Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
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| The official MGS4 logotype on E3 2006 stand. | |
| Developer(s) | Kojima Productions |
| Publisher(s) | Konami |
| Designer(s) | Hideo Kojima (producer, director) Shuyo Murata (director) Kenichiro Imaizumi (producer) Yoji Shinkawa (character designer) |
| Composer(s) |
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| Platform(s) | PlayStation 3 |
| Release | TBA 2007 |
| Genre(s) | Stealth-action |
| Mode(s) | Single player, online multiplayer |
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (commonly abbreviated MGS4) will be the latest iteration in the Metal Gear series of stealth-based games, as announced by Konami in March 2005. Using the motto "No place to hide" and the theme of "Senses", the game is being produced by Kenichiro Imaizumi, with series creator Hideo Kojima co-directing the game with Shuyo Murata. It is being developed by Kojima Productions (a newly-formed subsidiary of Konami) for the PlayStation 3.
Director misdirection
Initially, Hideo Kojima announced that he would be retiring as director of the Metal Gear series after Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and would leave his position open to another person for Metal Gear Solid 4. As a joke, the new director was announced as "Alan Smithee", the pseudonym often used by Hollywood film directors who wish not to be credited for their work.
In R, a 400-page book bundled with Metal Gear Solid 3's "Premium Package" version (released only in Japan on December 16, 2004), the director was revealed to be Shuyo Murata, co-writer of Metal Gear Solid 3 and director of Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner. He has also contributed humorous easter eggs to Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear: Ghost Babel. R also revealed Imaizumi to be the producer.
On May 17, 2005, it was announced on Kojima Productions' official website that Kojima will be co-directing the game with Murata.
At an unknown later date, Hideo Kojima made it public that he himself would be directing the game. During his tour through Europe for the Metal Gear Solid franchise he received numerous death-threats expressing great disappointment that he would not be directing the new title. Based on this--and perhaps more--he reclaimed the director's chair. [citation needed]
Known details
Metal Gear Solid 4 will take place an undisclosed amount of time (Kojima has only gone so far as to say "x years") after the events of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. Hideo Kojima has stated that unlike in MGS2 and MGS3, Solid Snake will indeed be the primary playable character. He's also said that the "no place to hide" theme does not imply that the trademark stealth gameplay of the Metal Gear series will be abandoned; instead, he suggests that many traditional ways of sneaking and hiding will change and that players will have to find new ways of using stealth. Walls may be destroyed, exposing Snake to the enemy, or elements such as trucks and crates may move. He has also commented that "the graphics and sound will rival anything Hollywood does" and that he is planning to hire psychiatrists to emphasise a "mental battle" between Snake and his enemies, so that "who controls the fear can decide the outcome". The game's trailer hints that the tactical Metal Gears featured in the game are designed to play with Snake's emotions: one unit paws the ground and growls like a bull while hunting for Snake, while another makes cicada noise to create a false sense of security.
The game is planned to utilize a new 360-degree third-person camera system (similar to the camera system of the Splinter Cell series) in addition to the top-down camera used in the previous three Metal Gear Solid games. An experimental version of this camera system is included in Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence. Originally it was planned that the new camera system would replace the old one in MGS4; Kojima recently revealed in his blog that an option to switch back to the old camera will be integrated after testing the new one in Subsistence. Another feature that debuted in Subsistence, an online battle mode, will also be featured in MGS4. A promotional image released at E3 contains several conceptual character designs featuring characters from previous Metal Gear games, including (as confirmed by the May 20th, 2005 issue of Weekly Famitsu) Vamp, Meryl Silverburgh (image here), Raiden (carrying a baby which could be his child with Rose, Olga's child or a completely different child), Revolver Ocelot (image here) (and by extension, Liquid Snake), Solid Snake, Otacon (image here), Big Boss, and Naomi Hunter (image here). Although not featured in the image, Roy Campbell (image here) and Mei Ling will both return in the new game, as confirmed by their respective Japanese portrayers, Takeshi Aono and Houko Kuwashima in the Kojima-chan online radio program. Nastasha Romanenko's name appears during the trailer in Metal Gear Mk. II's heads-up display (where it is revealed that she is the founder of Philanthropy), although whether she'll have a role in the game is still unknown.
The September issue of Official PlayStation Magazine contains a handful of details: "describing the Kojima Productions title as "a cross between Rambo and Black Hawk Down," with Solid Snake apparently dropped into an urban warzone with artillery going crazy around him, taking out his cover. Buddy AI is said to be crucial this time around, while a new camera system will reportedly be an essential part of the experience."
The September 30, 2005 issue of Weekly Famitsu ([1]) features an article on the game unveiling the first actual screenshots. Shortly after the magazine was published, a trailer showcasing actual real-time footage of the game running on the PS3 hardware was presented at the Tokyo Game Show as part of Kojima Productions' Metal Gear Saga presentation. A direct-feed version of the trailer is currently available for stream on the official Kojima Productions' website. Kojima has provided further information and hints about the gameplay and storyline in his interview with Famitsu, as well as at the Tokyo Game Show.
The new screenshots and trailer reveal what appears to be an aged Solid Snake, now bearing a resemblance to Big Boss. This comparison is helped by Snake wearing an optical eyepatch over his left eye, making him similar in immediate appearance to the legendary soldier who wore an eyepatch over his right eye. Snake has not lost his left eye, as the card for the Solid Eye System in Metal Gear Ac!d² says that the Solid Eye System is equipped with a retina laser; thus; he has to have an eye to use the Solid Eye System. Plus, a still shot of Snake appearing in the MGS4 trailer when Metal Gear MKII scans his info shows he still has his left eye. Also, Snake can be seen without the Solid Eye System on in the E3 2006 trailer, clearly showing that he still has both eyes. The device clearly relays tactical information in a visual format. The Solid Eye will serve as a replacement to the thermal goggles, night vision goggles and soliton radar used in previous games.
The trailer, set in a war-ravaged, urban environment (bearing more than a passing resemblance to Iraq), features Snake being partnered with a robotic navigator (resembling Metal Gear Mk. II, a robot in Kojima's Snatcher). Kojima has gone on record in an issue of Game Informer Magazine that there is no relation between the robot in Snatcher and the one Otacon manipulates, despite their identical appearance. It is controlled remotely by Otacon himself. Snake uses the Mk. II to communicate with Otacon, which serves as a substitute to the nanomachine-based communication system (CODEC) from previous games. Kojima commented that the development team will experiment with the idea of controlling the Mk. II via remote control for reconnaissance using the Playstation Portable, although the feature might not be in the final game if it's not considered practical.
An entire army is also shown in the trailer (seemingly Green beret version PMC members given reference to their M4 carbine armaments, and Stryker and Mobile Gun System vehicles), patrolling with a group of mass-produced Metal Gear models known as Gekkou (月光, from the Japanese word meaning Moonlight), which are comprised of mechanical head and organic legs and are AI-controlled, similar to the mass-produced Metal Gear RAY units in Metal Gear Solid 2.
The graphics will emphasize natural movement in actions such as an enemy's discovery of Snake, thus eliminating the need of exclamation marks as an indicator. The setting is in a war zone, with multiple countries waging war against each other. The player will start off better equipped than in the previous games. The soldiers Snake will encounter are not specifically friends or enemies at first - rather, the player's actions towards them will influence how they respond to Snake. The CQC system (from Metal Gear Solid 3) will make a return (an explanation will be given for Snake learning of the fighting style as part of the game's backstory) and the player will have the ability to add attachments to Snake's weapons (in addition to suppressors) with more than a hundred possible combinations.
Kojima also commented that as a game designer in his forties, the game's storyline will be targeted to a much older audience, as reflected by the game's older protagonist. He has also confirmed that Solid Snake will not, despite his age, die in this latest chapter in the series. However, it is mentioned by Kojima in Metal Gear Saga Vol. 1 that the saga comes to a close with the sixth and final chapter in the story of Solid Snake, possibly implicating that the series will conclude, if not pick up where it leaves off without Snake and only with the other remaining characters who survive in the end.
Kojima has stated that with the PlayStation 3, he will be able to focus on the things we can't see. In an interview, he explained that the things we can't see will be things like sound, and how they affect the environment. As such, if a building is severely damaged, the resulting sound from a nearby explosion could cause the building to crumble and fall. He also stressed what he referred to as "sense," which is also a branch of the "things we can't see" tag. As such, sound, touch, vision, and all the senses will help make up the game.
Kojima has also stated at the end of MGS4, fans of the series will really like Raiden.
With the release of Metal Gear Saga Vol. 1, Kojima has confirmed some information that fans have been eagerly awaiting to hear. Quoted from Kojima himself, "I know that many fans are wondering just what happened after the events of the second game. All of the unanswered question from MGS2, I intend to answer in MGS4." These unanswered questions include:
- The secrets behind The Patriots
- Vamp's apparent immortality
- Olga's orphaned child
- The truth behind Ocelot's possessed arm
- The real fate of Solid Snake
Along with this preview information, Kojima also stated, "MGS4 will be the true conclusion to the current series. The MGS saga... I intend to wrap it up with the next game." Some fans may see this strong emphasis on MGS4 being the final chapter that will conclude the saga to be rather appeasing, while others just don't want it to be over. Kojima may have said that he wishes to end the MGS series with this next upcoming title, but he said the same with the release of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.
E3 2006 trailer
A new trailer was shown during the Sony E3 press conference on May 8, 2006. In it, Solid Snake gives a grim monologue on the state of war in the world of the future. The trailer revealed a number of things, such as Liquid Snake in apparent control of his host, Revolver Ocelot (with text displaying their name as "Liquid Ocelot"), Meryl Silverburgh declaring the formation of a new FOXHOUND, and Raiden taking on the mantle of Gray Fox. The trailer also depicted Solid Snake on the brink of suicide.
A 15-minute version has been released on the Konami web site May 10, 2006. This extended trailer announces a 2007 release date.
Timeline setting
In the Tokyo Game Show trailer, the phrase "X years since Big Shell..." is shown, confirming that the game will take place after Metal Gear Solid 2's Big Shell incident (set in 2009).
Some fans speculate that "X" is a use of the Roman numeral for ten, meaning that the game would take place in 2019, when Snake would be 47 years old. However, this is disputed, as the Japanese captions displayed on the trailer read "あのビッグシェル事件から数年ご ..." ("ano Big Shell jiken kara suunen go..."), which translates to "Several years after the Big Shell incident" in English. Some evidence suggests that MGS4 will take place only a few years after MGS2, judging from that photo of Raiden holding a young child. There is speculation that it could be either his or Olga Gurlukovich's, potentially limiting the timeframe of the game's setting to a couple of years after MGS2. However, there is the possibility that it is a completely different child, rendering such guesses as educated speculation at this point. This would indicate that "X" is a variable, employed in an effort to retain a shroud of secrecy over the game's details (a typical technique used in popular Japanese fiction for ambiguity purposes). Hideo Kojima himself has stated that he is unsure of how many years the game takes place after MGS2 - he's still working out all the details to avoid continuity problems.
It has been confirmed that Snake's old age is a side effect of advanced cell degeneration, and not necessarily a tell-tale sign of the game's place in the timeline. The reason for the degeneration has been said to be the result of his imperfectly-cloned genes, although fans have also speculated FOXDIE's involvement, due to a scene in the trailer of Snake having some sort of "attack" and injecting something directly into his neck.
As seen at the end of the trailer the Metal Gear Solid 4 title comes up. The letters L are positioned in a certain way. If one were to look at it upside down they would see 777 as the 4 looks like a 7. This could signify a 7/7/07 release date. It would complement the 20th anniversary of Metal Gear series being released 7/7/1987.
A 90-second audio teaser from the upcoming trailer of the game was broadcasted in Session 15 of the Kojima Productions Report audio program. [2] The clip features a conversation between Snake (Akio Otsuka) and Campbell (Takeshi Aono), which reveals that since the events of the Big Shell incident, various private military companies (PMCs) have since been established that provide their arsenal to mercenaries worldwide, threatening the superpowers of the United States. The five largest PMCs in the world are actually all dummy corporations operated by a single parent company, Outer Heaven (the name of Big Boss' mercenary dispatching company in the first Metal Gear and a recurring motif in recent games).
The transcript from the conversation
Snake: War has changed.
Snake: Our time has ended.
Snake: Our war is over.
Campbell: Since the Manhattan incident, restrictions on military intervention in foreign countries have eased, fueling demand for mercenaries.
Campbell: Today, the world's wars depend largely on PMCs, Private Military Companies whose business includes supplying these mercenaries.
Campbell: PMCs have become a serious threat to the world.
Snake: The U.S. has exported too much of its military power. Now she's paying the price.
Campbell: In total, they've got enough manpower to rival the U.S. military.
Campbell: Based on our investigation, the five largest PMCs are run by a dummy corporation, which acts as a single mother company.
Snake: And the mother company...?
Campbell: Outer Heaven.
Snake: The one world in which soldiers will always have a place....
"SOPMOD Carbine"
Showing an ammunition capacity of thirty-one rounds, this accessorized weapon appears in the hands of an opponent, initially, and later in the hands of Solid Snake. Modular, it undergoes a quick re-fit during the trailer, and will be fully customizable in the game itself, according to PSM Magazine (Issue 106, January 2006)
As in past MGS games, real-world weaponry has appeared and been utilized by protagonist and antagonist alike, throughout whatever mission the game is set. True to form, the latest MGS4 trailer shows just that; but in a far more 'real-world' context; as a complete listing of all accessories on the weapon shows:
Base Rifle:
Colt M4 Carbine Model RO977 - 5.56x45mm (.223/ss109)
- 14.5-inch barrel (Standard)
- Flat-top Upper receiver (Standard)
- Firing mode: SAFE SEMI AUTO (Standard)
Accessories:
- TROY Medieval CQB Flash Suppressor/Muzzle Break
- PRI Flip-up Front Sight
- KAC Free-Float RAS, Short
- KAC RAS Panel (Coyote)
- KAC Forward Pistol Grip (Coyote)
- Surefire M961XM07 Flashlight
- EOTech 552.A65 Revision F - Night Vision Compatible
- A.R.M.S. #40A2 Back Up Iron Sight
- Standard A2 Pistol Grip (Coyote)
- Six Position Collapsible Buttstock (Coyote)
Support Weaponry:
KAC M203 grenade launcher - 40x46mm
- 9-inch barrel model 'shorty'
- Quick-Detach RAS Mount
- Coyote color on barrel assembly
Accessory:
- RM Equipment, Inc. M203Grip "Classic" Handle (Coyote)
Japanese cast
External links
- Official MGS4 trailer shown at the Tokyo Game Show 2005
- Details from Kojima Productions
- Hideo Kojima Blog in English
- IGN
- GameSpot GameSpace
- GamesAreFun article containing Famitsu scans
- GameRankings
- Meristation article containing confirmation that Snake will not die (Spanish)
- Metal Gear Week on 1UP.com, with Hideo Kojima interview
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