PS2 Game Review - Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

METAL GEAR SOLID 3

SNAKE EATER

A PS2 Game Review By
Le Chupacabra

"5…4…3…2…1! Spread your wings and fly… God be with you!" yells the Major. Snake jumps out from the airplane's cargo bay and plummets towards the Earth at ungodly speeds. He spreads his limbs to slow down his descent. Just when it seems he's about to crash into the forest canopy below, a parachute bursts out of his backpack and Snake glides down safely. He has successfully completed the world's first HALO jump.

But that's not the real aim of his mission.

In the aftermath of the volatile situation of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the USA has deployed one of its top operatives into Soviet territory in order to rescue a weapons scientist. The success of this mission could be the difference between global peace and World War III.

If the intro tells you anything, it's this: MGS series creator Hideo Kojima is back in action with what is possibly one of the greatest videogames of all time!

This time we trace back through history and place ourselves in the awesome shoes of one of the greatest soldiers of all time: Big Boss. This is same guy from whom MGS hero and penultimate badass Solid Snake and his nigh-on-unkillable brother Liquid Snake were cloned from. Yes, Snake Eater is a prequel to all things MGS. By going back in time, we are able to find the answers to all the questions and riddles we encountered in all the other Metal Gear games.The story is one heck of a joy-ride filled with enigmatic characters, shocking twists, heartfelt interactions and deeply provocative undertones that question moral issues and ethics. It also has a terrific sense of humour at the right moments! It's also the best MGS story to date yes, it's that damn good!

Players are taken from the drab, cold corridors of the imminent future into the temperate forest areas of the Soviet Union. The stealthing here is a whole new experience. Since it's set in 1964, it's bye-bye Soliton radar, hello basic senses. Now you have to use both eyes and ears as you make your way across the undergrowth. The environs can be used as great cover and that's awesome as it really makes you feel like some super-spy as you sneak about from tree to bush and the enemies have no clue of your whereabouts! What's not so awesome is that the foliage and general forestry can also hide the bad guys. Instead of making it a frustrating experience of trial-and-error *cough*splintercell*cough*, the sneaking around is one of the most damn enthralling and engaging experiences ever! There's a genuine sense of tension as you are forced to use your sight and hearing to find out where the enemies are. Pinpointing someone's location just by hearing him rustling through the grass to your left is as good as it gets!

Fact: guards are annoying buggers and must die. However, being a stealth game you can't really go around obliterating everyone with a minigun. After all, the fun and challenge comes from getting past without being seen! However, should your trigger-finger itch, ask and MGS3 shall provide! Sneaking around, back hunched and knife in hand you loom ominously behind an unaware sentry. A quick stomp to the back of the knee, a sharp twist of the arm and the guard is in a chokehold with your knife to his throat. From here it's really upto you. Interrogate him for info under pain of death? Sounds good. Slam him to the ground and knock him out cold? Maybe… Snap his neck? Now we're getting somewhere… Um…slit his throat and let the claret flow? Hell yeah! These moves are all part of the brilliant hand-to-hand fighting system called CQC. It's one of the most enjoyable fighting mechanics I've used and really makes you look and feel like a can of 100% Pure Whup-Ass®! The gunplay is also great with a large arsenal of weapons from the omnipresent AK-47 to the always satisfying Dragunov Sniper Rifle. However, the fun lies in the stealth. Plus, you don't want to trigger an alert and have the whole base after you, do you? Then again, unlike a certain Sam Fisher, if you happen to trigger Alert Mode, you can still kick butt with CQC and live to tell the tale. Or you could use a Fake Death Pill and fool your enemies just like any super spy should! On a slightly unrealistic note, the game also throws some bosses at you. In this case, realism be damned! The bosses are very challenging, requiring quite a bit of thinking and strategy. One particular boss fight spans three maps and will require every bit of skill you've learnt to defeat him (provided you're not playing on Very Easy). These bosses present some of the most fun and satisfying fights ever!

When watching this game for the first time, don't forget to wipe away the drool and pick your jaw up from the floor. MGS3's visuals are a sweet, sweet treat for the eyes. The obsessive levels of detail will have you staring in awe! The visuals are part of the package that draws you in and makes you feel like you're there! The characters animate very smoothly with every trapping of realism. Snake himself moves every bit like a professional: back hunched, each step carefully measured and with his gun held in the proper way (pointed downwards, a certain Mr Bond should note.) Series creator Hideo Kojima has always had a flair for cinematic presentation and this game is a true culmination of his directorial skills. Everything, from the camera angles to the action sequences to the slow, emotional moments to even the "acting", is handled superbly and with a polish that very few Hollywood blockbusters can match!

Do this: list a bunch of superlatives (might want to check that up, too) from the dictionary. Then throw away the list. They still don't do justice to the brilliance of MGS3's graphics!

The sound design is of equal calibre. Hollywood composer Harry Gregson-Williams (Enemy of the State, Shrek, and The Rock), has created an absolute corker of a soundtrack. The music perfectly complements every frame of action and is an unusual yet brilliantly effective way of expressing emotion. The voice acting is of exemplar quality. The VAs speak their lines with conviction and really make a difference in those tense, emotion-heavy scenes. The same attention to detail permeates into the sound effects, too!

MGS3 isn't just a videogame. It's an incredible experience that reaches out and immerses you like no other. From its tense, engaging gameplay to the ridiculously good-looking graphics to the intense aural experience to the awesome, constantly thrilling story to the perfectly timed humour to the utterly enigmatic characters, MGS3 is a true rollercoaster ride of epic proportions! MGS3, you are better than the rest, nope…you are the best!

PS2 Game Review - Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening

Devil May Cry 3

Dante’s Awakening

A PS2 Game Review By
Le Chupacabra

Name any other game that let's you surf on your enemies with your guns blazing in every direction, and I'll call you a blatant liar!

A prequel to the uber cool DMC and its worthless sequel DMC 2, Devil May Cry 3 is a game that effortlessly redefines the word stylish to unheard-of proportions!

DMC 3 stars a younger Dante. But this isn’t the same Dante from the sequels. This Dante is so full of in-your-face cockiness and attitude, that you can’t help thinking he’s the coolest game character ever! Forget his trademark one-liners from DMC; they pale in comparison to his never-ending, smartass banter in this game!

The gameplay in DMC 3 isn’t good nor is it excellent.

The only phrase that could probably describe it is: Holy Shit Awesome!

The gameplay in DMC 3 is unbelievably fast and utterly smooth. You can pull off combos so over-the-top and wicked-looking that other games seem abysmally slow and boring in comparison. Without breaking a sweat, Dante can switch from using twin scimitars to tri-headed ice nunchuks to his to-be-classic (it’s a prequel after all!) twin handguns and devilishly cool sword. The end result can make for some seriously brutal and satisfying chain attacks with action that moves so fast it's almost hard to believe.

The game isn’t about mashing buttons or hammering block! The enemies give new meaning to the word evil. They’ll launch sneak attacks, gang up on you and generally make life Hell® for you. This makes DMC 3 one of the most refreshingly challenging titles of this decade – which is another way of saying it can be quite hard at times. However, the fights are so brutally fast and furious that even when you’re getting your butt kicked you can’t help but enjoy them immensely. The enemies will keep you on the edge of your seat and will have you constantly adopt split-second strategies to adapt to their tactics. This game requires razor sharp reflexes to keep the blood spilling! Consistency is of paramount importance as is maintaining a varied and stylish fighting style, my friend wisely advised me. The boss fights are something you’ll relish and present some of the tensest and most exciting battles since Metal Gear Solid 3. The half-dozen bosses are the embodiment of the word devious. They’ll constantly switch their battle strategy to wrong-foot you to your demise. You must constantly adapt to the bosses and with some righteous swordplay (and gun-totin’), you can finally deliver the killing blow! It may seem slightly frustrating at first, but at one point everything somehow clicks together and you’ll find yourself a master of this excellent game. There five unique melee weapons to use ranging from the omnipresent demon sword to the twin scimitars, Agni and Rudhra to the uber jam-tastic guitar called Nevan. Yes you read it right, I said guitar. Find out what it does by yourself; I’d rather not ruin the experience! Six selectable play styles ranging from the zippy Trickster to the brutal Swordmaster ensure that everyone will find their own niche in this game. These styles are completely unique and have such awesome combos that it’s worth playing the game multiple times to see it all! Add hyperactive devil transformations into the mix and you have a relentlessly exciting action game where the party never ends!

Capcom has also shattered the space-time equilibrium of their long-endured tradition – DMC 3 actually has a story worth following! Not only it is pretty good but it’s utterly amusing in the way it presents its own brand of family dysfunction!

The graphics in Devil May Cry 3 complement the action to perfection. The visuals move at a blistering 60 FPS and with a fluidity that is rarely seen elsewhere. This ensures that the action you see is a non-stop, all out bloodbath! The enemy designs are distinctly sinister and reek of a citizenship to Hell. The environs are dark, grim and moody and the whole game is drenched in a very Gothic atmosphere. Perfect for our metal-crazed rocker Dante! Then we have the cutscenes! Boasting some of the most over-the-top sequences in gaming - heck film – history, each one is superbly directed and will have you playing the game repeatedly to watch them all over again! The Matrix looks as exciting as cheese mould compared to what you’re about to see here!

The soundtrack is so fitting in DMC 3 that without it, the game loses more than half of its appeal! The music is generally slow and creepy orchestra until you find some enemies – all of a sudden heavy guitar riffs kick in and hard rock pounds through your speakers! This really makes every encounter a head-bangin’ rush of an experience as you slice and blast your enemies back to Hell! The voice acting is pretty good too (another Capcom first) and Dante sounds as every bit of the cocky, arrogant bastard he acts like!

DMC 3 is a pure adrenaline rush of blazing guns, whirlwind swordplay, intense action and head banging music. Find the word style in the dictionary and chances are that there will be a picture of DMC 3 under it! DMC 3 is a return to form of one of the greatest PS2 games of all time…Welcome Back, Dante!