Tom Baker: You can almost see the guys in Sony's PlayStation 3 sales department in the fetal position muttering, "Guns of the Patriots is coming,' over and over again — with good reason, too, as this game looks phenomenal. Hideo Kojima has gone all out to make gamers everywhere rabid to get the next glimpse of MGS4. Snake may have aged in this title, but he has never looked better. The transition of the series onto the PS3 seems flawless, and the idea of not always being able to hide, along with the new fight or flight aspect of gameplay, turns what you thought you knew about Metal Gear Solid on its head. This is an entirely new experience that I can't wait to try out.

Mark Buckingham: Along with GTA IV, Guns of the Patriots is a game that I feel needs no real introduction or explanation. Have you played any of the previous games? Have you seen the demo trailers? Do you have a pulse? Then you already know why to get excited about this one. MGS4 was touted as the PS3's Helen of Troy, the game that would sell a million consoles. There's talk of it going multiplatform to recoup development costs, and PS3 fanboys will decry that, but honestly, I think this just means more people will get to experience Kojima's latest, and possibly greatest, work. If nothing else, despite Kojima's own motion sickness, he threw in an over-the-shoulder cam, and you can even play it as a FPS if you really want to.

Reggie Carolipio: Hideo Kojima realized his dream of telling compelling stories with a cinematic eye when he began his journey with Metal Gear on the NES, pulling me and countless others into an action adventure that would span nearly two decades. A score of games later, the black ops saga that began with Metal Gear Solid on the PS1 is about to reach what might be one of the most anticipated conclusions in all of gaming. It's stirring a Harry Potter-like level of enthusiasm among gamers for what might be the swan song for the series' iconic character and its creator. Revolver Ocelot is ready with a private army, Otacon is on remote standby to assist, and Solid Snake — looking weathered, older, and bearing the experience of his years that fans have followed — is back with a bag of new tricks and a slew of appropriately bizarre foes to deal with, all wrapped in a politically charged tale of private military contractors and super soldiers. Even the bishonen Raiden has received a complete makeover, becoming the badass that we wished he was in MGS2. The theme for MGS4 is that there's "no place to hide." If this is really the last MGS that Kojima-san will be helming, it could also be his way of saying that there's no more reason to hold anything back.

Anthony Chambers: As exclusives continue to dwindle, there is still one franchise that (for now) stays loyal to Sony, and that's MGS. Hideo Kojima will be concluding the MGS franchise with this installment, and everything that has been shown has been impressive, with a touch of Kojima's quirky side in the boss design. Even though Solid Snake has gotten older, he's evolved in his combat with the camo suit. Throw in the ability to play the entire game in first- or third-person perspective, and you've got a blockbuster on your hands. There are no worries in the narrative department, and the controls seem to have been revamped, so let's hope that MGS4 has the legs from beginning to end to make it one of the best games of 2008.

Chris "Atom" DeAngelus: If there is one must-have title for the PlayStation 3, it's Metal Gear Solid 4. Eccentric director Hideo Kojima returns for the final chapter in the long-lived Metal Gear franchise, and it is shaping up to be a doozy. Players once again take control of Solid Snake as he seeks to end the threat of the Patriots, an Illuminati-like organization with roots in the beginnings of American history. While seeing how Snake's story finally ends is a big selling point to series veterans, Metal Gear Solid 4 is also bringing a bunch of new changes to the gameplay. No longer is Snake infiltrating an enemy-held base, but instead, he's undertaking missions in the middle of war zones, where a simple cardboard box won't be enough to sneak by. He'll have to do everything from making alliances with different factions to taking control of a miniature Metal Gear in order to complete his mission and save the world from nuclear annihilation one last time.

Geson Hatchett: If any game is going to move PlayStation 3 units, this is it. It's been in development since the beginning of time, built from the ground up to show everybody and their mother what the PS3 is really capable of — which, if the demos are to be believed, is a whole lot. The Solid series has never let us down before and has it's grown exponentially better with every installment. This is planned to the be franchise's finale, and there's no question that it's going to blow minds. Will you have $599 (cost of system plus games and accessories nowadays, thank goodness) saved up when this hits the streets?

Brad Hilderbrand: It seems like this game has been sitting at the top of every "Most Anticipated" list since Metal Gear Solid 3 came out. By now we're all fully aware of all the new weapons, the bosses, and Snake's shiny new sneaking suit. Obviously, the big question is, can this game live up to all the hype it's built for itself? All we know for sure (and I use that term loosely) is that this is going to be Solid Snake's last go, and Sony is counting on it to sell a whole bunch of PS3s. The world is watching closely to see if this is going to Sony's "killer app," and it's got the inside track to be the 2008 Game of the Year.

Zane "R3X" Mañasco: There is something about the way the MG series is put together, and beyond its messages of world conflict and impending doom, there is something amazing about the art direction, level design and story line. With some of the most impressive graphics I have ever seen, MGS4 promises to be a series milestone.

Sanford May: The main reason I look forward to Metal Gear Solid 4 is because it will almost certainly — let's make that absolutely — be the last full-fledged titled in the phenomenal franchise to exist solely for Sony-branded boxes. Sure, what we've seen of it looks visually amazing, the designers have advanced the plot likely far more than required, it appears some of the gameplay mechanics have been refined the most between any Metal Gear release, but the real interest lies in the fact the game will likely be an astounding exclamation point, or unsatisfactory ellipsis, to console exclusivity for major third-party publishers' titles. Metal Gear Solid 4 will be one of the last big, if not the biggest, games married to a single platform. It's both a major milestone and, in many ways, the end of the line.

Ramin Ostad: A game that needs no introduction, MGS4 will probably be the biggest game to come out in 2008. Fans have been waiting a long time for a conclusion to the story started in MGS2, and while MGS3 was innovative, the prequel's story wasn't exactly what people were hoping for. MGS4 not only continues and possibly concludes the series' convoluted story, but it also simplifies and adds to features that have become franchise staples. The ability to aim and fire a weapon while moving may seem elementary, but for MGS, it's a paradigm shift that will change the gameplay entirely. Combine that with a more streamlined version of the camouflage system, as well as a slew of new features, and you have the biggest game to hit 2008.