Reviewed by CL on 6/11/2005
I've held off writing a review of this game for a while because I didn't know what to say which would do this game justice. This is a true return to form after the mediocre Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. This game recaptures all of the magic of the Metal Gear series as it chronicles the actions leading up to the events of the modern day metal gear. It is set during the Cold War and has you playing the original Big Boss as you infiltrate a terrorist base in an attempt to stop then from launching a nuclear warhead. As usually, a varied cast of characters stands between you and your objective and this is what makes the game so fun to play. Each boss is a member of an elite squad known as the Cobras. Each has a unique skill that you have to address in order to beat them and this makes for some really great boss fights. An example of this is one of the most innovative fights I've ever seen in videogames. It involves fighting the sniper specialist of the group and the entire boss fight is a drawn-out and tense fight as you try to locate him, crawl your way to a good sniping position, and take a few shots before he does the same to you.
In addition to the gripping boss battles, the normal game is also very involving. The stealth action is back in all its glory and the sneaking system is more robust than ever. You can flatten against walls, hide in boxes, and sneak around as you try to infiltrate undetected. Of course, if you happen to get caught, you're not a sitting duck by any means. You've got M16's and handguns to blast your way back to safety. If you get caught in close quarters, there is a large set of actions that you can take including taking enemies hostage, engaging in hand to hand combat, and knife fighting. This is the best mix of stealth and action that I've ever seen in a videogame.
Combine all this with amazing cut scenes and top quality production values and you've got yourself one of the must play games of the year. In fact, this is one of the must play games of all time and comes with my highest recommendations.
