List of Games You've Beaten 2022

[Signalstar]

Just Finished: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3)

Hot damn. Sometimes you want to kick yourself for waiting so long to a play a game. MGS 4 obviously came out 14 years ago in 2008 but the series wasn't even on my radar back then. I eventually hopped into the series through the MGS 2 + 3 HD collection on Vita. I bought MGS 4 on disc on PS3 used for about $2 sometime around 2018 (an ugly red Greatest Hits case at that). It's been sitting in my basement ever since. The game was also available to stream over PS Now which is how I intended to play it through my PS4 but I missed my window as it was eventually removed. Also I took some time to track down a copy of The Twin Snakes on Gamecube so I could experience the series first entry without going all the way back to the ancient PS1 version. I'm glad I finally played that back in 2020. MGS4 has many callbacks to the prior games in the series. It felt like a culmination and dare I say I felt nostalgia for a series I had not been that intimate with before. This game was amazing. I played it on my PS3 fat. I'm amazed at how well the game has held up. I am primarily gaming on the PS5 nowadays and these older graphics still blew me away. The presentation is top notch. I of course ignored most of the story and the overly long cutscenes. Perhaps I should have take in all the games the way they were meant to be experienced but I am too busy to sit through more than 8 hours of cutscenes. The bits of the story I got through the gameplay were gripping though. Focusing the game on Old Snake is a brilliant decision that makes this game unlike most I have played. Each Act takes place in a different location and they each bring new gameplay experiences. Most of the marketing focused on the first act taking place on a battlefield in the Middle East. I am glad most of the games secrets were well kept. Some of the splitscreen sequences were very thrilling. The controls are too complex and take some getting used to but once you get the hang of it the gameplay is sublime. Kojima and company throw so many unique ideas at the player and execute them so well. The action set pieces are truly epic. Most of the boss battles are very memorable as well. There is less of a focus on stealth so this really plays more like a third person shooter. If Kojima streamlined his storytelling and stopped making it bat shit crazy the series would be better. When I finished the game after 12 hours I was bummed that there wasn't more to play. I still have MGS V to play and before that I want to take on Portable Ops and Peace Walker as well. Despite all that I know that chronologically this is the last game in the series and boy does it end on a high note.

Score: 9/10

Full Completed 2022 List:

• Far Cry 5 (PS4)
• Resident Evil 6 (PS4)
• inFamous 2 (PS Now)
• Super Mario Bros. 3 (NSO)
• Bioshock 2 (PS4)
• Ico (PS Now)
• Knack (PS4)
• Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD (PS4)
• Astro's Playroom (PS5)
• Bully (PS4)
• Sackboy A Big Adventure (PS5)
• Escape Academy (PS5)
• LocoRoco Midnight Carnival (PS5)
• The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (NSO)
• Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (PS5)
• Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury (Switch)
• Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3)