As last reported, I have been consistently trekking through the world of Metal Gear Solid 4. Approximately 10 hours of my life have been invested into the world of Solid Snake so far. The verdict? Perhaps one of the best electronic gaming experiences I have encountered since my early years of playing on the original PlayStation.
This latest judgement on the game has not come without reservations though. Before I divulge, allow me to further explain the structure of the game. This iteration of the MGS series is broken down into seperate acts thoughout the game. These acts are preceded by small installations (usually 2-3 minutes long) that are exactly like the installation procedure when the disc is first inserted. So far, each act is substantially different from the other in both gameplay and surroundings. Up to this point, I have completed three acts and am at the start of Act 4.
For one, I am not a person that likes to read spoilers – so I will keep this blog free of any life altering plot revelations for now. That being said – I will hold no reservations in stating Act 3 of Metal Gear Solid 4 is singularly the greatest gaming I have ever participated in. The gameplay goes from simple sneaking to the best action I have seen in the entire Metal Gear series. This includes gameplay that is so polished it reminded me of a dream I had when I first played Final Fantasy VIII – being able to play games that looked just like the cutscenes featuring Squall and Rinoa. MGS4 is so polished and detailed it allows me to finally realize such a dream. To date, none of the current “next-gen” games really seemed to reach that realization for me until now. There were moments in Act 3 of MGS4 that were just breathtaking – I wish I could have re-wound the game and just played the exact same scenario over and over again. There was frenetic action, enemies all around, a speeding Snake shooting at everything in sight, and even some great playable slow-mo moments.
As previously stated, this grandiose statement does not come without reservations. MGS4 entails the same extended cutscenes as the prior games. There are times when I wish I could just save in the middle of a movie so I could come back later (my wife probably wishes the same.) At the same time, there are some points of these movies that make me scream at my TV wanting to know the answer of each new question posed. This game really is like a double edged sword and finely walks the line between a bloated infomercial of the future and high-polished polygons. Thankfully, it succeeds more often than not and I appreciate it for that.
My goal now is to finish the game and follow this up with a published review. This review will be as detailed as possible without providing any spoilers (hopefully).
Stay tuned and thanks in advance for your time.
