It is finally here. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is in the hands of every raging fanboy in a 3,000,000 mile radius. This game has been shown by Kojima in E3 and TGS' for years and we are finally able to play Solid Snake's last mission ever.
The story revolves around Solid Snake or in this case, Old Snake. He has been sent out to defeat his arch-nemesis and clone brother, Liquid Snake who has since taken over Revolver Ocelot thanks to an arm transplant. Calling himself Liquid Ocelot, he begins his quest for domination by searching for the Patriot AIs to gain control of the world. It is up to Old Snake to defeat his brother and end the fight once and for all. During his mission, he meets up with old friends like Meryl Silverburgh and new friends like Drebin, a weapon launderer who acts as MGS4's version of the Merchant from Resident Evil 4 but in a more accessible way.
First thing to get out of the review is the install times. They range from 2-3 minutes and are generally very quick in between acts. Graphics are amazing and the best I have seen running on the platform. Controls are easy to learn and the introduction of the Octo-Camo mechanic makes sneaking even better. Of course, you don't have to play the game as a stealth game, Kojima made it easy for those who like to get up and close with the action to grab their favorite machine gun and go balls to the wall with bullets raining down Rambo style. Okay, maybe not that graphic, but you get the picture.
The game is broken into 5 Acts and each begin in new locations than the last. They all end with you fighting a unit group called the Beauty and the Beast Corps. The BB Corps are a unit filled with women who may look beautiful but are more deadly than they appear. Cutscenes keep the story flowing and with the inclusion of event button presses, you are filled with a rich sense of information if you played the previous games. Sure, the cutscenes can be long at times but they are a treat and give you a sort of epic feel when you see them.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots has managed to live up to the fanboy hype with a deep single player game and a story to keep you interested throughout the game. This game is the reason to go out and buy a Playstation 3 with a surround sound speaker setup.
