So this is the game that you bought your PS3 for. The one that you have seen a dozen trailers for over the past few years. The holy grail of what a PS3 title should be. And I have to say one thing…the wait was well worth it.

Metal Gear Solid traces its roots to the original NES, but did not reach the lore it has attained until it was on the PS1 and PS2. This new game, Guns Of The Patriots, continues the lore in the distant future. With a classic Hideo Kojima storyline, full of twists and turns, this game captures you from the start. Cut scenes are beautifully rendered and have some great emotion conveyed in them. Half the time, I felt I was watching a movie, but was brought back to reality when I had to interact with the cut scenes.

Earlier versions of the game series had some difficulties with fighting...especially with the Close Quarters Combat (CQC). In this installment, it is dramatically improved and gives you at least ten different ways to do it. This enables you to collect different amounts and a rarity of items when disposing of an enemy. So I would definitely suggest doing the “ball grab”, CQC-move to get maximum ammo and goodies…trust me, it’s ill.

One of the many things that stood out to me as well was the weapon customization. The game taking place in the future, many weapons you pick up wind up being “locked”. You can trade these into a vendor and have him unlock them or give you points that you later use to upgrade your weapons with laser sights, grenade launchers, etc. What is great about this, is that it gives you the option to really outfit yourself for missions the way you see fit. SO you can go guns blazing or be as stealth as possible.

I really had no complaints about this game and am loving every minute of it. I don’t think I will be leaving my apartment anytime soon…so just leave a voicemail at the tone. Compelling storyline, improved CQC fighting system, beautiful graphics and environmental effects…I mean what else could you want?...Oh yeah, the next installment...ASAP!!!