Awesome game, but is awesome enough for the concluding episode of the Snake Saga?
However, it must be said that although the game is near perfection in its own right, its only failing is the supremacy of previous titles. Firstly, the story ends and for my taste, ends in a wholly unsatisfying way. The curious statements of Drebin, a gun launderer you meet in the first act, and even the stylish "adverts" at the start of the game lead one to believe there is a lot more than meets the eye to the plot, whereas in fact the philosophy and lengthy cutscenes contribute to little in way of concluding the series, and I for one think 4 main titles and a spattering of spin off's demand a greater ending.
Furthermore, the gameplay is no longer about stealth or espionage. This isn't to say the game is easy, far from it. The PSone game of 1998 left you feeling raw and exposed. You had no "easy mode" tranquiliser gun, no octocamo which allows you to be in the line of sight of an enemy with no punishment, and even silencers for your standard guns were few and far between. In short, MGS1 was a true stealthing game. For me, the vast arsenal Snake possesses in MGS4 means you rely less on stealth and can fall back quite easily on a cheap trick rather than genuine espionage.
On its own it is one of the most stylish, impressive and outright amazing games you will ever play. Yet old school MGS players may play this and feel the game is a bubble wrapped, more forgiving version of MGS1, and expect an ending of the most epic proportions, yet experience what is in fact a merely "adequate" conclusion.