My PS3 is the highest console on my shelf with the Wii in the middle and the 360 at the bottom. The current placement of my consoles on my shelf is not indicative of my true feelings towards them. A 360 fan(not boy) is what I am(sorry for the rhyming). I do have a PSone in my nightstand(sick right?) with the mobile monitor, but it hasn’t been turned on in quite some time. Being a relatively new PS3 owner I still feel the need to justify its purchase so I preordered Metal Gear Solid 4. So I decided to pick up the MGS Essential Collection last week to see what all the fuss is about. Ironically the justification is rather weak due to the fact that two other devices I own can deliver the joy that is Metal Gear Solid. Now that I have finally stated the inspiration for this rant I cannot believe it took me this long to play this game. I have been rather vocal about being a Splinter Cell fan and have shunned the MGS series. While I still am a self-proclaimed Sam Fisher fan I must say that the first of the Essential Collections offerings has held up very well. After an attempt to play the first Metal Gear several years ago I was content in only having defeated Ocelot. But I missed out on a convoluted and compelling story line that had me in “fisticuffs” with the likes of Gray Fox, Raven, Liquid Snake and the sultry Sniper Wolf. I completed the game in about two days. This game is a rebuttal to anyone who makes an argument that games cannot compete with film and that they lag behind movies in story telling. Despite it being quite pixelated and jaggy the visuals hold up urprisingly well. You know you are playing a 10+ year old game but the wtiting keeps it all together. To be honest it was a tad confusing at times and even verbose but once it drew me in I could not stop playing. I cannot help but wonder what other goodness I have been missing out on. My plan is to complete all the Metal Gear Solid Essential games and have a much better experience this June while playing MGS4. I give Metal Gear Solid a thumbs up. Late to the party but very glad I came.