Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Publisher: Konami
Medium: Playstation 2
Discs: 1

 

You are a secret operative, on your first real mission. You are given the code name Naked Snake. The mission is to rescue a Soviet defector and escort him to a safe area, for evacuation. It turns out your old teacher and good friend has betrayed the United States, and provided the enemy with nuclear weapons! As your first mission is anything but a success, you are deployed on a new mission to keep a new cold war from breaking out. You now have to save the defector, kill the traitor, and destroy the new experimental weapon!

 

Sound Quality: 9

 

Music does not take the highlight for this game, jungle sounds do. Since this is in the jungle, you can hear all sorts of animals making noises in the background. Footsteps, and rustling trees are also audible for your sneaking pleasure. The animals that you are able to hunt also make subtle noises, like snake hissing. When you hear that hiss, you know to watch out for a bite!

 

For times when you are in water, you can hear it swish between your legs as you walk, and even hear a sound to let you know you have a leach; that's right, I said leach. You will also notice that your life bar makes a beeping noise to let you know something is taking away at your health. There are many many more sounds to hear, as you fall, shoot, hit enemies, etc.

 

 

 

Video/FMV: 9

 

There are some frequent in game movies. They usually involve what goes on between your mission objectives, giving you helpful information and back-story. At times they can be lengthy; if you get annoyed by them, you can just skip them entirely. I expected the graphics for the FMV sequences to be a bit higher quality, though I still enjoyed them. A new ability during the FMV you can use, is the zoom feature. There are also times when you can look directly out of Snake's eyes, and see what he does!

 

Voice/Dialogue: 9

 

The in game dialog sounds pretty good. There weren't a whole lot of dialog from the enemies, but there was plenty to hear. From secret stash to radio stations, you could get a variety of information from them by interrogating them. Also you could hear them carry on small conversations, if they haven’t noticed you around them. The main characters had specific voice actors for them, and did a great job. Some of the same voice actors were used from the other Metal Gear Solid games; David Haytor is still Snake, and does an excellent job as usual.

 

Controls: 10

 

The game controls are pretty much the same as the previous MGS games, making it simple to use for those who have played them. L2 for your item select, R2 for weapon; R1 for first person; Square to use item; X to crawlI t and sit; O to attack; Use the Left Analog stick to move Snake, and the digital direction buttons to sneak; Select is for Snake's communication; and Start for the menu. They are easy to use once you get used to the movements.

 

You can quick select with the L2, and R2 as usual, and depending on the direction, perform different types of attacks with the O, when no weapon is selected.

 

 

 

Gameplay: 10

 

Here you control Snake. You are dropped in the enemy territory, and you must use stealth, and skill to accomplish your mission. In order to do this, you must use the new camouflage option. You can change the look of your outfit to better blend into the background, thus evading your enemy. It is important to keep a close eye on your Camo Index. Depending on the type of camouflage, your Camo Index will increase or decrease. Remember, a high index, is a safe Snake.

 

In Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, your Health Gauge replenishes itself with time. If at anytime, you are injured, either by one of the many animals, or enemy soldiers and there appears a red section on the gauge, you should immediately press start to enter the menu. Once in the menu, you should select Cure mode. You can now use medical items to cure broken bones, food or snake poison, gunshot wounds, ect. If you do not treat the wound, you risk not healing very fast, as well as your Health Gauge will grow a bit shorter.

 

Along with your Health Gauge is the Stamina Gauge. This allows you to use battery operated gear, hang from cliffs, and keep your aim steady. If you let your stamina deplete too much, you will start to shake, slow down, and become very hungry; you may even fall asleep! Too keep up your stamina, you should eat food. This brings us to another new feature, the Food option. You can either catch food by hunting, or find rations. Depending on the food you eat, the effect will vary. You may also find some foods will give Snake an upset stomach, and make him sick. If this happens, you should make him throw up by using the Cure option.

 

Using your surroundings is a great way to sneak around and snipe your enemies and progress in the story. Once you complete a number of stages, you will end up in a boss battle. To be honest, these boss battles seemed a bit easier than getting to them. Each boss has his own weakness, and strengths, you will need to figure out what these are in order to defeat them. Once you defeat the boss, you should search the area around where he was to find special items not normally found in the game, like camouflage and weapons. There will be times that disguises and secret codes, will be necessary to progress. Interrogating enemies will get you those codes, and other useful information. Don't worry, if you die, you will be able to start over from your last saved position, usually the last stage you entered. You will need to use all of your options and skills in order to complete the game.

 

Replay Value: 8

 

There are quite a few different camouflages to find, as well as a few different game modes to unlock. Instead of the Easter Island statues, we now have little frogs, that make a noise when you shoot them. Try to go through the game and find each one of those; there's one in every stage! Also there are special items, like the bandanna, to gain from beating the game multiple times. There are many reasons to go back through the game, and you have to admit it is fun to sneak up on an enemy and toss a hive of bees at him!

 

 

 

Overall: 9.1

 

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is a great game. The new features that were added to the gameplay add to the experience. I enjoyed playing and sneaking around as Snake, and I also got to learn a lot of the backstory that is not mentioned, and only hinted on in the previous games. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is definitely a must have, whether you are already a Metal Gear fan, or just like espionage games. What are you waiting for? Get a copy and find out just what happens to Snake, and how things were started for the rest of the story!

Written by: Blue Ghost