Well, it’s been over a year since I wrote on this blog. Life took various twists and turns and I ended up one thousand miles from home. In that regard, I suppose, you could say my life is similar to the game I’m discussing in this post.
Metal Gear Solid 4 has been discussed to death. No doubt about it. However, even if you dig elbow deep into the recesses of the internet, you’d be hard pressed to find reviews that weren’t clouded in the excessive hype, inflated scores and deep seated nostalgia that the finale of a series spanning two decades would naturally bring with it. Couple that with a fandom that goes to extreme lengths to defend even the most embarrassing aspects of their beloved franchise and you’ve got yourself a game that carries itself on name alone.
These articles weren’t without criticism, however. Many focus on the complaint that MGS4 often feels like watching a movie that intermittently asks you to play a video game to progress the plot. Others slam series creator Hideo Kojima’s penchant for the self referential and his less than subtle attempts to weave callbacks into the plot itself. Attention is frequently drawn to the convoluted narrative, uneven game play, lazy explanations and frequent load screens.
So how did something that could be collectively summed up by critics as “a game that’s more of a poorly written, confusing, cliche-ridden movie than a game” receive nearly perfect scores?
Continue reading →
