A true masterpiece, the perfection of stealth gaming.
But, of course, this game having a Gamespot and IGN 10/10, I decided I had to try it. And I'm glad I did.
This game has:
-Some of the best graphics in gaming history
-Some of the best voice acting in gaming history
-One of the best sounstracks in gaming history
-The best stealth mechanics in gaming history
-Pretty much the best shooting in a non-shooter in history.
-Some of the best storytelling in a video game.
It is the year 2014. You play as Solid Snake, a rapidly aging legendary mercenary, hired to assassinate Liquid Ocelot- a fusion of your twin and a Russian triple agent. To do this, you go through five wildly different 'acts' each located in different parts of the world. Unlike many of today's games, these levels are not identical copies of each other with tweaked buildings, they are different. There is a desert, a jungle, a city and two other places that I'm not going to mention because they are semi-spoilers.
The most amazing thing about MGS4 is the attention to detail. The way Snake climbs stairs and picks over bodies, the way the guards act puzzled after thinking they have seen Snake, every texture of every building of every level looks like it has been done with care. Kojima took no shortcuts here.
It even has online (which is pretty good but overshadowed by the incredible single player).
There are a solid 6 hours of cutscene, but think of it like watching a movie (better than most of today's films) while there are a good 8 hours of gameplay in one playthrough. You'll almost certainly be coming back for seconds, if not thirds, fourths and fifths (I am personally on act 2 of playthrough three).
If you have liked any or all of the MGS games, you should have this already, even if it means buying a console. If you have a PS3, there is no reason for you to not own this. It is, frankly, the best combination of graphics, gameplay, storytelling, sound and just outright fun released in years.