It is the height of the cold war... rebel factions within the Soviet Union are rampant as Kruschev's power wanes publicly. One group in perticular is building a weapon which could end the Cold War and bring the world to a nuclear armageddon. The Fox unit has one week to infiltrate the group's ranks, do whatever it takes to destroy the mystery weapon, and defeat the mystery defector that is giving them outside aid. This is Operation Snake Eater, and all relies upon your success.... First off, if you have not by this point in time played a Metal Gear game, you really have missed out. Even the original Metal Gear from the late 70s early 80s computer market, and on the NES, was a great game for its time. When Metal Gear Solid first hit shelves, it was quickly realized that this would be the best console action series ever created. So much has gone in to this series, as far as bringing in military experts to make the games "feel" real and believable. And they've only gotten better each time. Graphically MGS3 is slightly better than its predecessors, and that's a great thing! The graphics were good to begin with, and they've gotten better each time. Are they revolutionary? Well, almost, but not quite, but WHO CARES! If you've read my reviews, you know by now that, to a gamer who appreciates great gameplay, they aren't everything. But understand they're great to today's console standards. You'll cringe as bullet tracers whiz past, hold your breath as you go underwater to grab a useful item at the bottom, and hide your eyes after you've gone through the routine of removing a bullet from a gunshot wound and the FMV starts. Audio is just awesome. This series has never failed to present on this spectrum either, and it has only gotten better. It, like the graphics, shows off the complexity of the PS2 architecture, and pushes it for all it can get. If you've got surround sound, you'll practically duck behind your couch to hide from incoming bullets if you set off an alert. The title music is awesome too, as this is the first time its been given an actual song and singer, giving it an almost "Bond-like" appeal when the "Snake Eater" theme song begins. Gameplay... *moment of silence*. It is honestly a good thing more games aren't as fun as MGS3, or most people would lose girlfriends, jobs, and overall real life experiences playing them all. Hideo Kojima is to Metal Gear what Sid Meiers is to The Sims, Pirates, and CIvilization. His painstaking attention to military detail, terminology, realism, and love of action stories makes this game worthy of a movie title. MGS3 has taken on even more of a stealth approach, in the sense that the game is easier if you can sneak around areas, using effective camoflage to hide you from your enemies to achieve your objectives. This doesn't mean you won't be "sticking up" enemies at gunpoint, or holding a knife to their throat to interrogate them, or getting in to some heated gunfights, trust me you will. It hasn't lost anything from the previous games, it's only added more. Perhaps the most interesting addition is the "Survival" aspect. At first the idea sounded like a dreadful obstacle and distraction, but it is implemented superbly. Scavenging for food brings your realism to a whole new level. No longer will gorging on rations fill your health, that day and age is done. You now have stamina, and the more full that is, the faster you wounds will recover, but it still takes time. You won't be rushing in to several gunfights at in five minutes if you want to survive. It only gets better from here. Getting burned by fire, shot at close range, falling from high heights, eating bad food, etc, all cause different wounds to Snake. You have to treat these wounds to increase your healing rate, or your health will only recover to a certain point, making you less able to withstand a fighting situation. To give you an idea, recently I was storming through a base early on in the second mission. Crawling through the brush in a good set of "leaf camo" I was able to crawl past the first guard. However, upon entering the main building, I was caught off guard be a patrolling soldier, and a fight ensued. I ran out of the building, and climbed a ladder to the roof so I could get the advantage on my enemies. A guard followed me and a fist fight ensued. I misplaced a punch and was too close to the edge, he hit me with his rifle and I fell off the roof and on to the ground. Luckily I crawled off and survived. I covered myself in the underbrush, applied a splint and bandage to my broken arm and leg, and finally my health could eventually fully recover. Just a taste of what awaits you in this wild addition to the series. To wrap it up, if you've played the series, you've already got this game, if you don't I'd be so shocked. Even if you have not played the previous two, this game takes place before even the nintendo game, and you should have no trouble getting into the game right off the start. If you've played the previous games, of course you'll appreciate everything so much more. This is one of the top 10 for 2004, I would not lead the readers wrong. The fun factor is simply through the roof. Buy it, play it, love it. That's my take, take it or leave it.
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The Metal Gear Solid series has been known for it's outstanding graphics, it's brilliant story telling, and it's incredibly complex yet efficient gameplay style. I wasn't sure if I would like the style, the predecessors... Read Full Review
When the prologue to the game took me almost 2 hours to get through, I knew I had something special. After the explosive opening to the game, the beginning credits roll with a song entitled Snake Eater. I was surprised, ... Read Full Review
