Metal Gear Masterpiece
It is not often that a video game blends cinematic flair, eloquent story telling and superb game play into one package. Many great games thrive on the latter while few find a way to excel in all categories. Metal Gear Solid 4 not only meets all of these requirements, it obliterates them without hesitation. Metal Gear Solid 4 is the greatest game I have ever played, period. Snake could not ask for a more fitting sendoff. 
As a MGS fan I remember having to listen to the boring codecs between snake and his comrades. They could be skipped but the player would be missing out on vital parts of the story. Hideo Kojima has decided to go in a different direction by telling this epic tale through beautifully rendered real time cut scenes. The story is told so amazingly in this game, I have no problem with watching the cinematics on my now third play through. Some biased reviewers will tell you that cut scenes distract from the experience and that 90% of the experience is a movie. This simply is not true and the cinematics only add to the depth of this game. I will not delve into specifics to avoid spoilers. The story starts off with Solid Snake coming out of retirement to help an old friend, Colonel Campbell, the mission is simple, assassinate Liquid. Things get complicated from there but rest assured, this game grabs onto you and doesn't let go until the credits roll. Every loose end, every missing character anything that has plagued us throughout the Metal Gear series has been answered in MGS4, and in doing so it has raised the bar for story telling across any medium. 
Early on during the development Kojima Productions brought in Ryan Payton, one of the heads at Konami of America, in order to bring some western influence. Boy, did it pay off, MGS4 has completely revamped the control scheme while still keeping the stealth elements not only in tact, but have improved upon them immensely. Metal Gear Solid 4 takes in a new over-the-shoulder camera view, Ala gears or re4, and it has opened up a whole new way to play the game. Any worries that this new camera will take away from the core of the stealth game play are invalid, as this adds new depth to the stealth while giving a new opportunity to players as well. 
The gameplay also stays fresh as it has you traverse through five completely different areas throughout the five acts. Another wrinkle that plays along with the new shooting mechanics is the Drebin Points system. Drebin is a weapons launderer and he unlocks ID-tagged guns that you pick up throughout the game. You will find, steal and swipe guns off of enemies collecting points and weapons throughout the story and with over 77 weapons in the game this adds an extreme amount of depth. 
Now for those stealth enthusiasts who thrive on CQC and camouflage, there is another new element, and it is probably the coolest thing I have seen in a video game in a long time. Octocamo is an evolution of the camouflage system from MGS3: Snake Eater. Octocamo blends into whatever surface you are primarily leaning against. This comes to be very handy when trying to avoid enemy soldiers. 
In MGS4 there is something for everyone, and this new variety of game play options will only entice players to engage in multiple play throughs. On top of all these new additions, MGS4 has an insane amount of collectibles, warranting at least 2-3 play throughs to unlock everything. As if all of this wasn't enough, Kojima Productions and Konami have decided to build upon the success of Metal Gear Solid 3 Subsistence by including the very underrated Metal Gear Online. My only complaint about MGO is having to create a Konami ID. It plays very similar to the single player game. With about ten hours clocked in, I have had no lag issues or microphone issues. In a word: Solid, no pun intended. 
Boss battles have always been a staple of the metal gear franchise and this carnation of the series does not disappoint. The bosses are a wonderful homage to the memorable fights from MGS1. Beautifully designed boss fights fit well into the intricate story and add to the depth of realism that MGS delves into. They give a real taste of the horrors of war and paint a picture of what an atrocity really is. MGS4 sets a new standard for game play, with varied enemies, brilliant AI, and a whole new set of tools at snakes fingertips, its hard not to bask in the glory that is MGS4. 
Graphically MGS4 sets a new standard for video games that other developers should learn from. This game is filled with realistic textures and beautifully rendered character models. It offers some amazing lighting along with some nice effects that add to the realism such as the dirt and water that covers the screen in moments of battle. The audio in Metal Gear Solid 4 is second to none, with top notch voice actors and realistic sounding guns, this game has the technical features down pat. The voice work is second to none with David Hayter leading the charge with his wonderful representation of Old Snake. I could discursively drown on about how beautiful this game looks and sounds and it still wouldn't do it justice. It just shows the amount of work Kojima has put in with his team for over three-and-a-half years. Their hard work has payed dividends for this game as it is the most visually stunning console game to date. 
Words can not describe what a masterpiece Metal Gear Solid 4 is. You simply have to experience this game for yourself. It is sad to see such a legendary hero as snake go but he could not have asked for a better send off. Goodbye old friend, I salute you.
