Solid Gold.

There's this bit in the original Metal Gear Solid. You're in a vent, and from your lowly first-person vantage point you see a guard. You soon realise; in a few seconds you'll be stood behind him in plain sight – either throttling him senseless, or getting shot to pieces. So you watch his patrol route and wait. With just one chance to get it right, you steel your nerves and move. It's all or nothing. Now or never.

Back in 1999, such tense, patient, intelligent gameplay was unheard of. Forget your Mario 64s and Half Lifes – for PSone owners, this was polygon gaming's real paradigm shift.

Memorable

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots has many memorable moments, but one stands out. It's that first time a PMC soldier strolls past an OctoCamo-concealed Old Snake, ripe for stealthy slaughter. In that instant you realise; Guns of the Patriots is a nine-year refinement of Metal Gear Solid.

Indeed, Metal Gear Solid 4 is exactly what creator Hideo Kojima wanted the series to be. Longwinded; layered in dialogue and political discussion almost entirely out of place in 'a mere videogame'. Pretentious; preaching its virtues of freedom and anti-censorship with unedited abandon. And for long slogs, entirely non-interactive; steeped heavily in cinematics that convey its rich, convoluted narrative.

And it's bloody brilliant.

Because Metal Gear solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is, like its forebears, a clever game; full of sophisticated sneaking, gadgets galore and superbly tense atmosphere. It's also a knowing game; boasting self-referential humour, mid-cutscene flashbacks and memory triggers at every turn, designed to captivate existing fans, win back those lost after MGS2, and blow away newcomers; selling PS3's in the process.

Genius or madman?

With so much riding on it, Metal Gear Solid 4 is all or nothing for Kojima, too. And like Sons of Liberty, Guns of the Patriots delivers – but at a price.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is the most Metal Gear MGS ever, flaunting MGS conventions from stealth to set pieces and wrapping up loose ends in typically hammed-up, elaborately cinematic fashion. For diehard fans this will be nirvana, showcasing the height of Hideo's creative ambition. Detractors will say the opposite – that a 20+ hour game spent one third watching displays the peak of Kojima's productive lunacy.

But its credentials as a stealth game cannot be questioned. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots' chameleon-esque OctoCamo allows for truly play-as-you-like sneaking, and the fresh battlefield feel places Snake in the crossfire between PMC troops and rival militia, asking you to pick your side or ignore them altogether. For this, the Solid Eye is essential in distinguishing friend from foe; the remote-controlled Metal Gear Mk.II can sneak up on and electrocute enemies; and all the time Snake's Stress and Psyche meters need to be kept in check.

When spotted, Metal Gear Solid 4 proves an equally accomplished action game. New shooter-style controls, over-the-shoulder aiming and a quick-toggle FPS view are enhanced further by Drebin Points, which encourage salvaging firearms to buy new weapons, ammo and mods from the pause menu. It all makes Metal Gear Solid 4 refreshingly diverse, and richly replayable.

Stunning production

It's also powerfully presented. A few low-res textures aside, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots looks astounding, sounds supreme, and has direction to match the best Hollywood blockbusters. The story may be hard to follow for non fans, but few could argue that this is the most ambitious, well-polished, cinematic gaming experience ever.

Yet also a fractured one. Metal Gear Solid 4 doesn't build to a crescendo like Snake Eater, instead shifting focus drastically from stealth to story in its final few hours, pushing atmosphere, nostalgia and narrative at the expense of early chapters' stylish sneaking – climaxing with a cheesy 70 minute cutscene which would make Peter Jackson proud.

That's Kojima for you, though. His games have always been divisive, and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots pulls no punches. Yet there's so much depth to both gameplay and plot, so many injokes, inventive touches and surprise twists that this closing chapter to the Solid Snake story should, much like the first, be looked upon as a standout title of its generation.

There's Metal Gear Online, too. A curious attempt at blending stealth with a multiplayer shooter, it doesn't always work, but playing as or hunting down a camo-concealed Snake in MGO's signature Sneaking Mode alone deserves a cult following. It's lite on levels, which should be sated with download content, but the fact that you need to pay for more than one character per console is annoying. Not everyone will take to it, but MGO's individuality makes it worth sampling.

System seller

And in a way, that's indicative of MGS4 – oozing quality and ideas, but not always balancing them, and packing idiosyncrasies plenty will adore, but a few will dismiss outright. Nonetheless, Metal Gear Solid 4 deserves its place as the PS3's most hyped system-seller. It's a unique, compelling and complete fan service, a supreme celebration of a stunning series, and fitting send-off for one of gaming's greatest characters.

So long, Snake. Thanks for the memories.

GAME's Verdict

• The most ambitious, cinematic, lavishly produced, lovingly nuanced videogame you're likely to play for many a year.
• So many ways to play; stunning stealth, accomplished action - many months of replay value.
• The most Metal Gear MGS ever: a truly emotive, nostalgic fan service, and a powerful, fitting finale to the Solid Snake saga.

• At one third of the game's entire 20+ hours, cutscenes will be as divisive here as ever in the series.
• The opening half is MGS4's best, with lengthy cutscenes and force-fed nostalgia making up much of the final few chapters.
• Not made for newcomers: the story will confuse non-fans, and long breaks in play may frustrate many.

Review by: Mark 'Meme Gene Scene Sense' Scott
Version Tested: PS3
Review Published: 18.06.08