The story of Metal Gear Solid 3 is probably the most quietly impactful of the MGS games I've played so far, as it doesn't feel centred around a world-ending weapon or massive conspiracy, but instead about Naked Snake having to face the fact that The Boss, someone who he deeply cares for on a level most won't understand, has to be eliminated by him, and the whole conflict Snake feels during the game made a villain who I could easily invest in and feel betrayed by from the very start. The ending doesn't feel as grandiose and hopeful as the previous games either, instead being very somber, which is a fitting way to foreshadow Naked Snake's dark fate which lies ahead of him.
Gameplay has been expanded by adding more to do in order stay alive, with camouflage, eating and healing being critical gameplay elements. They did seem tedious additions at first, but are easily managed and instead become a fun mechanic which adds a bit more depth to gameplay instead of mindlessly sneaking. I probably could've gone without a suppressor being a limited resource though, as feels like it's just leaning into the resources element a bit too much, but it made me approach situations more tactically so I didn't mind it as it's better than easily silently killing everyone.
Overall, Metal Gear Solid 3 is another amazing game from the series Metal Gear series, and whilst I may slightly prefer MGS2 just due to the fact I prefer story and characters in that game, that doesn't mean I think this game is worse and they're so close to each other in my mind that I'll probably be changing my mind on which is better for the rest of my life. I really hope the upcoming remake of this game does it justice, because Metal Gear Solid 3 is a game that I can't imagine working as well if they tinker with it to make it more or less serious and silly than it already is, and if it manages to succeed in the same vein as the Resident Evil 4 remake then it could easily become one of my all-time favourites.
Gameplay has been expanded by adding more to do in order stay alive, with camouflage, eating and healing being critical gameplay elements. They did seem tedious additions at first, but are easily managed and instead become a fun mechanic which adds a bit more depth to gameplay instead of mindlessly sneaking. I probably could've gone without a suppressor being a limited resource though, as feels like it's just leaning into the resources element a bit too much, but it made me approach situations more tactically so I didn't mind it as it's better than easily silently killing everyone.
Overall, Metal Gear Solid 3 is another amazing game from the series Metal Gear series, and whilst I may slightly prefer MGS2 just due to the fact I prefer story and characters in that game, that doesn't mean I think this game is worse and they're so close to each other in my mind that I'll probably be changing my mind on which is better for the rest of my life. I really hope the upcoming remake of this game does it justice, because Metal Gear Solid 3 is a game that I can't imagine working as well if they tinker with it to make it more or less serious and silly than it already is, and if it manages to succeed in the same vein as the Resident Evil 4 remake then it could easily become one of my all-time favourites.