Playstation 3 Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots!

The long-awaited and highly anticipated "final" installment in the MGS series has finally been bestowed upon us, but will MGS4 live up to the massive hype surrounding it?

First Impressions: Whenever possible, we try to give our loyal website viewers the most video footage and most in depth unbiased reviews imaginable. Part of that development is our "initial impressions" where we offer up our first impressions of the title that we are playing.

This gives our website visitors more of clear understanding of what to first expect out of the game when they initially pop it into their consoles.

If you scroll to the bottom of the page in the Rent vs. Buy section of the review and do not see the "final impressions" assessment then it's safe to say that you are reading our initial impression of the game. Once the final impression is up, there will be no further video or review done to that particular title.

Final Impressions: The final impression is just that, our completed breakdown and overall thoughts on the game based off of our entire game playing time.

You can locate the final impressions assessment in the "Rent vs. Buy" section of the review (always located at the very end of all of our reviews). Here you will be able to read our final thoughts on the title and also see any potential grade changes that were made to the game as well (higher or lower). Should a grading change occur, it will be clearly noted with the previous grade, the new grade, and why the change occurred.

Although this approach is more time consuming and requires many more man hours, our entire goal has always been to provide the best and completely unbiased reviews possible and we feel that the inclusion of the Initial Impressions and Final Impressions sections will give you a better view of what to expect from a new game.

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You Haven't Aged Well: The story of Metal Gear Solid 4 is by far the best of any previous installment in the series, and successfully attempts to tie up all of the loose ends that were left by old MGSs.

The story once again follows Solid Snake, but things are different this time around. Snake is rapidly aging due to unknown causes, and has been falling apart from the outside in.

When Liquid Snake reappears in the possessed body of Revolver Ocelot, Snake is recruited to assassinate him, with the help of returning character Meryl and her team.

The story of MGS4 is told tremendously well, and has an intense, high drama feel to it, while still feeling incredibly realistic and engrossing.

The cutscenes reach a new graphical high, and tell the story in a totally understandable way. The characters all feel like significant parts of the story, and you will feel the emotions of them all throughout the story.

The only small problem with the cutscenes is the length of them. The majority of them will run at over ten-minutes, while but some will run at thirty-minutes to even a massive hour.

While the cinematics are interesting, some of them can become a little slow, but you still have to watch them because they are all vital to the story. Miss one and you will lose the understanding of the story.

Weighing Your Options: The gameplay of MGS4 has been completely redone, and reaches a new high for stealth combat. One of the coolest additions to he game is the Octocamo camouflage suit. The Octocamo adapts to any surrounding that you press up against and allows for an entirely new level of hiding and evasion.

The way you tackle missions are also entirely up to you, whether you want to go in guns blazing, go completely stealth with the Octocamo, or anything in between, the choice is up to you.

When you get into the combat portions of the game, you no longer struggle thanks to the over-the-shoulder shooting view that MGS4 introduces.

"All shapes, all sizes": The deepest and one of the most enjoyable new features that MGS4 includes is the ability to customize your weapon.

When you meet Drebin, a weapons wholesaler and launderer, you will be able to use "Drebin Points" to add additions to any of your weapons. You earn Drebin Points by selling any duplicates of weapons you find on the battlefield, while you keep the ammo.

When you customize your weapon, you can choose to place scopes, laser sights, under-barrel shotguns or grenade launchers, and just about anything else you can think of on your weapon of choice.

I Heard Something: MGS4 comes bundled in with a trial version of Metal Gear Online, and allows you to go online with a variety of modes, both classic and unique to the MGS world.

The usual Team Deathmatch and Deathmatch are incredibly enjoyable to play, and utilizes everything from the single-player campaign, so that means that your skills won't go to waste.

In addition to those modes, there are also a couple other modes that are totally unique. One of them being Sneaking Mission, where one player takes the role of the legendary Solid Snake with Octocamo equipped, while the others try hunt you.

There are also a couple other modes that vary from an altered version of Capture The Flag, to totally new modes.

While online, you will have some trouble in the first few minutes, as it seems like your enemies are able to hit you, while you can't hit them.

That small amount of depression (or frustration for some) only lasts through a match or two, as the learning curb for MGO is quite easy.

Before you go online to experience MGO though, you have go through a incredibly in-depth and long sign-up process.

When you start MGO, you must start a Konami Account, listing your account name, Game ID, passwords for both, your Email address, and your full name.

While this sounds like a run-of-the-mill sign up process, Konami takes it to an entirely new level. Konami is amazingly picky and forces you to bend you password to their liking.

The sign-up process for the Konami Account is very inconvenient and can take a large chunk of time to complete.

Rent vs. Buy: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is one of the greatest games that have been released in a very long time. The outstanding graphics, wonderfully told storyline, nearly perfect combat, and the addition of an unexpectedly incredible multiplayer make MGS4 the best in the series by far.

MGS4 is a must-buy for combat fans, stealth fans, and anyone else with a PS3. MGS4 is truly a work of art that has only minor flaws that don't even scratch the greatness of the game.

MGS4 does so many things amazingly well; from the awesome multiplayer to the epic boss fights that this is a must-buy for combat or sneaking fans.

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MGS4 is a must-buy for combat fans, stealth fans, and anyone else with a PS3. MGS4 is truly a work of art that has only minor flaws that don't even scratch the greatness of the game. (Krakrabbit.com)