Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Fan Submitted Reviews

Reviews submitted by fans of Metal Gear Solid 3 will be posted here for viewing.

 

Please Note: The opinions expressed in these reviews do not necessarily represent the views and/or opinions of the owners

of MGS: True Fans.

 

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          The situation is the same as previous Metal Gear Solid games; a lone operative is sent into enemy territory on a top secret mission. But unlike previous MGS games, this one moves away from indoor environments and out into the jungle. And with this move comes the idea of survival; you must survive the elements by healing yourself, finding food, and blending in with the environment. To translate the idea of survival into the game play, Kojima and his team added the "Survival Viewer" where the player can heal their wounds, change their camouflage pattern, and access their backpack (where the weapons and items are found). This new "Survival Viewer" is where the game play problems rise.

 

          When Snake gets hurt in the game, all the player has to do is go into the "Survival Viewer" menu and click then go to another submenu called "Cure" (where Snake carries a hospital on his back) and fix the injury using the appropriate medical items. The injury that Snake receives only has an effect on his life bar. So if Snake breaks his leg, the life bar will decrease, but he will be able to run around as if nothing happened. "Cure" can also be very annoying during a boss battle when you get injured and are forced to stop to heal yourself.

 

          Another new game play element in the "Survival Viewer" is the ability to change Snake's face paint and clothes to better suit his environment. The game offers many different types of camouflage that Snake can change into on the fly. Although you really could run through the entire game never changing your camouflage, it's can actually pretty fun trying out the many types of camo and fooling your unsuspecting enemies.

 

          The Backpack is where Snake keeps his many weapons and items that he picks up throughout the game. The Backpack can carry as much as you can find, but Snake is limited to carrying only eight weapons and eight items in game play; whereas in previous games Snake could have all his weapons to choose from. It seems that the team was trying to go for more realism, but since Snake can still carry around a gun collection anyway, the Backpack tends to be more of a hassle than anything else.

 

          The final element of the "Survival Viewer" is the Food option. Snake can hunt down various plants and animals and eat them later when his stamina bar decreases. If Snake doesn't eat and allows his stamina bar to decrease too far, his stomach will grow which can alert enemies and his aim will be unsteady. Sometimes you can find yourself having cruel fun while shooting a frog, but much like many of the other features of the "Survival Viewer," it feels more like a chore than a fun game play element. I appreciate Kojima and his team trying to make the game play deeper, but in the end all they did was bog it down with unnecessary features.

 

          The one welcome addition to the game play is the inclusion of CQC. Snake is armed with many new moves such as slamming people down, slitting their throats, using them as shields, and interrogating them (similar to Splinter Cell). The system isn't very deep, but it provides hours of fun when you slam your enemies on the ground causing them to lose consciousness.

 

          The story won't provide as many twists and turns as the previous two games, but it still shows that MGS games have some of the best stories you'll find in video games. Although the story takes a while to get going, eventually you'll be plopped in the middle of an emotional spy thriller with a James Bond twist. The story is much more predictable than the previous two games, but that comes from a mixture of the game being a prequel, Kojima trying too hard to make it like James Bond, and the fact that many of the plot points were given away in the trailers. I wasn't nearly as satisfied with the story as I was with the previous games, but the emotional element that this story brings helps make the disappointment a little less hard to swallow.

 

          The production values are once again top notch, as we've come to expect. The graphics are some of the best on the PS2, even individual blades of grass move as Snake runs through them. The cut scenes are fantastic and expertly directed. And the musical score that Harry Gregson-Williams and Norihiko Hibino bring are some of the best music you'll hear in a video game. One thing that doesn't quite deliver is the voice acting. Many of the actors sound like they are just reading off of the script and not putting anything into their characters. That mixed with sometimes silly dialogue make for a few laughable moments.

 

The Bottom Line:

 

          Snake Eater is a great game and a nice addition to the MGS games. The game didn't live up to my expectations, but it's interesting to see how Big Boss was before he became the villain we all came to know in the original Metal Gear. The game play is the poorest of the series with unnecessary elements, but it isn't so bad that it ruins the game.