Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (Page 3 of 5)

In order to keep up with Snake's new suite of unconventional stealth tactics, non-player characters will have to draw upon more advanced artificial intelligence. But if Snake can hide in broad daylight by using the high-tech OctoCam suit, will his enemies be smart enough to look for subtle clues in the environment? Kojima laughs at this, explaining that his team is currently "adjusting." That's his way of crossing his fingers, we suppose.

The emotional state of Snake's enemies will also serve as an important battlefield. If an enemy is scared, Kojima explains, he won't spend much time sniffing around for Snake. That's good news for our aging hero. But if the enemy is calm and cautious, he'll take the time to sweep the area. On the subject of enemy emotional states, Kojima gives the example of inducing "panic" in a foe by shooting at the ground near his feet. Another way to trigger panic might be wiping out members of a squad, leaving the survivors to fend for themselves.

But what about the enemies? Here's where it gets particularly sticky. "The enemies are not necessarily always after Snake this time," Kojima cautions. "You're in a battlefield, meaning that Snake can be an enemy or ally to the other characters." What Kojima means is that affiliations will be in constant motion, as Snake can almost instantly swap alliances from one group of enemies to another in the name of battlefield advantage. Judging by our initial peeks at the game, it seems there are two main forces: a ragtag group of street fighters, and a technologically advanced army of mercenaries.

According to Kojima, you will be able to swap alliances from one army to another at nearly any time. "You look at the circumstances of current events," Kojima explains. So if you don't see any advantage in sticking with your current allies, "you could change that instantly." Kojima also gives a rather obtuse example using placeholder names (enemy details are highly classified, though both man and machine will be foes).

In Kojima's example scenario, Snake is sneaking behind Country A's tank in order to pass undetected through a war zone. But since you're using Country A's tank for cover, you'll want to protect it -- even if you're not formally allied with Country A. So if Country B begins to attack the tank, you might want to take out their anti-tank launcher. The alliances aren't about politics; they're about survival. Kojima stresses that the tank scenario won't necessarily appear in the final game, but it helps illustrate how players will need to constantly adapt their approach based on the shifting tides of battle.

Whatever strategies you decide to employee, the final decision will always be up to you. More so than in past games, MGS4 will offer a multitude of ways to deal with obstacles, ranging from pure stealth to head-on gunplay ("you have to be well prepared," Kojima warns). The notion of replay value is "old thinking," Kojima says. "The game will play differently according to the player, is the bottom line."

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harryboy11

Iwish they had this game for all of the new and advanced game systems out there like XBOX, 360,PSP, PS2, PS3 and WII. However, it is a very nice game and the graphics are cool!! It's probably one of the best games out there. Maybe better than GTA4 and SUPER SMASH BRAWL put together. But I doudt it. It's probaly a tie.

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