The Way It Ends.
Must be my imagination...
Let's go over stealth, first and foremost, what's changed and what's stayed where it is. All the MGSes came with a different type of location to stealth in, from more mechanical environments in MGS1, to swampy jungles in MGS3. MGS4 takes lace in 2015, where PMCs has taken a much larger role, where battle and war have become more like a routine, and will throw Old Snake right into it. To help against what would be normally impossible to stealth through, the camouflage system has been upgraded and given old snake "OctoCamo" - Similar to the camouflage abilities of some octopus, snake is able to blend in to any environment by either crawling or clinging to a wall or object, which proves invaluable when trying to bypass your enemies.
Call of Snake 4: Modern Sneak and Kill
He's also recieved 2 important devices from our favorite nerd, Otacon. Snake can now view nearby enemies and other information in a hud using the "Solid Eye", which also enables to use night vision and infrared, especially handy in specific boss fights. The other, the Mk. II, uses the same technology as REX from MGS1 to use as a device for either looking ahead in the nearby area, or shocking enemies with its manipulation device. The amount of freedom added into the game allows you not to play through just via sneaking around: 60 unique weapons(some harder to get than others) provide more than enough variety to keep you interested. as far as the psyche bar goes, you'll recieve a "combat high" for enough killing in a certain period of time, meaning your health won't drop for a killing spree. Every weapon you recieve from the dead will be sold for more points to buy more guns and ammunition, while the ammo in the gun gets added to your collection.
Wow wow woweee wow
The graphics are some of the most impressive you'll ever see on the system, period - the cutscenes are more close to reality than ever, although not all the details are added equally(Smell ya later, Advent Palace), the amount of work on both facial and clothing detail, the environments themselves, and all the little details Kojima has put in speaks for the company's love for this series, and wanted to end it right. If you're playing this on 1080p, get ready for a gamegasm. And yes... exclamation points still pop up over their heads.... but it's punctuation, in HD!
The Voice of a Decade
Kojima obviously brought in the classic voice actors from MGS's VA beginning, David Hayter and the gang, with easily the most impressive next-gen VA so far. Whether you have stereo or 5.1, the sounds of the Rebel militia's gunfire from the battlefield of Act 1, to every bit of the astounding ending, you can't help but be drawn in every second of the game.
The Ultimate Challenge
If the 20-hour campaign of a lifetime isn't enough, and metal gear online has still tired you out, try getting any or all of the Music for your in game iPod, getting the costumes(Yes, including altair), every facecamo, and if you seek the Ultimate challenge, try the big boss emblem for a legendary gun, a scary face, and a neat little iPod song as well. If it were not for the checkpoint system, that emblem would be impossible to obtain.
How It Ends
After many, many, many playthroughs, I can happily say every question is answered, every challenge surprising and entertaining from beginning to the end. MGS4 was the only reason I bought the PS3, and I don't regret the decision in the least, even if it's the only game I buy. Metal gear solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is the pinnacle of stealth gaming, next-gen gaming, and the number one reason to own a Playstation 3. Go buy it now.
...get off the computer already, dummy!