Fan Reviews

[Caragorn_007-11]

Metal Gear Solid4 is not just a sequel, it is an evolution of the Metal Gear Solid gaming experience. Everything has improved: Graphic presentation, gameplay, cut-scenes, orchestration, sound effects, animation; every aspect of the game design process has been enhanced and executed to near perfection.

It is extremely difficult for me to find fault in this game at all. This should be put in to the perspective that I am actually a Metal Gear fan and so far I have learnt that people either seem to love the games or not like them, there doesn't appear to be much middle ground.

Considering that I am relatively new to PS3 and also when this game was released, it has to be one of the most aesthetically pleasing games I have played. There is a distinctive style that is conveyed by hand crafted textures and modelling that gives Metal Gear a pseudo-realistic style, just like GTA. The attention to detail is incredible. Environments are varied. Although fairly linear, there is scope to explore and the atmosphere created in some sections of the game seems to easily compare to some games being released now.

Metal Gear Solid relies heavily on dynamic story telling, which is in turn reliant on elaborate and well crafted cut-scenes. If you like movies, then they are often a joy to play because you get a movie style cut-scene to elaborate and tell you the story. If you don't really like movies, or just don't really have patience for that type of game device, then the game won't always be to your taste. If you have played the other games in the series then this really is a great experience as there are so many augmentations and ties to the existing Metal Gear Solid story that it will have you totally enwrapped.

Gameplay is slick and manageable. Gone are the constant on-screen maps, causing you to actually be aware of your immediate environment and use the camera to decide where to go and what to do. This means that you have a deeper experience, as your not thrown out of it by being fixated on a map looking for NPC L.O.S's.

Is this game better than Metal Gear Solid 3? For me, it is an extremely close call. MGS4 offers so much, but it is, in part, reliant on the magnificent story line of MGS3. MGS4 is a truly epic gaming experience that I would urge anybody who owns a PS3 to play.

It is sad to note, that, Metal Gear Online is finishing in June/July of this year, as having played that it seems to be quite a unique experience and there are some very well crafted maps on it.

This is a 10/10 for this reviewer.