Silicon Fusion >> Reviews >> Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

	All Platforms
	Xbox
	GameCube
	PlayStation 2
	PC
	Game Boy Advance

Site Sections:

	Updates
	News
	Games
	Publishers
	Developers
	Reviews
	Previews
	Release Dates
	Editorials
	Glossary
	Contact Us

Review:

8th March 2005:
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
The Snake boasts a whole lot of new skins as he enters the Soviet Union to prevent Armageddon.
Posted by Chris Snook - PlayStation 2 - UK and Europe

There is one undeniable problem with sequels. How do you make them recognisable as being related the first without managing to cover old ground? It is a fine line to walk and one which Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater trips over and stumbles along at times.

Set before and intertwining through the events of the previous two games, Snake Eater takes place during the height of the Cold War where tensions are running high and the Cuban Missile Crisis is very recent and very real memory. You have been dropped behind the Soviet border with the brief to rescue the top Russian Scientist Nikolai Stepanovitch Sokolov, who is heading a design bureau that is developing a nuclear weapon that will surpass all others. So powerful he tried to defect to the West to avoid his creation.

The attention to detail is obvious right from the get go, from the opening animation of two men fighting in a very James Bond style of sequence, all black with primary colours through to the need to use varying types of camouflage in order to remain as stealthy as possible. Indeed the very feel of the game is Bond like yet distinctly its own, with the Cold War backdrop providing a real, historical frame to view it through, from the weapons to the vehicles.

Once you start you are treated to what is possibly the best element of the game. The prologue cinematic, which is well designed and executed and lays a lot of the groundwork for the remainder of things. You kick off with an aerial insertion into the USSR, performing the "Worlds first HALO jump" from what looks like a modified transport aircraft. From there it cuts back to a briefing detailing the mission for you as your commander outlines who Sokolov is and why he is important.

It transpires that Sokolov was one of the engineers that worked on the rocketry systems for the A1 - Vostock - rocket that place Yuri Gagarin into orbit, from there he was assigned as the head of the OKB-754 Design Bureau hat was tasked with making the next stage of super-weapon (which later on is revealed as predicating the whole series) and now he has had a crisis of conscience and wished to defect, along with his family. This is accomplished but is overtaken by events on the island of Cuba, where the Russians have been depositing Intermediate Range Ballistic Missiles, so starting the most tense stand off of the last hundred years, with nuclear war averted only by the thinnest of margins. It is revealed that the official story that the US would move its IRBM capability from turkey was nothing more than a blind to hide the real truth from the world. That the US gave up Sokolov to avert destruction, the Kremlin wanted him back that badly.

This is easily the coolest element, it takes the real world and subverts it with a slice of hidden history, a deal that is so probable that it could easily be true. It also brings those who are not history buffs into the picture of what the world was like and why this mission is so important.

The cinematic concluded with the remainder of the jump, as sunrise occurs and Snake's landing on the Virgin Cliffs, ready to begin the Virtuous Mission.

It is very hard to fault the look of the world. It is simply beautiful. The environment has so much detail placed into it that it can be hard at times to take it all in. Visually there are many nice effects and tricks on the eye that hold things as you run or crawl through, shadows move correctly and fluidly. This is almost flawless, with smooth animation, great looking areas and a host of little things from moving grass to leaves in the wind and animals and bird meandering around, this carries over into the cut scenes and radio chats.

Audio is a little weaker. There are plenty of ambient sounds, rustling grass - often your sole clue that an enemy is around - equipment sounds and Snake's manly grunts as he attacks something whilst prone. Voice acting however is stilted at times and the script gets repetitive in places and the radio dialogues take a considerable period to complete, hardly indicating the need for speed or stealth they keep banging on about. Yes it does add colour to the past and yes it sets thing up but it does slow things down a lot.

Whilst there is a lot to go through it is possible to make your way through within a few days easily, it is however part of the fun that you explore and try to find new things and new ways to complete a mission and gain a higher final ranking.

Camouflage is important and choosing the right type at the right time can be the difference between surviving and blowing the whole gaffe, there is a handy index which shows just how well hidden you are, affected by weather, time of day, how strong the light is and whether you are moving or still and is the best introduction to the game by far. Not too far behind is the close-quarters-combat (CQC) system that allows you to pull of stunning moves and combination attacks, straight out of a movie.

You also have to hunt for food, a nice idea but can be more lethal than going up against the intelligent and perceptive AI of the enemy. They too can listen and a rustle at the wrong time is a death knell to the objectives. Death is frequent, from merely crawling into a hidden quicksand through to angering the wrong bit of wild life, sometimes it is too frequent and seriously frustrating when again something kills you. Save often. Another wrinkle is that once again the thermal goggles give you such an edge that you have to get them as soon as is possible. As mentioned the dialogue is less than well crafted and where it is supposed to build tension, it doesn't. Once in a while you don't care.

Controls are spot on, if you remember that X is cancel as opposed to select you are fine. Every button does something and all are useful, from first person to crawl on the ground, response is sharp and the range moves and actions that can be done are phenomenal.

The biggest downside is that in many ways, stripping away the camouflage, the hunting, the Bondian feel and the prequel billing this feels so much like the original you go looking for boxes. Yes there is no Radar (not developed in the sixties for one man use), yes you have CQC but there is a sense of it being just plain MGS. Do missions, fight bosses, get discovered, do more missions, escape, fight more bosses, fight armoured machine. Save day!

With a few more changes and a tightening of the dialogue and acting this could have been good, as it is it is above average and looks tired and well worn in places. A pity.

Chris Snook

Latest Images:

Review Scores:

Graphics:
Sound:
Gameplay:
Length:
Overall:
Click here for our Review Score Guidelines .

Review Summary:

Great looks, damn fine additions to the gameplay but has a distinct chunk of deja vu about it. With revelations about the past of Snake and why he is the way he is, the plot and story manage to carry the sometimes ropey acting and dialogue along. If you are a fan then you already have it, if you are not then think hard about whether this is a game you need to get. Includes downloadable features.

Related Games:

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
for PlayStation 2

109

Screenshots

Review