reviews

Yeah, I know, there's already been one review. Mostly, I'm reposting this from my work blog. Anyway, here you go:

In short, this game was amazing. But, I suppose I ought to write a little bit more than that, so here goes.

Hm...Where to start? The graphics are great. The amount of detail crammed into just about everything is almost unbelievable. The game is almost photorealistic at points. There were times I was almost sure they'd swapped in live action scenes. The effects are just as polished, and it seems to me that it would be almost impossible to improve on the graphics.

The sound design is just as good. Ambient sounds of battle ring out with eerie realism, and the different weapons all have their own distinct effects. The voice acting, like the rest of the series, is top notch, as is the writing. The music fits the mood of the scenes perfectly, from low key melodies to heart pumping techno when you're spotted and have to fight your way out.

And the game plays as well as it looks. They revamped nearly everything about how the game is played compared to previous entries in the series (this is most evident during a brief flashback to the first game), and it takes a little getting used to, but it's also possibly the best control scheme they've come up with yet. Combat's much smoother this time around, and the new elements, like the ongoing battle surrounding most of the environments, are implemented seamlessly and naturally.

And the story, well, I'm not going to spoil anything, but it's definitely worth seeing through to the end. Just about everything from the series, from big questions to nearly forgotten details, is wrapped up in a way that suggests Hideo Kojima, the game's mastermind, planned it all way back in 1998 when Metal Gear Solid came out.

Konami really outdid itself with this game. It's a wonderful finale to a great series, and any fan of action games should pick it up.

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