Play this game, do not read about it... You need to see this.
You know it's not going to be perfect, but it's also everything you hoped it was and so much more...
Also, there's a lot more heartbreak involved than you expected at first... I don't believe I've ever loved any video game character like I love Snake.
You do deserve to play this epic production if you ever thought of yourself as a real gamer, someone who loves video games whatever the hardware it is running on
(i seem to be excluding a lot of people with that statement but it is on purpose ; how can one love only white women when he says he loves all women? Same with people only talking about PC, Wii, XBox or PS3 games, how can they really love gaming deep down if they make a distinction between that?).
This one is a monumental undertaking, especially the "95% of the time" real-time live rendered cut-scenes.
You can zoom-in in around 98% of the cut-scenes at your leisure to look for clues, hidden winks and interact by pressing "up" on the D-pad ; which is analog-pressure sensitive allowing you various zooming levels you can then aim with the right-analog stick.
You can even press up and down on the d-pad like a tv remote in the beginning cutscenes which are meant to be mock-up tv channels starring the various PMCs and other TV ads and shows.
Everything in this jewel is geared towards making a video game something even deeper and better. Something creepingly real. Something that draws you in and keep you there.
So many things and cool details could be spoiled by me reviewing it that it would be a crime to let some of the greatest storytelling effort of our era be wasted by you guys reading reviews and previews...
Two things irk me so far, the game re-installs for about two minutes at the beginning of a new chapter and the first act's stages are too short compared to the jungle level. Yes, like in MGS3, you got about the same jungle level this time around too. If only they made the first act as long as the jungle act...
That was the only two things that annoyed me, but like I said, it's like with your first true love, you overlook those things because it's so wonderful to be with her.
Please stop reading reviews and go play this game now, don't let all the cool stuff be wasted.
You have to witness the last mission of Solid Snake for yourself.
It is an experience that is both a clever and awesome game but it also makes a point to exceed what any movie could do as far as entertainment... The plot rivals any saga/serie ever created on any medium, it gives us pretty much every answers and corrects past silly plot flaws in a way that you cannot help but to finally be happy someone can put his best character/storyline to rest without wishing he would have wrote it differently... Of course there's open door for future chapters, but we get the feeling Snake can finally retire on top of his glory after this one.
He probably will even be more reverred than ever before after he is gone, like every precious character ; whether he truly walked this earth or merely roamed through our collective imaginations as a story we all love to hear get retold...
At some point in the game, someone explains to Snake that Big Boss was used, meant to become some kind of messiah, a symbol other soldiers could be inspired from, almost like a religion...
Coming from someone like Kojima, who is litterally hounded by fans after he created a character so beloved that some people became so protective about that character that they would threaten to kill its creator... you have to wonder if there's any humor and irony in that inclusion in the very game that caused his torments... or if he simply is trying to reach to some of them...
This game has it all as far as I am concerned. It has action, it has tension, it has soul and it has the eternal shadow vs. light battle, only this time the only way to erase the shadow is to snuff out the light...
I'm glad to be lucky enough to have grown playing every "true" Metal Gear game since the NES, it sure was satisfying to see how far we have come in 20 years, as a society, and how that reflected in the games we now play. It also was satisfying to have followed a character that never let me down and always had something more to give. Snake is the greatest video game hero, period.
After getting through the game, I just wanna restart a new game again and try the online mode now... I can't get bored watching those 1080p and I keep finding new paths in each level sections to progress better and quieter...
Maybe this game isn't perfect, but it is the best game available on any system today, and it also made June 12th 2008 a very important date in our era : the day where movies will forever be known as outclassed as far as being on top of the entertainment business, they used to own the best story-telling tools, but now they just cannot compete with efforts like MGS4...
The movie industry will keep losing money to the video game industry ; this game just gave copycat developpers ideas for another 10 years...
Buy, rent or steal a PS3... Play it in a closet if you are an XBox fanboy, I don't care, real gamers need to play this game.
This is your best excuse to try and see what a PS3 can do, so make sure to grab a 1080p display and play MGS4 for a couple of days.