Metal Gear Solid 4 - Guns of the Patriots
Sony Playstation 3, 1 Player, $99.95
By Andrew P Street
In what is (supposedly) the final outing for both Metal Gear's iconic protagonist Solid Snake and the series' author Hideo Kojima, the prematurely-aged "Old Snake" is dragged back to defeat the military ambitions of Liquid Ocelot (the latest incarnation of regular antagonist Revolver Ocelot) who is seeking to resurrect the rogue military state of Outer Heaven. That synopsis barely scratches the surface, though: this is more an incredibly long interactive film than a game.
Various characters from the previous games return (including, as ever, your support man Otacon) and gameplay is much like the previous installments (creep, creep, kill, creep) with neat new tweaks including an awesome camouflage suit, a smart weapons-points system and an unobtrusive heads-up display neatly woven into the story.
The voice acting, musical score, sound and visual design puts most movies to shame, while the setting of a 1984-style state of permanent war manages to echo contemporary fears without falling into an Iron Man kill-the-towelheads shorthand. Fans will also love the way that the series' loose ends are neatly tied up, with wry references to previous entries woven throughout.
If this truly is Snake's last hurrah, he's leaving in style.