Back in 1999 on a friends playstation I had my first experience with Metal Gear Solid. Even at 14 years of age, I recall being very impressed with the atmosphere of the game, and further amazing that the entire narrative took place over the span of one evening. I remember thinking that those ideas seemed to have no place in the video game industry, but here was proof otherwise. Hideo Kojima had made his mark on the video game industry.

Now, I'll be frank, I did not play another entry in the metal gear franchise until MGS4, but thanks to reviews and screenshots I was excited for it regardless.

My first playthrough of the game left me dissapointed.

I'm not sure why I was so underwhelmed by the game. Perhaps I was expecting something more western? Or something with less cutscenes? Regardless of why, I just didn't get it, but even if I didn't realize it, the slow burn had already begun.

To this day, MGS4 is the only current-gen game I've played through more than once, and I've play it 4 times.... all the way through. It is a strange thing, there are significant aspects of the game I don't enjoy (e.g. the cutscenes/story, the sneaking mission in europe), but the slow burn is a large fire now, and I am addicted to the game. I think I've narrowed the reasoning for this addiction to gameplay, but that somehow doesn't seem complete. I feel a slight euphoria whenever I think about the gecko or the camosuit, and I don't think I would be drawn to the game as much if they were absent. The opening section of Act 2 in south america is of particular significance to me; the wealth of options in that camp alone is really amazing. And while I never really enjoy weapons customization, I do it religiously in MGS4. I've searched every body, found every secret, and played through each section with multiple different tactics.

MGS4 is the perfect balance of everything that makes games great, and I think that's what makes me keep coming back. I don't understand the story (the whole meme, gene, scene thing confuses me), and there are a few design decisions that baffle me, but there is a phenominal game here and I keep finding it.    Kojima has once again made his mark on the industry...