Metal Gear Solid 4 - in-depth details

New Codec revealed
The bad news - depending on your view, since we personally love the pseudo-intellectual, genuinely soulful, though terribly-written dialogue - is that Codec chat is as lengthy as ever. The good news is that you can Pause, Forward and Chapter Skip the Codec like a DVD, and rewind if you’ve missed a key point in anger. Also, Otacon is in full 3D and you can use the pad to zoom in on his face, if that’s what you like.

MGS4’s all-new 3D map revealed
While MGS3 provided branching paths through the jungle, they were essentially linear tracks through the same vertical space. MGS4 feels a lot more ‘square’ and open-ended, with zig-zagging routes, corridors, broken buildings and genuine verticality, allowing exploration. It’s not as free as, say, GTA, but a change nonetheless.

Above: You can make the map 3D and pan around to explore alternative routes, or find items

Above: You can make the map 3D and pan around to explore alternative routes, or find items