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Will MGS 4 Get the GTA IV "Treatment"?

Blog written by Sanjo-chan on May 13, 2008 at 01:00 AM | 1 Comment

A month from now, the highly anticipated Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots will be released simultaneously worldwide, and the buzz surrounding the supposedly final game in the MGS series is heating up. Another popular game that was released in April 2008, Grand Theft Auto IV, had the press flooded on release day with on-going efforts from awareness groups to get the game out of reach from potential fans, even those who are old enough to purchase M-rated games. Fortunately, MGS 4 does not have the exact same elements as GTA IV, but just enough to give it a prefect M-rating, unlike the AO-rating that GTA IV deserves. However, there are some aspects in the Metal Gear Solid series that are questionable that wasn't touched in the past.

If Metal Gear Solid 4 gets a nationwide midnight release party like Grand Theft Auto IV did, then it will certainly attract attention for the media. Although, if the game gets released like every other game (the game will be on store shelves when the store opens), then all is well. Whether or not MGS 4 will get a special release that sends the media into a frenzy, it is possible that it will get a punch or two from a certain Florida attorney. The Metal Gear Solid franchise has no history of bad press, though it does raise some eyebrows on a couple of actions that can be executed in past MGS games. In the first Metal Gear Solid, players can sneak up behind guards and plant C4 on their backs. There is the opportunity to distract guards with dirty magazines (even though it is hard to make out the details with the PSOne's graphics, back in the day). Other situations in the Metal Gear universe is Solid Snake's addiction of smoking, which we will see more of in Guns of the Patriots. This could make the media take notice since the tobacco industry has been under a lot of pressure lately. Personally, I don't smoke, and I never will. But just one this one thing could make things easier for the press to blow out of proportion. On the other hand, there are a few suggestive themes that could be flagged, such as the super-model posters on the lockers in Sons of Liberty.

Perhaps the reason why Metal Gear Solid has not had the same "exposure" as the Grand Theft Auto series, is that it has a legitimate story line. In GTA (from the media's point of view), gamers can do things you definitely cannot do in real life, aside the plot-line, such as stealing a car. Metal Gear Solid 4 could teach a couple of things and may even change gamers' lives, without consequences. Basically, Metal Gear Solid is a war story, with a bit of actual history behind the storyline. Hopefully, Guns of the Patriots will not become a target for awareness groups, and it will be treated as a harmless R-rated film, so to speak. The same could have been said about Grand Theft Auto IV, especially since it is a work of art that was inspired from major motion picture titles with elements from The Godfather and Scarface. With that said, let's hope that Metal Gear Solid 4 will preform well and get treated the way it should be: a blockbuster movie, and nothing more.