A great and fun game, even if you didn't play the other MGS games
*As a little disclaimer, this is the only MGS game that I've played all the way through. I played a little of the first one on PC, and from what I played it was pretty good. Also, I'm not going to talk about the multi-player, because in over an hour of updates and stuff, I couldn't find a game without giant lag spikes, so I don't want to see biased towards it, and I'm sure if you want to know about the multi-player, you can find the information elsewhere.*
MGS:4 is a great game, the combat is very fun, the sneaking is great, the cutscenes are intense and fun to watch and the story is also quite good (from what I've gathered and researched.) You play as a Old Solid Snake in the final attempt to stop Liquid Snake, the main antagonist of the game, who has plans to do very bad things. The game is split up in to 5 chapters, and each in a different envoirnment, with different bosses to fight and characters to meet.
While the title has Tactical Espionage Action in it, the game mostly focuses on the action aspect. Don't get me wrong, this is isn't a problem, some of the best moments in the game are 100% action with no sneaking at all, like riding a motorcycle and shooting down bad guys. The action in the game is very good, and really makes the game more fun then anyone could hope for. The gun play also works very well with a over the shoulder point of view for targeting easier, and you can switch into first person mode for even more acurate shots. Also, there is a character named Drebin who sells you parts, ammo, and weapons to help you get through the game. The customization is actually quite good and works really well.
Even with all the awesome action sequences, there are some really sweet sneaking sections. Your new suit has automatic camoflauge depending on the wall you are pressed up against, the system works well and makes the game much better for sneaking. The AI on the other hand can still see you if they're close enough, but not with the naked eye. But, the AI in the game is pretty bad, but it's alright since they make up in effective combat and numbers to keep the game from being too easy. Some of the sneaking parts are really great, and really make the game quite fun and intense.
The game also boasts some of the best and longest cutscenes in a video game, they all fit well into the story and really set the mood for the game. They are pretty cool and some of them are very to watch which makes the game better since some of the cutscenes are up to 45 minutes long. The final cutscene is about an hour long since most of it is just a interactive cutscene, complete quick time events. It is very cool though and keeps tension going.
Even though all this is great, MGS:4 does have a few problems. My biggest complaint is some of the time my controls locked up. Also, the AI could have used some work, and some of the story elements are a little cooky and corny. And some of the voice acting was pretty poorly written at points.
Though the game has a few problems, the game is extremely fun and really quite good, MGS:4 is a must have game on the PS3.
