This review contains very minor story spoilers
Prefix the same thing I did on my MGS 1 & 2 review. I played this through the new master collection on PS5 however I want to talk about each game individually so ill review each one as I complete them and then ill talk about the master collection later.
This time last month I had never touched a metal gear game but always had intentions of getting into it one day, fast forward to today and MGS3 has became one of my favourite games of all time. While the first two are extremely good games, Snake Eater blows them both out the water, with a beautiful story, major changes in the franchises gameplay and one hell of a good score. There is a reason that this is considered one of the best games of all time and it has quickly shot into my top 15.
Starting off with the Story, it is without a doubt the best in the series. It has fantastic characters which are all given enough time to develop across the game, a really interesting and tense story which has enough twists and subversions to keep you guessing throughout. Naked Snake is a great protagonist and despite looking and sounding identical, is different enough from Solid Snake to hammer in that you are playing as a different character. The side characters are at their best here. Eva is a really good character and the chemistry between her and Snake is a highlight. Ocelot constantly appearing to try and beat Snake is funny and actually serves as a good origin for his character. Volgin is a really imposing main villain and it was nice to have a main antagonist which isn't just another Snake clone. The codec characters are cool and thankfully dont overstay their welcome unlike in MGS2. Finally though, The Boss, one of the best characters in the series and through a small amount of screen time manages to have such a meaningful arc and the twist makes for a beautiful ending. "She was a true Patriot"
The gameplay is changed massively from the first two games. Where they featured a fixed camera and had all your items laid out for you, Snake Eater takes a more survival approach and ditches it for a free camera and makes you pick and choose with what you have equipped. It also has a camouflage feature where you can select between a bunch of different outfits and face paints to better disguise yourself while in the jungle. Also added is a focus on gathering food, Snake has to eat periodically to regain his stamina, also to add to immersion Snake has to treat his wounds using the cure area. Depending on the injury Snake can use a variety of supplies to treat them otherwise his health will gradually decrease. Combat plays similarly to MGS2 with the first person aiming but makes a lot more use of CQC.
Another area where Snake Eater excels is the boss fights. Probably the best in the series only possibly rivalled with the first game. The Cobras are this games "Sons of Liberty" and are 100x better and more enjoyable. Each boss being themed around an emotion they take into battle is a really cool idea. Each boss feels very different and while they aren't as integral to the narrative as the FOXHOUND guys in MGS1 they are still important to the story. The End and The Fury were my two favourites, Also I really liked The Sorrow's section I thought it added a great creepy atomsphere. The Volgin boss fight was also pretty fun and The Boss is a brilliant fight as you feel more outmatched by her than you do Volgin who is double the size.
Visually the game looks stunning for its time. The jungle aesthetic is a bit samey due to the lack of colour beside green but the sections where you are out of the jungle make up for that. Character designs are great and probably the best in the series. The score is one of my favourites of all time, the main theme is fantastic and the music throughout is a joy to listen to.
Technical wise I found that the characters facial animations would glitch a lot with there mouths never matching up to what they are saying and sometimes not even opening at all. Very minor nit pick which is probably just a sign of the times.
I genuinely have little to no complaints about this game as my biggest complaint was fixed. Snake Eater doesn't feature any 12 minute long exposition filled codec segments or any needlessly long cutscenes where nothing of interest happens. Instead it has beautifully crafted cutscenes that help advance the narrative instead of playing the whole game like a movie. Also the motion capture for the fight choreography is really good for its time and holds up with stuff released today.
Metal Gear Solid 3 : Snake Eater is rightfully considered one of the greatest games of all time. Kojima created an amazing story that feels like an amazing movie and an equally amazing game. Without a doubt worth a play, I'm annoyed it took me so long to get into this franchise, unfortunately from what I can gather it doesn't go well from here but I will probably stick with it once the next volume of the master collection comes out. Up there with my favourite games of all time.
Prefix the same thing I did on my MGS 1 & 2 review. I played this through the new master collection on PS5 however I want to talk about each game individually so ill review each one as I complete them and then ill talk about the master collection later.
This time last month I had never touched a metal gear game but always had intentions of getting into it one day, fast forward to today and MGS3 has became one of my favourite games of all time. While the first two are extremely good games, Snake Eater blows them both out the water, with a beautiful story, major changes in the franchises gameplay and one hell of a good score. There is a reason that this is considered one of the best games of all time and it has quickly shot into my top 15.
Starting off with the Story, it is without a doubt the best in the series. It has fantastic characters which are all given enough time to develop across the game, a really interesting and tense story which has enough twists and subversions to keep you guessing throughout. Naked Snake is a great protagonist and despite looking and sounding identical, is different enough from Solid Snake to hammer in that you are playing as a different character. The side characters are at their best here. Eva is a really good character and the chemistry between her and Snake is a highlight. Ocelot constantly appearing to try and beat Snake is funny and actually serves as a good origin for his character. Volgin is a really imposing main villain and it was nice to have a main antagonist which isn't just another Snake clone. The codec characters are cool and thankfully dont overstay their welcome unlike in MGS2. Finally though, The Boss, one of the best characters in the series and through a small amount of screen time manages to have such a meaningful arc and the twist makes for a beautiful ending. "She was a true Patriot"
The gameplay is changed massively from the first two games. Where they featured a fixed camera and had all your items laid out for you, Snake Eater takes a more survival approach and ditches it for a free camera and makes you pick and choose with what you have equipped. It also has a camouflage feature where you can select between a bunch of different outfits and face paints to better disguise yourself while in the jungle. Also added is a focus on gathering food, Snake has to eat periodically to regain his stamina, also to add to immersion Snake has to treat his wounds using the cure area. Depending on the injury Snake can use a variety of supplies to treat them otherwise his health will gradually decrease. Combat plays similarly to MGS2 with the first person aiming but makes a lot more use of CQC.
Another area where Snake Eater excels is the boss fights. Probably the best in the series only possibly rivalled with the first game. The Cobras are this games "Sons of Liberty" and are 100x better and more enjoyable. Each boss being themed around an emotion they take into battle is a really cool idea. Each boss feels very different and while they aren't as integral to the narrative as the FOXHOUND guys in MGS1 they are still important to the story. The End and The Fury were my two favourites, Also I really liked The Sorrow's section I thought it added a great creepy atomsphere. The Volgin boss fight was also pretty fun and The Boss is a brilliant fight as you feel more outmatched by her than you do Volgin who is double the size.
Visually the game looks stunning for its time. The jungle aesthetic is a bit samey due to the lack of colour beside green but the sections where you are out of the jungle make up for that. Character designs are great and probably the best in the series. The score is one of my favourites of all time, the main theme is fantastic and the music throughout is a joy to listen to.
Technical wise I found that the characters facial animations would glitch a lot with there mouths never matching up to what they are saying and sometimes not even opening at all. Very minor nit pick which is probably just a sign of the times.
I genuinely have little to no complaints about this game as my biggest complaint was fixed. Snake Eater doesn't feature any 12 minute long exposition filled codec segments or any needlessly long cutscenes where nothing of interest happens. Instead it has beautifully crafted cutscenes that help advance the narrative instead of playing the whole game like a movie. Also the motion capture for the fight choreography is really good for its time and holds up with stuff released today.
Metal Gear Solid 3 : Snake Eater is rightfully considered one of the greatest games of all time. Kojima created an amazing story that feels like an amazing movie and an equally amazing game. Without a doubt worth a play, I'm annoyed it took me so long to get into this franchise, unfortunately from what I can gather it doesn't go well from here but I will probably stick with it once the next volume of the master collection comes out. Up there with my favourite games of all time.