Not a science, but it’s an attempt at figuring this all out. Until I make a purely honest take on this, the image following will have to suffice.
Archive for the Metal Gear Solid Category
Metal Gear Solid Δ: Does It Still Hold Up?
Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Games, Metal Gear Solid on September 2, 2025 by slatemanIn selecting my favorite games ever, something that’s still not quite comprehensive, one thing was certain: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is top-five. My first playthrough in 2008 impressed; my second playthrough in 2016 solidified that fact. The announcement of a modern facelift was exciting, enough to dissuade me from picking up the latest collection of titles. MGSΔ came out this past week and I’ve spent my extended labor-day weekend devouring every part of it.
My experience began in an underwhelming state. Extended cut scenes and slow gameplay are never inspirational foundations. Finding collectibles became a chore and despite the QOL improvements, the source material is mired in decades-old advancements. What was once truly revolutionary is now baseline. Don’t get me wrong – the game looks utterly phenomenal and the environments are lush. They are small, but carefully planned, unlike so many procedurally-generated environs of nowadays.
Knowing my way around (generally) certainly helped and I resorted to guides when that memory faltered. As the hours continued, I became enamored, once again, by the twisted tale of double and triple crossing agents, defections and the most bad-ass roster of personalities ever. Kojima’s attention to details and if-then scenarios is one thing that hasn’t decayed with age. It’s a cinematic masterpiece whose gameplay, updated or not, is the weakest element in 2025. Its greatness only grew as bosses were felled and the Snake’s tale advanced. As we witnessed Ocelot’s hubris. Boss’ sacrifice. Ava’s ‘sincerity’. With a pair of prior playthroughs in tow, the big picture was enjoyed on an elevated level.
This experience has only deepened my appreciation to the game and franchise and now I yearn to revisit MGS4, Peace Walker and MGSV. (Master Collection Volume 2 announcement soon?!?!) If I have to rank my favorite games anew, Metal Gear Solid 3 doesn’t move in its position. While higher-placed games have a more-fun gameplay loop, none topples Kojima’s story and direction. I’m so glad I got to play a more-modernized rendition of this title. It’s as good as I remembered.
Elden Ring: Where It Ranks & Why?
Posted in Best / Worst, Bloodborne, Games, Lists, Metal Gear Solid on September 7, 2024 by slatemanDespite getting into FromSoftware’s titles late: 2018 with the landmark Bloodborne, I’ve completed surprisingly-few of their titles. This spring I started Elden Ring anew and with it being my GOTY 2022, knew precisely what to expect.
Except, this playthrough was just as good, if not better than the first. And during this new descent into The Lands Between, its long-awaited and massive, sprawling DLC, Shadow Of The Erdtree was anounced. Thus, dozens of hours were added to my second playthrough.
And here, at the end of it all, I feel much as I did back in April of 2022 upon completion of the base game originally. Succinctly, Empty is the only word to detail this sensation.
After my first run through this game, I was confident placing it in my top-20 list of all-time best games. Halfway amidst my second playthrough, it was firmly entrenched in the top 10. It was here where my passion for this game expanded. Looking up item locations, reading Reddit threads on build suggestions, watching lore videos – my fascination deepened. Seeking out every grace, every item, talisman, boss, hidden area…it all became addictive. And THEN….the DLC hit.
The expansion itself, in my humble opinion, places it in contention for the best game of the year, but the Best DLC award is a shoe-in, not only for 2024, but forever. It never felt tacked on or half-baked. The lore was embedded in the story and revelations cleared up concepts from the main story. NPCs had purpose. Bosses were both impressive and impactful. My sense of wonder and exploration and awe never ceased. It assisted in completing what was already a perfect package.
It was then that the game crept up in my list. Leapfrogging God Of War (2018), Uncharted 2, DoDoPachi: Dai-Ou-Jou, it was now facing Metal Gear Solid 3 and Portal 2. Surely it’s not superior to them!? Top 5 ever???
Stuck on the final boss, I went up into clean-up mode before seeking out a method to defeat the Mighty, BS Radahn. “Oh, I missed that talisman and I should equip that shield.” Almost every part of this game is utterly fun and joyous. To be clear, its vague story is best digested in video form. Granted, some bosses were frustration machines. Losing a quarter-of-a-million echoes is a challenge. But after completing the DLC 100%, I went back to visit some main-game missed items. I exhausted NPC dialogues. And after all that…I started NG+. At this point, I raced through, slaying everything and hitting upon all NPC interactions. The draw of the adventure was intoxicating. The familiarity gave me a foundation from which to start, but I kept encountering things I hadn’t yet done in almost 300 hours of playtime. I knew the boss patterns. I was overpowered enough to blaze through much of it which kept the entire experience moving along swiftly. I devoured story videos, wiki entries again and find that’s part of the draw of the whole Soulsborne experience.
Much like my initial playthroughs, I just don’t want this to end. Dwelling in the Lands Between, exploring all of its corners and poring over each breadcrumb of lore makes me truly wonder how high on my favorite games list this title is. Ultimately, something will supplant this on my current-gaming agenda, and it’s likely that title will be Astro Bot in mere days. However, as an experience, I can only claim Bloodborne, the fellow FromSoftware title, to be a legitimate adversary and competitor to the crown of greatest ever. Today I feel confident bestowing upon Elden Ring #2 on my all-time list. I’m all-but-certain a new playthrough awaits me at some later date – starting from scratch with years of walkthroughs and guides and videos to aid me on the adventure. I’m in no rush for time to pass, but I look forward to this future date knowing what a delight such a day will be.
Game I’ve Played / GotY 2018
Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Bloodborne, Castlevania, Games, Lists, Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, Screenshots with tags Annual Game Review on January 12, 2019 by slateman
Usually I split this into two postings, but alas! it’s already 2019. Today’s update will include the games I’ve played over the last year as well as the easy choice as to which was the best. The latter will be detailed on my main Games Of The Year page. I’ll separate all this into individual sections. First – Platinums! Bold words indicate a 2018 title.
Platinums 2018
- Bloodborne
- Burly Men At Sea
- Castlevania: Requiem
- God Of War
- Guacamelee! 2
- Lara Croft Go
Two of the PS4’s greatest exclusive games were conquered this past year. Bloodborne stays with me and I now consider it one of the greatest games ever made. That’s a different list I’ve been mulling over. I’ve written about some of the rest of these already. Moving on…
Older Titles Played in 2018
These will fall into three categories:
- First-time plays (not completed)
- First-time played/beaten
- Beaten again
Here we have a mix. Some are simple PS+ games, others are purchases I never cared to complete, etc. A key for easy reference is listed above.
- Assassin’s Creed Origins
- Bloodborne
- Burly Men At Sea
- Call Of Duty: WWII
- Dark Souls III
- Fe
- Firewatch
- God Of War: Chains Of Olympus
- God Of War: Ghost Of Sparta
- God Of War: Ascension
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational
- Lara Croft Go
- Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2
- Matterfall
- Metal Gear Solid 2
- Nioh
- Rayman Legends
- Resident Evil 4
- Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter
- Sky Force Anniversary
- Ys VIII: Lacrimosa Of Dana
Due to Gothenburg’s wonderful library system, I got to borrow some pretty cool titles this past year. I quite enjoyed AC:O – would like to return to it and would also love to try its sequel. Similarly, Nioh seemed cool and I’m still chugging through Sherlock Holmes though it didn’t really inspire me like its predecessor.
Many others I tried and never really felt inspired enough to finish. Dark Souls III was fucking difficult (I later tried DS Remastered and fared better). Matterfall was a huge disappointment, particularly after Nex Machina. After beating the PS3 remasters of the two PSP God Of War games, I figured I’d try out Ascension again. And again I lost interest. Firewatch, Fe, Rayman Legends – all just hit the ‘meh’ button and never beckoned me to return.
On the other hand, a few older titles were memorable. The aforementioned Bloodborne, those two GOW games and finally beating GTAV were some of the highlights of the year. Toss on yet another replay of RE4 and my second playthrough of the underwhelming MGS2 and old titles impressed in 2018.
2018 Titles
Once again we have categories: played, beaten and platinumed, despite the redundancy of that last item.
- Bloodstained: Curse Of The Moon
- Burnout Paradise Remastered
- Castlevania: Requiem
- Chasm
- Dark Souls Remastered
- God Of War
- Guacamelee! 2
- Hollow Knight
- Ikaruga
- Iconoclasts
- Just Cause 4
- Onrush
- Overcooked 2
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Shadow Of The Tomb Raider (Started in 2019)
- Spider-Man
- Spyro The Dragon: Reignited (2019 plat!)
- Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection
- Yoku’s Island Express (2019 plat!)
I haven’t been nearly as interested in some of these titles as I had hoped I would. I sold back RDR2 b/c I simply has zero interest in playing it. Spider-Man was probably a great game, but I didn’t feel the itch to play that either. I never beat Bloodstained and found Hollow Knight to be far less enjoyable than all the praise suggested. Just Cause 4 looks better than 3, but in so many other ways it felt like a step backwards. I’m not even listing some titles like PS+ games that I played and deleted here.
Burnout Paradise drew me back in just as it did a decade ago, Guacamelee! 2 was a fun and challenging romp but was marred by a few incredibly-difficult parts and I don’t think I’d ever go back to play it again. The first on the other hand…I would. And did! Overcooked 2 was great, but my wife and I devoured it and never touched it again. I’ve just started Yoku’s Island Express and will be finishing up JC4 in the coming weeks/months.
So, what we’re left with is the clear and easy victor. While I thought RDR2 might challenge the mighty Kratos, it didn’t even come close. God Of War’s story, gameplay, visual luster, deep and engaging lore and simple fun factor was leagues beyond anything else I played in the year (Well, Bloodborne may have the edge, I don’t know). I still haven’t a clue how Sony Santa Monica pulled it off. They took this beloved series, reinvented so much of it and made us all care about this one-dimensional killing machine. Being a father while playing it surely helped. This game is fucking legendary already and I look forward to diving in again when things slow down a bit.
Game Of The Year 2018 is an easy choice. God Of War. Now, my New IP GOTY? I don’t know that yet. Based on the limited titles I’ve played, Yoku’s Island Express wins, but that’s temporary. I feel Dead Cells or Celeste might take that crown, however, I haven’t had the opportunity to try them out yet. Let’s see what I missed below.
2018 Titles I Haven’t/Want To Play
- A Way Out
- Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey
- Celeste
- Darksiders III
- Dead Cells
- Detroit: Become Human
- Divinity: Original Sin 2
- Far Cry 5
- Mega Man 11
- Shadow Of The Colossus
- Tetris Effect
There are a few games I genuinely want to try out here. Unlike music, it’s not so easy to just try out everything you like and are interested in. A Way Out would be great…with a friend. Odyssey will require many hours, but I bet it’s a blast and quite the quick-and-easy opposite of something like Red Dead. Others on this list are a ‘kinda want to try’.
But the ones I must one day play: Dead Cells and Celeste. Both seem right up my alley and I think I’d just love them. They could be that coveted New IP GOTY. But…they’re a bit expensive for indie titles and I’ve been awaiting a sale to dip my toes in. Can’t wait to try them though!
Game Of The Year 2017
Posted in Best / Worst, Games, Lists, Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, Uncharted on January 1, 2018 by slatemanA few months ago I listed the games I’d beaten in 2017 but of course, not all of them were actually from last year. In fact, a majority of them weren’t. While my trophy list shows a varied year with a fair share of games, very few were 2017 titles. Here is the brief list of games I played last year:
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
- Marvel Vs. Capcom Infinite
- Nex Machina
- Nier Automata
- Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
- Tekken 7
- Uncharted: Lost Legacy
Now, it’s easy to whittle down some items. Neither fighting game will win, Nier Automata didn’t convince me in the few hours I played it so far and FFXII is a decade-old remake. That doesn’t leave much else. Oh, Nex Machina was fun, but by no means was it the year’s best.
So we’re down to Horizon Zero Dawn, RE7 and UC. The latter was fun that trimmed a lot of excess out, but UC4 won GotY in 2016.
Horizon Zero Dawn already not once, but twice. The open-world, third-person genre may be overdone, but I’m rather selective in the games I end up playing. Therefore, I’ve skipped out on a lot. In any event, the entire game was a remarkable experience. Its deep gameplay, gorgeous world and genuinely-interesting story kept me intrigued and curious up until the very end. Aloy was well-written and likable and the support cast was fun. I loved getting this game’s platinum trophy.
However, Resident Evil VII: Biohazard was an insane experience. Its claustrophobic first-person view created a tension unrivaled in most games. The entire Mia introduction was insane, gloriously unsettling and most-importantly, memorable. It joins my other favorite moments in gaming and my review began simply with my repeated sentiment, “This is terrifying.” None of the game’s follow-up DLC really compelled me to return and beating Mia is the only thing between me and the game’s platinum trophy, but that’s OK. RE7’s experience was a worthy follow-up to the series’ legacy while not suffering from that loyalty to its history. The game was a phenomenal addition to the convoluted canon and represents my 2017 Game Of The Year.
It’s worth noting in my full listing that Horizon Zero Dawn still received the New IP GotY recognition.
It’s also worthy of mention the games I missed in 2017. Chief among them is Super Mario Odyssey which, according to reviews, looks like it’s right up my alley. I may have to come back to remedy this list at some date in the future. It may be a few years though.
Finally…2018. Here’s a list of potential GotY winners based on hype alone. I’ll put them in order too of potential best-to-worst, with no basis whatsoever. Wow…there are some good games coming up!!!!!
- God Of War?
- Red Dead Redemption 2?
- Ghost Of Tsushima?
- The Last Of Us: Part 2?
- Days Gone?
- Far Cry 5?
- Metal Gear Survive?
- Crackdown 3? (Haha, we all know that’ll never come out)
- Darksiders III?
What To Play: 2017 Edition
Posted in Blog, Games, Lists, Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, Street Fighter, Uncharted, Ys on January 30, 2017 by slateman
It’s time again. Today I want to look at what’s coming up in 2017 much as I did in 2016 and also in 2015. Unsurprisingly, there are a few 2017 titles that were slated to come out last year. In Zelda’s case, we were waiting for that one way back in 2015! Regardless, a quick glance at what this year has to offer is enough to warrant genuine excitement. And let’s not forget the already-released and highly-praised Resident Evil VII! Unlike prior years, sadly, I haven’t access to GameFly and so my gaming will be greatly reduced from yesteryear. Things are also crazy expensive here in Sweden. RE7 cost 600kr which is almost $70. However, even with that number size, several of these truly feel like must-own titles. Few actual release dates so far, but that’ll change. Let’s get to it!!!
| Game Title | Release Date | Excitement Level? |
| Ys Origin | 2/21 | Not A Priority |
| Horizon: Zero Dawn | 2/28 | Interest Piqued |
| Zelda: BotW | 3/3 | MAX |
| Tekken 7 | 6/2 | Hmmm… |
| Battle Chasers: Nightwar | TBA | If the price is right… |
| Crackdown 3 | Q4 | Need an XB1 first! |
| God Of War | TBA | Could this be good? |
| Marvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite | TBA | Genuinely Psyched |
| Metal Gear Survive | TBA | Zero expectations |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | TBA | OMFG |
| Super Mario Odyssey | Q4 | Need a Switch first! |
| Uncharted: TLL | TBA | A Must Buy |
| Ys III: Lacrimosa Of Dana | 2017? | Out in ’16 in JPN, Localize, please! |
| Not 2017 Games – Still Need To Play | ||
| Final Fantasy XV | n/a | Do I have the time? |
| Sherlock Holmes: TDD | n/a | My wife and I loved the last |
| Overwatch | n/a | I should play this, right? |
| The Witness | n/a | I’d like to try this |
Game Of The Year 2016: Disappointed Edition
Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Games, Lists, Metal Gear Solid, Street Fighter, Uncharted with tags Annual Game Review on January 15, 2017 by slatemanIn the past, I subscribed to GameFly. I’d get the latest games and while so few were truly excellent, at least I got to try them. 2016 was a tough year because I really missed out on a lot. I know. First-world problems. However, in culling through the year’s best, I realized I didn’t play most of them. Overwatch, Gears 4, The Witness…there are a few which very well could’ve been GotY, but I guess we’ll never know. Unless I come back to emend this post.
…and I may need to do that. Because the list below is an revision of last year’s list and it details the best game of the year as well as the best new IP of the year. And sadly, I have nothing for the best new IP. Looking through my trophies list (as I don’t have an XB1 and the Wii U is a joke), shows I didn’t really play that many good titles in 2016.
So, the list came down to:
- Street Fighter V (Lack of single-player content kills it)
- Rise Of The Tomb Raider (Not nearly as good as the reboot)
- Zero Time Dilemma (Another fun, quirky game)
- Far Cry Primal (Solid, alternate entry into the FC series)
- Uncharted 4 (Writing, action, visuals, story, gameplay….)
Yup…it’s really no contest. Actually, playing through Rise Of The Tomb Raider started to bore me. The story was nonsense, the collectibles were just strewn everywhere for no reason, the gunfights were too sparse to even challenge and the locales were just so similar. I found that Uncharted 4 trumped it in every way. I cared about Drake, his brother, their relationship, Elena…the story was compelling, and the little items like Sullys one-liners, the attic portion, the games on the couch with Elena, the end…and you know, the entire middle of the game – just were top-notch. The gameplay was perfection, Naughty Dog never faltered with that portion of UC. And the locales and visuals were out of this world. I platinumed the game in just a few weeks, much like I did for the other three main entries into the series but yet the game beckons me to return. There is little as satisfying as clearing an area of baddies like that whole beach portion of the finale. Damn that was difficult!
So, while no new IP is listed here (yet? Maybe The Witness? Overwatch?), the coveted trophy goes to Drake’s epic send-off Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. And yes, that makes 3 out of 4 titles GotY winners. Not too shabby if you ask me!!!
| Game Of The Year | ||
| Year | GotY | New IP GotY |
| 2016 | Uncharted 4 | [None…Yet!] |
| 2015 | Metal Gear Solid V | Rocket League |
| 2014 | Shadow Of Mordor | [Same] |
| 2013 | Tomb Raider | Guacamelee! |
| 2012 | Borderlands 2 | The Walking Dead |
| 2011 | Portal 2 | Torchlight |
| 2010 | Red Dead Redemption | Darksiders |
| 2009 | Uncharted 2 | Borderlands |
| 2008 | Metal Gear Solid 4 | LittleBigPlanet |
| 2007 | Uncharted | [Same] |
It’s worth noting that 2010’s Red Dead Redemption was a toss-up with Super Mario Galaxy 2. Both are pretty much perfect 10s in my book. Two MGS games and two Uncharted games topping this list! And Borderlands is on there twice too. Pretty cool!
Gaming In 2016: Snore…
Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Games, Lists, Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, Skyrim, Street Fighter, Uncharted on August 20, 2016 by slateman
I love gaming, there’s no question about that. But as August winds down and we enter the final third of 2016, it appears it’s been a rather lackluster year! A quick look back at what has come out and what I’ve played reveals a slow trickle of games truly worth playing.
Checking my PSN Profiles Page I see a short list of new games I’ve played since January. It’s not comprehensive, there have been a number I’ve played but didn’t care for (like many recent PS+ games. Ugh). Also note that I haven’t an XBox One, my 360 is about to die and both the Wii U and 3DS are utterly useless outside of Mario and Zelda games. Let’s see where we stand…
Games Of 2016
- Ratchet & Clank
- Resident Evil 0
- Resident Evil 5
- Shadow Complex Remastered
- Street Fighter V
- Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
- Zero Time Dilemma
Umm…Seriously? NOT ONE original title? Maybe I’m just a cautious buyer now, but c’mon, that’s pathetic. So, we have three ‘remasters’, one re-envisioning, and three sequels. Now, the sequels are good. ZTD is a solid finale into the fun series, SFV as a package is flawed but the gameplay is spectacular and the production value of UC4 is second to none. It just makes a ‘Game Of The Year’ competition unfun. There are other sequels coming…Gears 4, Rise Of The Tomb Raider, and Final Fantasy XV. There are also more re-re-releases like Rez Infinite and Resident Evil 4 as well as Modern Warfare and Skyrim. However, if that were my top seven of 2016, it’s sad to know I’d already beaten two of them, three if you count R&C.
I have friends curious about Mafia 3 or Battlefield 1 or whatever, but going by what interests me, there’s almost nothing on the horizon. And in my Game Of The Year competition, I list the best game and the best new IP title…I have NOTHING for the latter?
OK, enough of the bitchfest twenty sixteen. Let’s see what I’ve actually beaten this year. See if there’s a theme here. This list omits the aforementioned titles (of which I haven’t yet beaten RE0 and ZTD):
- God Of War (*)
- God Of War II (*)
- God Of War III Remastered (*)
- Gone Home
- Lego The Hobbit
- Lego Marvel Super Heroes
- Metal Gear Solid 3: HD Edition (*)
- Metal Gear Solid 4 (*)
- Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker: HD Edition
- Ratchet & Clank: Into The Nexus
- Tales From The Borderlands
- Tembo The Badass Elephant
- Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition (*)
- Ys: Memories Of Celceta
Asterisks denote games I’d already beaten already (barring HD upgrades, etc.) Of the 14 titles, I’d already completed 6? Two of those were my GotY for 2008 and 2013!!! The two Lego titles I got platinums in. They’re fun to play with the kids. But they’re the same as every other Lego game. There’s nary an interesting and unique game in the lot that has done something I hadn’t already done or seen before. Well, Gone Home but that almost doesn’t even count.
So…I’m disappointed by 2016 but hey, it’s how things go. I haven’t tried No Man’s Sky yet. Maybe that’ll be great. For giggles, here’s a full list of what’s left in the year as well as a few titles that trickle into 2017.
2016
August
30 – Resident Evil 4
September
13 – Pac-Man Championship Edition 2
October
11 – Rise Of The Tomb Raider
13 – Rez Infinite
28 – Skyrim
November
04 – CoD: Infinite Warfare
04 – CoD: Modern Warfare Remaster
29 – Final Fantasy XV
2017
January
24 – Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
February
28 – Horizon: Zero Dawn
28 – Vikings: Wolves Of Midgard
Who Knows
?? – Zelda: Breath Of The Wild