MGS4 Simply Not A Criticism Of Blu-Ray

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Update: We are aware that Phase1Phaser's article is satirical in nature, but we simply referenced it to make a legitimate point: developers aren't suddenly going to start running out of space with Blu-Ray just because MGS4 is so flippin' huge. Just wanted to clarify.

Original Story:

By now, everyone has heard that Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is going to take up the vast majority of the 50GB of data available on a Blu-Ray disc. Obviously, this sparked a lot of debate, especially amongst those not yet sold on the format. The common refrain has been, "well, if a game this early on in the generation can barely fit on it, what good is it? We'll still need multiple discs at some point!"

Not so fast. MGS4 is a very unique title, and Hideo Kojima has said in the past it has nothing to do with Blu-Ray's limitation, but more to do with the sheer scope of his vision. Essentially, MGS4 is just a very large game and it's "theoretically impossible to create a game as ambitious as Metal Gear Solid 4." (source- Phase1Phaser) The team was forced to make a few cuts here and there, simply because the sheer size of MGS4 is mind-boggling, although some tech enthusiasts still believe Konami simply needed to compress the audio to free up some space. But just to repeat- not every game is going to take up the majority of a Blu-Ray disc; in fact, you may never see another title push those limits the way Kojima's production will, especially if MGS4 really is the last installment in this legendary franchise.

So before everyone starts running around like Chicken Little with their "the sky is falling!" nonsense, calm down for a second and realize that MGS4 isn't your run-of-the-mill game, and Kojima isn't your run-of-the-mill developer. Most - if not all - titles in the future will fit just fine on one Blu-Ray disc, and most designers have said as much in the past. It's just that, essentially, MGS4 is...freakin' huge.

Related Game(s): Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

3/8/2008 Ben Dutka

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