[bad soda]

[PS3] Metal Gear Solid 4 – SCORE: 10
Highest Level Achieved: One complete playthrough on Normal. Finished it in about 20 hours.
Description: The story is the culmination of every modern Metal Gear character, plot and theme; the gameplay is more of it’s own master, clearly drawn from predecessors but not “classic” Metal Gear. The cut-scenes that are throughout the game are so long they almost dare defiance. There is an online mode that I imagine is somewhat like the beta that closed a few weeks ago.

I try not to commit loyalty to any one franchise, to avoid becoming a slave to a specific system or series. But there are rewards for being a biased “fanboy,” for flipping on the blinders and seeing only what you want to see. The raw excitement of an upcoming release for a fanboy is a powerful thing, and for Metal Gear Solid 4 it’s more than just the next release, it’s the last. The send off. I am a Metal Gear nut, so I’ve been looking forward to this moment for a long time. And, for once, it seems like the moment was made for me.

The story-telling arguably takes center stage through the whole MGS series, but there is little argument when it comes to MGS4. The playable segments segue through the mildly intractable cut scenes the way most games do the opposite. More than any title before it, the story builds on its predecessors. Old friends reappear en masse, as if they knew that this was the Solid Snake swan song and wanted to pay their respects; those who could not show in person appear in triggering “flashbacks” for the attentive player. The more incomprehensible elements of previous stories are ironed out in traditional Metal Gear retcon, while new incomprehensibles are added in for good measure. Even old areas are revisited to mark the occasion. This is, storywise, a Metal Gear to end all Metal Gears.

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