Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

A major breakthrough in every sence. I've never seen a more though out and deep story in a videogame. The graphics are stellar, especially in a full HD screen. If you want to show off your 1080p TV, no other game looks as good as this. The gameplay is the funnest in the series, and adapts to your choice of play, either more tactical espionage or action. The online is really fun too, and has already taken hours and hours of my life =).

No other game has moved me as much as this one. Buy it. Play it. And enjoy what is really the best gaming experience out there.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

This game is truly a masterpiece. The gameplay is flawless (I mean u can even grab a soldier's nuts!!!), the graphics makes me wanna drool, and the story is just breath-taking...*SPOILER* I mean this game packs a wedding, the reunion of 2 lovers and a new beginning for them, a very memorable ending boss fight, and an old man running around battling deadly machines, VERY ANNOYING MACHINES (those little things...I think they were called scrabs or scabs or something), fast, agile women soldiers, and big bosses which are really BEAUTIFUL women traumatized by treacheous war that they experienced as a child...a fitting end 4 a hero...a little girl being the 1 2 really save the world...and a very twisted plot involving a seemingly immortal vampire, a crazy psycho who pretends 2 b some1 he's not and a very intelligent scientist...*END OF SPOILERS*

THIS GAME IS A MUST HAVE 4 FANS OF THE 1ST GAME (many ppl enjoyed the 1st game but didn't keep up with the series) AND SERIES AND NEWCOMERS!!!

First and foremost I am writing this review as a huge fan of the series. I purchased the game the day it came out and I'm sorry I didn't write a review sooner. I bought the Playstation One back in the day because of this game. I read reviews for Metal Gear Solid and I just had to check it out. Now it's my favorite game of all time. A story that is remarkably innovative and that spans 4 games. (6 if you count the original two back in the eighties) I would say it even rivals most movies in the way it unfolds the story. Let's get a few things out of the way about the criticism. A lot of gamers complain how the cut scenes are too long. Metal Gear Solid is known for that exact thing! The story is the most important element of this game. It's everything in fact! In other words, if you've never played the games before this one then don't play it. Pass the other games first. And yes, it matters. Besides, you get a movie and a game in one. So, what are you complaining about?
The other complaint is that people say this isn't Call Of Duty 4. I say you're absolutley right. It's not COD4 and it's not trying to be. They are two different games and you can't compare them. It's not a run and gun game. It's a stealth game. Sneaking around and avoiding enemy contact is what it's about. If you don't like that then this isn't the game for you. If you have to compare it... maybe Splinter Cell comes close.
I do agree that the online element could have been set up better then what they did but the game is not bad just different then what we are use too. It's fun and addictive and that's what we want anyway. A great ending to the greatest video game series ever put on a console. I salute you Snake!

It's no secret the Metal Gear Solid series has a huge cult following. Hell, I've been a fan since I first played the original PSONE game. Personally I still prefer Snake Eater 'cause I'm a sucker for origin stories (I"m still the only person in the universe who prefers Batman Begins to Dark Knight..), but this game takes everything a fan loves about the previous games and increases it ten-fold! If you're like me and a huge fan....well you probably already own this one (I mean it's been like 5 months people!). If you're not.....

If you're a newbie to the series DO NOT BUY THIS GAME! I hope I got that accross. If you've never played a Metal Gear game DO NOT START WITH THIS ONE! I don't care how much your friends are into it and demand that you start with this one. I know all the magazine and fanboy reviews are calling it "Game of the Year" material for any gamer....it's NOT. The Metal Gear games from the beginnning have always been story heavy (and I do mean HEAVY!). I'm talking at least 1/2 gamplay, 1/2 dialogue-cinematics-story (some of which is great, most of which is unneccessary). Your liking of this game and the series in general will VERY MUCH depend on your liking to the story. The gameplay itself plays very well off the story, but if you're not into it from the get-go you're not gonna like the game. So newbies: if you're still curious, save your $50 and buy (or rent) one of the first three games to see if you like it. I love this series and the story, but if you're not familiar with it DO NOT START WITH THIS ONE!

If you didn't like the previous games...well don't worry, this game willl will NOT change your mind. Save your $$$ (and stop reading these reviews!).

I hope I got my message across. I love this game. If you are a fan, play it once, play it twice, play it for the rest of your life 'cause it's still the best game for you on the PS3. If you're not a fan and are intrigued: give the previous titles a shot first. If you don't like the series....well keep going with that feeling.

The only draw back to this game is the outrageously long cutscenes, last night I booted up to play and I had to watch over an hour and a half of cutscenes before I even got to play. Of course the metal gear franchise demonstrates some of the most innovative and superb gameplay ever not to mention loads of visual style. Though in my opinion the story elements have always been long winded, convuluted, confusing and in this case boring. Close to 2 hours in one sitting of cutscenes is over the top. I am in Act 4 of the game and I have begun to start skipping the cutscenes once I get the gist of what is going on...still an awesome game when you actually get to play. Furthermore I have read that of the 25 hours of total "game play" close to 13 hours are cut scenes, hence only about 17 hours of actual gameplay time...