Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3)

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is the most technically stunning video game ever made. It's also a fine example of storytelling prowess within its medium, combining gameplay and narrative so slickly and beautifully that it's impossible to extricate one from the other. It's likely you will emerge awestruck from your first play-through, wishing the experience would continue yet nonetheless satisfied with its conclusion. It's difficult not to sound hyperbolic when discussing MGS4 because every part of its design seemingly fulfills its vision, without compromise. There is no halfway.

Fully realized, lengthy story sequences will come as no surprise to anyone who has played a Metal Gear game. You'll spend a good half of MGS4 watching cinematics, but it would be a grave misinterpretation to assume that great gameplay takes a backseat to the story. Rather, these two elements are tightly intertwined, and this tapestry is held together by an important technical thread: Cutscenes that are rendered fully in real time within the game engine. It's impressive enough that these scenes look as good as any prerendered cinematic you've ever watched. It's even more amazing when those same scenes transition without pause into gameplay, and the same hulking mech you watched lumber about in the cinematic is looming above you. The subtle animations, the lush environments, and the rich textures are the same in and out of story sequences, and the effect is so seamless it may take your breath away. You can skip past the scenes if you prefer, but doing so would soften the experience. The story sequences carry more weight because of the intense gameplay that precedes them--and the gameplay feels more compelling because the story gives you powerful reasons to care about your mission. The high point of this fusion occurs in an exciting and memorable split-screen sequence that simply must be experienced.

Talking about what, exactly, is going on in the plot in the midst of MGS4's grand sweeping gestures is to risk spoiling each little surprise as it emerges. Snake, suffering from the rapid onset of aging, now must cope with stiff joints in addition to the looming specter of Liquid Ocelot's newest plans. This is Snake's final hurrah; yet as the story reaches one height after another, the juxtaposition of huge set piece battles and formidable bosses with Snake's deteriorating body creates tension and gravity even beyond the series' usual pretensions. Some new plot strands emerge while others get tied up, and old friends (and enemies) refuse to be forgotten. You'll also bear witness to a few reunions--some bloody, some teary, and some legitimately shocking. Parts of it are overblown, to be sure. The musical score gets heavy-handed and the voice acting and writing are frequently dogmatic, so while there are plenty of subtle moments, subtlety isn't really MGS4's strong suit. But it doesn't need to be. After all, the fate of the world hangs in the balance, and judging from a few silly attempts at humor that don't work, developer Kojima Productions was wise to err on the side of melodrama.

The gameplay proper is familiar to fans, but it's been cleaned up and expanded, holding as many twists and surprises as the story. For starters, both gunplay and close-quarters combat are more satisfying. Regarding melee, the controls have been streamlined, making it less cumbersome to grab an enemy soldier or perform a stealthy blade kill. Shooting mechanics are even more improved, so much so that shooting your way out of a pickle is just as enjoyable as sneaking around it. There are a huge number of weapons to play with; so many that you'll probably finish the campaign without using many of them. Yet, quality wasn't sacrificed for quantity: Every weapon feels just right, from your handy operator sidearm (best when upgraded with a silencer) and standard issue assault rifles to a powerful railgun. The standard over-the-shoulder view is fine for the most part, but you can gaze down the sights from a first-person perspective. Both views can be further improved with various enhancements, such as laser sights and scopes.

Not that you don't have all the tools for completely avoiding your enemies if you choose that route. Snake's got the basics covered: crawling, hugging walls, peeking around corners, and hanging from ledges, for example. Cover mechanics are tighter than ever, so you can crouch and take potshots from behind cover with ease. There are also a number of important gadgets that will make your life easier in this regard. The most obvious of these is your OctoCamo suit, which takes on the texture of your surroundings when you're prone or pressed against cover. Not only does this make it simpler to avoid watchful eyes, but it's also a cool visual effect. Eventually, you'll be able to camouflage Snake's head, and a few of the available camo options are bound to stir some fans' nostalgia. The Solid Eye is your other major tool, as it expands your compass into a sonic-sensitive radar and allows you to use night vision and a tactical first-person view. These are helpful gadgets indeed, even during boss fights, like a stirring encounter in a blinding blizzard.

Other gadgets, such as portable hiding places (cardboard boxes and rusty barrels) and the Metal Gear Mk. II (a stealthed robot that you can command as a scouting device), are useful to anyone who prefers the sneaky approach. Not every gadget is a welcome addition, though. For example, the much-ballyhooed iPod is a neat touch, but to use it, you cannot have another gadget equipped, so you'll quickly forget the option even exists. But aside from these nitpicks, one of the things that makes the core gameplay so enjoyable is that you're rarely strapped into a single style of play. Shooting your way through requires more thought and care than you'd put into a standard action game, but you never feel as though the gun mechanics are stuffed uncomfortably into a stealth game. If you'd rather sneak, you never have the impression that stealth was shoehorned into a game that's meant to be played as a shooter. Sure, you're Solid Snake--you're not supposed to get caught. But if you're stuck in a jam, breaking stealth isn't a death sentence, and in fact, facing certain enemies head-on is often a heart-pounding, challenging experience. The few levels that do force you into one style, such as one in which you shadow your target through an Eastern European city, are still great, if not quite as impactful.

You'll need to keep an eye on Snake's stress levels and psyche. Though these aspects are more peripheral than health levels, they fit nicely within the plot. When Snake gets stressed (if he gets cold or encumbered, for example), his psyche gauge starts to deplete. The lower the gauge, the slower you will move and the less quickly you replenish health. Generally speaking, the psyche meter is rarely a factor, and should you notice Snake groaning a bit more, there are items like compresses you can use for a pick-me-up. Should the meter get too low, you won't be able to hold up your weapon or rush for cover. This doesn't happen often though, and while you'll need to keep a close eye on your health for obvious reasons, you won't need to pay too much heed to psyche.

Regardless of the tactics you use, the level design and enemy artificial intelligence work in tandem to create unparalleled gameplay. If you go stealth, hiding in that rusty barrel isn't a perfect solution. Your foe may look at it suspiciously, kick it a few times, and eventually blow your cover, so don't expect to be able to trick your way through as you might in other stealth games. In full-on firefights, enemy teams will flank you, use cover to their advantage, and throw grenades with precision to force you out of hiding. Most of your surroundings, inside and out, are littered with objects and cover opportunities, from a trek through a South American jungle to a nostalgic journey through a snowy island base. Each level is more-or-less linear, but within the confines of these areas, you still have remarkable room to explore the various gameplay options and test the limits of your foes. Some enemies are standard soldiers, though many others are wonderfully imaginative. The colossal mechanical Gekkos, for example, are unpredictable and keep you on your toes, while female operatives that pounce from wall to wall intensify an early escape scene.

Later in the game, a few set piece battles deepen the core gameplay even further, including a few peerless on-rails sequences. One of these, a motorcycle chase, is as close as any game has gotten to translating the excitement of similar moments in films to a game format. Another level, which features a gigantic automaton, showcases destructible environments where walkways collapse on top of each other and the screen fills with smoke. In all of these cases, the controls are excellent, with the exception of that same mech's third-person view a bit later on (the first-person view works infinitely better). The interpretation of Metal Gear Solid as an interactive film still applies, but in a way you may not have expected: These levels make you feel like the star of your own action movie.

Boss battles are stimulating, though they aren't all that difficult. Nevertheless, a few of them are tricky and require you to put some thought into your tactics because just riddling the boss with bullets isn't going to ensure victory. Early on, it's clear that you'll be encountering the four members of the Beauty and the Beast unit--female supersoldiers that are as psychologically complex as they are fun to battle. These battles are long and normally require you to fight other enemies in addition to your primary target. In one of them, you can use your night vision to track your target's footprints and use the wind direction to your advantage. In another, you'll dodge missiles from flying creatures while taking on the main boss.

The gameplay and story would, perhaps, not be as effective if Metal Gear Solid 4 did not look and sound so impressive, but truth be told, it's an amazing piece of technology. From the gritty textures of concrete walls to the effective lighting and shadowing, there are few aspects you could reasonably fault. In the biggest battles, billows of smoke fill the screen and blood splatters against the camera--all while meticulously designed helicopters fly overhead and ad-hoc team members take potshots from behind grungy dilapidated vehicles. Yet in the midst of the visual drama, it's the little things that are likely to provoke awe. Small details, such as how Snake rubs his sore back when his stress levels get high or the authentic manner in which he ascends staircases, create as much atmosphere as cluttered underground tunnels and war-torn Middle Eastern cities. You will have to wait through some scattered install periods (just under 20 minutes worth, in total) and the occasional loading screen, and you may find some frame rate drops and low-res textures here and there, but these aren't issues in light of MGS4's impressive graphical accomplishments.

The sound design comes together nearly as well. The soundtrack on its own is rather pompous, but in context, it works just fine to create the appropriate mood for any given cutscene or battle. The voice acting follows suit but succeeds far better. Because the growling voice of David Hayter's Solid Snake is so good, the rare hamming from the mostly excellent supporting cast is easily forgotten. But the sound effects are unforgettable and excellent across the board. The Gekkos emit blood-curdling moos like gargantuan cows, explosions are outstandingly obnoxious, and everything from the clicks of the Solid Eye to the laughter and screams of the beastly bosses are top-notch.

On top of it all, Metal Gear Solid 4 offers some enjoyable online 16-player action to complement its superb single-player experience. Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch are represented, of course, and they play just fine, assuming you don't approach the online component as a standard shooter. The maps are beautifully rendered and packed with detail, and while not every mechanic is as wonderful in multiplayer as it is in single-player (hiding in your cardboard box won't usually get you far, for example), it's all good fun once you adjust to the pace. The multiplayer star, however, is sneaking mode, a Team Deathmatch variant in which one player plays as Snake and another supports him as the Metal Gear Mk II. Shooting others is amusing--but sneaking enthusiasts will enjoy the violent, stealthy game of hide and seek you play as Snake. Playing support is equally entertaining because as Mk. II, you can go invisible, creep up on other players, and zap them with your electronic tentacle. It's a blast. Other modes include base mission, in which teams compete to conquer bases; a capture and defend mode; and rescue mission, which is similar to the same mode in Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence. Unfortunately, the process of creating an online account is laborious, so expect to take a few minutes to enter a litany of information (a pain if you aren't using a keyboard). Thankfully, the variety of customization options and sheer numbers of players online mean that this process is quickly forgotten.

If the story-heavy presentation of previous Metal Gear games taxed your patience, Metal Gear Solid 4 won't change your mind. For anyone who appreciates games that rise above the simple act of pushing a few buttons and pulling a few triggers, Metal Gear Solid 4 is a stimulating ride that you won't soon forget. You'll want to see what happens next, yet when its long campaign draws to a close, you'll wish it would continue. That's not just because it's a well-told tale, but because that tale is woven through a thoroughly impressive game that tops its predecessors.

Arkanoid DS (DS)

In the beginning there was Pong. Then there was Breakout, and 10 years later there was Arkanoid. Taito's bat-and-ball block breaker first appeared in arcades more than 20 years ago, and in the years since it has graced numerous home computers and consoles. Arkanoid DS, which comes to North America and Europe minus the paddle controller that it was bundled with in Japan last year, introduces a handful of new features to the Arkanoid mix but thankfully doesn't do anything that's detrimental to the classic gameplay. Multiplayer options, new power-ups, unlockable audio and visual options, and the objective-based Quest mode make Arkanoid DS easy to recommend. The lack of a paddle (you can import one) is disappointing and the D-pad option is best avoided, but the stylus works just fine.

Arkanoid's traditional Clear mode should be the first one you check out, given that visiting levels there unlocks them for use in the new Quest mode. Taking the controls of the Vaus (that's the name of your bat at the bottom of the screen--it's actually a spaceship), Clear mode tasks you with destroying every block in a level using a ball (some kind of sci-fi energy projectile, no doubt) that rebounds off of everything it touches without ever losing momentum. You keep the ball alive by using your bat to prevent it from falling into the bottom of the screen, and the longer it takes you to hit all of the blocks, the faster the ball gets. Previous incarnations of Arkanoid worked like pinball in that losing a ball was the same as losing a life, and anytime that happened you just launched the next one until you ran out. Arkanoid DS does things a little differently: You get only one ball, ever, and if you lose it then it's game over. A number of energy barriers that span the bottom of the screen make it impossible for your ball to drop early on, but if you use one you lose one, so starting every level with three barriers means that you get three lives. You might think that having that many lives for every level makes Arkanoid DS too easy, but considering that the game doesn't stop or slow down when you hit a barrier, the real difference between this and previous games is just that this one keeps you playing at a more brisk pace.

Clear mode consists of 28 worlds arranged in an inverted pyramid shape. Each world is made up of five levels, and your goal is to get from the bottom of the pyramid to the top by taking any route you please. Every world that you beat along the way unlocks two new worlds, and by the time you get to the last row, you can end the game with any of seven different worlds. Given that they consist entirely of square bricks, level designs in Arkanoid DS are rarely much to look at, but occasionally the bricks are arranged to create pictures of everyday objects or recognizable characters from classic Taito games. Additional variety and challenge come in the form of blocks that take two hits to destroy, blocks that move, and blocks that simply get in the way because they can't be destroyed at all. Some of the level designs are truly fiendish toward the end of Clear mode, and many are designed in such a way that even power-ups don't help much. For example, equipping your Vaus with lasers is no help at all if the blocks that you need to shoot are hiding behind an indestructible wall. Other power-ups in Arkanoid DS include a longer Vaus, multiball, additional barriers, a powerball that can plow through multiple blocks, and more.

The same 140 levels from Clear mode appear in Quest mode, but there's no map to navigate, and you can attempt to complete them in any order you like. Rather than tasking you with clearing every block in a level, Quest mode hits you with level-specific objectives that must be completed either within a time limit or without hitting the ball more than a specific number of times. For example, you might have to clear all yellow blocks from a level within 45 seconds, or destroy 10 blocks while only hitting the ball three times. Objectives like these force you to play quite differently, and they're a great way to hone your skills before you check out the multiplayer options.

Arkanoid DS supports both local wireless and online play for up to four people (using friend codes or random matchmaking) in two different modes, and one copy of the game is all that you need to play with up to three friends locally. Bust All mode is a race to see who can clear a level first, whereas Bust Color mode is a race to see who can destroy all of the blocks of a specified color. The levels that you play on are randomly selected from all that the game has to offer, and you can keep an eye on your opponents while playing via small thumbnail images that appear alongside your own play area. Multiplayer games play out in the same way that single-player games do, except that any negative power-ups (power-downs, if you prefer) that you collect are passed on to your opponents. Shrinking other players' bats and slowing their balls are perhaps the most obvious ways to upset them, but multiplayer-specific pickups, such as one that randomly drops a handful of additional blocks on opponents' screens, are also worth pursuing.

Regardless of whether you're playing solo or multiplayer, you're rewarded for almost everything that you do in Arkanoid DS with points that serve as currency in the game's shop. Items for sale include new background music, new sound effects, new block and Vaus graphics, and new artwork for the backdrop. None of the unlockables impact the gameplay, and the additional audio options aren't nearly as agreeable as the default setting, which combines electro music with sound effects straight out of the '80s. But, if you've always dreamed of playing Arkanoid on a leopard-skin backdrop, with a Vaus made of wood along with blocks that look like Space Invaders, now you can.

There's more than enough fun to be had with Arkanoid DS to justify its budget price tag, and the multiplayer content and online leaderboards that compare your performances in the single-player Clear mode ensure that there's no shortage of replay value if you're the competitive type. Arkanoid was a great game in 1986 and it's still a great game in 2008. Arkanoid DS is even better. If you have any interest whatsoever in destroying blocks with a bat and ball, you won't be disappointed.

GRID (Xbox360)

Codemasters' Race Driver series has long put the emphasis on making the driver, not the cars, the stars of the show. Grid is the spiritual successor to this series, and though it still offers you the chance to travel the world as a racing driver, the emphasis is firmly back on the racing itself. Taking in a wide range of international venues and racing disciplines, Grid's career mode puts you in the shoes of a top racing driver. You'll freelance as a driver for other teams, form your own team, and negotiate sponsorship contracts so you can buy new vehicles. In addition, Grid has a highly accessible 12-player online mode, a new flashback feature to rewind the action after devastating crashes or costly mistakes, and a novel approach to trading vehicles. It may lack basic features such as adjustable weather and split-screen multiplayer, but Grid still has enough fresh ideas to make it a notable entry in the racing genre.

Grid splits its racing between three geographical locations, with Europe, the US, and Japan each presenting an assortment of racing styles. Europe features track-based racing, with famous locations such as the Nurburgring, Donington Park, and Le Mans on its roster. Europe also boasts a city track in Milan, but it's the US that is more focused on street racing with courses in Washington, San Francisco, Detroit, and more. Japan is clearly influenced by underground street racing and has short, winding tracks that are perfect for drifting around. Each of these locations demands different vehicles; Europe features touring and GT cars, the US has muscle cars such as Vipers and Mustangs, and in Japan you get to drive tricked-out Nissans and Subarus.

The main aim of the Grid World mode is to increase your reputation as a driver and earn money to buy new vehicles. You'll be paid for winning races, playing at harder difficulty levels, earning sponsor bonuses and being part of a winning team. As with many racing games, you need a selection of vehicle types to enter different racing events, and you can buy cars either brand-new or secondhand on eBay Motors. It's a rare example of in-game advertising done right: Some pre-owned motors run the risk of being too banged up, whereas others have proved themselves capable of winning races previously. One thing that Grid doesn't focus on is upgrading vehicle components; instead of buying new engines, you just sell your old banger and buy something better.

The simple upgrade system and accessible racing style mean that Grid is more of an arcade-style racing game than a sim. That said, the game is still challenging, and the believable AI opponents will happily smash you into walls. In a nod to realism, head-on collisions will often take you out of a race completely, though one of Grid's new features offers you a way back in. The flashback system, which can be selected from the pause menu, lets you rewind time and resume gameplay at a point before the mistake was made. Your chosen difficulty level determines the number of flashbacks at your disposal, and there's a cash incentive at the end of each race for not using the feature. Racing purists may baulk at the concept, but it's completely up to you whether you choose to use flashbacks in the game. In situations when you'd previously have to restart the entire race, you now have a second chance to try a corner, and the decision adds an interesting gambling element to the game--should you use your last flashback now, or save it for the final lap? Grid also provides concessions for hardcore players who want to make the game harder, with a pro mode that restricts you from restarting a race at all. Enabling the pro mode changes your entire approach for each race, given that every lap becomes a do-or-die test of nerves.

Grid's controls feel light, responsive, and even quite forgiving, but the damage model and challenging AI can make for a difficult first few races. Minor bumps and crashes will do little to impact the performance of your vehicle; bumpers will fall off and windscreens will shatter, but the innards of your car will perform as normal. However, major incidents will have a more drastic effect on your ability to race. Your vehicle might pull to one side or lose speed and acceleration, or even worse, it could fail completely.

Once you're aware of these dangers, Grid becomes an enjoyably edge-of-your-seat racing experience. With the traction, braking, and stability assistance enabled, the game lets you perform some extraordinary braking manoeuvres, but you still need to be careful. While there's no option to have a racing line drawn on the track, a red light next to the map advises you of when to brake for corners. But Grid's greatest achievement is the driver AI, which does a fantastic job of replicating the behaviour of competitive and somewhat accident prone race drivers. Grid's drivers move in a choreographed formation at the beginning of each race, but they begin to take risks and make mistakes as they try to get to the front of the pack. You'll frequently find yourself misjudging a corner and spinning out, only to see a pack of rivals pile up the next corner down. There are also distinct racing styles between teams and drivers; race leaders will guard their position closely, whereas those at the back will cautiously slow down and go around you if you spin out in front of them. Whichever difficulty level you choose to play at, they're a clever and challenging bunch to race against.

Grid offers a huge number of different racing disciplines to try, from standard GT and pro-tuned races to drift competitions around winding Japanese circuits. There's even a demolition derby, with a track that has two crossovers where airborne cars can smash into each other at right angles. Each season of the Grid World mode ends with a Le Mans 24 Hour Race, and though it's normally condensed into a 24-minute period, it feels only slightly less demanding than the real thing. Caffeine-addled players can choose to follow it in real time by setting up a full 24-hour race outside of the career mode, but you still get to see the full day and night cycle whatever period of time you choose.

For multiplayer racing, Grid offers support for up to 12 players connected via Xbox Live or a system link. All of the racing events from the single-player game can be played online, including demolition derbies and Le Mans, but the game modes are fairly limited, with only ranked, player, or private matches to select. If you're creating a private match, you get complete control over the race types, race length, and damage options, but in the ranked and player matches these are voted for by all of the players in the lobby. It's good that vehicle options tend to be limited to one or two different models in each race because it makes Grid a fair and balanced racing game to play online, but it would benefit from a few additional modes and features. For example, there are no team-based races, you can't save replays, and there are no online TV channels to watch live races from around the world. The lack of split-screen multiplayer also comes as a blow, especially if you're not in a position to play online or link systems.

The new version of Codemasters' Neon engine, named Ego, imbues Grid with some particularly impressive visuals. The backgrounds aren't always sharp, but the action moves at such a frightening pace that you'll rarely have a chance to notice. There are some nice stylistic touches, such as camera tilt as you take corners at speed, and the interior camera offers a spectacular view of the car you're driving. On the technical side, Grid runs at a solid 30 frames per second with no slowdown during pileups. The one notably absent feature is weather effects, given that the game features nothing other than warm, sunny conditions in which to race. The Le Mans track may feature 24-hour day-and-night rotation, but the lack of rain or even day/night options for single races is a large omission.

Grid's presentation is similar to Dirt's, and that's certainly no bad thing. Menus are laid out simply and are easy to navigate, and the game throws up plenty of hints if you're not doing something correctly. You're frequently reminded to apply sponsor logos to your vehicles, play at a higher difficulty if you're constantly winning, and an intercom system is used to remind you of objectives during the race. The latter feature can actually become quite annoying if you're trying to concentrate on a difficult race, but voices can be turned off in the menu system if you find that you don't need them. As well as gorgeous in-game graphics, the stylish presentation of the menu system is enough to make you stop and admire it every once in a while. From the teammates who circle your garage to the statistical updates in the loading screens, this is a game that's blessed with incredible attention to detail.

One area that Grid falls down on is its audio. Engine noises don't always sound as meaty as they should, especially when you're using the in-car view, and some of the cars' engines are difficult to distinguish from one another. Musically, there's a superb intro theme courtesy of UNKLE, but the music in the menus is bland, and the few in-game tracks add little to the atmosphere. The Xbox 360 lets you play your own music over the top, of course, but Grid would benefit from a more exciting and memorable soundtrack to add to the thrill of high-speed racing.

As both an extension and a rewrite of the Race Driver series, Grid is certainly a successful progression of Codemasters' art. It may not feature the customisation of Forza 2, and it doesn't have the diversity of online modes found in Project Gotham Racing 4. But as an alternative to arcade racers such as Need for Speed and Juiced, Grid is an accessible and rewarding first step in what we hope will be an ongoing franchise.