. Secondly, and most importantly, there is a small amount of interactivity now and then.
Sometimes while watching the movie, you can hit the X button and see brief split-second subliminal screen-caps from previous MGS instalments. Occasionally, you can hold down the L2 button and watch the movie from a slightly altered angle for a few seconds. Best of all, once every hour or so, they actually throw you five minutes of game-play.
The game-play element of this movie consists of sneaking stealthily towards a red marker on the map in the top-right of the screen. Since each area has been broken down into much smaller areas (which have to load and which the bad guys can't cross) sneaking isn't really necessary, it just makes you feel like you're actually doing something that vaguely resembles "gaming". If however, you're anxious to get back to the feature film, just run.
I was compelled to write this review after 22 hours of MGS4. It was during the "Mission Briefing" cut-scene for act 3. During these parts of the movie, you take on the role of a little robot that can actually wander around in first-person mode and view the cut-scene from within. You can't influence any of the characters because that would come perilously close to constituting a game but you can move around, which is something.
After about 20 minutes of listening to people talk while looking at their ankles, I noticed a chicken coup. I approached it and found that I could slap the chickens with my robot tentacles. For five minutes, I slapped those chickens. I was enthralled by the sensation. Here I was tapping buttons on a controller and by the magic of technology I was able to manipulate the pixels before me.
Then it hit me. I'd been watching MGS4 for so long, I had forgotten how it felt to play a game. I own Grand Theft Auto IV and Pro Evolution 2009 but here I was getting excited about slapping a chicken.
If I can save one person from the tedium of MGS4, then this was worthwhile.