There I was, doing an all stealth playthrough of MGS4 (no Alerts allowed), carefully making my way through the jungles of South America. In trying to get the Octopus emblem award, I had no mercy on whoever was in my way. This is The Boss Extreme, and the enemies don't fool around. I knew I was going to end up with a high kill-count, what with all the sniping I did with my suppressed rifles.

As I made my way into the palace grounds, about to make my way around to the back window, so I can inflitrate and get to the underground passage, I snipe several more PMCs on mounted guns. As I finish off one more, I get a flashback voiceover playing in my head, just like all the ones in Act 4. Liquid's statement to Snake from MGS1 (in the blog title), complete with neat echo effects.

As I run and take cover behind a truck immediately after, Snake stop in his tracks and vomits right there, clearly from the unpleasent memory, from the unpleasent truth.

There I was, the player, neck deep in this battle, immersed in the violence, and that memory happens, making me remember when Liquid said it himself in MGS1, and making me think about Snake as a character, doing these things. I'm not going analyze it deeply. No need to. I just think it made for a nice surreal, 4th wall-breaking moment. Just a really nice touch.

(EDIT) The intro has to be the new best video game intro around. It beats out MGS2 and Bioshock. An amazing presentation, that delivered in a tense yet cinematic experience. (END EDIT)

Holy crap, MGS4 has an iPod and I was listening to one of the songs from Metal Gear Acid 2 while sneaking around. The self-referential podcast on the ipod made my brain explode, because the guys were talking about how this was recored 106 days before and how I must be listening to it right this very moment while playing the game. And it even uses the analog stick radially to select songs!

I think the controls are great. We still get pressure-sensitive actions, like choking enemies!

I shot down a chopper with an RPG. It was beautiful.

I want to play more, but I need to take a break. Take in all that happened in the hotel.

Playthrough of chapter 1 on Naked Normal difficulty: 3 hours, 50 minutes, and 46 seconds

Finished Solid Sun chapter on Naked Normal difficulty. Total play time: 7 hours, 28 minutes, and 22 seconds.

Finished Third Sun chapter. Total time: 10 hours, 12 minutes, and 59 seconds.

Work schedule cleared for the 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th of June -- Check

Dualshock 3 controller -- Check

Order sent over the net for these sweet cans:

-- Check

Is it the 12th yet? >_> No? Crap.

Avoided all trailers and previews/reviews and screeshots since March -- Check

Have the headphones arrived yet? No? Double crap.

Oh man, am I glad I got this game. Widescreen and progressive scan works nicely with my TV. I'm glad it's not dubbed over too. I like the bloom effects, they work well for the game. I like being able to zoom in on scenes and move the camera around. Nice graphics for such a huge game. The way the horse moves really sells it as a living creature.

Controls are awkard. I had to reset the camera controls twice, because neither way felt right until I could get them set to complement the aiming controls.

Music is awesome. Love it.

Okay, first colossus. Damn, that thing was big. I'm running up behind it, thinking "**it, **it, **it, **it, **it. How the hell am I supposed to do this? Do I yell to get its attention?" Hack at its heel, jump on the hairy bit, the rest is history. Epic history.

I've never seen anything like this game before. It's amazing to see this huge beasts moving, because the animations are very well done. It's surprising to see something that is practically part of the enviorment moving like they do. Seeing them focus on you, and their eyes turing blue to orange, signalling their attack, is a feeling I've only felt when fighting the Scarab in Halo 3. Gameplay wise, the two are like cousins. Bring down this huge AI, by somehow climbing onto it, and take out its main weakpoint with heavy attacks(for massive damage!).

Four Colossi down.

If I could, I'd put all of my favorite actors into one film.

Samuel L Jackson

William Hurt

Jeff Bridges

Harvey Keitel

Brian Cox

Dennis Hopper

Michael Douglas

Robert DeNiro

Al Pacino

Ving Rhames

Mark Whalberg

Christopher Walken

It would be like an experiment in cinema. "How many actors (and a celebrity, S.L.J.) does it take in one movie for it to implode in on itself from sheer badass-ness?"

... and yet we aren't responsible for anything wrong with it.

Apparently, our presence and activity has nothing to do with the rise of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, or the rising acidity of ocean water. Despite all of our acheivements in technology and improving the standard of living, our industrial might has not had a negative effect on the balance of nature?

That is the height of arrogance, to take credit for all the good, and none of the bad.