The sound effects are very well done. The music is good and sets the mood perfectly. It's calm during the sneaking around. It's frantic when Snake is spotted. The voice acting is spectacular and the entire game uses it. It is convincing and Snake has a cool bad@$$ voice. I'm glad that voice acting in the American version wasn't of the Resident Evil type. It makes the game feel more like a blockbuster, not a cheesy B movie.

The control is good and the buttons are set up well. I have one gripe. There is no walk button. This game requires you to sneak by a weary guard sometimes and and it is a pain to have to tap your way along. This can be overlooked because the rest of the control is smooth and responsive which really helps when you get spotted and pursued.

The gameplay is kick arse. It is so varied. You always have to do something new and the only thing that you do the entire game is sneak around and kill your enemies. It's also incredibly cool how Snake can snap the necks of the enemy. Gwah hah hah! you can even sneak up on them while they are relieving themselves. There several other scenarios and the game almost seems multigenre. The bosses are incredibly fun to fight and with many them it is necessary to have a stategy and use your weapons creatively to win.

I need another section to fully describe this game. It was so well thought out. There is dialog for almost every action you do and there are some cool extra things like the puppy, the special features and items found or earned by beating, Meryl knocking the crap out of Snake for punching her, and the special use of the controller in the game (yay a massage!). The dual shock controller helps with the mood also and many times will scare the hell out of you. There are other instances, but I don't want to give it away for all of those that haven't played through the game. (All three of them.)

GRAPHICS: 9

SOUND: 10

CONTROL: 9 (I want a walk button!)

GAMPLAY: 10

OVERALL: 10 My original score was between a nine and a ten, but the extras and the well thought out game design pushes this over the top.

-Big Miguel Sanchez

MGS is not so much a game but rather an experience. The continuing adventures of Solid Snake is the follow-up to its legendary predecessors on NES. The first time I played this game, I was filled with a sense of nostalgia I have not felt since FF3. To further detail the story would be a spoiler punishable by Gamer's High Treason, so I will refrain, save for the fact it reads like a great Tom Clancy novella.

GRAPHICS: Dark and dank, befitting the tone of the game, but the attention to detail is astounding. Snake's breath on the cold Alaskan night, the footprints in the snow which can be seen by guards...incredible.

SOUND: Tense and at times heart-throbbing soundtrack, perfectly complementing this spy game. Sound effects so true to life, its almost scary.

CONTROL: Snake moves gracefully and strikes swift, which is kinda the problem, as there IS NO WALKING function. This is a stealth game, what the hell was Konami thinking...

GAMEPLAY: OK, the game is "only" under 10 hours long, but this is an action/adventure game people, NOT and RPG. So get over it. Besides, I know why you're upset. Cuz the game is so incredible, you will never want it to end. An' dat's de plane truth folks! Besides Konami DID include all these little "extras" in the game not found in the Japanese version. So dont be hasty (or foolish) enough to return the game at EB before the "ten day waiting period" expires. Trust me, you will be richly rewarded.

GRAPHICS: 9 SOUND: 10 CONTROL: 9 GAMEPLAY: 10 OVERALL: 10

Oh MGS, how I adore thee, let me count the ways...(three hours later) Whew, I think that was all of them!

-Ragnarok the Red