Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PS2)

Finally it's back, the best, most complete stealth game on the Playstation 2. It's being a while since Metal Gear Solid 2, but the new Metal Gear Solid is back, better than ever. There have being some pretty decent stealth games in between Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3, Snake Eater. There has being Splinter Cell, Hitman Contracts and a few more games, but this is the true King of stealth.

This game will take your gaming skills and nerves to the extreme, as you lie down on your stomach in tall grass with the perfect camouflage, the enemy staring straight at you, but doesn't see you because of your camouflage, you can honestly feel your heart beating faster and faster. This is a very slow paced game; you have to wait for the opportune moment to strike, so if you do not like waiting for something to happen, do not buy this game.

The story
In the aftermath of the Second World War, the world was torn in two between East and West.
It was the beginning of a new era - the Cold War.

October 16, 1962. The President of the United States received word that the Soviet Union had deployed nuclear missiles in Cuba. The world trembled in fear as the prospect of nuclear war loomed ever closer. After days of tense negotiations, the Soviets finally agreed on the 28th to withdraw their missiles from Cuban soil. With the resolution of this incident, later to be known as the Cuban Missile Crisis, it seemed that humanity had survived yet another threat to its existence.

However, there was a secret condition in the deal that put an end to the crisis. Nikolai Stepanovich Sokolov, a Soviet scientist who had defected to the West, was to be sent back to the Soviet Union. The U.S. government agreed to this stipulation, and returned Sokolov to his native land. Little did they know that Sokolov was to be the designer of a nightmarish weapon. Now, with Sokolov back in their hands, the Soviets are ready to resume its development. If this weapon is completed, it will mark the beginning of a new age of fear.

August 1964. Realizing at last the urgency of the situation, the CIA forms a plan to recapture Sokolov. They dispatch the covert FOX unit to Sokolov's research facility, located to the south of the great Soviet fortress of Groznyj Grad. Led by former SAS member Major Zero, FOX is a next-generation special-forces unit that operates both as a specialized combat group and as a covert intelligence outfit. The FOX unit's modus operandi is to send a single agent, backed by radio support from afar, into enemy territory to carry out solo sneaking missions.
August 24. A lone soldier swoops down from out of the blue. The man's code name is Naked Snake.

Gameplay
As said above, this is the best stealth game there is, so that means that the gameplay in Metal Gear Solid 3, Snake Eater is tense, slow, exciting and enjoyable, the perfect combination for the perfect game. It has confusing controls though. Gamers are used to the "x" button being select, and the "triangle" button being back, but in Metal Gear Solid the "circle" button is select and "x" is back. Confusing? Yes. Hard? Yes. Can you get used to it? Also yes, which is lucky, because if you don't get to grips with the controls soon while playing on it, you will become very annoyed and agitated with the game, I am lucky that I am able to adjust my playing style depending on what game it is swiftly. Apart from the controls, the gameplay is absolutely fantastic. You can run, crawl, press yourself against trees and walls, climb trees and there is an all-new combat system, which makes the WWE look like a catfight. This is stealth action as it should be: Challenging, tense and addictive. There is also the new snake v monkey mode. This is where Snake is still in the Jungle., only this time he is fighting against little monkeys from ape escape, snake has to shoot and collect the amount said to you in a limited amount of time. Incredibly fun!

Graphics
There is only one word to describe the graphics on Metal Gear Solid 3, Snake Eater: astounding! For the first time in the mgs (metal gear solid) series, you are in an open, green jungle, and Konami have created the perfect graphics that they have put in Pro Evolution Soccer 4. Grass sways in the wind, leaves fall off trees, and wild animals like rattle snakes, hornets and alligators roam through the swamps. There is no one moment in the game where the graphics are weak, they are always ultra-sharp and perfect. Not only are the environments perfectly created, Konami have also made the characters perfect. Snake moves like a real human would in real life, the enemies hunt in groups, their weapons prepared for fire, if they have a reason to worry, they will tread more cautiously, hide behind trees and radio for reinforcements to come. When you are shot or bitten, you can actually see the wound and see it getting worse until you heal it. All the weapons you have are created perfectly, they all look real and they all shoot like they do in real life, (see Weapons section below). The graphics are probably the best thing about the game, and if there is a reason to get this game, this is it.

Sound
A great game needs great sound and this has got it. If you are in a jungle you would expect to be hearing wild animals, wind, twigs snapping, trees blowing in the wind and small streams to be flowing, this game has got all the sounds listed and more. Not only is the sound perfect, to make it even more enhanced, the game uses Dolby Surround Sound system, which makes the game better and easier, because you can hear where the shots are coming from, and you can hear all the wildlife around you. Your ears will fall in love with the sound in this game!

Lifespan
If you own Metal Gear Solid 2, you will know how huge it is, now imagine that amount timed two, and Metal Gear Solid 3 snake eater is still bigger than that. You are looking at about 20-25 hours of playing time, plus there are the mini games, like the mini game where you have to shoot little monkeys from the ape escape games and collect them in an amount of time. This game will last you until Metal Gear Solid 4 comes out.

CQC
In the jungle where your view is obscured, enemies can jump right in front of you suddenly without your noticing them till the very moment. You might not be able to use your artillery because of rocks and trees that come in your way. CQC (Close Quarters Combat) is a fighting technique effective against enemies that are right near you. While holding both a handgun and combat knife, you grab the approaching enemy and throw them. Simple controls allow you to use the enemy as a shield or threaten them for valuable information.
By combining CQC with middle and long-range battle (with weapons obtained through the mission), you can create your own fighting style in those battles that are not always avoidable.
Here are some of the of the moves you can use:
> Grab
> Direct throw
> Drag
> Interrogate
> Shield
> Throw after capture
> Slit throat
> Choke/ Snap neck

Food
Mother natures surrounds you from all directions in the "jungle". The most important thing while placing yourself under the tough conditions of an infiltration mission is obtaining food to survive. If the "stamina gauge" -- symbol of all life activities -- goes low, your healing power goes down, you cannot aim your gun properly, and your overall mission becomes harder to accomplish.
The jungle setting abounds with mother nature's gifts -- snakes, birds, fish, fruit, etc. Find your prey in the grass, branches, and in water and use your gun, knife, and traps to capture them for food.
You must also keep in mind changes in the climate such as rain and temperature to maintain your stamina.
Since you are in the jungle, there are no health power-ups to collect, no health injections or anything like that, there is only raw food, which can go off in time and fruit. Snake will like some foods and despise other foods. Some examples of foods are:
> Alligator
> Tree Frog
> Hornets nest
> Calorie Mate
> Instant Noodles
> Reticulated Python
> Fruit
> European Rabbit

There are also many other types of food you can find in the jungle, they are all edible, but some Snake will not like and some will make him sick, best eating the food before it goes off!

Cures
In the jungle, there are many wild animals, so now and again you are bound to get hurt, plus you could also get burnt, shot or caught in a trap, introducing the new cure menu. This is where you can treat all the things that are wrong with you, for example, if you get shot, you will need to go into the cure menu, remove the bullet with a knife, disinfect it, sow the wound up and wrap it into a bandage. There are many other things you can cure yourself from too, like leech bites, burns, bites, cuts, food poisoning and the list just goes on!

Camouflage
There is now a new camouflage method to keep you out of sight from enemies. There is a wide array of different coloured costumes and different coloured face paints. Depending on where you are and what colour the surroundings are around you, each colour of camouflage makes you easier or harder to see. Wear camouflage gear that matches your environment and apply face paint to fool the enemy eye. Becoming one with your surroundings is the most effective way to hide yourself from the enemy. By using disguise that matches the jungle, swamp area, indoor environments, daytime and nighttime, you can improve your chance of surviving drastically. Simply hiding behind something in extreme circumstances in enemy territory might not be enough. Constantly being aware of your environment, or "knowing nature", is the shortcut to completing your mission successfully. Into what colors will the warriors change during their endeavors to survive the Cold War?

Radio Frequency
Snake carries a radio around with him, this enables him to contact and receive messeges off his comrades. His comrades can also give him vital information on how to complete his mission.

Enemies
The enemies are very realistic in this game. They are sensible and will not wander alone. If they are attacked they will seek cover, and try to gain enough time to radio in reinforcements. They wear strong bulletproof vests and carry strong weapons.

Weapons
There are many weapons in mgs 3, some can be used stealthily and some can just blow people to bits. Here are some of the weapons:

> Fists
> Knife
> Tranquilizer gun
> Grenade
> Shotgun
> Sniper rifle
> Pistol
> Ak47
> Assault Rifle
> M4
> Dynamite
> C3
> One man army revolver
> Mosin Nagant
> Patriot

There are also many weapons that can be used, and there are probably many more that I have not found yet, if I do, I will add them to this review.

Items
There are items that can be used both for mission reasons and also for fun reasons. Here are some of the items that are used for the missions.

> Radar
> Wildlife detector
> Thermal Goggles
> Motion Detector
> Motion detector
>Mine detector
> Camera
>Binoculours
>Fake death pill
>Fake death revival pill

There are also some other items that can be used for the missions, and here are some for fun reasons.

> Cigar, (makes you lose health)
> Crocodile head, (can be used for mission reasons too)

The Characters

Snake
You play as Snake. Member of special forces unit "FOX". Real name Jack.
Last apprentice of The Boss. Was taught by The Boss one-on-one all about combat, destruction, espionage, pyschology, etc. from in the 50s.

Zero
Commander of special forces unit "FOX". Support's Snake on his mission via radio.
Based on his experience in the SAS, he suggests the founding of the covert missions unit "FOX" -- a totally new unit with the combining of a special forces unit with espionage elements -- in the Cold War era.
Participating in the Virtuous Mission is his way of proving that his suggestion is an effective one.

Para-medic
FOX's support member. Provides surgical and medical information via radio.
A movie fanatic with a tremendously skewed taste.

Sigint
FOX's support member. An expert on weapons, equipment, and cutting edge technology. Supports Snake via radio.
Many of Snake's items such as the binoculars and mask are Sigint's inventions. He has an eye for the future of technology.

Eva
Female KGB spy who supports Snake. Former NSA codebreaker.
Uses a Mauser. A motorbike fanatic.

Sokolov
Full name Nikolai Stephanovich Sokolov.
Head of the secret OKB-754 Design Bureau. Developer and designer of the Shagohod.
Developed numerous weapons with the funding by the Khruschev faction.
A family man who is worried about his wife and daughter whom he left in the United States.
The seven bosses
There are seven bosses, which you have to defeat in order to complete the game, if you get the bosses stamina down to zero before you kill them, them you will get that bosses camouflage and possibly a weapon. The bosses are:

>The Pain- The first boss in the game. He can control swarms of hornets, he is horrificly disfigured, and quite hard to beat, but great fun! A big man over 2 meters (6'7''). He carries venomous bees called bullet bees in his body. He releases them from his mouth.

>The Fear- He is nearly invisible and is incredibly athletic, he leaps about from tree to tree. To make it harder the floor is riddled with traps, so be careful! A boobytrap master. He is double-jointed in both elbows. He can climb and jump around in trees. He carries a crossbow called the William Tell and a bowgun called Little Joe.

>The End- The best of the boss battles, in this battle, it is a battle of wits and endurance. He can hardly be seen, because when he lies down, you can't see him because of his moss camouflage, (see camouflage). It can honestly take up to 2 hours to beat this boss. The battle takes place in three huge areas, plus he has an absolutely awesome weapon, the Mosin Nagant sniper rifle, which fires poison darts! An old sniper (over 100 years old) born in the early 1860s. The father of all sniping techniques.
He has moss growning inside and outside his body. He can go without moving, eating, or drinking for days, thanks to the energy provided by the photosynthesis of the moss.

>The Fury- Has a flamethrower and jetpack, he can torch anything in his path, especially you, so move fast, don't stop, and watch out for him! Wears a Soviet spacesuit and uses a flamethrower as his weapon. After the war, he goes up into space as a cosmonaut in an unofficial mission. When coming back into the atmosphere, he suffered severe burns all over his body in an accident.

>The Sorrow- You fight him in his river of death. But this is more of a puzzle,weapons do nothing you are already dead, he cannot be killed, and you must die! The most confusing boss, that many people will never be able to beat! While lacking combat capabilities, he has the ability of a medium. He can talk to the dead and obtain battle information from the dead.
By bringing down spirits of the dead into him, he can assume their combat capabilities.

>Volgin- He's no ordinary Soviet Soldier, has the huge Nuclear tank the Shagohod with him last time round, extremely hard! Full name Yevgeny Borisovitch Volgin. A GRU colonel.
Uses electric bolts in his attacks. Known and feared as Thunderbolt by the West.

> Boss- She taught Snake everything he knows. Also know as The Joy.
Legendary heroine who brought victory to the Allies in WWII by leading the Cobra Unit -- a team consisting of the best soldiers of the world. Spent all of the 50s with Snake and taught him all that she could. With Snake, she created CQC. She was a colleague of Major Zero in the SAS. One of the most touching endings in a game, made me very upset to kill her. After you have got her health to 0, then a cut scene will start, showing her lying down dieing, but that is not all, she hands Snake her gun, and tells you to kill her, you'd expect the cut scene to do it for you, but it lets you kill her with a single head shot, very upsetting! Extremely hard!

Overall
This is by far the best Metal Gear Solid in the series. If you have played on the previous 2 games, you will know how good they are, and then think, this is better! If you haven't played on the previous 2, you need to buy this anyway, it is well worth it. This game will make you think like a real stealth guy, looking for places to hide, using the correct weapons, and also completing this game, it will take all your stealth skills to do it!

Thanks for reading.