The second task was much more important, because at the end of every gameplay session, we were asked to provide detailed feedback, which would be given to the development team to make adjustments to the final build of the title. We weren't alone in experiencing the game in this way; Kojima himself was replaying the title at the same time we were, going through the same gameplay sections and feedback tasks as we were. In effect, we became part of the design team. As I stated earlier, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, especially for any Metal Gear Solid fan. Not only were we getting a chance to complete the game before anyone else, but we were making an impact on the overall game that will launch worldwide on June 12th.
The final chapter in the 20-year franchise that constantly redefined the stealth action genre, Metal Gear Solid 4 brings Solid Snake back out of the shadows for one final mission to eliminate his nemesis, Liquid Ocelot. But, like every other Metal Gear Solid game, there's much more going on than a simple assassination. I certainly won't spoil the plot points or the story here; there is only so much that I'm allowed to talk about, after all. Instead, I will go into more detail on a section we've previously covered: the Middle East area that Snake has infiltrated in released trailers or demos.
But let me first preface that statement with one new piece of info that we hadn't previously known. Whereas previous Metal Gear Solid games have been relatively linear in their approach, MGS4 is much more of an open-world affair. While there are still specific locations that Snake will need to get to (which will constantly be indicated on Snake's mini-map), the environments that he finds himself in will provide multiple paths to get him to his eventual destination. This provides much more flexibility in how you fight your way through the battlefields that engulf MGS4.
Snake will come across the horrors of war.