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As we boarded the bus to head back to the hotel late that first night, instead of being exhausted like we should have been from jet lag, everyone's heads were still reeling in what had transpired that day, and wanted to discuss their thoughts about the first act. A majority of us stayed up that night and had a few drinks with Kojima-san and got to ask him his philosophies behind certain game elements -- which was an incredible way to finish off the first day. All in all, it was obvious that Kojima-san was quite pleased to see us all enjoying ourselves.

As a big fan of the series, I have to say I was pretty blown away with just my first hours with the game. Even though it is paced quite well with intense stealth, action, deep plot points and comedic relief, the amount of revelations that unfold in the first act is remarkable. For someone who is very familiar with the lore, I was quite happy with all of the little touches and fan service elements that are sprinkled throughout the first portion of the game.

With only two months until launch, it's time to dust off your old MGS games, dig out your memory cards, and become reacquainted with your old friend Snake. While I've already played through the game, I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the final version to see what suggestions that people submitted actually made a difference -- plus, there's all of Metal Gear Online still to be explored. Based on the first act alone, Kojima Productions has set the stage for Snake's finale to play out in nothing short of epic style. Get ready Metal Gear fans ... June 12 can't come soon enough.

This preview was based on a development build of the game.