Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots event @ IGN’s Black Beta Night.

Even Xbox360 fans can appreciate a decent game, irrespective of the platform.

by Sutton Dagger & XboxOZ360

© 2008 Grant Smythe:

“`Evenings lowdown: Held at the beautifully and very chic Verona Cinema in Oxford Street Paddington Sydney, the Black Beta evenings are perhaps the showcase for game releases that IGN put on for gamers in the Sydney area. Fully equipped with a great bar and excellent cafe, yet the venue is very “clubbish” in its mood and style, making it an ideal venue indeed, and one well suited for such events.

While some readers might be wondering why an Xbox 360 dedicated site such as us would attend a PS3 evening . . ? Well the answer is very simple really. All games deserve to be discussed, irrespective of the platform. And while we are an Xbox 360 dedicated site, games such as MGS4, which is arguably the showcase game for the PS3, deserve to be seen by all those who are into ‘gaming’ – not platform fanboyism . . .

Click any image for full view:

So with that in mind, Steven and Adam Sutton and myself set off into the rainy Sydney evening to check out the new, and final installment of the Metal Gear franchise as we know it, MGS4. The venue has to be seen to be appreciated, and fits in well with the area, Paddington, where such venues are in abundance. The upper bar area soon filled with a horde of eager fans, and IGN’s media hounds were all over the place, filming, taking happy-snaps and interviewing various attendees.

More of the evenings fun & Games, plus heaps of pics after the jump:

“`And yes, our very own Sutton Dagger was interviewed as well by “Patch” who is somewhat of a celebrity in the gaming industry when it comes to interviews for IGN. We even managed to get a few snaps with patch as well, and we did discussed the site, of course, and he was quite impressed with our progress and how well the site has been received. And especially impressed to see that we have been included on MS’s main Xbox Community Page as well as GamerSpeak Page. So thanks Patch, your comments were very encouraging, and we’ll be pushing forward even more so now.

Perhaps an interview with Patch could be something for the the site in the near future . . ?

Steve does a good job of explaining the event below concerning MGS4, and like him, I wouldn’t want to spoil the game for anyone, but I will have to say, I was very impressed with the cinematics of the game. However, like all games there were ’some issues’ that showed up,some more glaringly than others. And that’s coming from those in attendance, rather than what some may think is my biased viewpoint. Overall, the game will supply many long hours of entertainment and fun for the MGS fans for some time to come. Shame I don’t have a PS3, as it’s probably only one of a few games that would have me grab one.

The main thing that attracted a huge amount of attention was, believe it or not, Codemaster’s GRID . . . IGN held a knock-out comp during the evening, with the 3 fastest times around a singe lapper then going into a “Heads-on-knock-out-race” for the first prize, which was several PS3 games and a bundle of goodies from Atari. Runners up got a copy of MGS4 of course.

Well I’m very proud to say, Adam and Steve grabbed the two top fastest times, with “Joe” coming in at 3rd fastest. The 3 lapper LAN race was then held on 3 end plasma screens and run on the San Fransisco short circuit in some VERY quick Zonda’s. Adam lead the race for 90% or the 3 laps, with Steve exchanging places for 2nd several times, until meeting an untimely end smacking into a tyre barrier at 150 mph. Ouch – that’s gotta’ hurt, and you really do feel it in this game btw. It gives you a heightened sense of speed, big time.

“`Needless to say he never really got back up with the others. Adam did brilliantly though. Well – right up until he got a wee-bit-cocky and smiled at the cameras while out in the lead and approaching the final few corners (never ever do that again Adam) and smacked into the very last left hander tyre barrier, sending into a few 360’s never to recover. With Joe nabbing 1st place moments after as he zoomed past Adam madly doing donuts trying to regain control. The crowd was roaring and it was by far one of the most favourite corners at the event during the evening. When IGN pop up some footage, we’ll be sure to drop it in here for all to see, and for Adam to be fully embarrassed about . hehehe.

Sure MGS4 got it’s far share of gameplay on the many great 42″ Plasma’s set up around the bar area (see – plasma’s rule). But many did migrate down to the rear screen during the night to have a go at besting everyones times. But some of races (time trials) were just plan hilarious . . . GRID would arguably be one of the “best Arcade Racers” out atm . . It’s most certainly not a sim by any stretch of the imagination, but definitely one of the best racers on either platform right now (Not incl Forza 2 naturally – as that’s more a sim than an arcade racer).

Of course we will be attending more of the IGN’s Black Beta evenings, which are held around once a month . . so stay tuned for the next one, and we will definitely be there to cover it for you. The evening was a blast, and the game/s on show were excellent. The venue was superb, and the hosts did a great job all round. Many thanks to Joanna for getting me my Conformation email to be at the very last minute, as it seemed to have got lost in cyber space, and she managed to get me a pass for the evening late yesterday afternoon, thanks again Joanna . . most appreciated.

Sutton’s Impressions:

© 2008 Steve Sutton

My evenings impressions: The evening started off with a viewing of Metal Gear Solid 4 on the big cinema screen, let me tell you, it was something I have never experienced before. The quality of the opening cinema is breathtaking, you would be excused for thinking this was a blockbuster Hollywood production.

Strange futuristic television programs, initially throw you off the usual MGS openings but the typical Kojima innuendo is woven into the intro beautifully. Then the in-game ‘movie’ begins and you realize you are witnessing one of the most visually impressive games ever seen on a console. From the recoil of the machine guns to the subtle specks of dust that attach to the camera, this is top notch stuff.

Players familiar with the franchise will know that snake is not the man he once was, degenerating and sick, you assume the role as ‘old snake’. His harsh, raspy voice narrates the cinematic, putting the Middle Eastern setting into context.

A fight with the bipedal walking tanks shows off the graphical enhancement MGS4 has over its predecessors, with gameplay and cinematic scenes intertwined seamlessly. Sound wise, you couldn’t ask for anything more, with hard hitting gun fire and familiar MGS sound effects coupled with quality voice acting, you better have a decent audio system.

I won’t divulge any story elements as this is truly something that every Metal Gear Solid fan should experience, this my friends, is a must have game.

© 2008 Steve Sutton