Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Preview

The latest installment in the popular Metal Gear Solid series, from reputable gamer creator Hideo Kojima, has been in development for several years now. Recent trailers and presentations of the game, including the game's recent appearance at E3, have verified a number of rather promising features. Hideo Kojima also confirmed the game will stay a PS3 exclusive and should be out some time in Q1 2008, if all goes well. From what was revealed so far, Hideo is using the company's 20 years of experience in the industry, to ensure and highly immersive ride for all gamers.

The cowardly sniper move. My favorite.

Snake, obviously joined the circus recently.

As many of you have probably already heard by now, this chapter in the long-running action series wraps up the entire storyline related to the ever-popular hero Solid Snake. The plot is a closely guarded secret by Konami and Kojima Productions, even though it's possible to gather some segments from the various released footage. At this point, we're not entirely sure, but it appears that the game is set in 2014, five years after the "Manhattan Incident" (i.e. the events that took place during the Plant chapter from MGS 2). To begin with, we do know that certain familiar characters will be making an appearance, such as Meryl Silverburgh and Raiden, while players may also expect the return of the Metal Gear Solid 2 icon - Vamp. The setting in MGS 4 puts old Snake right smack in the middle of a true-to-life war zone. The entire world is in a state of crisis and Snake is tasked with infiltrating a number of perilous locations throughout the globe, including South America and the Middle East, among others.

The aforementioned lass, Meryl, shown in one of the earlier trailers, leads a group of soldiers who are ready to engage another faction. These men were enhanced with nano-machines called SOP. All of them are being closely monitored by an older chap, known to most as Revolver Ocelot or, if you prefer it, Liquid Snake. Your job will be to kill him. If we understood it right, that is.

Whatever the case, Snake is not very keen about taking on this task. Life hasn't been all too kind to him and he's weary from battle. The soldiers Snake encounters along the way appear to be Liquid's new lab rats for trying out a new iteration of a nano-machine weapon. Incidentally, the weapon is all-too familiar to Snake. Once again, as seen in one of the trailers for the game, Liquid stands by watching as the effects of the bio-weapon, called the FOXDIE, kick in. Effected by FOXDIE, all the soldiers start getting sick, after which they become aggressive and eventually controllable. Moving around in an environment crammed with such violent enemies won't be easy and in order to achieve his goal, Snake must employ all his skills as best he can.

The MGS series always delivered a few cool new ideas to the table and the new addition to the series should be no exception. Snake can pull off a variety of new moves to take out enemies and finding your way around shouldn't be much of a problem, since you'll be using the innovative OctoCamo suit. The OctoCamo obviously acts as a substitute for the camouflage system seen in Metal Gear Solid 3 and the Optical Camouflage from MGS1 and MGS2. In addition to a number of unique features, this new suit sports an assortment of benefits, allowing our hero to slip pass enemies unnoticed. Carefully choosing an appropriate spot to hide, Snake moves into position and uses the suit's camouflage ability to conceal himself. The suit automatically chooses the right color and textures of the background Snake's currently standing against - be it the floor, wall or a particular object close by. One of the most intriguing camouflages, which I'm sure you've already seen in the latest MGS 4 trailer, sees Snake jumping next to a monument and pretending to be a statue. Quite an impressive camouflage move and it works well too. Mind you, if he budges, guards will spot him right away.

Sentinels and other oncoming enemies are usually ready for anything. It's a safe bet most of them are alert and won't fall into traps easily, hence you're gonna have to remain watchful at all times. For instance, after hiding inside an old dumpster to avoid guards, logically, you'll start to give off a rather unpleasant odor. Sensing the smell, the sentinels will be alerted to your presence, so you have to act quickly.

As far as other moves are concerned, you'll be able to attack foes in many different ways. You can approach them silently, to attack head on or simply eliminate them or knock them out with tranquilizer gun from afar. Approaching enemies from behind involves diverse moves. Snake can frisk someone and seize their weapons and ammo and then possibly "choke" them until they're unconscious.

Another very useful and familiar gadget is the "Solid Eye," which enables the aged protagonist to survey open areas for potential threats. The Solid Eye has the ability to zoom onto a target from a significant distance, giving you an opportunity to scout the surroundings and be prepared for any troops that might be heading your way. Next to being used as binoculars, the Solid Eye offers thermal vision. The thermal vision makes it easy to discern enemies through various obstacles such as smoke, walls, etc.

As expected, not all of the game is based on stealth and tactics. There's a significant portion of MGS 4 that puts you into a dynamic war-stricken environment, where you'll have to act on instinct, using a wide array of weapons that will be on offer. We've already learned about several different armaments that are at your disposal such as machine guns, rocket launchers, grenades and the like. Of course, taking it steadily and tactically is often the best option. Instead of charging into the fray like a madman, you can take out your targets from a great distance with a tranquillizer dart shot from your sniper rifle.