Live. Play. Design.

Can you say "too many cutscenes?" Seriously. It's too bad too, because the story is actually really good. That is, if you have the patience to sit through it. During one cutscene, I was even able to stand up, cook dinner, and be back just in time for the gameplay.

But when the game isn't busy being preachy and overly wordy, it gets pretty tense. I enjoy stealth+action gameplay a lot more than traditional stealth games (Splinter Cell, boo!). I mean, if I'm a super spy, I should have no problem killing henchmen!

There is something to be said about the dated mechanics, though. The top-down view is both less immersive and more frustrating (I just want to see what's in front of me!). I found myself looking at the radar a lot more than I should... and I really wanted to be able to move and shoot at the same time.

I haven't played MGS4, but it's supposed to have improved on a lot of the mechanics. Too bad they have even longer cutscenes. Hideo Kojima needs an editor...