the worst review you've ever read

The long-winded and preachy 60+ minute ending for Metal Gear Solid 4 finally came to a close late last night. Nearly every bit as good as the rest of the raving gaming community has loudly concurred for the last month and a half. Despite MGS being one of my favorite franchises of all time, I'm still ever wary of the almighty hype machine. So while there were certain irritating aspects of the game where I felt it didn't quite live up to the heaps of praise bestowed in one of the many perfect review scores, there was still a single moment--a brief sequence in the game that overshadowed three years' worth of uncertainty, hype, and expectation, and cemented itself as one of those unforgettable life-altering moments wherein some people experience a kind of personal zen--an emotional high, or spiritual "first."

Some might claim such a moment as having been their first kiss, standing on the alter at their own wedding, giving birth to their first child, or maybe finally seeing the Pope in flesh. Still others might recall a certain "first" after watching Phoebe Cates step out of the pool in Fast Times. Not limited to single lifetime milestones though, even driving by a Krispy Kreme and seeing the 'Hot Doughnuts Now' sign, might also be enough to elicit the same cluster of emotions in some.

So rather than try to defend Hideo Kojima for his questionable design choices, I'm willing to simply forgive the various shortcomings in Metal Gear Solid 4; namely its redundant melodrama, perversion with toilet humor, Meryl's questionable taste in men, the diapered monkey, and Snake's cop out twist ending, all on the grounds that the 2.5 minute sequence leading up to the Outer Haven server room now joins the ranks on my official list, among "first time I heard Quiet Things...," "landing my first ollie," and "seeing Natalie Portman up on the big screen in Phantom Menace."

It was that good.

El fine