While he praises how God of War Laufey has looked so far in various marketing materials, he noted that the title is unlikely to be a big risk for Sony or developer Santa Monica Studio, especially when it comes to gameplay.

“God of War Laufey, I look at that game, and every pixel is mind-blowing. The amount of work and skill that’s gone into every single frame… I’ve made those kinds of games, and I’m still blown away. But when I actually look at what you’re doing in the game? I’m not excited. And that’s nothing against the God of War team. Just, across the board in triple-A, it feels like there’s no opportunity to inject fresh, innovative ideas.”

Straley’s sentiment comes almost a decade after his 2017 departure from Naughty Dog after releasing Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. The studio has gone on to appreciate his influence, and even went as far as to mention him in the Special Thanks section of the credits for The Last of Us Part 2.

Back in December 2025, Straley said that he left Naughty Dog because he needed “new problems to solve” and “new creative outlets”. He also brought up the idea of wanting to build things of his own that could then be turned into an entire franchise.

“It really comes down to: Do you want to continue working for someone else and put in all the effort to build an IP, to build characters, to build things that a franchise could be built out of? I got paid very well there, I got some appreciation there, but it felt like it was time to break out and try it on my own. It felt like it was time to evolve my concepts and build a new team. It might fail miserably, but I thought that it was at least my failure based on my choice.”

After leaving Naughty Dog, Straley founded his own studio – Wildflower Interactive. The studio was founded in 2022, and in announcing it, Straley said that he couldn’t stop thinking about an idea for a game. He is working as studio director alongside other staff members like Wouter Gort on art, Liz Fiacco on design, and Ole Ciliox on programming, among others.

“And I realized I need to make this game. But if I’m going to make this game, it means I have to build a team. And if I build a team, I have to build a company. And, well, if we’re going to do that, then we have to do it the right way.”

The studio’s debut title, Coven of the Chicken Foot, was unveiled last year during the Game Awards. The title is being developed for PC and doesn’t yet have a release date.

As such, these tips and tricks remain relevant, whether you’re revisiting the franchise or diving in for the first time. Let’s get into it, starting with…

The Threat Ring (MGS4)

You’ll lean on the Solid Eye a lot in Metal Gear Solid 4, and not just because the series’ traditional radar is missing. But the Threat Ring can be just as vital when sneaking around. Appearing as a literal ring around Snake when crouching or crawling, it pulses when enemies are nearby, even when they’re behind walls. It points towards their location and even estimates their distance, making them easier to avoid.

Picking Up Duplicate Guns (MGS4)

The battlefield is a messy one in Guns of the Patriots, littered with weapons and whatnot that can be added to your collection. It might seem pointless to acquire multiples of the same gun, but they actually come in handy when Drebin becomes available later in Act 1. He’ll automatically convert any duplicates into Drebin Points for purchasing new weapons, parts and accessing ID-locked weapons. Even if you don’t have access to him for a while, it’s still worth picking up dupes since Snake will still obtain ammo from them.

Managing Stress (MGS4)

Solid Snake hasn’t exactly lived the most stress-free life, and in his old age, it can be his downfall in more ways than one. New to Metal Gear Solid 4 is the Psyche meter, which depletes as he takes on more stress and causes a multitude of effects. Poor aim? Potentially falling unconscious when taking damage? Liquid Ocelot-induced vomiting? All due to stress. The Threat Ring can also become less accurate as a result. While extreme temperatures, carrying too much and enemies detecting you will increase stress, it can be lowered by eating food, smoking, listening to music or being stealthy.

Playing Dead (MGS4)

That part about the messiness of battlefields? It also applies to the sheer number of bodies lying around. And while it can be tough to stomach, you can also use this opportunity to go prone and effectively play dead, thus avoiding detection. Think of it as a unique way to sneak around, even if the smell of corpses isn’t the most pleasant.

Non-Lethal Boss Clears (MGS4)

As challenging as it may seem in certain situations, a non-lethal approach is often the best in either game. For Metal Gear Solid 4, you should at least aim to defeat the FROGS in Act 1 and the Beauty and the Beast Unit in the remaining Acts without killing them, which will net five dolls. After finishing the game, the Solar Gun becomes available in the next playthrough, and it’s extremely useful. Besides being non-lethal, it causes enemies to drop their items, making loot farming much easier, and it can be especially potent against a specific boss later on.

Supporting the Guerrilla Fighters (MGS4)

The local guerrilla fighters in Act 1 and 2 may seem like just another faction like the PMCs, but there are benefits to getting on their good side. Kill enough PMC threats, and they’ll start to warm up to your presence, not attacking and even cheering when navigating through areas. Just don’t accidentally shoot them – they won’t like that.

FaceCamo Benefits (MGS4)

Besides OctoCamo, there’s also FaceCamo, obtained from defeating Laughing Octopus. On the surface, this can seem like a great customization tool, letting you change Snake’s appearance to Young Snake, the various Beauty and the Beast Unit members (assuming you defeated them non-lethally), and even Snake from the PS1 days. But it’s especially useful for raising your Camo Index to 99 percent when used with OctoCamo, resulting in the highest concealment possible. It may even help sneak by some PMCs depending on whose face you’re using.

Careful Solid Eye Usage (MGS4)

Going back to Solid Eye, the various functions can be a lifesaver at times. That includes the Night Vision, which is fantastic for navigating the dark. However, you need to mind the battery drain. Once depleted, you can’t use any of Solid Eye’s functions without it recharging. Night Vision can be particularly draining, so try not to lean on it too much.

Higher Challenges on the Next Playthrough (MGS4)

Aside from taking out the FROGS and Beauty and the Beast Unit in non-lethal fashion, it’s a good idea to save tougher challenges for the second playthrough. That’s because all your camos, weapons and even Drebin Points will carry over. So if you’re aiming for, say, the Big Boss Emblem – which requires completing the game in less than five hours on The Boss Extreme, the highest difficulty, without any continues, rations, or special items, without triggering any Alert phases or killing any enemies – this is the way.

R&D and Mother Base (Peace Walker)

Peace Walker is a different vibe from Guns of the Patriots because much of the gameplay revolves around Mother Base. The question is: What should you prioritize first? Rather than letting Auto Assign do all the heavy lifting, focus on R&D. Increasing its levels will ensure new weapons and items become available faster, providing more options early on.

Prioritizing the Medical Team (Peace Walker)

Another facet that you shouldn’t ignore throughout your time is Medical. Increasing it will provide improved tranquilizer weapons, making it that much easier to go non-lethal. It also improves your soldiers’ healing rate, getting them back into the action that much sooner.

Don’t Kill Enemy Soldiers (Peace Walker)

If going non-lethal is ideal in Guns of the Patriots, then it’s a way of life in Peace Walker. Any enemy that you come across can prove to be a valuable addition to Mother Base, so rather than going on a killing spree, use tranquilizer and other methods to knock them out. Even holding them up is ideal, after which Fulton away and reap the benefits.

Capturing Vehicles (Peace Walker)

In the same vein: Fulton away any tanks, APCs and even helicopters whenever you get the chance. Even if destroying them can seem tempting, it’s often better to take out their escort troops and then take down the commander rather than bombing everything to hell. Mother Base will thank you for the contributions in the long run.

How to Farm ZEKE Parts and AI Boards (Peace Walker)

If you’re interested in upgrading ZEKE, then it helps to prioritize what you want to farm beforehand. For instance, focusing on a boss’s AI pod and avoiding the body will net more components. On the other hand, if you want AI Boards, then target the body. Of course, the parts vary from boss to boss, but this should make it easier to target a specific category.

The True Ending (Peace Walker)

Even if it seems like completing the game is the end in Peace Walker, there’s plenty more to unlock, including the true ending. The conditions can be very stringent, though – besides completing the first four chapters and retrieving Zadornov whenever he tries to escape, you need to assemble ZEKE. It can’t be taken on any Extra Ops missions, though. As for Mother Base, Intel and R&D should be level 40 or higher while Mission Support is rank 2. Construct a second platform, and Kaz will inform you of Zadornov’s escape once more. Partake in Extra Ops 001 and head to the shooting range as Snake to kick off the fireworks.

Guerrilla Games isn’t working on a new Killzone by itself, however. The report notes that an external team is working alongside the studio on the project, which is believed to be a remake or remaster of one of the older Killzone games. While it is unknown which one of the games will be getting revisited, logic would indicate that the original 2004 release – simply titled Killzone – is going to be the subject.

The new Killzone was slated to be worked on after Guerrilla Games had wrapped up development on Horizon Hunters Gathering. However, reports have indicated that negative internal feedback has led to development on the live-service project being rebooted. While some of the team works on retooling it to address feedback, the rest of the studio has seemingly already started working on Killzone.

As for which team is working on the project alongside Guerrilla, People Can Fly is one of the candidates. The Polish studio had announced back in March 2025 that it was working alongside Sony on a new game based on the PlayStation IP, codenamed Project Delta. People Can Fly’s track record with shooters like Bulletstorm and Gears of War: Judgment would make the studio an easy guess for working on Killzone.

Following the remake remaster, Guerrilla Games will reportedly start working on a brand-new mainline entry in the Horizon franchise. However, the fact that the Killzone project is seemingly still quite early in its development cycle, these plans could change.

The original Killzone was released on PS2, and leading up to its release, was considered by many to be Sony’s attempt at a “Halo-killer”. Set in a universe where the Helghast Empire has launched an attack against the Interplanetary Strategic Alliance (ISA) following the former’s defeat during the First Helghan War, players take on the role of one of four characters across various missions. Much of the story revolves around the protagonists – Jan Templar, Shadow Marshall Luger, Rico Velasquez, or Gregor Hakha – trying to stop Helghast’s forces from conquering Vekta.

The title was followed up in 2009 with Killzone 2 on PS3, which picked up the story a couple of years after where it left off. With the Helghast invasion having been thwarted, the ISA launches a counter assault on planet Helghan to cripple the Helghast Empire. The third entry, 2011’s Killzone 3, picks up right after its predecessor and revolves around the survivors of the ISA invasion trying to escape from Helghan.

Killzone: Shadow Fall takes place 30 years after the trilogy. Taking place on planet Vekta, where the Helghast have been given asylum following the destruction of their planet, the title revolves around Shadow Marshall Lucas Kellan, who is trying to keep the peace between the Vektans and Helghast.

“I don’t want to tell tales out of school here, but I was told, and don’t make this a story because this could be nonsense […] The idea would be to do a third [Master Collection] with Revengeance and a cleaned-up version of 5, because that never got a fancy console version. I think it’s still good on PC.”

While Miller noted that it would be great if the “cleaned-up” version of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain also included all of the content that was notoriously cut out of the game before its release, he said that it is likelier to simply be a 60 FPS version of the game running on modern platforms. Interestingly, he also expressed interest in the inclusion of the much-maligned Metal Gear Survive in a potential third collection.

“The third one would be the last one they can do because they’ve done all the games and then they’ll see what they go forward with in terms of like the Delta remakes and stuff, but yeah, I think it’s nice that Metal Gear is in this place again.” He also raises the question of whether Konami would eventually make a Metal Gear Solid 6 at some point.

A third collection that includes Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance would be especially notable since console players can’t really access it aside from backwards compatibility on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S for its Xbox 360 version. PlayStation gamers, on the other hand, would need to get a PS3 to play it. When it comes to modern hardware, PC is essentially the only way to experience Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance in all of its glory. There are also questions about the rights for Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, since the title was developed entirely by PlatinumGames.

As for Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain, a modern console version would likely be a welcome sight for many PS5 and Xbox Series X/S gamers since the original PS4 and Xbox One release has likely aged quite poorly due to it being more than a decade old at this point.

In the meantime, Metal Gear fans who never owned a PS3 can now finally play Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots thanks to the release of Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 2. The title was originally released all the way back in 2008, and before last week, it was essentially stuck in limbo due to the difficulties of porting PS3 games to other platforms.

For more details about it, along with the remastered version of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, check out our review of Master Collection Vol. 2.

Delta was also a great way to bring the beginnings of Big Boss’s acclaimed character arc to a modern audience, along with the themes of loyalty, duty, and a soldier’s devotion to a cause that would define his journey. Well, the story now continues with Master Collection Vol. 2, which brings a couple of important chapters for both Solid Snake and Big Boss to players who might not have had the chance to enjoy them when they were originally released all those years ago.

"When viewed as part of Konami’s broader effort to make Metal Gear’s most important stories readily available on modern hardware, MGS4 is arguably the linchpin of Vol. 2."

We’ve got Metal Gear: Ghost Babel, receiving its first-ever re-release as a fascinating non-canon adventure starring Solid Snake, alongside Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, and a collection of digital books and other extras. In terms of overall content, it’s definitely lighter than Vol. 1, but it might be more about quality rather than quantity with this one. It’s the first time anyone’s going to play Guns of the Patriots on anything other than a PS3, marking the end of 18 years of exclusivity with the aged platform.

We’ve already spoken at length about why that’s a big deal before, but this one’s legacy as the concluding chapter for both Solid Snake and Big Boss is something that’s relevant here. When viewed as part of Konami’s broader effort to make Metal Gear’s most important stories readily available on modern hardware, MGS4 is arguably the linchpin of Vol. 2. It was already an excellent game, blending stealth, action, and cinematic storytelling in ways that remain shockingly distinctive even today.

The new 4K/60fps presentation is immediately noticeable if you’re a franchise veteran, finally freeing MGS4’s visuals and performance from the limitations of the PS3. The higher resolution and smoother frame rate provide an immediate boost to image quality and responsiveness, even if the underlying assets naturally still show their age in places. You might find the graphics a tad dated if you’re picky, but it’s definitely a serious upgrade over the PS3 version. Loading times have also been dramatically reduced, which makes a surprisingly large difference to the overall experience. More importantly, the infamous act-by-act installation sequences from the PS3 release are gone entirely, meaning there are no lengthy waits while Snake sits around smoking before the next chapter begins.

The original game was a very polished experience already, and giving it this current-gen boost makes Vol. 2 the best place to play MGS4 today. Veterans certainly won’t miss those installation screens, and moving between major sections of the game now feels dramatically faster and less intrusive (although there is a secret way to actually bring it back!). That faster pacing also complements a campaign that constantly moves between stealth, enemy encounters, and lengthy cinematic sequences.

Solid Snake’s biggest enemy in this one is his own aging body, and he is once again confronted by his arch nemesis: Liquid Ocelot. Fortunately, he’s got a bunch of tools at his disposal to aid him, but with his own body working against him in the field, staying alive isn’t going to be as easy as it once was for the legendary soldier. Tools like OctoCamo and FaceCamo help him stay hidden, while the multifunctional Solid Eye remains one of the game’s most useful pieces of equipment.

"It is worth noting that Metal Gear Online 2 is not included, so this isn’t a complete preservation of every component that shipped with MGS4 on PS3."

MGS4 still packs a punch on the stealth front, and can even stand toe to toe with most of its modern counterparts if it comes to it. The story gels well with the gameplay while also taking the franchise forward towards its conclusion, although it has a plot that was designed with long-term fans in mind. You’re going to want to do a bit of homework if you’re diving into this one blind, and want to get the most out of the story. The included Metal Gear Solid 4 Database can help fill in some of those gaps, with sensitive information remaining hidden until you’ve progressed far enough to avoid spoiling major revelations.

MGS4 also offers a surprisingly decent range of PC settings including but not limited to DirectX 11 and DirectX 12 renderers, 30, 40, and 60fps caps and FXAA. We reviewed the collection on an RTX 3080 Ti paired with a Ryzen 9 5950X, and performance was fine at 4K with the game running at a largely stable frame rate.

Konami has even updated some of MGS4’s platform-specific jokes for the new release, including newly recorded Otacon dialogue surrounding the game’s famous disc-swapping codec call. It’s a small touch, but one that shows Konami’s surprising attention to preserving the spirit of the original. However, it is worth noting that Metal Gear Online 2 is not included, so this isn’t a complete preservation of every component that shipped with MGS4 on PS3. It is a shame that such a beloved online world wasn’t given a new lease on life within this collection.

Guns of the Patriots features phenomenal voice acting and choreography in its famous, exposition-heavy cutscenes. Nostalgia’s certainly a part of this one’s replay value but it also works well as a showcase of great presentation in video games that holds up remarkably well even after all these years.

The same can be said for Peace Walker, which began life as a PSP title before receiving an enhanced HD console release on PS3 and Xbox 360. It has often been described as the true bridge between Metal Gear Solid 3 and Metal Gear Solid V, and there are plenty of reasons for that. Its narrative significance cannot be overstated, as it lays much of the groundwork for Big Boss’s transformation and the events that eventually lead into Metal Gear Solid V.

"It’s quite easy to recommend Master Collection Vol. 2 to both veterans and newcomers alike."

Having Peace Walker alongside MGS4 also makes thematic sense, allowing Vol. 2 to explore two very different stages in the lives of Big Boss and Solid Snake, but that’s certainly not the only good thing about it. It expands on ideas explored in Portable Ops with the Fulton recruitment system and a much deeper base-building loop, systems that would later become fundamental to Metal Gear Solid V.

Its balance between gameplay and storytelling remains among the strongest in the franchise, particularly compared with the far more cutscene-heavy MGS4. When you combine that with an almost overwhelming amount of weapons and items to unlock, and a bevy of side operations outside of the main story to engage with, this one could keep you busy for even a hundred hours of gameplay. Online play also returns, with Co-Ops supporting up to four players and Versus Ops accommodating up to six, although the lack of cross-platform play is disappointing. Peace Walker also benefits substantially from Vol. 2’s presentation upgrades, running at up to 4K/60fps while offering multiple visual modes. The digital screenplay books are a nice touch, but I know I’m not going to revisit them beyond that first look. They’re still nice to have in a collection that’s going to be a trophy item to some of its buyers.

All in all, it’s quite easy to recommend Master Collection Vol. 2 to both veterans and newcomers alike. The main draw is certainly Guns of the Patriots, but Peace Walker and Ghost Babel provide enough additional value to make the collection feel worthwhile rather than like a vehicle for MGS4 alone. Vol. 2 may be lighter on games than its predecessor, but the quality and historical importance of what it preserves make it a must play for action-stealth players.

One can only hope that a subsequent volume featuring Portable Ops, The Twin Snakes, Ground Zeroes, and The Phantom Pain, complete with the elusive Episode 51, is currently being considered by Konami. Such a release would be a genuine dream for the fanbase and the ultimate conclusion to Konami’s fantastic Master Collection initiative.

This game was reviewed on PC.

Note: Varun Karunakar contributed to this review.

As caught by Reddit user LeimBR, the footage, split up across eight videos, was uploaded by the same user who has in the past showcased early builds of Grand Theft Auto 5, and even footage from the canceled Rockstar Games project Agent.

While the videos are of early builds of the Iron Man project, with copyright information on some scenes indicating that it was from 2012, we do get a pretty good idea of what kind of gameplay it would have featured. One video featured gameplay from a demo that was seemingly made for E3 2012, and offered two distinct gameplay demos: “Kinetic Combat” and “Freestyle Flight”.

The title would have seemingly taken many of its cues from the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of the character, which would have been quite popular at the time. The HUD for the game seems to focus on minimalism, with elements showing up to denote the number of hits in a combo, XP earned, and even remaining health showing up as needed. A radar was also placed in the top-right corner that would have warned the player about the number of foes ahead.

A progression system was also seemingly planned through which players could upgrade various aspects of Iron Man’s capabilities, like speed, defense, damage, and extra weapons.

The “Freestyle Flight” demo, as its name implies, focused more on Iron Man’s aerial capabilities. Along with flight itself, the character would also be capable of engaging in combat, having to take on a variety of paramilitary aircrafts.

The uploader for the video has noted that all of this gameplay footage is from a restored early build of the game running on a PS3 development kit. This, along with the 2012 copyright year, indicates that Avalanche was going to bring it to PS3 and Xbox 360. Considering the studio’s work at the time, a PC release may also have been planned. Evidence of the game running on old console generation hardware is quite visible throughout the videos, with things like long loading times, low-resolution textures, and even the hazy brown look of the games of that era being all over the place.

As for what would eventually cause this game to be cancelled, Avalanche Studios co-founder Christofer Sundberg said back in 2022 that “company politics” got in the way, with tight deadlines meaning that the studio would have to massively increase its workforce.

In the meantime, a new Iron Man game is confirmed to be in development at EA Motive. While no details about the project have been revealed, job listings have indicated that it will feature “major singleplayer levels”, and that those applying for the job would also need to have experience with single-player action RPG games.

In an interview with FRVR, Russell spoke about how Uncharted doesn’t really need a remake, since its gameplay and visuals still hold up well today. Pointing to the remake of the original System Shock, he noted that it “makes a lot of sense because not just can you play it, but it had horrible key bindings, it kept a lot of people out from wanting to play it.” Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, on the other hand, is something Russell still considers to be “new” since its control scheme is pretty standard for third-person shooters even today.

This, along with the fact that PlayStation Plus subscribers can still play the original Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, makes Russell question, “What’s the point of remastering [or remaking] it?”

“I just don’t see the point of remaking [it],” he continued. “You’d have to rewrite the whole story to make it better, which means you’re going to change the spirit and you’re going to change the scenes and what the first one was about, right? You’re going to have to add all these scenes or take things away, and a lot of the key set pieces—are you going to keep those? Are you going to have to redo them because they don’t fit your story?”

Interestingly, Russell also believes that a remake of the original wouldn’t do much to introduce the franchise to a new game. Rather, he says that the studio should “take the lessons of Uncharted 4 and make a new game that’s in the past or wherever you need it to be.”

“It doesn’t make any sense. I honestly thought the same thing about The Last of Us Part 1… these are old games for a reason.” Russell also noted that a remake would feel “more like a cash grab than it would feel like anything necessary at this point.”

It is worth noting that, since the 2013 release of The Last of Us, Naughty Dog has released a remastered version of the game for PS4, and then a remake for PS5 and PC. Similarly, The Last of Us Part 2 also got a remaster. When it comes to Uncharted, however, the studio has only released two games throughout the 2010s – Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy.

While it might seem like Naughty Dog is ready to move past the Uncharted franchise, a report from earlier this year has indicated that the studio at one point “flirted with the idea” of making an Uncharted 5. According to Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson, “there was some planning of an Uncharted 5 before COVID.”

In the meantime, Intergalactic is slated for release exclusively on PS5. It doesn’t yet have a release date, however.

Red Dead Redemption 2, meanwhile, has sold over 87 million units, up from 85 million. It became the third-best-selling title in the United States, and with this continued sales momentum, that gap may continue to widen over time. That is, unless Nintendo Switch Sports Resort can replicate the success of Wii Sports.

As for Grand Theft Auto 6, it launches on November 19th for Xbox Series X/S and PS5. Over a year after its second trailer, Rockstar Games will debut an extended look on August 27th. The catch is that it will premiere first on Netflix at 3 PM ET before becoming available on YouTube and the official site at 9 PM ET.

While we wait for everything it could showcase, you can check out our feature for all the latest revealed details, including pricing and what’s available in the Ultimate Edition. Pre-orders have reportedly been very strong, reaching $260 million in the first week.

Among our favorite facets of our time with Metal Gear over the years is how each individual title has managed to remain special in our hearts and minds. It’s why remastered versions of some of its greatest hits, and a remake of one that did well to usher it into the current generation of gaming audiences, have been absolute treats for us to play.

It’s a stealth-action formula like no other, made eternal by Kojima’s visionary storytelling and gameplay design, and a potent narrative vehicle whose lore only gets more elaborate with every passing chapter. However, one of its titles has been rather quiet over the years, held back from reaching new generations of audiences thanks to its exclusivity to the PS3, a console that’s now two generations behind us.

If you’re among those players, we envy you. You might know Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriot from the memes. You might have heard about those cutscenes leaving enough time for a quick snack, or know it thanks to Old Snake’s iconic look as a weathered version of a seasoned protagonist. But you haven’t played it yet, and this one’s mechanical ambition, structural unpredictability, emotional excess are remnants of a time long gone in gaming that you might not be ready for.

We sense you scoffing at the idea of a game that’s around eighteen years old at this point giving you trouble of any sort. But that’s the point, as this one is full of surprises that are baked into the experience. Allow us to explain.

An Underplayed Variation On The Formula

Let’s begin with the fact that if your time in modern gaming began with the PS4 or later, the chances are you’ve only heard of this one, or perhaps caught its story cutscenes to help you understand what you were missing between titles that you could actually get your hands on. You might be coming into this one after Delta Snake Eater introduced you to Big Boss, and set the events of the franchise’s narrative in motion.

Well, this one’s going to be quite the culture shock, since it switches out meticulous, room-by-room infiltrations with active war zones, where soldiers, vehicles, patrols, and multiple factions vying for control of tightly contested spaces make for an experience that can be quite jarring to you. It could make you think that the quiet jungles that set Big Boss on his journey to infamy, and the patient, curated approach you could carve to them have been sacrificed on the altar of a more combat-focused title.

But you only have to dive into the many ways that Snake literally hangs back, using a cautious approach to pit factions against each other, his loyalty between them wavering on your whims. You could cause chaos, pitting them against each other and using the chaos of the ensuing firefight to pursue your own reasons for being there. Snake is a seasoned hunter in this one, and his years of accrued experience over his lifetime are woven into his gameplay loop so well it stands out as soon as you get some depth out of its systems.

Of course, the narrative framing leans into that playstyle, nudging you towards a more careful approach by making Snake’s ageing body a system all on its own, with visual cues that provide tangible feedback on your actions via animations, stress and physical strain being measured components of gameplay. The Psyche system is a layer that underlines it all, working well to give you the implicit understanding that you’re in control of a soldier who’s pushing a tired physique beyond its normal limits. It’s designed to make you feel like a soldier who simply refuses to die.

The change it brings to a gameplay loop that saw different innovations over the years is something that isn’t going to make itself known until you pick up a controller and begin messing around for yourself. Of course, Snake and his new hunting grounds are not the only parts of the equation that Guns of the Patriot switches up.

Tools Of The Trade

OctoCamo is certainly something that’s going to stand out when you get your hands on it. It’s the perfect example of how MGS4 adapts the franchise’s stealth-action formula to the new level designs, giving you an invaluable way to navigate complex spaces unseen by simply blending with the background, Meccha Chameleon style. A relatively short cooldown on it meant that the ability to hide in plain sight was never too far away, making it a responsive and fluid part of traversal.

Expect to find yourself using it to carve a path through enemy forces with a lot of the usual sneaking and skulking, but with a new energy and pace as you find yourself improvising on the fly, stopping only when the moment requires that you pause to exploit a new weakness, or perhaps figure out a new route based on a changing situation. You’re always adaptable, but Snake’s personal constraints mean every choice you make matters.

The Solid Eye was a superb way to complement that mobility, being a great way to spot interest in your immediate vicinity and from afar, while also giving you a map to help navigate areas with more precision. Between the two tools, you’re going to find that instead of feeling like stealth is restricted to controlled spaces, you now have an entire battlefield at your disposal and it’s a sense of liberation we’re happy you’re going to experience.

With other gadgets, the threat detection ring, weapons and their modifications, and Drebin’s shop, there’s a lot of depth to what’s on offer in this one. It brings a sense of freedom, and feels like the game’s always working with you as you make and execute plans to navigate heavily guarded space without no one being any the wiser to your presence. Where you might expect the game to fail it’s stealthy roots, it doubles down on them while also allowing the action part of things to take the spotlight

The boss battles may have been a step down from the incredible Cobra Unit encounters in Metal Gear Solid 3, but they still pushed us to our limits. The battles against the Beauty and the Beast Unit, along with the different ways each encounter could be approached, are something we can’t wait to experience again. And then there’s the chance to pilot Metal Gear REX against Metal Gear RAY, followed by the unforgettable final showdown between Snake and Liquid Ocelot, a rivalry built over years, brought to life with incredible passion.

You never know when a firefight is going to break out with you thrust into the thick of it all, with an aggressive approach often favored by its large-scale combat encounters. It’s a potent military shooter when a situation that brings such battles into play unfolds, but that it doesn’t compromise on the franchise’s famous stealth traditions to do so is something that could catch many of you unawares at several points if you’re not watching out for it.

There’s also that story to talk about.

Twists In The Tale

Part of why the switch to action from stealth can feel as surprising as it does is the story, where the very structure and pacing of the narrative bring new locations, objectives, and infiltration techniques needed to get there. The rest is up to you, as you’re encouraged to get as creative as you can with what’s in your pockets and in the world around you. There’s very little repetition on offer in this one, and that can be a switch from what’s on offer today.

It switches things up with each act, its tone also varying between military tragedies, the influence of political ideologies on conflict across the globe, questions of identity and agency, absurd comedy, fanservice, melodrama, and even a bit of horror thrown in. Those cutscenes aren’t talked about for so many years after the game’s release for no reason, and if you’re new to the franchise, a lot of what you find is going to have you diving for the wikis more often than not.

Of course, all of this only serves to lend the spectacle this one offers a unique charm, and it carries that with a confidence that’s both impressive and deeply self-indulgent and it flits between its excessive exposition, uneven pacing, and a few well-placed moments of closure for franchise veterans that were much needed at the time of its release, and are welcome bits of nostalgia for those of you replaying this one again.

You might think that all of these factors we’re talking about could be seen as flaws, and they would be if you look at them through the lens of a gaming industry that’s been more risk averse than Kojima and Konami were back in the day. It took an already ambitious and unique franchise in a bold new direction, leading into MGS5 with aplomb. Its ambitions, and the resolution of decades of complicated threads of continuity make it a game that’s more demanding than its peers, but it’s one that makes you feel like a truly powerful superspy trapped in an old man’s body.

That’s not something you can find everyday, and MGS4’s current-gen debut is something we’re excited for just to join Solid Snake on one last replay of his last adventure. If you’re a newcomer to its strangeness, massive scale, and its experimental excess, know that it doesn’t behave like anything you’re used to, and expects the same kind of controlled chaos from you.

It’s what has made it so special to us over the years.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

As caught by social media user Anonimo, changes were discovered on the SteamDB page for Wolfenstein, despite the title having been delisted from Steam entirely. A host of updates have seemingly been made to the metadata for the title, with some even mentioning modern features like controller glyph displays and default graphical configurations. Interestingly, among the changes is the original listed release date of the game – August 18th, 2009. This could hint at an upcoming remastered release.

There have also been mentions of Steam Deck compatibility, which would indicate that Bethesda and Microsoft are looking at a wide release for the 2009 shooter.

While neither of the companies has made any announcements as of yet, QuakeCon 2026 is right around the corner, kicking off on August 6th and running until August 9th. Bethesda has maintained a tradition of remastering some of the older shooter franchises it owns so far, and this year, we could see Wolfenstein getting the treatment. We’ve previously seen this happen with Quake, Quake 2, Heretic, and Hexen.

2009’s Wolfenstein was developed by Raven Software – a studio that was previously known for its work on classic shooters like Hexen and Heretic, and more recently known as a support studio working on the Call of Duty franchise.

The title revolves around American superspy B.J. Blaskowicz on a mission to stop the Nazi forces from being able to harness the power of an ancient alternate dimension known only as the Black Sun. While the Nazis have been using the power from the dimension to create new super soldiers and other monsters, Blaskowicz is equipped with a magic amulet that allows him to pull off some fantastical moves, like slowing down time, for example.

Interestingly, the story was a follow-up to 2001’s Return to Castle Wolfenstein, which laid many of the foundations of the Nazis and their obsession with occult artifacts leading up to the 2009 title.

Interestingly, while Wolfenstein: The New Order was a soft reboot for the franchise, developer MachineGames brought over some of the story elements from Wolfenstein to flesh out the world, including characters like Caroline Becker and Wilhelm Strasse. Many of the technological advances made by the Nazi forces in MachineGames’ series could also be attributed to their discovery and use of the Black Sun.

However, in terms of overarching continuity, the B.J. Blaskowicz of MachineGames’ titles is not the same as the one from the 2009 shooter, and the newer entries have also opted to take on a much more serious tone for their stories when compared to their predecessors.