After lengthy delays and much anticipation, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is finally here. The last game of Solid Snake’s story arc is more epic and intense than any other Metal Gear game to date. Combining entirely new gameplay elements with an amazing storyline, this is the Hideo Kojima’s best work to date.

What else can you say about the graphical presentation in Metal Gear Solid 4 other than the game is drop dead gorgeous. In what could be one of the best looking games to date on any system, every element has been meticulously detailed. When looking at Snake, other characters, or any environment, Kojima managed to pack more polygons into MGS4 than you can shake a stick at. With the game’s camera feature, you can take in-game screenshots that can be exported to your PC via a memory stick to savor forever. Guns of the Patriots has sound just as beautiful as the graphics. From the terrific script and voice acting to the wonderful score that really sets the mood, you’re going to want to turn the volume up on your surround sound system.

The gameplay has evolved immensely from previous Metal Gear Solid titles. The game is still about Tactical Espionage Action, but shooting has taken a larger role in Solid Snake’s arsenal. The Mk. 2 pistol with tranquilizer darts, Snake’s main weapon in previous Metal Gear Solid games, is no longer the first weapon you obtain. Instead, you start off by picking up an automatic rifle. The shooting works very well and you could actually go through without the Mk. 2 pistol completely on the easier difficulty levels if you choose. But on Solid Normal, Big Boss Hard or Big Boss Extreme, sneaking and knocking out your opponents is tantamount to your success.

One of the biggest additions, other than weapons, is the new OctoCamo sneaking suit. Snake’s new camouflage will automatically adapt itself to his surroundings if crouching or prone, or if Snake pushes himself up against a wall. By blending in with the environment, Snake can more easily sneak past private military (PMC) troops. You can also control the OctoCamo manually if desired, which is somewhat consistent with how things worked in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.

Another new feature is the ability to buy and sell weapons with Drebin, a weapons launderer who works both sides to profit from war. Drebin can unlock ID tagged weapons or sell you new guns and ammo. The system for selling weapons to Drebin is very well implemented as all duplicate weapons you pick up are automatically sold for Drebin Points. If you had to do this manually, it would have become a chore. But, by it all happening automatically in the background, you can sit back and collect weapons dropped by killed soldiers on the battlefield. Whenever desired, you can pull up Drebin’s shop from the pause menu to purchase new weapons, upgrades, or ammo with the Drebin Points you’ve obtained.

Where the game truly shines is the story. Metal Gear Solid 4 is without a doubt Hideo Kojima’s swan song. Most of the story is relayed through the game’s cutscenes. Yes, there are plenty of cutscenes and some are of considerable length. But never was there a time during the course of play where I wished a cutscene would end. I highly encourage that you not skip any of the cutscenes, as you will ultimately end up confused later in the game. Trust me, the story and each cutscene are that good. Without giving away any spoilers, suffice to say there are plenty of plot twists and more than enough to pique your attention.

Metal Gear Online takes your sneaking and shooting features and brings them online with the rest of the world. After you sign up for a Konami ID, which I still don’t understand why this is needed, you can begin to customize your character. From there, it’s on to many standard shooter gameplay types. My favorite, though, is one you can only find in Metal Gear: Sneaking Mission. In this type, one person acts as Snake and one as the Metal Gear Mk. II. Your goal is to collect dog tags from other soldiers and disable them without getting killed. Whether you’re Snake or not, this mode is a lot of fun. My only real complaint about Metal Gear Online is that it does not integrate with your PSN friends list. Konami plans to expand Metal Gear Online with new maps, weapons, and gameplay modes over the course of time.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is the best title available on the PS3, hands down. If you don’t yet own a PS3, MGS4 is more than enough reason to justify the purchase. With solid gameplay elements, an amazing story, and a fun online multiplayer component, this is definitely worth your $60. There’s a very strong chance that Metal Gear Solid 4 will end up 2008’s Game of the Year.

Overall: 10 out of 10

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