More Metal Gear Sellout than Metal gear Solid
While I agree MGS4 is a fun game and well worth playing, it is not graphically that great and is plagued by incredibly small area's between loading (the city level being the prime example, little detail or npc's, but laoding every 1 or 2 streets) most of which are pretty sparce in detail. Back when it was initially shown before the the PS3 was released it did look impressive but since then it's pretty average. I think tho the main defining comment I have seen of MGS4 is the "Metal Gears of War", it doesn't play like a MGS game, appart from a small "training" section at the start and a follow mission in the city, it's run and gun all the way. yes you could play it by using stealth but to behonest you would only making a rod for your own back.
The plethora of weapons available shows it is intented to be a run and gun game (that is unless there is a silencer somwhere in there for the multiple rocket and grenade launchers you can get). Don't get me wrong, this is all fun but it's not an MGS game in anything but name. The game has major flaws like the small loading area's, multiple installs (which to be honest i can't see why given the lack of detail in the environments and most textures) and overly long video's (I like story FMV as much as the next guy, but did we need to hear about sunny's egg's and the rest of the non plot specific stuff), but the actuall game it's self is well worth the drawbacks, just don't expect a MGS game unless your idea of MGS is a game that has snake in it. Essentially it's a sellout to get the FPS crouwd to play it, and so play MGO, which seems like somthing Konami are treating as a potential cash cow.
Pro's -
Fun easy to pick up and play (this is the games main definign point and makes up for the cons)
Ties up plot threads
Con's -
Not an MGS game in terms of gameplay
Way too much loading for such small low detail levels
Too many installs for such small low detail levels that need to load very regular anyway
Bloated cuts scenes, to much uneeded extra's that add nothign to the story and are little more than very poor atempts at character building
