Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

1001 Video Games

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

Camouflage

Like Metal Gear Solid 2 with its dogtags, Konami held a contest where people could send in their suggestions for custom camouflage, where the winners would have their suggestions incorporated into the game. A special facepaint can be earned by selecting Metal Gear Solid 2

Development

After the release of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Hideo Kojima said that he would not direct this game. He wanted a member of his team at Konami to replace him, but none of them wanted to, so he was forced to change his mind and direct after all.

In an interview, Harry Gregson-Williams jokingly said that he might return to compose this game's music "if it's set in the Amazon". At the time, Kojima actually was planning to set it in the jungle. Kojima decided to use this as a way to get Gregson-Williams to return; he told him that what he said had been the inspiration for the game's setting. He didn't tell Gregson-Williams the truth until the music was nearly finished.

Ivan Raikov

Major Ivan Raidenovitch Raikov is a mysterious character in MGS3. He speaks no lines during the game, but behind the scenes he has a whole background of history that shows that he is undeniably gay with Col. Volgin, the main antagonist of the game.

Raikov has man effeminate features in the games. Not only does he sport the soft feminine features of a woman and well-groomed body, but his voice in the English version is extremely high-pitched.

Any fan of the MGS series also will see that he is almost identical to Raiden from Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. Not only does he look dead on like Raiden, but he also shares the same fighting style with him, and even has a poster of him in his locker. The name "Raiden" is even cleverly hidden in his name. Of course, Raiden was the infamous protagonist of MGS2, and today many debates rage on about his sexual orientation.

During cutscenes in the game, numerous references are made to Raikov and Volgin's relationship. When Naked Snake goes undercover, he knocks Raikov out cold and steals his uniform. When Snake is done taking off his clothes, he can be seen wearing a sporty thong. Then in another cut scene, Volgin grabs his crotch twice, and simply by feeling is genitals is he able to see through Snake's disguise, claiming "I know the Major better than anyone else." As well, during an earlier cutscene, the President is explaining that Volgin also goes by the name "Thunderbolt." If you take a look at Raikov when he's undressed, you'll see a thunderbolt right on the crotch of his thong. Also, because he is Volgin's lover, he subsequently has colonel-class authority even though he is only a Major.

The inside joke continues in Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence. Subsistence contains a number of "outtake" videos done by the crew, and one of them is about Raiden who travels back in time in order to kill Snake and become the main character for MGS4. In one of the scenes, Volgin, mistaking Raiden for Raikov (since they look almost identical), tries to have butt sex with him. Raiden is then seen running out of the room with electricity shooting out of his backside. During the online play, Raikov's special move allows you to grab a soldier's crotch, which will stun them for a couple of seconds. He is also the only character in the online mode who isn't affected by pornography magazines, which normally "distract" the other characters for a couple of seconds.

Its not obvious, but the signs are undeniably there. Raikov is indeed having homosexual relationships with Volgin.

North American version

Additional gore was added to the North American version.

PAL version

There is exclusive content for the PAL version: * Duel Mode - Battle through the game's Boss Fights independently * Demo Theatre - Watch all the cut scenes in sequence * European Extreme difficulty level * 2 New Levels in Snake Vs Monkey Mode * New Face Paint and Camouflage Designs not available in US or Japanese versions

References

• The codename of the character "Major Tom" is a reference to the 1969 song Space Oddity by David Bowie, which is about an astronaut called Major Tom. In the game, Major Tom is even asked "Can you hear me, Major Tom?" This phrase is part of the song's lyrics. Major Tom explains later in the game that his codename was taken from the movie The Great Escape. In the movie the prisoners had three names for the three tunnels they built, Tom, Dick and Harry. Major Tom explains that he mistakenly identified the tunnel named Tom as the one the prisoners escaped from. Tom and Dick were the tunnels that were discovered by the Nazis. Instead of asking Snake to call him Major Harry, he just shrugs it off and changes his codename back to Major Zero.
• The date of the "Virtuous Mission", 24 August 1964, was Hideo Kojima's first birthday. It was originally 24 August 1963 (his exact birth date), but was moved up a year because he wanted the 22 November 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy to factor into the story.
• When Snake talks with Director Granin in his office, the theme playing on the radio is the Metal Gear Solid theme. Also, the specifications he shows to Snake are of Metal Gear REX from Metal Gear Solid. There are also figurines of Metal Gear REX, Metal Gear RAY from Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Jehuty from Zone of the Enders Z.O.E visible in the background, along with a photograph of Granin with his American friend (the grandfather of Hal Emmerich, Metal Gear REX's chief engineer in the original Metal Gear Solid).
• In the mini-game "Snake vs. Monkey", Snake asks Colonel Campbell to ask "Gabe" or "Sam" to carry out his assignment. This is a reference to Gabe Logan, the main character of Syphon Filter, and Sam Fisher, the main character of Splinter Cell.
• If you call Para-Medic (SAVE) in the cave, you will eventually get on the topic of the 007 film From Russia With Love. You will be interrupted by Major Tom, who is evidently a big fan of the film. He'll even suggest a few hilarious Bond-esque gadgets to Naked Snake.

Volgin

During some scenes in the game, Volgin ominously says the words "kuwabara kuwabara," a Japanese mantra which, according to Japanese superstition, will ward off lightning. This fits for Volgin's character, since his body uncanny electrical abilities, and he would superstitiously say the words to be safe from lightning that his body attracts. Volgin says the words whenever it starts to rain.

Awards

• 4Players
  • 2005 – Best Hero of the Year (for Snake)
  • 2005 – Best Story of the Year
• GameSpy
  • 2004 – #4 Game of the Year
  • 2004 – #2 PS2 Game of the Year
  • 2004 - Most Amazing Comeback of the Year (PS2)

Information also contributed by Macintrash, Matt Neuteboom and MegaMegaMan