Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

The Good
Well, By now you MUST of heard of the metal gear series?! And, most possibly, you may of been let down a tad by metal gear solid 2...

WELL FORGET METAL GEAR SOLID 2!! (not the plot, at least) Because this one encompasses them all. Yes, even the first one :)

In true classic MGS the story is usually long, the conversations are a little drawn out, the boss battles are amazing, the voice acting and action is top of its class... But what is it that people want from this game which wasn't given the last time?

SNAKE!! Not only do you play as snake, but you get to eat them too! This game is pretty much the same old thing when it comes to Tactical Espionage Action games (The Metal Gear Series). The opening of the game takes you through almost an hour before you start doing some good stuff with your guns and abilities. But as soon as you are on the field, deep in the sweltering jungle against all the odds you will be enjoying every minute of it.

Everything is so detailed, the grass moves, the rain is very cool looking as it soaks the ground and beats off of your character and environs. Even though the frame rate isn't as smooth as Metal Gear 2, the draw distance and effects Konami managed to get out of the PS2 are breath-taking! Once you see the logo and PRESS START BUTTON screen you are treated to an extremely high quality production and you automatically want to just get through it as quickly as possible to know what happens next, and what you get to do next as well.

The story can be a little long for some (there IS 15-30 hours of game hear you know) but the action and dialog is very nicely placed. You don't get interrupted by endless cut-scenes this time, everything seems to blend perfectly and at just the right moments. Sometimes you may feel like skipping some scenes and just guess whats going on. For example, after Major Zero explains again that it is a SNEAKING mission, you may just skip it because it's just another repeated loop of voice from the codec.. But as i said before, there is so much detail in this, i very rarely heard the same dialog twice whilst using the radio conversations! This was great because not only was i having fun whilst playing, i had fun listening to what these great characters had to say.

All of the characters are really good, some are a little over the top (E.G Colonel Volgins accent is a typical "Bad Man" type of voice with not much depth to it to have a complex character type) but in general the acting etc is fantastic!, David Hayter returns as the voice of Snake and also The Colonel from the other two games makes an appearance!

The overall production, sound, graphics of the game are (as i think) the best yet on the ps2. The frame rate can be a tiny bit slower compared to other metal gear games, but it is nothing really. The amount of detail in the backdrops of the game is really incredible, i spent alot of my time just searching for flaws because i didn't think that it could be possible!

You spend alot of the time wandering around the jungle for most of the game, which may sound boring at first, what with all the jungle hazards such as Crocodiles, Snakes, Soldiers etc. But you will be too engrossed with what you have to do next to care about trudging through Jungle to get there! if you have played a metal gear game before, then you will understand that it's going to be typically the same type of control system, which can seem awkward sometimes as there is a different button used for almost every weapon you have to use. But there aren't many changes to the overall system of things. Maybe some of you will find the series becoming a little dated, the next metal gear will have to take a big leap in dimensions because they have definitely mastered this type of system now with this game! Everything works and moves great, i have no moans about that at all. The story is as fluid and intriguing as ever and the action comes thick and fast. The Boss battles are unique and are the best in the series! Yes, even more legendary than the First games bosses. And not because of the characters, or new weapons or abilities, but by sheer planning and gameplay will get you to love these battles.

At the end, you will feel drained from all the action and suspense and twists in the story. The Cinematics rival anything in the cinemas this year and i am sure you will agree! But a 15+ hour film is quite a feat! If you manage to complete this all in one go, then you are one hard-core metal gearer. But the chances are that you will want to save and start again later (and the cool thing is that you will be rewarded for doing so later on!!)

The Bad
Sometimes you get the feeling "So, it's like Metal Gear 2.. But in the Jungle, Right?"

Well, YES it is exactly that. Fans of Metal Gear will love this. They will love this because it is another different adaption to the story thus far... But if nobody liked the story or thought it was all a tad confusing, then some of the links and reminders this has to the stories previous in the other games are going to leave you a bit un-interested. Just who is "The Boss"? How is Snake alive in the Sixties when he wasn't even born until the 70's?! There are plenty of questions to be left un-answered if you haven't learned of the plots before... But that's only if you haven't played the others or liked them!

Sometimes the controls can be a little complicated when the action is fast and you usually have a short time to learn some new techniques before you have to put them in real action! The game follows a sort-of DO OR DIE foundation, if you dont get the animals, then you won't survive! If you don't cure yourself from wounds then you will surely die. If you are being shot, alot by enemies.. you feel like just putting away your gun, downing some energy ration and punching the troops to dust, or blasting them away with a new gun, or attacking them with Close Quarters Combat and hold a troop and use as a human shield etc... But if you don't think rationally then you will lose more than just your health. Your stamina depletes rather quickly if you do not treat yourself! Sometimes this can be annoying, especially when you want to get a quick revenge on a guy who just shot you before he gets away. But then you have to go into the survival viewer to get that bullet out before it makes matters worse.

The Bottom Line
A lengthy stealth game, perfectly planned out to have as much gameplay as possible and the best action you will see on your ps2. It is fantastic for Metal Gear fans, but for new-comers or people wishing to see a giant leap in the series will be left pretty much with the same feelings as they had the last time. This is basically the same type of metal gear system, with added features and realism. Whether you liked it before or not, you should definitely try this out until the end, because this will be the game that clears those doubts and frustrations from the other games' path. Every moment of this was completely engrossing and enjoyable, finally you will get to see what those heroes really get up to when the going gets rough... and the rough get....

...EATEN!