Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

I've been enjoying my Playstation 3 since I got it, but some people insist MGS4 is the only game possibly worth getting the system for. It is one of the reasons I made the purchasing decision I did, and I'm glad I was finally able to play it.

Over the years, the Metal Gear Solid story has grown and twisted itself out of control, and one of the main concerns going into this game was that Hideo Kojima and crew would be unable to wrap everything up in a satisfying way by the time it was over. There were so many questions and characters to resolve that they could have easily blown it, but they didn't. I still think the third game had the best story in the series, especially on an emotional level, but Guns of the Patriots brings everything together and answers nearly every burning question I have. They even did a good job bringing the third game's events in and integrating them, when it would have been easy to just ignore them since they happened forty or fifty years before the other games. I wasn't completely happy with everything that happened, some of the action cinemas might have been a little too out there, and I kind of wished some of the plot twists were a little crazier, but it's hard to be down on the way they ended the saga of Solid Snake.

Unfortunately, the large plot issues they had to deal with caused some ramifications with the gameplay. The first two acts are amazing and easily the most fun I've ever had with the series. But after that, the story takes over quite often and the last few acts spend too much time explaining things and not letting you play. The game is still fun in those areas, but often breaks a little too far to the formula when I just wanted more of what I had already played. The new stuff is fun, and interesting playing through the first time, but I definitely think when I play again the first two acts will hold up much better. The success of the game hinges on the new controls, which are much friendlier to the average user while still feeling like a Metal Gear game. Everything feels smoother, and it's always fun to either sneak past difficult situations or face them, either quietly using the now-less-intimidating CQC techniques or the actually enjoyable shooting mechanics, especially with the plethora of weaponry available. There's a new system for acquiring guns, ammo, and upgrades, and it makes it a lot easier to blast your way through the game if you want to. The boss fights are still fun and often unique, especially the one at the climax of Act 4, but my favorite is again the one that encourages sniping from afar, which seems to be the best in every game that's had one. The main bosses seem pretty extraneous to the story, but fighting them can be an enjoyably creepy experience. I haven't played the online with the game but I played the beta a couple months back, and if it was any indication of the final experience, which it should be, it's a bit quirky but can be a very addicting, satisfying, team-based shooter.

I would be lying if I didn't admit some of the enjoyment of the series came from it's amazing visual and audio prowess. The games have always been the best looking on their system, and this is no exception. The textures aren't the best I've seen, but the models, animation, effects, and direction of the cutscenes are incredible. The voice acting is usually good, except when they get a bit long winded and sound like they're reading from a script. The music is entertaining as always and the sound effects, regardless of whether the scene is calm or a huge battle, are terrific. One of the best looking and sounding games ever, to go along an extremely fun game and wrapping up one of the more enjoyable stories. Even if you don't like previous games in the series, you might enjoy this one just because of the friendly advances the controls have made. If you have access to it, play it.