Here's To You... Snake.

My first review on Blogger!  Finally, lets get this started!

Just finished playing Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots for the PS3.  You know, every so often you come across a game that dwarfs everything else.  A game that is so spectacular, that you begin to wonder if a video game can be perfected any more.  MGS4 is one of those games, without a doubt.  The game has been called more of a movie than a video game, and this criticism is deserved.  Some of the longer cut scenes carry on for longer than half an hour, and I believe the last one ate up a good hour and a half of my time!  Is this a bad thing though?  I think not.  In my humble opinion, the cut scenes bring a level of importance and epicness to the game.  By the time you finish watching one, you are so hyped up and ready to play, you are so emotionally drawn into the game, that you are Snake, or at least you feel what he does.  

On that topic, Snake is a wonderful character.  It is hard not to love the guy.  I found myself so engrossed in him, in the game, that every bullet I took, every rumble in that Sixaxis controller sent chills through my body.  Hideo Kojima, the games director, did a splendid job at immersing you in the story, in the characters, and in the Metal Gear world.  

The plot is intense, as it concludes the Metal Gear series, however, it can be a tad confusing as there are so many elements to keep track of.  Regardless, this minor confusion is usually cleared up by following cut scenes, and can be forgiven by the sheer emotion the plot regularly provides.  I have never gotten and adrenaline rush from a video game before Metal Gear Solid 4...

An area that seems to be lacking a little in my opinion is the game play itself.  While the sneaking system MGS fans are familiar with is still there, I found a lot of focus on combat as well.  This is all well and good until you discover that the combat is a little... slow.  In a largely populated area, I found myself under impossible odds to defeat enemies with my slow moving aiming reticule.  This coupled with the long cut scene- short level- long cut scene system made for some minor flawed game play.  Regardless, the game is still insanely fun, and these are just minor quirks.  

The last issue I will mention is the games content.  It is loaded with it.  Similar to how I talk about Super Smash Bros. Brawl, I noticed that the more I played MGS4, the more I discovered I could do!  No expenses were spared in making MGS4.  The developers set out to give players a very large, robust experience, and they succeeded.  

From the opening cinematic, to the tear jerking, never-forgettable ending, Metal Gear Solid 4 is, what I would consider, a perfect game.  I am a Nintendo fan.  Always have been, always will be.  Most of you know this, and thus it might come as a surprise that for the first time ever, I will be awarding a non Nintendo game a perfect score.

Metal Gear Solid 4: 10/10

One final note: I spoke with a few of you upon beating the game and mentioned that MGS4 had potential to be my favorite game of all time.  That feeling has passed.  While the game was amazing, and flawless in almost every way, the lack of game play drops it from being a contender of my favorite game.  Not that the game play was bad, it just was not AMAZING.  MGS4 excels in story telling, not game playing.  Brawl and Prime 3 will remain on top for now.  The fact that I considered allowing a Sony game to be my favorite though is testament to it's greatness.  Please world, if you have not played this game, give it the chance it deserves.  It is one of the most amazing, one of the most beautiful games of our time.