Benjamin “Yahtzee” Croshaw thinks Metal Gear Solid 4 is a “stiff and inefficient” third person shooter,” mainly because of the controls. The game’s storyline was lambasted as well, but that was to be expected. Surprisingly, Yahtzee seems to hate MGS4 even more than Haze, which was universally reviled.

Controls freak
Apparently, the part-time adventure game designer believes that pressing both shoulder buttons and the triangle face button while firing “is not good design.” Personally, I never had a problem with it. And from the looks of things, so did dozens of other critics who evaluated the game.

I was wondering if Yahtzee ever got the memo that MGS4’s first-person view (triggered by pressing triangle) is entirely optional. Heck, even the manual aiming is optional, but maybe the guy didn’t bother looking into that—even if he was supposed to make a review.

I was also surprised that Croshaw was having trouble shooting behind cover. Our favorite curmudgeon believed that players need to stand up first before they can fire back. If our misguided critic bothered to stick to cover and aim behind the edge of objects by pressing L1, he wouldn’t have those problems. Funnily enough, the option to use the cover is displayed in plain sight each time Snake sticks close to any object large enough to hide his body. Obviously, this gripe is invalid.

And this bit about a split-second delay to fire the gun? I have no idea what Yahtzee is talking about. If he’s referring to a slight delay when bringing out a hidden firearm (a quick press of the R2 button), then he must probably be unaware that holding the R2 button pauses the game.

Thick and redundant
As for the enemies being “legendarily thick,” perhaps the guy is playing MGS4 in the easiest level. The baddies may not be as Einstein smart, but it’s not that easy to get past them. Nothing wrong with playing the game on the easiest setting since not everyone who can write half decently can necessarily play. However, for a review to be truly comprehensive (and more accurate), the critic shouldn’t select the easiest difficulty.

Despite our differences in opinion regarding certain gameplay elements, Yahtzee and I agree that MGS4 is badly written. Dialogues are redundant, resulting in 90 minute cutscenes. Then again, I think some redundancy is necessary especially when dealing with events in the previous games. Not every person who played MGS4 was fortunate enough to go through the previous installments so a background is quite necessary.

There was no mention of weapon customization, high production values, great visual design, multiple installations, annoying 90-minute cutscenes, or even the quirks of Metal Gear Online in Yahtzee’s review.

Good writing can get you only so far
If you’re keeping track, I’ve pretty much discussed each point that Yahtzee made and I’m puzzled with the supposed issues he highlighted. This gives the impression that Croshaw didn’t really pay that much attention to the game as a whole. Who knows? He may have never reached the second act. For the first time, I must question Croshaw’s reviewing methods. I love his scathing reviews because they’re entertaining and fresh. Still, good writing can get you only so far.

To Yahtzee: It’s always a good idea to spend more time with the games you review. And know what you’re talking about. If you really took the time to complete MGS4 like some of us reviewers did, then there’s a good chance you’d be singing a different tune.

Post from: EveryJoe

Deconstructing Yahtzee’s Metal Gear Solid 4 review

If there’s one thing that’s terrible about Jericho, it’s the design. The review has pointed that out very clearly. Yahtzee, the voice behind the motor mouth, heaped even more beef on top of the smoldering pile of complaints.

Chief among these is the supposedly drab color scheme, which reminded Yahtzee of Quake. Different shades of brown seem to drive him into a fit. I wonder what he thinks of Gears of War. Don’t get me wrong, I love Yahtzee’s reviews. I think they’re generally on the spot. Especially his bit about Halo 3. In fact, he does have a point about the color scheme. I just don’t think it’s as terrible.

However, the rest of the game is as bad as he suggests. Don’t believe me? Read my review.

Post from: EveryJoe

More Jericho bashings your way—this time, a video