Introduction:

I’ll be honest with you – I’ve always hated Metal Gear Solid from the very beginning. I vividly remember when all my friends were raving about how MGS on the original Playstation was “soooooo much better” than Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the N64. Actually they were raving about how the PS1 > N64, but whatever. If you know my geek/nerd/otaku side, you obviously know that Ocarina of Time is my favorite game of all time. It is THE definitive game, absolutely nothing comes close to it. Super Metroid, Final Fantasy VIII (8), Smash Bros. Brawl, none of them can ever beat Zelda. It is simply that good…until now.

I can wholeheartedly say, with confidence, that Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The Patriots is completely superior to Ocarina of Time in every way.

Graphics:

This game pushes the PS3 to its limits…I mean, this ENTIRE game is completely rendered using the in-game engine. That means that there is absolutely no CGI involved – it is all real time 3D. That alone is a remarkable achievement. If you want to get picky, there are a few “bad” textures out of the insanely polished and stunning atmosphere and surroundings, and the framerate isn’t constant at 30fps (which they should have done, in my opinion). Otherwise, this game (so far) is the best looking game on the PS3 and easily one of the best looking games currently to date out of all consoles/PCs.

Old Snake looking badass.

Sound:

Uncompressed Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. That alone makes it worth it to even show off what the ps3 can do, and even show off what your surround sound system is capable of. This game sounds amazing, period. Every explosion, footstep, gunshot, you name it, is heard clearly and distinctly throughout all 5 speakers. The voicework is probably the best ive ever heard in any game to date. Top quality actors/actresses make this game sound and play SO much better than it already does. It’s what makes MGS work (part of it at least). The soundtrack is also equally amazing, again done by Harry Gregson-Williams (who did some previous MGS soundtracks as well). If you want to play this game right, get a decent 5.1 system setup. Trust me on that one.

Gameplay:

At first, the controls seem weird, especially if you have played MGS1, 2, or 3 before. The old controls had you pressing multiple buttons just to do one thing (ex: grabbing an enemy required you to press X to crouch, then unequip a weapon, then press square or triangle or circle, whatever it is). Now for MGS4, everything is simplified. One button to do everything. Press X to crouch, but continue to press and hold X to crawl. Just small things like that add up to MUCH better and not fiddly controls. It does take a bit of getting used to though.

Watch where you’re aiming th…what in the…? Why is he floating??

Presentation:

The opening is just awesome. The menus are simple to use/read/navigate, and they look good too. The cut-scenes are some of the best in the industry, easily surpassing some movies. This basically sums up why i love MGS – the cutscenes are what makes the game. The gameplay is phenomenal, but i’m really here for the story and to watch it. Some people will disagree with this, and some people wont, but that won’t deter me in any way. 10/10.

Multi-player:

Think MGS4 but with 15 other people as well. There are plenty of expansion packs to keep the game fresh as well. I haven’t played it extensively so i can’t really give impressions on it though. As for online play though, it’s pretty darn smooth.

Work as team, survive as a team.

Single-player:

What more do you want? It is the terrific MGS gameplay, just with an even further improved MGS3 – Subsistence free-roaming camera and better controls.

Extras:

Kojima has put everything you could imagine in this game. From a 2P digital camera mode, to a completely functioning in-game iPod (that has the full iPod menu with scroll wheel) with hidden songs, to flashbacks where you see old MGS1/MGS2/MGS3 cutscenes and pictures, to MANY weapons with multiple attachments each. There’s even a…heh, i’ll save that for the people who don’t want to get spoiled. Too many extras are in here, and its a damn good thing.

Conclusion:

This is the best game of all time, bar none. While Zelda is in a class of its own (coming from a 2D sprite-based game to a completely 3D world and making everything about Zelda 10000x better), MGS4 just surpasses it. This game has it all; cinema quality voice acting, excellent graphics (1080p ftw), 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound (uncompressed too), TONS of extras, the best story telling ever for a video game, and more. It even has a pretty decent multiplayer to boot, but I dont think it’ll be a Halo 3/COD4/CS:S killer anytime soon. That being said, if you were waiting for a reason to buy a ps3, here it is ladies and gentlemen. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The Patriots is it.

Rating: 10/10.

“You cheater! You slept with my girlfriend!” “No…i swear…”