Metal Gear Solid 4

I've won a lot of money recently, plus I've been getting refunds from the government on top of my paycheck, so I picked up a PlayStation 3 a couple of weeks ago just so I can play Metal Gear Solid 4. I also got up the PS3 versions of MLB '08: The Show and Grand Theft Auto IV, even though I have the game already, because I like playing video games in the comfort of an air conditioned room while lying down on my bed and eating candy. I don't have an HDTV in my room, I have this really small flatscreen SDTV that I've had for 10 years, but the machine works great on it. I can't imagine what it would look like on an HDTV. I imagine I could play GTA IV and Niko would just step out of the screen and steal my computer.

I think I like MGS4 better than Grand Theft Auto IV, mostly because one of my great regrets in life is that I didn't join the CIA and become an assassin. The game is a lot friendlier to sociopaths-in-training who just enjoy sneaking around and shooting people without them ever suspecting, at least compared to previous games. This is mostly because there's an an Arms Dealer where you can trade weapons you find on the battlefield for store credit to buy guns and/or accessories like silencers or scopes. It's like the Gap for people with suppressed rage.

The story for MGS4 is the finale for the Metal Gear series, and in keeping with form, the game is epic and confusing with some spectacular action sequences. MGS4 is the best action movie I've seen in years, only I also get to play it as well. The cut scenes are long as hell though, even longer than I remember from any of the other Metal Gear games. Watching one of the mission briefings or the cut scenes at the end of each Act is like sitting through an episode of Lost or 24. It's really long with a lot of action sequences and exposition.

I've sort of given up on video games in recent years, mostly because I have other stuff to do. And I still have other stuff to do, but I find myself thinking about the games I play more and more and looking for excuses to flake out on things just so I can keep playing. And it's great. With GTA in April and MGS4 in June and another Madden coming out in a couple months, it's been a solid year for gaming, at least for me. It feels like I'm 10 years old again, only I get paid every two weeks and I like tequilla a lot more.