By Gieson Cacho
When game designer Hideo Kojima released "Metal Gear Solid," he built a masterpiece. Few titles are as perfect or as influential as Solid Snake's first adventure on Shadow Moses Island.
Every time a player watches an elaborate cut scene or sneaks through the shadows, they have Kojima to thank. He brought a sense of the cinematic to the world of gameplay.
But the problem with masterpieces is that once an artist reaches that pinnacle, it's hard to do it again. Each of Kojima's subsequent sequels have been good, but never as great as his initial foray on the PlayStation. With each new "Metal Gear Solid," there's a feeling, a noticeable effort to give players something bigger, something better, but for some reason, he has never been able to surpass the original.
Now, Kojima presents players with "Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots," a title that's the culmination of years of work. The designer's last adventure with Solid Snake tries to wrap up one of the most important series in video games, and does so in a satisfying way.
