This game is so strange because there are a lot of things I really like about it and a lot of things that I think actively make it worse. In a general sense, a bulk of my score is going towards the actual gameplay. I loved my experience with this game because it was so much fun to play. It is by far the most fun I've had with a Metal Gear game, and one of my favourite stealth games now. My only complaint with the gameplay stems from the story itself, in that chapter 2's missions are basically just repeats of chapter 1's with a few standout originals every once in a while.

The story is where my biggest contemplations stem from. In a general sense, I suppose I just don't feel like this game particularly added much. The prologue is an exciting introduction that really prepares you for the tone of the game. Then, Chapter 1 has a plotline that's seen through to the end, but it's paced so oddly that it feels like it ends right as it's beginning.

Chapter 2, on the other hand, just feels undercooked. It introduces some interesting concepts and has some of the best moments of the game, but it's really only like 5 missions long. Of course, I know the development issues this game went through, and how that surely affected the final product, but I can only judge what was made (and say "fuck you, Konami" ;P).

All in all, this is a real departure from the rest of the series in a lot of ways. It's not my favourite story, but it is definitely my favourite to play. There are things I wished had been better or fleshed out more, but as a game experience, I'm more than satisfied.

I didn't quite love this as much as most people did, but I had my fun with it. I would say the pacing was what took away the most enjoyment for me. Some parts of the game simply drag on too long to be enjoyable. In terms of the climax, I would tend to agree it's not as impactful as the original, but it's clearly more interested in being set-up for the final game in the trilogy, so I somewhat have to wait for that to be able to judge this. Overall, I enjoyed this game, and it made me appreciate the original a lot along the way, so I think that's a good thing?
8.5/10

Maybe this rating will change as I sit with it more, but Idk man, this game just did not do it for me. It's weird because I enjoyed it while playing, but I felt nothing reaching the ending. It was so rushed that it felt disconnected from the game I just played. It felt like the themes the ending wanting to portray were not compatible with the rest of the story. The beginning of the story has a lot of mystery and intrigue, but around the middle point it really loses its footing and just meanders for a while. I was hoping the ending would kinda make it all work, but it just... didn't do anything for me. It doesn't help that I didn't really like most of the antagonists, barring one stand out. This is the first Yakuza game where I've really just felt nothing during the ending, and that's disappointing.

I can't in good faith call this a bad game, and I'm happy for everyone who loved it, but it just didn't work for me.

Full disclosure, played this with the BetterSADX mod. The version you get from normal Steam is unacceptably bad tbh.

With the mods however, this was a super fun time. The Sonic levels controlled so well. Better than he’s controlled in recent games for sure. I was pleasantly surprised by how fun the other characters were too. The only one I didn’t really enjoy way Big, but part of that was just the controls for fishing being a little wonky.

There is a lot about this game that’s kind of annoying, but it was honestly just so fun. I’m just gonna walk away with a wonderful experience. Even though I’m only scoring it an 8, I think it’s just one of the most fun games I’ve played in a while :D

This was a fun time! For a first foray into 3D, this game captures the spirit of Metroid quite well, having many interesting areas, enemies, and lore scattered about. The combat takes some getting used to, but I found it enjoyable once it clicked with me. There's a few quality of life things that weren't amazing? Switching beams mid-combat was a challenge and I'm not sure it was really meant to be... Also, perhaps it's just because it was a 3D environment this time, but the backtracking felt exceedingly tedious at times, especially when collecting the Artifacts, in a way unlike the 2D games for me.

Having said that, I do believe this game presented some interesting new ideas for the series and overall just felt like everything I wanted it to be, albeit with a few small hiccups.
8.5/10

I enjoyed this far more than I expected to. It is far from a perfect game, that much is clear, but I can't deny how invested I was in it. The story definitely introduces more elements than it cares to explain, but I mostly enjoyed what it chose to focus on. Iori and Saber were definitely the highlight of the game, and the NG+ ending was by far the most satisfying. The main endings were alright, although they really needed some further falling action. The enemies also got a little damage spongey near the end of my first playthrough, but this is a non-problem on NG+ so I guess it didn't bother me as much lol.

Even though I know this isn't a particular standout game when viewed with a critical eye, I really liked the parts of it that I liked. So much so that I can ignore the parts I didn't for the most part.
8.5/10

It's honestly... kind of hard to rate this game. It fails on a lot of levels, both in terms of clarity of the narrative and just... failing as a sequel to MGS2. I don't think I've ever seen a sequel with more retcons and plot contrivances as this one. Characters from previous games will appear and act nothing like how they used to with vague explanations being our only reasoning for why. Gameplay is also a tad strange, as you never really feel the need to sneak around, but it's also not that noteworthy of a shooter? It's just an odd middle ground that feels fine to play, but not something I'm particularly interested in revisiting. The plot also really loses itself by the end. It gets so wrapped up in the idea of tying up every single strand of hanging plot threads in the series that it forgets to tell its own story. The world of MGS4 is arguably the most interesting in the series, but the game is more interested in recapping the previous instalments than actually expanding on it.

And yet... despite all of that, the myriad of complaints I can dredge up about this game... I still enjoyed my time with it. I was still invested in it. I can say that I enjoyed the experience. And, you know what? I just enjoyed playing as Solid Snake one last time.

This game is no pillar of storytelling like the last two entries, nor is it close to a masterpiece, but it is still very much a vital experience of the series. Most of all, it holds a fitting conclusion for one of gaming's most legendary protagonists.
7.5/10

This game's interesting. I found the beginning pretty enthralling, the middle a little tedious, and the ending both a little contrived and very powerful at the same time. The actual ending scene of this game, of course, is incredible and can claim its place as one of the few scenes to make me cry, but I do think this game falls a little short in certain areas?

I think one of the main antagonists of this game just feels really underutilized and it almost feels like the plot just... forgets about him? Maybe Infinite Wealth will give some more closure, but it just felt odd to me.

I do also feel the gameplay was a step down from Lost Judgment. Kiryu is obviously still super fun to play, but he never felt quite as fluid as Yagami, which was a tad disappointing.

Having said all that, I still enjoyed my time with the game, and the ending made me bawl, so it did something right.
8.5/10