Extremely good game with a great storyline that's relatively easy to follow even if you haven't played an MGS game.
User Rating: 10 | Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (Platinum) PS3
MGS4, the very last of the MGS series as Hideo Kojima put it. While there may be another MG related series, this will mark the end of the story of legendary hero, Solid Snake. While it may have been hard to pick up this game and play it as a fan for the first playthrough, it was extremely gratifying and still is, as MGS4 is loaded with features such as iPod tunes, emblems, camos, radio broadcasts (which the "Extras" feature in MGS4's menu will be uploaded with more of these upcoming months and onward), etc. Not only that but for fans of the series since MGS1, the nostalgia experienced as you return to Shadow Moses is extremely high and brings back memories, especially while playing the "Warhead Storage" song from the iPod collected at the very same spot where the song began playing just before you descend from the air ducts leading into the Tank Hangar. As in every MGS game, the characters shine and develop throughout each game and while there will always be new characters to meet in each game, they carry alot of personality and attitude. As in every MGS game, these characters aren't in any way bland or stale as many other game franchises depict their characters, main or not. As you begin each Mission or Act, you will be stationed temporarily in the Nomad speaking with Campbell, Otacon, Naomi, and Sunny. However, while you are stuck listening to the cutscenes the first playthrough, you will be allowed to return at any time after you have went through a Mission Briefing to gather any undiscovered items lying around the Nomad or you can do this while the cutscenes are going on, the easiest way to control the Metal Gear Mk 2 in the game is to press L2 and then triangle to get the fullscreen view of the Metal Gear Mk 2 and pick up things such as iPod tunes, ammo, weapons, and a camera. Not only that but in one of the Mission Briefings, Act 2 Mission Briefing, you will see Sunny playing a PSP. This is one of the funny and ironic features MGS4 bestows. As every MGS4 player, you will have the chance to experience such things whether or not you are trying to look for them.
Now let's move on to the aspects that generally motivate someone to buy something, in this case they are the gameplay, graphics, sound, lasting appeal, replayability, and often times especially in this gen, online play. While past MGS games have been worthy of the money demanded to play them, most of them didn't include an online component as MGS4 does and if they did (MGS3), it wasn't as available to consumers as MGS4 is for the PS3, as the PS3 comes built with online capabilities. Now to the gameplay. The gameplay in MGS4 is just as exciting and in my opinion, much more exciting and less frustrating than past MGS games as Kojima's team has devoted their time and effort to fixing the problems described by its fans. The gunplay is more immersive and each gun has a distinct sound it outputs through firing that separates and distinguishes it from another. Also, the game comes packed with the option to buy ammo, weapons, and weapon add-ons that makes acquiring these things much easier than in past iterations as it relieves people of the necessity of conserving as much ammo or having to hunt for ammo from dead soldiers or in and around buildings and environments. The sound in MGS4, as I briefly mentioned, is top notch and is all the result of uncompressed sound and the effort of Kojima Productions in making the guns sound as realistic as possible and make them as identical to their real-life counterparts. The graphics in MGS4 are extremely good and alot of times easily rival the likes of today's graphically superior games. The extra features and bonuses of MGS4 and unlockables set in MGS4 make lasting appeal and replayability very high. And while MGS is known for it's singleplayer portion, the online stands up to today's best titles in terms of online value. The online component, MGO, boasts nearly all the great gameplay aspects of MGS4, which is good enough for most fans of the game. MGS gets a 10/10. While no game is perfect, this game deserves great praise and there's almost nothing wrong with the game. 
