Snake Is Back... And Harder Than Ever !!! (Metal Gear Solid 3 - Snake Eater (PS2))

Member Name: SRowlands

Product:	Metal Gear Solid 3 - Snake Eater (PS2)
Date:	24/12/05 (393 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: An excellent finish to the MGS Trilogy

Disadvantages: A bit short - although this was on the "Easy" level

In 1987, Japanese game designer Hideo Kojima came up with a premise for a new game... Metal Gear - to be released on the MSX. The original idea was the main character, "Solid Snake", (based upon Snake Plissken, from "Escape From New York" - Kojima's favourite movie !), would have to escape from a military compound. The reason for this decision is that game consoles in 1987 were unable to display many events and characters on the screen at once - hence Snake would actively be trying to avoid enemies ! He was advised, however, by his team that a game of this type would not be successful unless Snake had some form of defence in case he should encounter enemies.
This suggestion then resulted in a change from an escape game to a stealth infiltration game - much like the movie "The Guns Of Navarone".
A decade later saw the release of "Metal Gear Solid" on the PSOne. Obviously the improvement in technology permitted a vast step forward in both gameplay, sound and graphics - although this game pushed the PSOne technology to the limits. Still hailed as one of the best PSOne games ever released, the game was to spawn further sequels.
This came in the form of "Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty" - released in 2001 on the PS2.
This is set two years after the previous release, and the game is initially set on an oil tanker in New York harbour. Gameplay moves to an abandoned Oil Rig where a kidnapped President is being held against his will.
Again, this game really showed what the PS2 was capable of. The interaction between Snake and the terrorists was taken to the extreme - no longer was it just a case of shooting the enemy, but you could also grab them, use them as a human shield, threaten them and break their neck ! The AI was also vastly improved - if you walked through a puddle and left footprints, the guards would follow them to where you were hiding.

Now, in 2005, Metal Gear Solid 3: The Snake Eater is released on the PS2 (and shortly coming on the XBox)...

STORY

1964, and the world is in the grip of the Cold War. A former Soviet scientist, Nikolai Stepanovich Sokolov, had defected to the West, and developed a ''Super Weapon" called the "Shagohod". This weapon had the capabilities of launching a nuclear missile without the need for silos.
In the U. S., there was a tense atmosphere as the Cuban Missile Crisis was deepening. In a top secret deal between the two governments, it was agreed that Sokolov - along with the plans for the Shagohod - would be handed over to the Soviets.

Times change, and now the West wants Sokolov, and the technology he has developed back. They decide to send in Naked Snake to rescue Sokolov in a solo infiltration and recovery mission. However, during the mission, Snake's mentor “The Boss” defects to the U.S.S.R., and joins a renegade Russian squadron. The mission is declared a failure, and aborted.
However, this causes obvious complications, further enhanced when the renegades fire an American made nuclear warhead at a weapons lab. The fact that the U.S. had a defected soldier and Snake in the region is hard to explain.
Understandably, the Soviets are furious, and instantly blame the U.S. During a heated telephone conversation, the Soviets give the American leaders a stark choice - either provide indisputable proof within one week that the West had nothing to do with the incident, or face nuclear retaliation from the Soviet Union.

As Snake had failed in his first mission, he is sent back into the jungle to complete his mission - rescue Sokolov, destroy the Shagohod and kill “The Boss”.

So begins “Operation: Snake Eater”.


GAMEPLAY

If you have played previous versions of MGS, you will be familiar with the style of gameplay as it has remained fairly constant throughout the series. The secret of success in this game is to remain undiscovered for as long as possible. This is achieved by creeping around in shadows and undergrowth, avoiding the enemy or, if you choose, eliminate the enemy with one of the many weapons in your inventory. Some weapons attract the attention of soldiers in the area whilst others have noise suppressors fitted.
Another great tactic is to use close quarters combat - or CQC for short. This involves creeping up on the enemy from behind and grabbing them. This then allows you to interrogate the soldier, use him as a shield or to slit his throat using your combat knife.
Stealth in this game is greatly enhanced by using camoflage. This is covered in greater detail in the next section.
The controls can be a little tricky to pick up - Japanese game controls tend, for example, to favour the "O" as the main action button over the "X", however after a short time you will soon adapt to this. The trickiest manouver is selecting between crouch and laying modes, as this is both acheived through the "X" button depending on how long it is depressed. Ocasionally you may find yourself wishing to change from a laying to a crouching position, and instead standing up exposing yourself to the enemy !
The CQC also takes a bit of practice to master fully, but is well worth the effort. This also makes use of the R3 and L3 buttons (by pushing on the control sticks.).


GRAPHICS

The style of Metal Gear Solid has been fairly consistent throughout the series. The atmosphere is fairly dark, usually wet and has a foreboding feel to it - you never know what is around the next corner.
This has been carried over into MGS3, however there is a big change. Snake Eater is set in a dense jungle inside the Soviet Union. This provided the game designers with a whole range of challenges, and also features previously unavailable in previous games.
One of the big changes is the introduction of wildlife - a concept rarely seen in computer games. The range of creatures is amazing - everything from insects, fish, birds and large mammals are included. This is not just for show - most of them will end up being consumed to increase your stamina.
The wooded landscape also gave the designers the chance to introduce another feature that has become a key to success in this game... camouflage. In his inventory, Snake has a whole range of different outfits and facial camouflage for different environments which will increase or decrease Snake's visibility. By using this effectively, it is possible to sneak right up on an enemy soldier without him even being aware that you are there.
Events within the game are interlinked with very impressive movie sequences. In past games - particularly MGS2 - these were criticised for being too long and partly irrelevant. This has been taken into account in this game, and whilst there are still some very long scenes (up to fifteen minutes), they are so impressive and well directed you don't mind watching them at all. The whole game is, in effect, an interactive movie - and the cut scenes are as good as many films. You are also provided with some helpful information during these sequences which, whilst you can skip through, would make your mission much more difficult if missed.

One scene that stands out in the game is fairly late on. After a confrontation with one of the main characters, a fight takes place in a field of beautiful white flowers. Only one character walks away from this battle, after which the camera pans around the dead body. The white flowers turn blood red, and bloodied red petals blow around in the wind as a white stallion approaches the body. The background music adds to the emotional scene as the stallion stands over the motionless body.
This scene is reminiscent of a Manga scene - graphically beautiful and totally absorbing.


SOUNDTRACK

The soundtrack is mostly an atmospheric musical score, which was composed by Harry Gregson-Williams - best known for composing the music to hit Hollywood movies such as Shrek and Armageddon.
There are approximately forty separate tracks in the game - each relevant to the style of gameplay, the scene and the characters involved. They range from tense tracks to an amazing score with a choir providing a haunting melody.
This is supplemented by some fantastic, more mainstream tracks. The title song, "Snake Eater" is performed by Cynthia Harrell, in a very Shirley Bassey-esque way. The lyrics, the opening credits and the music all could have come straight from the opening sequence of a James Bond movie.
The end track "Way To Fall" is written and performed by "Starsailor". Starsailor had some fairly big hits in the UK a couple of years back, with songs like "Alcoholic", along with a very popular album before they disappeared without a trace. In the past week, however, I have heard two different tracks in Asian produced material - "MGS3" and the Korean movie "Oldboy".
The soundtrack is available separately on CD from many online retailers, and whilst it is excellent as part of the game, I would not recommend buying it separately. Unfortunately musical scores lose much of their impact when listened to in their own right.


OVERALL OPINION

MGS3: Operation Snake Eater sums up everything a good game should be - despite the quite dodgy title !! "The Snake Eater" could be carried straight from a "Carry On" script, but is more likely to have been inspired from the string of characters in Bond films such as Pussy Galore.
The storyline is as good as any James Bond film - perhaps unsurprisingly as the games designers are big 'Bond' fans and the character of Snake is based upon Sean Connery's portrayal of 007. The plot itself is engrossing and has several twists that keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat.
The soundtrack too would not appear out of place on the next multi-million dollar production to come out of Hollywood.
Of course, all this would be worthless if the gameplay wasn't up to par. Fortunately the gameplay is excellent and would work well as a stand-alone game without the flashy graphics and soundtrack.
The game makers have listened to the criticism of MGS2, and acted on it to ensure that 'Snake Eater' is a far superior sequel.
The only possible criticism that I have with the game is that it is fairly short. After just one week, consisting of around sixteen hours gameplay, I had completed the game. In fairness, this was completed on the 'easy' setting - (well, I had to complete it in order to write a full review !) - by playing the game on a harder setting would increase the challenges and length of gameplay. Fortunately the game creators have also considered this - upon completing the game, you are rewarded with additional weapons, camouflage and levels depending on how well you did during the game and what decisions you made at key points during the game. This ensures that the 'repeat play' element remains both challenging and enjoyable.
The game is also now 'online enabled', but don't get over excited about this feature - unfortunately rather than offering online gameplay, it actually only allows you to download extra features such as camoflage.

I would highly recommend 'Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater' to any fans of the previous installments, and to any PS2 owners who enjoy a challenging, strategic and immersing game.

Summary: Snake is back !!