IGN gave one of it's last perfect scores to Soul Caliber in 1999. Then came along GTA:IV, not two months ago now, which also received a perfect score on both consoles.

As you will all probably already know, MGS4 was released yesterday, and so now many sites which refused to review the game, with the limitations put on pre-release reviews, such as IGN US, have finally gotten round to posting one, and guess what ?

10/10

... No. Scratch that :

quote IGN US

Is it possible to give a game an 11? If so, this would be the game that would merit that score.

Closing Comments:

Is it possible to give a game an 11? If so, this would be the game that would merit that score. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is a title that exceeds all of the hype that was attached to the title. Regardless of whether you've seen every trailer and screenshot, read every preview and heard every interview, you won't get a full sense of how phenomenal this title is unless you sit down and experience it for yourself.

Legends die hard and deserve a heroic story that lives on when they are gone. Metal Gear Solid 4 is such an ending for the legendary warrior Solid Snake. Not only does it sum up the full franchise of Metal Gear, its depth and its complexity, coupled with its technical prowess, make it one of the best games of the year and, indeed, one of the best games ever made. Get some well earned rest, Snake. You've earned it. We salute you.

Another Take :

Buy this game. I don't care if the gameplay in the past titles didn't appeal to you, I don't care if long cutscenes scare you, and I don't care if you're broke.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is the best reason to own a PlayStation 3 thus far.

I've played every Metal Gear Solid game since the series won me over in 1998, and I can tell you that I have never felt as connected to Snake as I did in this game. Hell, I've never felt this connected to any character in any other videogame that I've played. Our hero has gone from a soldier in his prime to an elderly warrior trying to make a difference. We see Snake struggle, we see Snake win, we see Snake lose, we see Snake relax, and we see Snake become a truly three-dimensional character. Whether he's chilling on the Nomad in street clothes, discussing his turn of fortune with "friends," or taking part in the game's phenomenal final boss battle, this is the greatest iteration of the character that I have ever seen.

This game is emotional, powerful, fun, beautiful, deep, engaging, and just about every other positive adjective you could assign it. Metal Gear Solid 4 pulls you in and doesn't let you go until the final, final credits roll.

I'm sad to Snake go, but he couldn't have asked for a better sendoff.

Cruxis Mana via uk.ps3.ign.com »