Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

After waiting for almot four years, the final installment of the Metal Gear Solid series has finally arrived. I pre-ordered my copy back in April and have been waiting impatiently ever since. I got my friendly Gamestop phone call to let me know that the game was in and went and picked it up yesterday. I have been a huge fan of the Metal Gear series ever since the first one came out on the NES so I was stoked to get home and try this one out.
The game had about an 8 min install which was not bad because it gave me time to read the manual, which has some pretty cool artwork in it. I decided to play the first 10 or 20 minutes upstairs on the LCD tv so I could get a could 1080p experience out of it. After about 20 minutes I took the PS3 downstairs so I could experience the soundtrack (upstairs tv - 1080p no sound system, downstairs tv - 1080i 7.1 sound system). The game still looked great in 1080i so I think I will be playing the majority of the game downstairs. The sound was absolutely amazing. Every little detail has been brought out in the sound. Bullets whizzing by your head or hitting the ground or the wall next to you have very distinct sounds. The explosions had my sub rockin. I knew I had it turned up too loud because Angela was doing some work in the bedroom down the hall and I heard her shut the door.
After having played it for roughly 45 minutes here are my initial thoughts:

Graphics: 10
Sound: 10
Voice Acting: varies but average 8 or 8.5
Fun Factor: 10
Controls: 9

GPS-Snitch

There is a cool program that my cousin Ammon told me about for GPS-enabled blackberry's, it's called Blip. It allows you to post your gps coordinates and see your friends posted coordinates. You can set your blackberry to auto-post at intervals. I have mine set at 15 minutes. When you log into the website on a computer you can see all your history and your friends history. You can either view the points on a google map right there on the website or you can have it imported into google earth.

Right now my brother-in-law is at a King Mack fishing tournament south of New Orleans and, using the program, I was able to see his path out this morning. The orange dots represent each post that his phone made. Pretty cool huh?

Places I like to go to at Holden Beach

Well my weekend trip out to Holden Beach has come and gone. I was able to spend time with my parents and enjoyed the great hospitality of my sister Dore and bro-in-law Shane. Thanks for letting me stay at your place again! The weather over there was HOT. I think there was not a day that was under 90. Hot and humid. You better have your AC in order over there on a hot day or you are in for a miserable time. During my visit I was able to hit the spots that I enjoy visiting while in Holden Beach.


First I was able to check out the local surf shop, Cape Fear Surf Shop and browse the Quiksilver and Billabong decal section. On this trip Angela told me to get some Oakley's as an early Father's Day gift. Mike at Cape Fear was a cool guy and gave me a good price on some polarized Square Wires. Next time I go I'll have to get some pics with Mike and the inside of his shop.




Another one of my favorite spots to visit is Provisions restaurant located just to the right of the Holden Beach Bridge. The restaurant is right on the water and they have a small dock for boats to dock on while they eat. The food is delicious and the best fish on the menu is the grouper. I would recommend either a grilled grouper sandwich or a group-salad sandwich. Conch Fritters on the side are a must. These fried fritters won't be found on any low-fat diet, but they taste amazing. The inside of the restaurant is quaint and the walls are decorated with actual license plates from various states across the country. Should I ever move to Holden Beach I think I may donate one of my Utah plates to be displayed.

Here is a view of the dock from the back of Provisions. The water is the ICW (Intercontinental Waterway). Holden Beach Island sits between it and the Atlantic.

Back to Holden Beach

It looks like it's time for me to make my quarterly post. My dad has finally retired from the USPS after working for 30 years. 30 years is a long time to work for the Post Office and I am happy for him to finally be done. I decided at the last minute to fly out to Holden Beach, NC to see him and be part of his retirement party. 7 hours on planes and 3 hours driving in a car and I'm more than ready for bed tonight. Pictures of the happy retiree and the food and celebration will be forthcoming.