Totally over-the-top... but WHO CARES!!!
BE WARNED: This game pushes the PS3 to its limits, so there is a chunk full of loading times.
From a technical standpoint, Metal Gear Solid 4 is outstanding. It contains beautiful visuals, realistic physics, outstanding surround sound and environments, and a gorgeous soundtrack by Harry Gregson-Williams. Never before have I played a game where the characters were so convincing and believable. The facial animations and the meticulous attention to detail really pay off to make you feel with the characters. Never before have I felt so emotionally raped by a video game. It was like the game was the puppeteer of my heart and knew which strings to pull. Yes, I've grown up knowing these characters, so maybe the game will not have as big of an impact on casual MGS fans as it did on me. But from a experiential stand point the game shook me up good.
Some gamers may think it is pushing it to call this game flawless, because it can be so over the top. But it's these "over-the-top" attributes of the game that make the whole experience so charming for me. There was plenty of moments in the game where I could have said, "There's no possible way," but in the long run it didn't matter because the game wasn't trying to be "believable" but instead create an incredible experience that you wouldn't forget. I still lie awake in bed and re-capture some of those moments in my mind.
Yes the game contains more story-telling then actual playing, and that would be a problem if it weren't for the fact that the story-telling is so good. On top of all this, the game is easily re-playable even after the final conclusion of the story. There so much that can be missed in the first play through that you would be doing yourself a disservice not to go back and play it again. Plus there is METAL GEAR ONLINE!!!!
Overall Metal Gear Solid 4 is flawless, because it delivers heart and soul of what interactive entertainment should be. It's breathtaking, exhilarating, and by enlarge incredibly satisfying. You would be hard pressed to find an honest person who had a disappointing experience with this game. In short, it is a masterpiece.