Metal Gear Solid 4

I really don't like calling Metal Gear 4 a game,but more like a fine piece of art.Without giving the story away for those who haven't played this,all I can say is it blew my mind.At times it was almost overwhelming to see so many familiar faces returning,but it was a brilliant way to close out Snake's final mission.

When it comes to story,the gameplay,the sound,you name it,I have no complaints whatsoever.Having grown up with the Metal Gear series,and anticipating this final installment for years I can now rest easy and call it perfection.

If you haven't played any of the previous MG games,it would probably be a good idea to at least play the first three Solid games before this one.Things could get very confusing if you are not familiar with this story.

Thank you Hideo for all the great memories :)

I didn't play Metal Gear Solid 1, 2, or 3. I just bought a PS3 and heard this game was amazing, so i took a chance and bought it. For the first 5 hours, this game is difficult to understand, and to be honest, not a lot of fun. But once you get the hang of the controls, and the weapon customization and item usage, it becomes a breeze. The plot line is fairly easy to follow, as the games developers explain everything to you as you go along. Therefor people that don't know any of the story lines have a pretty good idea of what's going on in this game. The second i finished this game, i immediately started it up again on a higher difficulty level. its' that good. you'll want to play it over and over. a must buy.

MGS4 is, by itself, reason enough to get a PS3. The game is truly amazing. The whole game itself is 1080p, not just a few scenes like some other games that claim to be 1080p, so it looks incredible on an HDTV. I don't have an XBOX so I can't say if any of the platform exclusive titles are as good or not, but it would have to be one heck of a game to beat MGS4. I've played all the other games in the series and I've read the reviewers fussing about the long cut scenes and some of them are very long (I think it was between acts 2 and 3, counting the ending of one part and the mission briefing of the next part, the cut scene was nearly 50 minutes long). You can skip them, but you miss out on a big part of the story and the story is the main reason for playing MGS4. MGS has never been a run-and-gun type game. It actually requires you to have patience, refrain from shooting any thing that moves, be stealthy and quiet, so it doesn't appeal to a lot of gamers, but if you liked the other games in the series, you will absolutely love this one. This is the best game I've played on the PS3 so far.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is a marvelous blend of video game and cinematic experience!! I have only played Sons of Liberty before and found it somewhat incomplete and limited in detail. But this game has combined cutting edge graphics, wonderful gameplay, endless weaponry options and a mesmorizing storyline beautifully complimented by one of the most moving and powerful musical scores ever in a videogame bar none!! This game not only captures the imagination but the flawless storyline and ending lift the human spirit through the rollercoaster of tragedy and triumph.

I purchased the 80GB Playstation 3 Metal Gear Solid Package over the Motorstorm package and I have been absolutely blown away!! Marvelous Game!! Well Done!!

This title is not in the same league as the Halo/Gears of War/Call of Duty 4 crowd of games; I'm not saying that it is better than those, it's just apples and oranges to me. Others have detailed this games' pros and cons much more in depth than I have time for. So I'll do my best to be concise and add another 5-star to this gem's avg rating.

Story= It's a Metal Gear Game: an over-the-top convoluted and far-fetched plot mixed with numerous characters (most of which are one-dimensional except for Snake himself, the anti-hero of course) against a backdrop of a dystopian war-economy future.

Gameplay= Stealth-action mechanics. No Rambo-style here. Just peeking around walls, crawling through grass, followed by the occasional bullet to the head by a silenced sniper rifle or maybe firing a SAM to an overhead attack helicopter. There is less actual game-playing than game-experience b.c of the ratio of play:cut-scene length.

Presentation= Playing this in our home theater on a 150" projector screen with 5 B&W speakers and an 18" Velodyne sub... WOW. Not only was the music beautifully intertwined throughout playing but bullet-pings, mortar explosions were so real! The graphics are astounding - Blu Ray really shines here in spite of 720p graphics partly for the game's extremely high production value and cinematic elements. The cut scenes' length requires too much time to debate on how they help or hurt the game. Yes, they are very, very long. But I like them that way and one can skip them by hitting the Start button.

Extras+Multiplayer+Etc= can't comment, I'm a graduate student who has little time enough to play games, so finishing this once for the story and initial play was enough.

Overall= I think this game is like classical music. 90% of my age 18-24 friends neither care for the genre or dislike it altogether. Which is sad because the depth, complexity, and sheer beauty I perceive in some composer's work is lost upon them and I only wish they could share my experience. "Bo-o-o-ringgg..", they say. Is their taste in music inferior for listening to Dave Matthews or 50 cent instead? Not for me to say. Same thing with this game. I can't fault the guy who's coming from playing Counter Strike to also being melancholic like me now that the game is over simply b.c the game is so different than anything out there right now. Also, it appeals almost exclusively to the fan like me whose been hooked since MGS1 back in '98 (and subsequently played the original 1980s games on his relic NES 20 yrs later just for the story). I point to the numerous flashback scenes as proof for us veterans.
MGS4, touted as the savior for the PS3 and a reason for Avg Gamer Joe to stand in line at Gamestop for a midnight release so Sony could recover lost market share, is not the game the PS3 was exclusively supposed to be bought for. Not even Game of the Year. Its greatness is far too centered on a small (yet sizable) group of players who appreciate its brilliance. I only wish more games could be made like this. I'm still feeling blue after the ending. Feels like coming home after a long and changing journey. The mundane reality contrasts too much with the escapist fantasy this game brings to life. Like the story arc, it is the end of an era.