I just beat Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. It was the most gratifying gaming experience that I have ever had [short of beating Halo 3 on it's launch date]
The game is a masterpiece.
It's like everything from every game of the series has been culminating towards this ending. It''s...masterfully written.
As a gamer who has played through and beaten all the other canonical Metal Gear games, I have to say- this game is perfect. A straight 10 out of 10.
The graphics are top tier, the cut-scenes are captivating- never boring, the story itself rivals the best Hollywood productions, the controls make it the perfect action game- it's like going Rambo in MGS3: Snake Eater, etc etc...- I could go on and on about this game.
The best part of the game was the combat system- customizable weapons, able to take hostages, able to buy guns and ammo in the middle of a fire fight, etc. The boss battles were the most entertaining in any game I have ever played. The camo system in MGS3 felt like a prototype version of what they introduced in MGS4- the Octocamo suit that enables you to blend in with your environment. It's very original, and it's epic.
This was really the only game that I have been longing to play on the PS3. I mean sure- Killzone 2 and Uncharted look cool, but for me, MGS4 was the only reason why I borrowed my friend's PS3. I didn't borrow it for those other games.
I thought it was moronic story-wise, lacked in any "Tactical Espionage" sneaking that the previous games excelled at, and the cutscenes were unintentionally hilarious.
Raiden: It was never going to work out for me. It even rained the day I was born. Solid Snake: You've got it all wrong. You were the lightning in that rain. You can still shine through the darkness.
I laughed when I heard this uncharacteristic and completely bizarre snake line.
Over all yeah the game rocked, but it did have plenty of those "this is ridiculous" moments as well. The game was epic no doubt. but personally, I feel like Raiden stole the show. I spent most of the game wondering when I was going to see him kick some ass again.
