I guess now that I've been labeled a PS3 hater by the Sony fans, it's time to hate on the PlayStation 3's biggest title of 2008, right? I mean, I've been going on and on about me disliking stealth games and not really "getting" it (MGS). I even felt regret upon leaving the store. "Do I really want this shit? It's a stealth game. I know I'm going to hate it." I had seen the GameTrailers retrospectives, I was going to play this game, and plus, I could always use Goozex to get rid of it should the game suck.

Well, the start was a rough one. I was really clumsy. I kept getting caught and I kept trying to play the game the way I wanted (a shooter). That's what I was told I could do. Hell, they even said I could play this game as a first person shooter. I did feel a bit let down by that fact, but I went on trying to learn the ways of the stealth shooter.

The further I got, the better the game became. I started to enjoy hiding around and taking guys out when they were alone. I felt like a predator sneaking around and waiting for the right moment to attack it's prey. It was exciting. Even getting caught turned out to be heart pumping thrill-fest as I ran for a hiding spot and taking out any fools that got too close. I felt like a bad ass while hiding like a wimp. There were also moments where I could play this game like a shooter because of newer and better guns.

There's just something that Kojima does that the Splinter Cell guys don't, and it's something that they'll probably never have. I can't really put my finger on it, but there's some magical sprinkle dust that these people sprinke on their game to actually make me enjoy not running into a building with a machine gun Rambo style. It could be the type of items you use, or could be that Snake is the coolest old dude in video game history. I don't know, but it's there.

I thought I would be bitching all the way through about these cut-scenes. They are massive, but they're amazing. For those who've been playing, there's a scene with swords and Gekkos. Not a spoiler, but I'm sure people who have played passed act 2 will know what I'm talking about. That fight scene was fantastic. I didn't care that it wasn't me doing that. Partly because it didn't involve Snake, but mostly because it was just pure motherfucking coolness. That cut scene grabbed me by the nuts.

The weapons upgrading is also fantastic. I love upgrading weapons and I love the fact that it's pretty difficult for me to get them all at once. It lets me appreciate each gun with or without the added modifications. It adds an extra element that keeps the game from constantly feeling the same. I can use a weapon depending on the current situation with ease thanks to the quick and easy to use menu. That's great because I hear the older Metal Gear Solid games had pretty difficult controls.

A lot of the characters are just extremely bad ass and a few of them are extremely creepy. Example? The Gekko and the Beasts. They've got to be the creepiest video game villains I've ever seen. The Gekko's look alone creeps me out, and with that cow moo? It's just weird.

I've also noticed the extreme amounts of attention to detail. Some of that leads to laugh out loud moments. I couldn't believe how hard I laughed when Snake was insulted at one point during the game and his psyche meter went down a bar. There are a few comedic moments in this game that you'll find. A few are in-game and pretty hilarious.

As for story, this thing has it. Sure, it's all told through cut scenes and codec conversations, but it's so rich it doesn't even matter. Remember, this is coming from someone whose Metal Gear Solid information comes from the GameTrailers retrospectives. I sort of regret using that method over playing the games. I did play the first Metal Gear Solid on the Playstation and was instantly turned off. I was really young during the time. Most of my gaming entertainment came from games like Jet Moto 2 so that may be a huge factor. Hopefully I'll get a PS2 or maybe Sony can stop being cunts and give us 40GB owners software PS2 emulation.

Oh, wait. Sorry. I can't complain about the PS3's problems. It's my fault. I'm poor and poor people shouldn't bother trying to make things better for themselves with the amazing art of "bitching." Plus, the PS3 is perfect anyways. No need for any software improvements. I mean, I love doing these slow, inefficient, and frequent updates. :P

Anywho. I'm loving this game a lot. Not too sure I feel the same way about MGO, but by the end I have a feeling I'd probably rate this game a 10. Even though the cover system can be a bit fussy during tense situations. People say it just gets better as you go, so we'll see.