Story-wise, probably up there with MGS3, nearly perfect, but it isn't as much of a masterclass in game design as the first three were. Such a beautiful and amazing ending to a fantastic story, perfectly weaving together MGS1, 2 and 3. This saga will leave a lasting mark on me. The characters are tremendous, this game elevated Otacon to one of my absolute favorite character all-time, doing wonders for characters like Naomi Hunter and Meryl Silverburgh, and introduced new characters like Sunny and Drebin.
The gameplay seemed promising at points, and there was definitely some fun to be had, but the game felt like it was discouraging stealth too much, and the boss fights fall far short of its predecessors'.
All in all, as a complete entity, I would consider this game to be definitely a step below the first three MGS games, but the story rivals any of them, and makes this an absolute must-play, with some fun to be had in the gameplay still.
The gameplay seemed promising at points, and there was definitely some fun to be had, but the game felt like it was discouraging stealth too much, and the boss fights fall far short of its predecessors'.
All in all, as a complete entity, I would consider this game to be definitely a step below the first three MGS games, but the story rivals any of them, and makes this an absolute must-play, with some fun to be had in the gameplay still.