Today, I won’t cover the rest of the timeline, instead, I’d like to
review the recently re-released port of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, now
also for the 3DS. As it is the first story to tell chronologically, new players
to the series shouldn’t be afraid of spoilers from other games, because many things are set in place here
for future games to talk more about.
You play as Naked Snake, a member of the FOX unit who is tasked with the
top secret mission to rescue Sokolov, a military scientist who has created a
new type of a nuclear carrier, a large tank called the Shagohod that is set to
inspire future designers of the Metal Gears. He has been forced by the Russians
to finish his work on this dangerous project, and is heavily guarded by the
KGB.
This is the basic story as you begin the game. However, there is much
more than meets the eye for every object I just talked about, and thus, I
barely gave a briefing of the whole thing. In any case, you can expect
dramatized action, suspicious conspiracies, serious emotional conversations and
crazy characters.
And the characters stole the show. As you slowly get to feel that Snake
Eater plays like a James Bond movie, suddenly Snake must deal with the infamous
Cobra unit, a group of 6 legendary superhuman soldiers from World War II. A lot
of things has been said about them already. You can expect a long deal of
diversity between them, and as their code names suggest, a lot of emotional
conflict as well. They are quite possibly Kojima’s most creatively designed
bosses in the franchise.
Next to the stars of the game, there is of course tactical espionage
action during the mission. And the gameplay was fun, especially the new
features implemented such as using camouflage to hide, food to eat and treating
wounds to survive. They all added up to the established formula of earlier
games, giving you more options to play around with, vital options.
Granted, the way of shooting and the A.I. of the enemies feel outdated,
but the emphasis isn’t entirely on taking out the enemies, rather it’s about
avoiding and disabling them foremost! It’s also too bad that the game can take
hits because of lag appearing. It’s not a problem of the 3DS, but of the game
itself, that’s for sure.
Still, don’t get scared of these issues, because they are minor compared
to the way of storytelling this game offers, alongside its hectic music, extra content
and of course the new controls provided by the 3DS. With the Circle Pad Pro, it’s comfortable to play.
Meanwhile, the 3D
effect gives a feeling of being even more blended in with mother nature than
earlier versions of the game, resulting into a richer experience. Speaking of
which, the setting is adorable, with its Russian landscapes of forests,
jungles, mountains and snow. The backstory relies heavily on the Cold War
during the 60’s, but the best thing to endeavor is to be touched by its
compelling story as it uses this backstory.
Which I won’t touch furthermore for this game, as it is fun to experience it for
yourself, rather than reading about it or someone else explaining it to you. Now
that I have beaten the game on Normal Mode, I am sure that I will pick a higher
difficulty someday. However, that won’t be the Alert Mode then, because that
seems almost impossible for me to beat. If you are seen only once while doing
this mode, it is an instant game over for you! No thanks for that amount of
stress. But as the ultimate challenge? It’s something worth trying for those
looking for it.
Metal Gear Solid 3D is a very solid investment for new time players such as
me, but if you happen to be able to obtain the HD collection, then that has
most likely the definitive version, although there are some differences between
the two.
Rating: 8.4
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