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!
