Metal Gear Solid 4 Impressions - Act I

I have fought the Frogs and lived to tell about it. That's about as far as I have made it into Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots campaign, so don't worry there will be no spoilers. In fact, I don't think I have seen a cutscene yet that hasn't been included in one of the trailers.

Let me start off by the negatives that immediately gave me a pang of doubt in MGS4. First is that the game must be installed on your system. This is a very big annoyance when you've been waiting for this game, but ultimately it doesn't take that long...but I have to nitpick. The real WTF moment for me has nothing to do with the game or its cutscenes. I have seen 3 (so far) live action pieces / cutscenes that should not have been put on the disc. 2 came up as I started my new game. 1 was a "Who wants to be a Millionaire" spoof where the answer to the questions were about the war economy. The other one was some weird ad with women shooting harpoons and being entangled by an octopus with a skull....WTF exactly. The other live action piece was much more digestable and just a simple scene of a frying pan, little girl's voice (possibly Sunny), and 2 eggs cracked and cooked. This scene popped up right as the "Act I" text came up.

My only complaint about the gameplay / cutscenes so far is that the jokes about Johnny "Akiba" of rat patrol go way too far. It's typical Kojima humor but it's a little too in the face (you'll see what I mean).

As far as gameplay and the rest of the game goes....wow! MGS4 feels a lot different than it's predecessors and the scale/size of the maps are staggering. I have had to refer to my map several times and even gotten lost in the winding tunnels of a militia outpost. The warzone setting is incredible exciting and the Militia vs. PMC battle where I allied myself with the Militia and participated in their war has been a highlight that culminated in a PMC airstrike. Is this even Metal Gear? Yes it is and it's better than ever, because this immediately followed with the first "boss' battle against the Frogs. In typical, Metal Gear Solid Fashion, the battle with the Frogs is very similar to early boss battles that are just forced action/fight sequences (such as MGS gunfight with Meryl along your side). It's made even easier because you have Rat Patrol (Meryl again) gunning away with you.

...I'm on my way to find Liquid's camp now...more to come later.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Released Tomorrow

Finally, the PS3 killer app is released tomorrow. Metal Gear Solid 4 is currently at 93/100 on Metacritic. Many of the reviewers are european magazines/websites, so hopefully when the US publications start reviewing it, the score will be pushed up some more. Needless to say, I'll be picking up my copy on Thursday and will be playing it fanatically until I beat it. I'll send some previews/impressions along my way and give a full review when I've sunk my teeth into it enough. I can't wait to shoot at some of the Beauty & Beast bosses above!

5 reasons why I returned Quake Wars Enemy Territory after ~30minutes

5. Graphics were bad...some original xbox games look better
4. Training taught me....how to fail the first mission
3. I never was a Quake fan...and apparently never will be.
2. Clunky Controls
1. Gameplay sucked...there are sooo many FPS and all are better choices. Even if you like class based soldiers go with Team Fortress 2 over this dud.

Retro Review: Super Punch-Out!

I was not lucky enough to have played Super Punch-Out back in the early 90s when it was released. The reason I had no interest with the Punch-Out series was because:
1. I played the original Mike Tyson's Punch Out for NES and it was way too difficult for me at such a young age
2. It was not 2-player
Therefore I cannot really accurately give a score for how I remember the game to be. However based on some internet research, the average gaming press review at the time of release was about 83.5%

Back Then: 84%

Super Punch-Out is the last game of the series (one can only hope for a Wii/VC release) and definitely the best. It takes everything from the original Mike Tyson's Punch-Out! but improves on it: Better graphics, sound, controls...and gets rid of Mike Tyson. I discovered this game about 5 years ago in college and definitely was not an immediate fan. Punch-Out! has a relatively steep learning curve and plays differently than any other fighting boxing game that you may have played. The Player's character is extremely weak compared to the opponents and the game emphasizes memorization and timing. This initial difficulty is what kept me away from the series at a young age, but now it keeps drawing me back in. In the past couple weeks, I have found myself booting up Super Punch-Out! nearly every day for at least 1-2 bouts. In these days of Halo 3, GTA IV, etc., I think that says a lot about this older game. The game is extremely unique and different than any of the other games out there and offers a challenge without the player ever getting frustrated and giving up. It's an incredibly addicting game and the graphics, sound, etc. are all top-notch 16-bit pixel art so it stands the test of time well. The negatives are that there is no multiplayer of any kind and that you cannot choose different fighters, but it came before the age of online multiplayer so one can only hope that some one takes the time to revive this franchise and do it right.

Verdict Now: 91%