Bigger but not always better, MGS4 ties up the series in a game you will both love and hate, but not regret playing.
Story is key to Guns as has become the norm for all Metal Gear titles. Solid Snake is once again the protagonist chasing down Liquid Snake in an attempt to thwart his plans for world domination. As you would expect, nothing is initially what it seems and the events that soon follow the opening is a globetrotting epic that seeks to tie up all of the loose ends and question marks created by the previous Metal Gear games. For anyone with experience in the series, you know there are a lot of questions that need answering, and as a result Guns tries very hard to explain the story through hours of in-game cut scenes, so many in fact that your initial play through will likely result in more watching than actual playing.
The times you are playing are certainly a joy. The majority of the game consists of the tactical stealth action similar to the previous Metal Gear games. Snake is still mostly interested in stealthily navigating through his environments, and he has an arsenal of new tools to help him both in and out of combat. Foremost amongst these is the octocamo suit which automates the camouflage system of MGS3, but if the going gets tough there is no shortage of options to clear out hostiles. Given the prevelance of ammo and the ease of the shooting system, on the lower difficulty settings Guns could be played much more freely as a third person action game if you so preferred.
There are a few other scenes outside of the norm, consisting of a couple of intense high speed rail shooting and one sequence at the end of the fourth act that is a total blast. It is a shame these sequences are few and far between to break up the traditional game play, since the game will drag a bit especially in the second act when faced with an unending stream of cut scene, brief stealth sequence, cut scene, ad nauseum.
It is in this progression that your appreciation for Guns will be found. Throughout my time with the game I did not feel like I was driving the game as much as being placed along for the ride. Rarely are you given more than 20 minutes of uninterrupted gaming before being bombarded with more beautiful cut scenes, and while the transition between the game and story are seamless, you are still left sitting starting at the screen with little to do for 20-30 minutes at a time. There are a few interactive touches, especially in the pre-act mission briefings, but these are easter eggs and did not add enough to the game to prevent me from getting up to make a sandwich or something else while the story sequences played themselves out in the background. If you aren't familiar with the activity of the previous games or a total Metal Gear nut you will probably come to love these sequences, but I feel I am apt to assume those groups are the minority of gamers, and many will be turned off by the sheer weight of watching to be done. Sure, you can skip just about every cut scene, but to do so will result in a very disjointed gaming experience given how everything is designed to flow from one piece to the next.
Guns of the Patriots is in my mind a must play for any gamer. This is a title the likes of which has not come before and may never come again. Uncompromisingly bombastic, it ties up one of gaming's most extensive and popular story lines with a presentation that cannot be rivaled in nearly any other entertainment medium. Whether or not you seek a second tour of duty however will depend entirely on your appreciation for the game's game play elements. There are plenty of incentives to go back for unlockable items and the familiar end-of-game rating system, but many will be satisfied after their first time once they know how the story plays out. MGS4 is the end of an era, and I will simultaneously celebrate the breakthroughs and memorable moments of the series but also bid a fond farewell to something I don't want to sit through ever again.