MGS4 print reviewers asked to not disclose install time, cut scene length, reports MTV

by Ross Miller { May 30th 2008 at 2:30PM }

MTV Multiplayer's Stephen Totilo, who has been doing some great coverage of the game reviews industry this week (seriously, go check it out), reports that he's heard from two gaming media sources that say that Konami had some rather odd restrictions for Metal Gear Solid 4 print reviews. Namely, that they avoid the topic of the game's installation or the length of the cut scenes.

The 4.5GB installation is listed on the box itself, and the cut scene length was brought up in IGN UK's review. "One of those things that Konami doesn't want us to talk about is the 'total length of cut-scenes,'" reads the review, which later goes on to say that cut scenes encompass about half the game's content. Whether or not these restrictions are true remain to be seen (they certainly aren't true online). We'll have to keep an eye out as the print reviews start showing up.

Tags: konami, metal-gear-solid, metal-gear-solid-4, metal-gear-solid-iv, mgs, mgs4

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

arrrgh @ May 30th 2008 2:33PM

i can has mgs4 movie?

man half the game is cutscenes? yikes

tmacairjordan87 @ May 30th 2008 2:34PM

We'll see. Let's not have another 90+ minute cutscene debacle which was later proved false.

PeacefulOutrage @ May 30th 2008 2:37PM

Well, if they are really good, I don't think that I would mind so much since they can be paused. Hopefully the game auto-saves if you fall asleep during a particularly long cut-scene.

@tmacairjordan87
We'll find out when they game is released.

copa @ May 30th 2008 2:48PM

"Let's not have another 90+ minute cutscene debacle which was later proved false."

It was 'proved false' by a small group of commenters here who never played the game and shouted, "That's not true! That's not true!"

Let's review the facts here:

A print review team at PSW magazine PLAYED THE GAME and reported that there was more than one cutscene "that approaches the 90 minutes mark."

In a later thread, a GamePro employee by the handle of 'Arturis' who has not played the game said no, there were insanely long cutscenes, but they were under 90 minutes.

Which is exactly what the PSW folks said.

And we have unnamed Konami employees who say don't tell anyone how long out cutscenes are, (or the length of the install), or we'll fucking kill you.

In conclusion, I have to disagree that anything has been 'proven false.'

DangerMouse @ May 30th 2008 2:56PM

Long cutscenes in MGS never bothered me. What bothers me is that i can't pause them. Even though i don't have a PS3 to play it, i hope it's least included this time around.

arrrgh @ May 30th 2008 3:06PM

dont get me wrong, the cutscenes will be beautiful and definitely entertaining to watch

but...wouldn't it have been nicer if they worked the cutscenes into the gameplay?

Vidikron (FU) @ May 30th 2008 3:18PM

@copa

You're wrong:

http://www.n4g.com/ps3/News-148860.aspx

Noshino @ May 30th 2008 3:30PM

copa,

Apparently the only ones that have reported that are CVG (well, CVG network that is, PSW and Edge magazines)

And the only ones to have stated otherwise are from GamePro
http://www.gamepro.com/news.cfm?article_id=187049

So at the moment is a "wait and see" issue.

copa @ May 30th 2008 3:32PM

"So at the moment is a "wait and see" issue."

Agreed. I'm just hoping it isn't a 90-minute wait.

Bleu @ May 30th 2008 3:49PM

I really dont care I am still gonna buy two copies of this game. yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeea!

Arturis @ May 30th 2008 4:22PM

I am Arthur "Arturis" Orneck, GamePro Web Developer, and I fully endorse this thread.

-Paid for by the Committee to Abolish the 90 Minute MGS4 Cut Scene Rumor

Korova Pyro aspect @ May 30th 2008 5:18PM

I am here. And ready for a good flame war.

KarlW @ May 30th 2008 5:20PM

Well, MGS has always used the in-game engine for cutscenes, which dramatically reduces the size (storage wise) of each scene. Since MGS4 claims to take up a full double-layer BD-ROM (50GB), I think its safe to say that this game has amazing scope, and a 90 minute cutscene will pale in comparison to the amount of time it'll take to finish the game.

Of course, I haven't played it. I'm just guessing. Since the game got 10/10 anyway, I think I'm probably right.

Purple Haze @ May 30th 2008 7:48PM

If there's any game I trust will keep my interest with cut scenes being half of the game it's Metal Gear Solid.

J @ May 30th 2008 8:57PM

WHAT DOES IT MATTER!?

IGN UK still gave the game 9.9!!

Thanks joystiq for for leaving that part out, even though you left a link to the review.

Marty @ Jun 2nd 2008 1:37AM

J, this article wasn't about what the game got as a score - it was about a publisher asking reviewers not to mention certain things. And that is bullshit, no matter if the game got a 9.9 or a 0.

Negativecool @ May 30th 2008 2:33PM

..........

So?

Mr.ESC @ May 30th 2008 3:13PM

Awwww c'mon now I have to watch that f*cking ad too if I want to upvote someone (Yes I upvote you since I don't believe this is a big deal either).

90 minutes of cut scenes are okay for me as long as I can pause them or watch them later, sometimes I have to answer the phone, go to sleep or I accidentally press the start button. It was really annoying MGS2 since I couldn't watch some really long cut scenes since I'm always busy.

Anything as long there aren’t any f*cking hummingbirds in it.

Sir Fidlious Wong (Justin T. McElroy Memorial Burn of the Day Award) @ May 30th 2008 3:30PM

I concur. We knew this was going to be cinematic heavy. Which is where most people love or hate MGS games. All the rumor basically tells us is something we knew since day 1. All the rumor has done is essentially provide ammo for people who were bashing the game anyway. Nothing is changes and it's still 13 days from now....

kbomb1upc @ May 30th 2008 3:50PM

I don't understand how something that you don't even have to watch has become this big issue. If this is worst part of this game then I think it MGS4 will be a great game.

Marty @ May 30th 2008 5:24PM

So???

So maybe we should be getting honest, objective reviews? Not reviews that require approval from the publisher first. Not reviews that follow guidelines the publisher lays down.

What the hell is the point of even having reviews if they aren't objective, and don't report the game as it is? What if the game has terrible graphics or slowdown, and the publisher asks reviewers not to mention it?

Mainstream, commercial reviewers / review sites are all turning the same. Just another sales pitch to get you to buy the games that put out ads in their publications.

It's a complete load of crap, and it will continue to be so until imbeciles like you stop replying merely with "So...?"

Negativecool @ May 30th 2008 6:21PM

Marty-

I'm not sure why you think there can't be an objective review of the gameplay without revealing spoilers, the exact length of the cutscenes, and pointing out that it requires a 4.5g install.

You're sensational points makes you look like a foil-hat-conspiracy theorist. If the developer/publisher ever did tell a reviewer not to mention something as integral to gameplay as something like graphics, the reviewer would simply score the graphics low (if they were bad), and they'd simply say the reasoning behind the low score will have to wait because of the contract.

The fact of the matter is that Konami's long "Hush hush" list had a lot more to do with making sure no spoilers are revealed, a consiquence of reviewing a game that won't be played by anyone else for two weeks, than it had to do with keeping the cutscene length and install quiet.
I can understand why they wouldn't want the length of cutscenes or the 4.5 gig install revealed because both of those facts start a lot of fanboy wars and needless arguments/complaints.

Stop being so damn cynical by making them out to look like the gestapo because they made some understandable demands about reviewing a game long before anyone will ever see it on store shelves.

Jacksons @ May 30th 2008 6:57PM

Objective game review... Thanks, that one made me chuckle.

ManekiNeko @ May 30th 2008 2:37PM

Game companies have been making a lot of demands from reviewers... demands they have no right to make. You can't write an honest review with these kinds of restrictions! It's like Konami is telling game critics, "It's all right to talk about the game... just don't mention any of the flaws. And make sure you give it a ten while you're at it."

DangerMouse @ May 30th 2008 2:50PM

I agree, but in return, important ties can be severed, especially for a company like IGN that thrives off of getting an asshole review out before everyone else. I mean look at that pitiful one linked in the post.

copa @ May 30th 2008 2:51PM

Other great demands in videogame history:

"You can review Lair... as long as you don't talk about the controls."

"You can review Mr. Driller Online... as long as you don't talk about online."

"You can review Haze... as long as you don't talk about Haze."

arrrgh @ May 30th 2008 3:01PM

AHHAHAHAHA

oh copa you made my day man!!
:)

good times

baby sea tuna @ May 30th 2008 3:05PM

Everything I needed to know about PR damage control, I learned from Fight Club.

FOXHOUND @ May 30th 2008 3:16PM

They can make those demands IF they haven't released to the public. It's called a 'Non-Disclosure Agreement'... companies, not just videogame based, do it all the time. This isn't a new or foreign practice by any means; in fact, it's done on a regular basis with a lot of Hollywood studios(ex. the new "X-FILES" movie had a *lot* of its detail undisclosed until recent months).

Most likely, Konami had offered early or exclusive review of the game to these companies with the stipulation that they could not talk about certain points. Same goes for those(lucky bastards)that got to play the entire game ahead as part of final 'bug testing' and constructive critique.

arrrgh @ May 30th 2008 4:01PM

he means the issue of INTEGRITY dude. They can't ask to have certain aspects of the game omitted because they might shed negative light on the game. A review is supposed to be just that. A REVIEW of the game, not a review...except for the shit that makes the game look bad...

that's like saying the US Gov has the right to not disclose certain events during conflicts because they think it would put a "negative spin" on their war.

It happens all the time. But it sho aint right.

browntown @ May 30th 2008 8:03PM

But these are not flaws that effect gameplay in any way. The probably didn't want this to get out cuz 360 fanboys jump all over installs and for soem reason cutscenes, so it a negative against the game (for some reason i don't know why) and it could put people off due to the critisism, even though it doesn't effect gameplay. Also, just becuz this wasn't mentioned in the review doesn't mean they won't take it into consideration, so what ever scores it gets it deserves.

Justin @ May 30th 2008 2:38PM

There's a bunch of conflicting information online now.

The BBCC measured 9 hrs of cutscenes.

One review said it took around 29 hrs to beat. That means 20hrs gameplay.

Another review says about half the game is cutscenes, which would mean 15 hrs of cutscenes.

One review said a third of the game is cutcenes and 2/3rds is gameplay, and it took him 30 hrs, which is 10 hrs of cutscenes and 20 hrs gameplay.

June 12th will be the only way some clarification is found. Either way, even though asking for that info not to be disclosed seems shady, I understand why they did it...judging by the way fanboys and the media blow things out of proportion and focus on one negative aspect of something instead of taking in everything as a whole. I wouldn't have requested they omit it though if I was Konami, because in turn you get 'these' kind of reports/articles.

The installation, although 4.5GB total is less than DMC4 and Haze is fine, I'm curious to know why there's a small install at the beginning of every act. IMO it should be one big install at the beginning of the game. Glad they covered it up by something interactive, exciting and new though and not just have you staring at an install screen.

Justin @ May 30th 2008 2:42PM

BBFC*

Benny @ May 30th 2008 2:45PM

It'll be 13th June before we truly find out, methinks.

Justin @ May 30th 2008 2:50PM

I'd end up hurting someone.

I have a list that shows a list of Gamestops (the one I pre-ordered at included) that are doing Midnight launches of MGS4 on June 11th at 11:59 p.m.

Unless you mean nobody will beat the game until June 13th...then that's a different story lol

Benny @ Jul 22nd 2008 10:12PM

Lol, I can see the carnage already!

But yes, I was thinking more that beating a 30-hour game in one day would be an achievement... sorry, a trophy-winning moment ;)

Benny @ May 30th 2008 2:54PM

Lol, I can see the carnage already!

But yes, I was thinking more that beating a 30-hour game in one day would be an achievement... sorry, a trophy-winning moment ;)

Justin @ May 30th 2008 3:00PM

lmaooo

well I can honestly say, that if MGS4 was on 360, some dude would skip all the cutscenes and codec conversations just to RUN thru the game for that achievement. Even if these 'trophies' or 'accomplishments' do make it into fw2.4 before MGS4 comes out...I doubt anyone would go for that the first playthrough.

So you're completely right. June 13th it is!

----
on another note:

My brother skipped a cutscene once after a boss battle and I tried to scratch his eyeballs out.

arrrgh @ May 30th 2008 3:03PM

justin: seek help

Justin @ May 30th 2008 3:05PM

@ arrrgh

lol no need.

After MGS4, I'm backing away from gaming for a while.

At least until SOCOM comes out...and then Gears 2. XD

Justin @ May 30th 2008 3:06PM

...although it should be noted that you just don't mess with an MGS fans' cutscenes the first time through.

Mr.ESC @ May 30th 2008 3:24PM

Hey I always go for the achievements in the first play because I know I'm not going to play it again unless the game is very short or something like Gears or really addictive like Metal Gear Ac!d 2.

To be honest there should be a theater mode like in MK4 or Shadow man to replay all the scenes or a better example MGS3:S

I really like games I can finish in 2 weeks or so. Funny this game is the PS3 response to Halo 3 but I don’t’ see the Giant Enemy…Marketing monster behind it (I bet you thought I was going to say Giant enemy crab).

Anyway I think I’ll miss the launch, I have to be in Boston for a conference the week MGS4 is going to be released, I hope there are some Bundles left when I return.

I just returned from New York and I have to be in the U.S again.

noskillbassist @ May 30th 2008 8:12PM

Mr. ESC: I've had enough of your idiocy. Thread after thread after thread all you do is post speculation. Where in the holy fuck has MGS4 been labeled as the PS3's answer to that mediocre of a shooter, Halo 3? Please, enlighten me.

quickshade @ May 30th 2008 2:39PM

All I can say is that I play video games to get away, and don't want 20 minute cutscenes even if they are good, call me ADD but I sit through 3 hour movies with no problems (there will be blood), It all comes down to the fact that I want a good story mixed with tons of gameplay. I don't play games to watch a movie, otherwise I would just watch a movie. Plenty of games have produced good story lines, notably GTA4, which uses the cellphone and cars as a way to extend cutscenes.

What I'm trying to say here is how fun would pac-man be if you had a 20 minute cutscene between levels.

Arttemis @ May 30th 2008 2:44PM

If you're not a fan of the cinematic style and presentation of MGS, why are you bitching about it on a MGS thread?

The series is more than just gameplay. It's the story, atmosphere, cinematics, and suspense through gameplay; all of which you don't find in pac-man.

quickshade @ May 30th 2008 2:54PM

Notice how I never bashed MGS4, you just assumed that. I was aiming this more at the people who defend a game for long cutscenes and say everyone else has ADD.

Shagittarius @ May 30th 2008 3:11PM

Looks like Eurogamer didnt get the message:

"(Take note, however, that there are several minutes of install time to be endured, not just at the start, but before each act - albeit graced with a fantastic animated graphic of Snake smoking next to some health warnings.)"

Boss Tempo @ May 30th 2008 3:46PM

I have no problems bashing MGS games. Why? Because they suck. Japs bore you to death with games filled with over dramatized anime mumbo jumbo mixed with military ops and commando style story hooks. "Fighting for honor" and "Dying for Justice" blah blah blah...give it a rest already. There's nothing interesting about useless dialog that goes round and round in circles and doesn't contribute a single bit to the story. Throw in a couple pre-teens with fully developed boobs in school girl outfits and you might have a winner. Otherwise you're just watching hours of cut-scenes overflowing with trans-gendered army guys who look like women and talk like they're in a Godzilla movie.