Act 1 was perfect. Then they take you out of the environment and put you in another. I really, really, hate that. I was growing attached to the middle east. MGS should strike a balance between story and gameplay bullshit. Act 1 had that down tight. But changing locations switches up the pacing in general, because in MGS4, once you left a place, the game would onslaught you with 30 minute cutscenes about cooking eggs, and installing the next Act.