MGS4 is not the game it could have been; nor is it the game it would have been had the series grown with the benefit of hindsight; nor is it the game it should have been if you believed that early trailer. But it is faithful to its fans, its premise and its heart, delivering an experience that is, in so many ways, without equal. In years to come, as people stand before the grave marked ‘Tactical Espionage Action’, they’ll feel little choice but to salute.
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