It sure has been a long time coming but it's finally here! The most anticipated PlayStation game of all time is available and the 18+ months of waiting are over. This game has certainly been the centre of a lot of hype thanks to the media. Was all of the hype really worth it? Actually, there should've been more. We may be looking at the greatest game of the decade here.

You're Solid Snake, a one man army trying to stop a nuclear disaster. Using stealth as his main weapon you'll guide Snake through a ventilation shaft, a minefield and down the side of a huge tower; and that's just scratching the surface! But if you're feeling a little more immortal you can pull out weapons such as C4 explosive, a sniper rifle (very cool) and a land mine among many others. Or perhaps you'd prefer to go on a photo shoot or maybe try your hand at bird watching. You can all of that and more in MGS.

Visually this game may seem a bit inferior at first. But the more you play it the better the graphics become. They don't get actually get technically 'better', but you start to notice the little things and discover that everything is rendered in full 3D, everything from a helicopter to maggots in a prison cell, it's all fully 3D. Even more impressive are the effects. I found it very hard to believe I was playing this on the PlayStation, heck, I had a hard telling I was playing a videogame! Of all of the effects, I loved the stealth camouflage. This would create a water like effect similar to that found in the movie Predator, it was amazing to say the least. The only visual problem I noticed were grainy textures but you won't even notice it after an hour or so of playing.

The audio in this game blew me away. This is the best voice acting, music and sound effects I've ever heard in a videogame. I'm sure playing NASCAR 99 on the N64 before firing up MGS played a slight role in this, but still, I've never heard better. All of the characters voice's sound great as do the accents. When using the sniper rifle you can hear Snake's heartbeat. When talking to Psycho Mantis you can hear his raspy breathing caused by his mask. The gunshots and explosions also sound wonderful and they all sound different just as they should.

The control is a bit less exciting than the rest of the game but is by no means bad. The only problem control wise is the lack of pressure sensitive analog control. Being a spy you wouldn't expect Snake to run every time he moves. But this doesn't cause any problems as far as I can tell. Crawling is a bit tricky at times and it is especially complicated when trying to crawl through infrared sensors. Once you get the hang of it though, you should be okay. And please don't play this game without a Dual Shock controller. I'd give anything if every game utilized the vibration function as well as this game does. It shakes in sync perfectly with the action on screen. The coolest part of the game is where Psycho Mantis proves his psychic abilities by actually moving your controller. MGS is the perfect excuse to get a DS controller if you don't have one already.

The storyline in MGS is astounding! You literally never know what's going to happen next. There are a lot of twists and surprises throughout the game. There's actually so many that every time you hear your Codec inform you of an incoming message you get really into what's going on. Every little thing you hear can become a major part of the game. If the storyline wasn't what it is I'd probably really dislike this game. The whole time you're on the edge of your seat dying to know what's going to happen next. The same happens when you get ready to open a door. At a few points during the game I actually got scared before I ventured into an unexplored area. If you imported the game buy the English version anyway, you can't afford to miss out on the story.

There's only one problem I have with games that are as fun as this one, I play them way too much the first couple of days I have them. That definently holds true for this game. Playing an average of seven hours a day I managed to complete the game in two days at a grand total of 13 hours 57 minutes and 15 seconds. I guess there's no such thing as perfect. But with multiple endings and unexplored areas I've already started my second game.

Please turn you computer off after you read our reviews and go buy this game. Forget whatever else you were going to do and drive as fast as you can to get this game. If there ever was a game to own this is it. If you have a PlayStation you have to have this game, if you don't buy a PlayStation a get this game, you can't go wrong.

Pros
Great Story line with lots of surprises.
Amazing camera and graphical effects.
Marvelous audio.
Full 3D graphics.
It's just plain cool!

Cons
If you really love this game you can finish it in 2 days.

Footnotes

Appeal Anyone who breaths.
Originality In Konamis words, "Tactical Espionage Action" don't think it's be done before.
Graphics Nothing exciting at first but effects a dazzling.
Audio Amazingly well done.
Longevity Unfortunately a bit low you'll defiantly go back to it though.
Gameplay It doesn�t get any better.