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...

Para todos los que hemos jugado MGS, MGS2, MGS3... este es definitivamente el broche que cierra cinturon. Hay muchas agradables sorpresas asi como tambien misterios resueltos de la saga...

Muy buen video, sonido, y como siempre excelente historia.

I just got the ps3 and the first game I bought it metal gear 4, of course it is 3rd person view. It has 5 levels of difficulty, I recommend you to star in level 1 if you have never played it before. If you played the game in ps2 you have to move up to ps3, it is more fun and the images are neater. I played for almost 2 days and still halfway into the game. It is long but never get tired of it, you meet different people, missions, weapons..heat seeking missiles, grenade launcher, etc. You'll like it.

I felt like I was watching a cartoon, and once a while playing the game. The "cut scenes" should have been named "scenes", and "game play" should have named "cut game play". This is not a joke! In the beginning I was watching all the cut scenes; then, I tried to skip them ... guess what there were multiple cut scenes in a row ... when it was over, I had to wait for "loading" ... after loading, cut scenes again!!! Even after I was done with the game I had to watch once again multiple cut scenes for almost 40 minutes. I'm pretty sure that I spent more time watching cut scenes and waiting for the game to load than playing the actual game. Now, when you actually play the game, it's fun; therefore, I gave 3 stars.

p.s. So far, Resistance, Ucharted, and Heavenly Sword were the best games I had on PS3.

This is by far the best game I've ever played. It's complicated and provided hundreds of hours of gameplay fun. The plot in single player mode is amazing. If you like Lost or X-Files or Borne Identity, then you'll love the cut scenes. The online gameplay is fun too. The strategy guide is a must.

Where's the game. This is more like watching a movie. If I wanted to watch a movie I would go buy a movie. This game is way to easy. You call this a 17+ game but you made it for a 9 year old to play. I for one would much rather the game have HALF the graphics with double the game play. That is because I buy a game to PLAY it not watch it play itself. I just hope the new tomb raider is not done this same way. Because Drakes was a great game but way to short to play and to many movie moments. I sure hope someone that makes games reads this or someone that has a friend that makes games get them to read this. Game makers spend so much time on the movie moments that if they just spent the time on the game they could release new versions more often. I know if tomb raider made a new one every year I would buy it. Even every 6 months. Instead of making the latest greatest hair, water, clouds and plants (lets not forget snakes a$$ i mean comeone its guys that play this game i do not need to see that mabe on laura but thats it). anyway final thought MORE GAME LESS MOVIE. thanks hope this helps.

If you like the action and game play of games such as Call of Duty 4, this is NOT the game for you. The game play is nothing like COD4 (especially online.) However the story line is interesting, but if I wanted that I'd just rent a DVD. I guess COD4 just spoiled me too much.

Hello Folks,

I am shocked to see the high scores.

This game truly sucks. Lousy single player, and even lousier multiplayer.

Linear game flow, silly and boring story, loose controls, and very boring play make this game a one star. I am glad I sold it and the game guide. Oh, and no co-op either.

The MP was boring, slow-moving, not inspiring...not fun.

If you want fun MP action, with destructable environment, fantastic sound dynamics/realism, and the best looking visuals in a game, head over to Battlefield Bad Company. That has no co-op in SP either, but the MP is great fun.

John

there are so many refrences to mgs1 that make you laugh and the gameplay and graphics are top of the line. we all know this even the online is funny. just pick it up and be amazed.

When I bought my PS3 I started out playing COD4 and thought that nothing could compare. Well this game surpasses. This game is a hoot to play and the story and graphics are fantastic. This is a must own game if you enjoy military/shooter games. I can't say enough good things about it.

Overall this is a great game but I only recommend this to fans of the series....
I use to have MGS2 which is my first one because I wanted to get into the series, I did not like that game at all, returned it the next game for something better.
I wanted to give it another shot and bought MGS4. Which happens to be a great improvement. Bad thing is I am lost in the story and don't know most of the characters.
Cutscenes are fine, it's a purpose of the game.
These are 3 things I really hate
1.Knife technique-(No F#$%* way you would kill somebody with such gay kife moves, especially in Stealth)
2.Changing weapons on pause-(This defeats any purpose when you are in a heated gun battle)
3.Can't jump-(He can get low, run, seak around, but why can't he jump? he only can climb over certain things.
Awsome game for anything else.
Highly Recommended for Metal Gear Fans ONLY!!!.....

Metal Gear Solid 4 was a really good game. It could of been a little more involved as it was pretty easy to beat but like the graphics and the variety of actions the character can do.

Graphic and sound is stunning, take some time to get usual to play, but after that it gets worth

I consider myself an average gamer. I have played an MGS game before and I did enjoy it. But this one I played for about 30 minutes and really couldnt get into it. It seemed cheesy to me. Yeah the graphics are outstanding, sound good as far as I can tell. The story at the beginning seemed a little corn ball. I dont know this game just couldnt get my atttention so to speak. I know there are some people who cream all over this stuff, but like I said its not for me

MGS4: This game is excellent, great story (although the cutscenes can be a little too long and confusing)... a lot of action, great graphics and sound, you have various options to finish the game by shooting everybody or being more tactical and sneaky...

MGO: one of the best online games, has a great diversity of match modes (tdm, dm, snk, tsne (my favorite), etc...) no lag (well, most of the time).. the only letdowns are the rank system cause it can be a little frustrating, and the increase of glitchers that can ruin the whole experience for everybody, KONAMI DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!

I highly recommend this game!!!!

Its really different than any game that i have played before, I really think its the best

This game is absolutely brilliant!
As promised by Konami this game shows PS3 capabilities at its best.
The game has a fantastic storyline, amazing graphics, great attention to detail, great sound and a bunch of gadgets and different weapons to keep you busy shooting for a while.

I think that this game is only intended for experienced gamers in this genre as controls are a little hard to get used to for some people as Ive seen and same with the tactics to achieve your goals. Also it requires serious time to get the most of it, casual gamers should be better playing a single soccer match of PES or a race or two with gran turismo 5. Don`t even waste your time trying this game out if you don`t own it or you ain`t planning to get it cause the cut scenes are very very long. The game requires full attention and several hours to be played.

If you like warfare/spying games this is the best title out there hands down.

I mainly play PC games, but bought this to highlight my PS3 purchased primarily for Blu-Ray movies. I found the controls confusing and complicated. This is the first Metal Gear game and found myself a bit lost with the plot. The game technique just didn't appeal to me, I guess I am just simple minded but much prefer running around shooting things than sneaking around for hours on end. In the end it was a frustrating, long experience that I gave up in Act 2.

I was never into Metal Gear Solid before, simply because I could not play stealth games. Usually these games where you try to sneak around would always play out the same way for me.

Sneak
Get Spotted
Get Shot
Run
Get Shot some more
Die horribly
Repeat 100 times
Take the disk out and play Mario instead

But I got the PS3 bundle with MGS4 because it was the backwards compatible one, and I figured that if all these sites were giving the game perfect 10 reviews then I could give it a shot.

This is the perfect game for someone who's not great at these kind of games. It's got variable difficulty settings, and different ways to play through it. So if you just want a 3rd person action shooter you can get that, and if you want your usual stealthy not kill anyone game, you've got that too. I started off just going through it like I would any other shooter. And throughout the course of the game I slowly started learning how to avoid beeing seen and use more stealth when moving around the levels. I'm on my second time through and now I'm actually playing it like people used to play the older Metal Gear Games - not getting caught, not killing anyone, avoiding suspicion, stuff like that.

People like to complain that this takes away from what the series is supposed to be. But if you like stealth oriented gameplay like the older games, you can just ignore all the other options. I think is a very smart move on Kojima's part. He's not only made a game that everyone can enjoy, but he's also made kind of a portal for newbs like myself to get into the series. I personally went out and bought the Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection and am playing through it now.

The online component isn't bad per say, but it's not great. Sometimes it'll take quite awhile to look for a lobby that's open. And half the time it'll just kick you back out to the main screen to start again. And the gameplay itself just doesn't seem like the type that meshes well with online gameplay. But it's still fun. It just takes awhile to get used to going slower, taking your time, and relying on teammates to get your kills. Having a headset definately makes this 20x easier.

So basically, if you've got a PS3, buy the game. Odds are with all the options available to you, you'll be able to find some way to play it that you like. And you might just find some way to get into the rest of the series. I'm really glad I did.

The last Metal Gear game I had played for more than 15 minutes was on the NES and Reagan was in the White House.

While I was always casually aware of the new releases and soaked up pieces from game screens and reviews,and having never owned a PS2, I never really picked up on the series.

Money doesn't grow on trees so I'm a picky shopper and I am careful to avoid hype. After all the, mostly unfounded, hype of the Halo, and GTA series, I have been carful to pick up any game that is given "perfect" reviews. MGS 4 has been part of this group of late, so i was cautious but curious. Well I finally caved and scooped up the game to see for myself. And what did I find?

Yep, its good. Perfect? Nope. I don't think there is such a game, but Metal Gear Solid 4 is well worth the purchase price.

What is the good?

You feel for the characters, no matter how outlandish the overall story is. Even in the opening seconds of the game, you invest in Snake immediately, he's a well drawn hero. The control is easy to pick up, for the most part. The overall presentation is full of nuance and attention to detail. The game doesn't just have good graphics, it's that Metal Gear Solid 4 is full of real artistry and care, both in the dusty lighting of the Middle East and wind-blown newspapers, to the amazing sound mixing and professional music score.

What is the not so good?

After the third chapter, the gameplay set pieces begin to get shorter and shorter compared to earlier chapters in the game. You get the feeling they were running low on Blu-Ray space or the game needed to be finished on time. It isn't a big complaint, but it is something of notice.

And those long cutscenes?

Sure some of them are insanely long and some voice acting is so-so (David Hytner's gutteral take on Snake Plisken probably could be improved on) but as a newcomer to the series, it was easy to take in the story and seeing and hearing about Big Boss, it was nice to see how things had been tied in some way all the way to the old NES game. I think the overall pace of the gameplay fits well with the story sequences too. It gives a nice break between the action too. Overall I enjoyed most of Kojima's execution.

Metal Gear Solid 4 is a classic, a really great game and has a solid feel of time-honed craftsmanship. This game is not perfect, but it is expertly constructed, defiantly satisfying, entertaining and just a great way to kill a few afternoons.

check out some of the cable channels or HBO re-runs. If you're looking for a video game, look somewhere else. Graphics are nice but that's it. After 15-30 Minutes you will be so bored you just want it to be over.

Overall game play is very repetitive, the story dumb and the cut-scenes are just neverending. Don't get me wrong, I loved most of the other MGS titles but this time it's not much playing but a lot of watching. If this is the kind of video game experience you enjoy, you might want to consider. If you like to use the controller at all, stay away.

Funny enough, the guys at the local store of a big video game store franchise praised it all over. At least I was able to get some trade value after 5 days and I learned this lesson: Don't ever listen to the guys at the large chains.

Biggest PS3 disappointment so far.

I have nothing but Great words to describe this game, even if you've never played a MG game before this game will grab you and with its story and game play and amazing visuals through out. You can go easy or normal mode and just run and gun or go Hard or Boss and sneak/strategize. what are you waiting for buy it!

We all know that the Metal Gear series have been a breakthrough in gaming. Guns of the Patriots is not the exception. Once you get it, you will get one of the best gaming experiences ever made, complete with an extraordinary storyline, daring gameplay and beautiful visuals.

If you've been a fan of the series, you know that this might be the case at least for all the previous games, but Guns of the Patriots raises the bar to a whole new level. Best of all, you'll finally see the conclusion of one the best story lines ever created.

Yes, it was my first MGS experience.
The controls are awkward. Why can't snake jump? Why is it so hard for him to turn around when crawling?
These flaws constantly reminded me I was playing a video game.
That said, the many hours of cutscenes told an interesting and thought-provoking antiwar, anti-military-industrial-complex, pro-individualism story. That was the fun part.
The Apple product placements were a nice touch.

MGS4 is quite a game. The graphics are superb, the gameplay is stellar, the sound is awesome, the replay value is high, it has a pretty good online component, and it's pretty damn fun. The only problem is the ridiculously long cut scenes. Some are great and others are boring as hell. They should have used better judgement and eliminated some of the needless filler and shortened the enite storytelling and added some more gameplay. This game is a technical masterpiece and it's obvious that a tremendous amount of effort went into this game. Could've been absolutely perfect if they just shortened the cut scenes. If you have a PS3 and you're a shooter fan, this is a must buy, period.

Without a doubt a must have if you own a PS3. Simple to get the hang of and very fun to exploit Snakes strengths in this game. People will complain about the lengthy cutscenes, but in my opinion that just gets you deeper in the game.

I got this game as part of PS3 80GB MGS4 package. I've never played any MGS series before and had absolutely no idea what was going on as soon as I started playing. I'm not going to make comments about how stunning the graphics look or how intense and fun the actual gameplay is cuz that's all you can see from other reviewers. And I do absolutely agree with them. It will take a heck of effort to beat MGS4. I'm curious why some gamers complain cutscenes are long and boring. Personally for me after intense battling it's a relief to take a break watching movies. And the cutscenes are insanely realistic. Overall, a must-have for all PS3 owners. Too bad for 360 owners though.

Like all the Metal Gear's, this one conserves the story and the main characters. It's impressive how they can re-introduce all of them again in the story. Excellent graphics and playability, however, i think this time they exagerated with the story videos, in some parts of the game you have to watch videos, watch how the game passes through and you can't do anything.

A masterpiece has been born.After three console generations of waiting,we the gaming culture finally kneel in the presence of true gaming excellence.In Metal Gear Solid 4 you play as "SOLID SNAKE", the legendary CIA hero.Gameplay is "SOLID".As Snake,you will be treated to some of the most advanced weaponry ever seen, such as: the Mark II, a remote controlled robotic sentry which can be used to scout,disable bombs and traps,and gather weapons and data.Other tech includes the SOLID EYE,an eyepatch which relays real time information about all persons and objects in your field of vision such as: stress levels,weapon types and friend/foe .Snake also uses Octocamo,a muscle suit that adapts to anything it touches making Snake the same color and texture.There are over 70 weapon types in the game all of which are upgradable. Snake can now move and shoot in first person view as well, giving the game an almost "Call of Duty 4" style.Great effort was put into the real time war sequences in which bombs explode and bullets constantly fly by just close enough to deliver the most heartpounding portrayal of war.Story is where Metal Gear Solid 4 really shines,it is true that there is literally hours of movie to be watched but,this story is an epic of unrivaled proportions.Action sequence after jaw dropping action sequence will leave you stunned,old faces return to deliver some of the most intense fights and chases ever seen,secrets are revealed and mysteries explained.Bottom line, this is by far one of the most unique and epic games to have ever been made.As a long time Metal Gear fan,I can say that this does not dissapoint,it has only improved 100% over every past flaw.There is tons of playable game to even out with the video but you can't help but rush to see the next movie.I am proud to have made Metal Gear Solid 4 my first "Next Gen" experience and I hope you will enjoy it as well. Also,"DO NOT" leave when the credits roll,for all will finally be explained.

All I am going to say is that this game should not be missed by anyone. There are plenty of reviews out there that go into detail so I am not going to. You really shouldn't read a detailed review anyway. You should just get the game and play it without knowing too much about it. It is without a doubt one of the best gaming experiences ever.

This game is heavy on the visual, light on the gameplay. When I buy a game I'm looking for an interactive experience. That's the difference between buying a video game and a movie. If you want to watch, buy this game. If you want to actually play a game, stay away from this one. The cut scenes can be up to an hour long. Sometimes, you have a 20 minute cut scene, followed by a 45 minute cut scene, followed by a 35 minute cut scene. I mean, it's totally ridiculous. I got so annoyed at waiting to play that I stopped and won't continue.

This game is a bit of a mess for a couple of reasons.

(1) Not enough gameplay. There's 7.5 hours of actual, hands to the controller, gameplay here. The rest is spent watching movies. These cutscenes are VERY VERY long -- sometimes up to 30-50 minutes a piece, then a brief bit of gameplay, followed by another 20-30 minutes of gameplay. The few gameplay segments there are are kind of interesting. For example, you'll need to use night-vision to follow footprints to lead you to a kidnapped hostage. However, the enemy has left decoy footprints, and you need to determine which footprints are real, and which are decoys -- the game will eventually give you a hint: the heavier the person, the deeper the footprint will be.

There's also a segment where you need to follow a resistance member of an underground society through a city. It takes about 15 minutes but can be kind of fun -- you need to avoid being seen and rescue him when he's briefly detained.

The other gamplay segments are boss fights. These are at least original, if a little weird. In this game, you have a camoflage suit that automatically adapts to your surroundings; so if you are up against grass, your suit will automatically morph to look like grass. The first boss in the game also has this ability, and will camouflage itself to ambush you. Kind of cool.

But there's just too little here.

(2) Story is just wierd. I don't want to insult Japan, where this game was made, but this culture is just not suited for America. The characters will talk for hours about things that even they admit doesn't really matter. You will see cutscenes about characters cooking eggs. Totally pointless. Also, there are really dumb attempts at humor. And the plot itself is just convoluted and assumes you know everything about the last three games -- and even then, it's just bizarre. There is a reason this guy is making videogames and not movies.

As an example, there are vampires that are basically invincible, ninjias with white super blood, women who never wear bras, special ops commandos with bowel problems, clones, an antidote to a virus FOXDIE that is called FOXALIVE (how clever) some woman with like eight tentacles who laughs a lot, etc etc.

It's all surreal and very strange. Not easy or fun to follow. And it's not because it's high brow or intelligent..it's just incoherent and weird.

So, not worth it. Tons of production values, but I wish it had been more intelligently designed.

People hate it because of the movie like length but that's what helps end the Metal Gear Saga. It's like an epic adventure and the length is definitely needed. I have been lucky enough to be at the end of movie scenes when I needed to leave or quit playing but who knows. I am going to play through a couple more times after I beat it(I'm on Act 4).

I really don't like calling Metal Gear 4 a game,but more like a fine piece of art.Without giving the story away for those who haven't played this,all I can say is it blew my mind.At times it was almost overwhelming to see so many familiar faces returning,but it was a brilliant way to close out Snake's final mission.

When it comes to story,the gameplay,the sound,you name it,I have no complaints whatsoever.Having grown up with the Metal Gear series,and anticipating this final installment for years I can now rest easy and call it perfection.

If you haven't played any of the previous MG games,it would probably be a good idea to at least play the first three Solid games before this one.Things could get very confusing if you are not familiar with this story.

Thank you Hideo for all the great memories :)

I didn't play Metal Gear Solid 1, 2, or 3. I just bought a PS3 and heard this game was amazing, so i took a chance and bought it. For the first 5 hours, this game is difficult to understand, and to be honest, not a lot of fun. But once you get the hang of the controls, and the weapon customization and item usage, it becomes a breeze. The plot line is fairly easy to follow, as the games developers explain everything to you as you go along. Therefor people that don't know any of the story lines have a pretty good idea of what's going on in this game. The second i finished this game, i immediately started it up again on a higher difficulty level. its' that good. you'll want to play it over and over. a must buy.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is a marvelous blend of video game and cinematic experience!! I have only played Sons of Liberty before and found it somewhat incomplete and limited in detail. But this game has combined cutting edge graphics, wonderful gameplay, endless weaponry options and a mesmorizing storyline beautifully complimented by one of the most moving and powerful musical scores ever in a videogame bar none!! This game not only captures the imagination but the flawless storyline and ending lift the human spirit through the rollercoaster of tragedy and triumph.

I purchased the 80GB Playstation 3 Metal Gear Solid Package over the Motorstorm package and I have been absolutely blown away!! Marvelous Game!! Well Done!!

MGS4 is, by itself, reason enough to get a PS3. The game is truly amazing. The whole game itself is 1080p, not just a few scenes like some other games that claim to be 1080p, so it looks incredible on an HDTV. I don't have an XBOX so I can't say if any of the platform exclusive titles are as good or not, but it would have to be one heck of a game to beat MGS4. I've played all the other games in the series and I've read the reviewers fussing about the long cut scenes and some of them are very long (I think it was between acts 2 and 3, counting the ending of one part and the mission briefing of the next part, the cut scene was nearly 50 minutes long). You can skip them, but you miss out on a big part of the story and the story is the main reason for playing MGS4. MGS has never been a run-and-gun type game. It actually requires you to have patience, refrain from shooting any thing that moves, be stealthy and quiet, so it doesn't appeal to a lot of gamers, but if you liked the other games in the series, you will absolutely love this one. This is the best game I've played on the PS3 so far.

This title is not in the same league as the Halo/Gears of War/Call of Duty 4 crowd of games; I'm not saying that it is better than those, it's just apples and oranges to me. Others have detailed this games' pros and cons much more in depth than I have time for. So I'll do my best to be concise and add another 5-star to this gem's avg rating.

Story= It's a Metal Gear Game: an over-the-top convoluted and far-fetched plot mixed with numerous characters (most of which are one-dimensional except for Snake himself, the anti-hero of course) against a backdrop of a dystopian war-economy future.

Gameplay= Stealth-action mechanics. No Rambo-style here. Just peeking around walls, crawling through grass, followed by the occasional bullet to the head by a silenced sniper rifle or maybe firing a SAM to an overhead attack helicopter. There is less actual game-playing than game-experience b.c of the ratio of play:cut-scene length.

Presentation= Playing this in our home theater on a 150" projector screen with 5 B&W speakers and an 18" Velodyne sub... WOW. Not only was the music beautifully intertwined throughout playing but bullet-pings, mortar explosions were so real! The graphics are astounding - Blu Ray really shines here in spite of 720p graphics partly for the game's extremely high production value and cinematic elements. The cut scenes' length requires too much time to debate on how they help or hurt the game. Yes, they are very, very long. But I like them that way and one can skip them by hitting the Start button.

Extras+Multiplayer+Etc= can't comment, I'm a graduate student who has little time enough to play games, so finishing this once for the story and initial play was enough.

Overall= I think this game is like classical music. 90% of my age 18-24 friends neither care for the genre or dislike it altogether. Which is sad because the depth, complexity, and sheer beauty I perceive in some composer's work is lost upon them and I only wish they could share my experience. "Bo-o-o-ringgg..", they say. Is their taste in music inferior for listening to Dave Matthews or 50 cent instead? Not for me to say. Same thing with this game. I can't fault the guy who's coming from playing Counter Strike to also being melancholic like me now that the game is over simply b.c the game is so different than anything out there right now. Also, it appeals almost exclusively to the fan like me whose been hooked since MGS1 back in '98 (and subsequently played the original 1980s games on his relic NES 20 yrs later just for the story). I point to the numerous flashback scenes as proof for us veterans.
MGS4, touted as the savior for the PS3 and a reason for Avg Gamer Joe to stand in line at Gamestop for a midnight release so Sony could recover lost market share, is not the game the PS3 was exclusively supposed to be bought for. Not even Game of the Year. Its greatness is far too centered on a small (yet sizable) group of players who appreciate its brilliance. I only wish more games could be made like this. I'm still feeling blue after the ending. Feels like coming home after a long and changing journey. The mundane reality contrasts too much with the escapist fantasy this game brings to life. Like the story arc, it is the end of an era.

Before anything I shall state I'm a hardcore fps gamer. So as you might expect I'm into fast paced games like COD4, RFoM, and Gears of War (yes, I know that is a 360 game and not quite FPS but you get the idea). Therefore, I had my doubts with respect to this game as it is stated as a tactical spy game. As a matter of fact the only reason I got it was because it was a gift LOL. Couldn't be more wrong, the game is absolute gold. And the long cutscenes a lot of people complain about are actually very welcomed by me. They give me plenty of time to rest from the constant stress that causes me to try to sneak out behind enemies. An additional advantage of the long cutscenes is that for a first-timer in the Metal Gear series, this game explains everything so I actually feel lost regardless of its "complex" story. Moreover, the game allows you to play however you like, you might as well blast thru it and kill everything in sight or sneak out and avoid detection at all costs.

I loved this game all the way to the very end! The cinematics were mind blowing, the gameplay was exciting, and the story was a great. Plus, the multiplayer will have you on your couch for weeks, avoiding phone calls, and skipping meals! If you have a PS3 you need this game.

Metal Gear Solid 4, simply put, is the best game I have ever played. 20 years after the first Metal Gear game and 10 years after the first Metal Gear Solid game, MGS4 stars Solid Snake in the last months of his life. The graphics are gorgeous and the audio is top-notch. The story can be confusing to newcomers of the series but that can easily be remedied by purchasing the Metal Gear Essential Collection, which is a great idea. This is not a game to miss and is worth it to anyone who likes entertainment, a good story and next generation gameplay.

Without blowing any story details, I'm just going to get this out of the way: Metal Gear Solid 4 - Guns of the Patriots is the conclusion to the Solid Snake era of the series and it has been done right, and better than what I had in mind. Simply, there's no way I could have asked for a better ending than this. I've always been a fan of the MGS story lines, and this is my favorite part of the story. I understand Hideo Kojima has talked about the series continuing but without him being directly involved anymore as well as the absence of the long-time protagonist Solid Snake, but after this game fans would be left to question where would the series go when MGS5 comes out? Well, we won't know until then so let's enjoy MGS4.

MGS4's gameplay shouldn't be a stranger to fans of the older titles, however there are some noticeable differences. The CQC (Close Quarters Combat) system button is now "R1" instead of the "O" from MGS3, you fire weapons with (at least) two buttons (one to aim then another to fire), scope and camera zoom-ins are use the D-pad to magnify, the D-pad during the control of Snake does not move him, and the system of acquiring weapons is a bit different and the process is rather unusual for MGS games (you do more than just picking up guns off the floor). There are additions to holding-up such as patting enemies down to steal items, there are TONS of weapons in this game, a great variety but you'll never need some of them, and there is a "psyche meter" (similar to the Stamina from MGS3) and a stress meter which all take effect in Snake's performance. Aside from that the game is still no stranger to MGS fans as it still has the same feel after you get used to the new control system (I do have to say firing the gun easily took some practice and patience because it was so frustrating at times, but auto-aim eases it up). If you were disappointed in the lack of radar in MGS3, then the "Solid-Eye" is a nice welcome similar to a radar. Camera angles are totally free and can be controlled with the R-analog stick. After you get used to the controls, like I said, it's a breeze playing through like the old titles in the series.

Metal Gear Solid 4's playthrough is similar to the old MGS games - self-explanatory. Cut-scenes are one of the beauties of this game along with it's graphics despite the lengths of them. Be prepared for long cut-scenes and if you plan to watch them all, get ready for many (and I mean MANY) hours of gameplay. But in my opinion the scenes move the story along, and it's very engaging. I hardly noticed the lengths of them until I got my total play time at the end of the game, I was very engaged in everything going on in the game to every action and emotion, and I love the addition of flash-back images in the game that give me memories of playing the older titles and seeing how the story of MGS4 came about because of the previous events. So MGS4, like the other titles, is very cinematic and the most cinematic taking advantage of the PS3 technology, but fans of the series shouldn't be burdened by this if they are intrigued by the storyline and the continuity.

In a way I would consider this game mostly for people who are already fans of the series. The storyline wouldn't make as much sense if you hadn't played the previous titles and understand what happened and all. If you just played through without getting the stories on the older titles you'd enjoy the gameplay here as well.

In conclusion, MGS4 is an amazing game taking advantage of being on the PS3, the gameplay and gripping storyline should appeal to the fans of the series, and it's worth it to check out the conclusion of Snake's era in the series. 5 Stars, highly recommended!

I've just played through the whole game, watched every FMV and listened every codec comms. I even sit through the whole credit screen (2 of them actually). Let me tell you what I think...

First of all great presentation. Enough praise on that already, so let's look past that.

Game play: this is a Metal Gear Solid game - every bit of it! The gene has been defined 10 years ago and brought back to life again today. We all know how hard it is for a game to stick to its original game play and at the same time still be fun even to the veterans (Alone in the Dark anyone?). I'm confident to say that MGS4 has done it. Masterfully. (You may argue about camera angles and such, but that's a problem with all the 3rd-person games in general, not specific to MGS4)

Story & plot: I agree that Kojima is a little overdo on this department. (Maybe he wants to make a movie?) However the story is consistent and not getting in the way. FMVs are a bit long but you can always skip them. The plot provides clear goals and is interesting enough to have me engaged through out the whole game. It also give every character enough background so you actually care about them, or hate them, depending on your tastes (Johnny!)

Level design: Brilliant! Fun, unique & non-repeatitive, challenging enough to get your adrenaline pumping but not too difficult, stick to the story with clear goal. This is one of the hardest part for a game to make it right, and I have to say MGS4 pulled it off masterfully.

All the other things: another area where this game shines - weapon design, in-game hints, control mechanics, menu & inventory system... every little pieces fits together smoothly to give you an over-all well polished feeling of a great game.

Once in a while a game came alone, which seemed to do everything right, and it's a pleasure to play it. MGS4 is definitely one of them. For that I give it my 5 stars wholeheartedly.

I've played quite a few PS3 games this year. Out of all the games I've played, this one is the best. Metal Gear Solid 4 has better in-game and cut scene graphics than Uncharted, more fun single player game play than any other shooter, and a fantastically compelling storyline. All told, it is the best I've seen so far.

Prior to this game I had not played anything in this series since the first game on Nintendo in the late eighties to early nineties.I was a bit skeptical to buy so late as well thinking I would miss the plot and as such the experience would be for naught.
Fortunately ,I was wrong , the game was terrific.I initially got some problems ,during the first hour or so but eventually got the hang of it.
It was also of little concern joining the story line given the obviously long gap of time.The use of the downloadable guide was good enough to catch up with what I did not understand.
I will not go into specifics but the game takes you to another level of gaming just as the first game in the eighties did to start my gaming experience.
To the point where I am bored by replaying the other action games I currently own.
As for the famous(to some infamous ) cinematics, I find them enjoyable and necessary.After fighting through some of the scenes it was relaxing to sit back and take in the action without actually quitting the game.It made me set to continue battling on.
All in all I recommend this game to any enthusiast or newcomer to gaming.Even my girlfriend who is not a gamer was intrigued by this game and asked me to play only if she was around so she could follow the story.

Great job Kojima!!

I have to state up-front that I only got MGS4 as a part of the 80Gb PS3 bundle. I bought the PS3 as a Blu-Ray player and not as a gaming platform. I've spent almost 15 years playing PC games and have had a 360 for the last two years.

As for the game itself, although visually stunning, the game-play and the incredibly long cut-scenes were just not for me. I lasted about 5 hours with it and then took it down to the store and traded it for a new copy of Resistance: The Fall of Man. Shooting creatures and blowing things up...My kind'a game!

I have to add that I think the PS3 is a fine gaming platform and I have already pre-ordered Resistance 2...so it will be doing more than playing BD movies.