Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (Staff Review Included)

[Romier S]

Some new info has finally surfaced on Metal Gear Solid 3. Here is an interview at 1up.com with Kojima on the camo aspects of the gameplay and more:

 

http://www.1up.com/article2/0,2053,1549692,00.asp

 

Q: You mentioned that Snake loses stamina when in stalking mode, I wondered if you could talk more about the stamina system.

 

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A: That's something we'd like to reveal at E3. Basically, when you walk around in the mountains and you have to climb, you lose stamina, and you have to regain stamina by feeding yourself. One thing you can do in the game is take off the shirt -- wear no camo pattern -- and if you walk around like that you're more likely to lose body temperature and lose stamina.

 

Q: Is there a consideration for when you're seen, the camouflage index versus the distance from the enemy?

 

A: Although it is 100%, the enemies do have vision, so if they're really close to you, they'll notice something is wrong, it doesn't look like a tree or something, so then they'll come closer and then they'll spot you.

 

Q: Are there different types of enemies, human or otherwise? Will there be a difference in how they perceive camouflage indexes?

 

A: The number only applies to human enemies. There are no camo indexes shown on the screen for animals, but if you want to capture a bird, it's better to be at a higher camo index, blending into the background, so that the bird doesn't see you.

 

 

 

New preview at Gamespy here:

 

http://www.gamespy.com/previews/march04/mgs3ps2/

 

Few games can get announced and immediately cause a stir by simply existing, whether or not details are available. Metal Gear Solid and its sequel, Sons of Liberty, cemented the series' place in the upper echelons of gaming; say what you will about the second game's story -- its gameplay was killer, and gamers flocked to buy it. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, the third game in the MGS series, has finally been revealed to a details-hungry press and we present all of our information below: this is where learn about the new gameplay Hideo Kojima and the Konami Computer Entertainment Japan team are gunning for.

 

As always for the series, the main gameplay concept behind MGS 3 is "stealth." But the twin concept of "survival" is also being spliced in, like the manipulated DNA of a Genome soldier, and it's going to fundamentally change the MGS experience. Instead of a military compound, Snake -- yeah, Kojima's calling him "Snake" despite the fact the game takes place in the '60s -- is dropped into the wilderness, and you're going to have to avoid soldiers and wildlife alike, hunting your own food and hiding in foliage.

 

IGN preview:

 

http://ps2.ign.com/articles/499/499241p1.html

 

The Round Table event gave us a few new insights into game techniques being implemented into this third and most eccentricly named game in the series. If you remember Kojima's presentation from E3 2003 you'll remember that the number three ("3") was a major theme. In his presentation, "three" remained the magic number with three major themes: 1) A new era, the 1960s; 2) A new setting, the jungle (plus others); and 3) New gameplay, via camouflage and survival techniques.

 

Thus far Im really interested. Metal Gear Solid 2 left me with a bad taste even though I foudn the gameplay additions to be fantastic (Mainly Raiden/Rose and the story were the big problems) but Snake Eater looks to be pushing things in a much different direction and man does it sound good so far!

[Mark E]

Eck, I dunno, I'm not a big fan of survival aspects. I admit I'm less leery knowing Kojima is involved, but games in which players have to feed themselves and such tend to either have it tacked on or turn into obnoxious micromanagement titles.

 

"Okie doke, I have to storm this hidden military facility, but I'd better go check my snares and cook up a few birds first." :wtf:

 

Hmm, yeah, I'll be cynical until the final product is out, but can you blame me?

 

I just find that the closer games get to "reality", the more we realize precisely why we don't necessarily want games to reflect all aspects of real life.

[Romier S]

New thread on the Playstation boards reveal the main players in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Some spoiler material here so make sure you are ok with knowing the characters of the game before clicking.

 

Metal Gear Solid 3 characters

[Romier S]

Am I to believe that no one on the forum has any interest in Metal Gear Solid 3?

[Romier S]

Holy poop on a candle stick! The new TGS trailer for Metal Gear Solid 3 is absolutely freaking KILLER! Check it out here:

 

http://www.konamijpn.com/products/mgs3/english/index.html

[Eldorado]

For those OPM subscribers expect a nice little present on the demo disc. And that new video is pretty damn awesome.

 

Sean

[HoolieMan]

That is one of the craziest game trailers I have ever seen. It has definitely increased my interest in this game.

[Starhawk]

Man, why do I watch this stuff when I dont even own a PS2?

[Camp]

Like the other MGS games: Great looking and highly cinematic (and no doubt it will play great too) but Hideo Kojima should not be allowed to go near a word processor. The scripts for his games are insultingly rediculous. Too bad as he is good at story set-up...it's just that third act that isn't worth playing through.

[EnemaEms]

Downloading the trailer now. My interest in this game is higher than I thought, especially after the non-sense that was "Sons of Liberty."

 

After reading a big article on it in EGM a few months back, my interest got higher. I like the whole different camo aspect of thh game.

 

-Dean-

[Romier S]

Got the demo!

 

I only played for about 30 minutes so I dont want to comment too much on it just yet (consdering I haven't actually PLAYED much of the game yet). One thing I did want to mention is that reports of the codec being gone are true. Instead Snake now has a radio and what do you know, it takes you right to a screen that looks almost identical to the codec screen of the past! :bang: (except this time you only see a screen on the left for the person you are talking too. Snake full character model is on the right kneeling down. The frequency and noise meter are still in the middle of the screen.

 

I'm hope to god I'm not in for more incessant talking about King Kong and what day Snakes uncles birthday is supposed to be while I'm trying to stop an international incident from happening. :roll: The opening intro was very well done (and as Camp mentioned very cinematic). Once you get control of Snake you enter the "radio" screen and are told about your mission. You are also introduced to "The Boss" and she goes on a diatrabe about what it means to be a soldier. The mindset a soldier and how Snake doesn't have what it takes yet. It's all *VERY* long winded and to be honest something I would have liked to have seen toned down for Snake Eater. Still I enjoyed Metal Gear Solid (and it's remake, Twin Snakes) so I will give its due chance. At the very least, the conversation was RELEVANT to the proceedings unlike a majority of MGS2s' nonsense.

 

I'll post more once I get to the meat of the game. I will say MGS3 is freaking beautiful!

[Big Daddy Bling Bling]

Liked the intro, but I was a bit underwhelmed by the game. The new gameplay elements have some interesting potential and I can't wait to see how the final game is. However, I found the graphics a bit lacking. While MGS2 set a new mark for PS2 games, I don't think MGS3 even looks as good as its predecessor, and also doesn't run quite as smooth.

[Josh]

Agreed with the above. I was underwhelmed by the demo, and the huuuuuuge conversation really annoyed me.

[JFo]

For you Metal Gear Solid fans, it looks as if Konami has already started work on the next one:

 

Konami revealed promising results for the first half of its 2005 Fiscal Year today in addition to confirming the existence of several of its upcoming videogames. The most notable revelation, of course, was that preliminary work on Metal Gear Solid 4 has already begun -- though the system, release year, and creative team behind it was not revealed.

 

Just thought I'd share.

[Romier S]

I put my preorder in for Snake Eater this past week. Paid the whole game off and I'm looking forward to playing through the game. All comments point to the story being far better than MGS2 (and actually making sense). MGS4 being worked on is not too suprising really. Konami announced about a year or so ago they wanted to do one a year or so with a Metal Gear Online possibly in the works as well.

[Buck]

IGN has their review up. Read it here.

[Dan B.]

Here's the G-Spot review of the game:

http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/metalge...id3/review.html

[Big Daddy Bling Bling]

This game totally owns, it looks like it will be the best Metal Gear yet.

 

Picture this: it's night outside and you're armed with only a knife. You're well concealed in a patch of grass as you contemplate the situation. You see another patch of grass on the other side of a pathway and it becomes your next target in your attempts to elude a guard. You notice something rustling in the grass but the guard's back is turned so you decide to advance. Once in your new home, you discover that this grass houses a snake, which you know is more than willing to bite and poison you. You do the best you can to stay away from the snake without alerting the guard, but it actually has the gall to slither right in front of your face. Deciding to take your chances with the guard instead, you jump out of the bushes, then effortlessly grab him and slit his throat. You then go back into the bushes, knife the snake, and eat it.

 

This is Metal Gear the way it was meant to be played. No more dodging sight cones on a radar screen, instead you must actively monitor your environment to stay stealthy. Your adversaries are damn smart. At one point, I was trapped in a room with enemies advancing on it, and I had to take out a set number of them. Close quarters combat didn't work as I was overwhelmed by sheer numbers. On my next attempt, I tried taking a hostage, which made me feel pretty clever. However, when I tried shooting the enemies from behind the hostage, they were smart enough to rush me. Third attempt, I tried to fire at the door from behind some cover. However, the enemy soldier tossed in a freaking flash bang and then got me with a grenade. There's definately some solid and unpredictable AI here.

 

I was a bit skeptical of this game at first, but the new setting and gameplay elements are fabulous. I still prefer the cleaner look of MGS2 though, as the extra detail in this game is obscured by a lack of progressive scan. The PS2 is definately being cranked here, but much of the beauty is lost to resolution woes. The cutscenes are awesome as expected though. Which reminds me: the reviews that say this game isn't cutscene loaded like the other MGS games are flat out lying. Out of 3.5 hours of playtime, I'd estimate that only 1 to 1.5 hours were actual gameplay. The rest was codec and cutscenes, and there would have been even less gameplay had I picked an easier difficulty. The story seems excellent so far which makes the cutscenes pretty easy to swallow.

 

There's also a special treat for fans of Ape Escape here, although the intro with the Colonel assigning the mission is better than the actual minigame. I give this game the highest recommendation possible if you're a fan of the series.

[Angry the Clown]

Well although we in Europe got ignored with no MGS3 release this side of the New Year, Konami is rewarding us in March with an enhanced version of the game. So far a 'Duel Mode' (where you can fight each boss independently) and a 'Demo Theatre' (where you can watch every cut scene) have been announced, but Konami is promising a good few more PAL exclusives and enhancements.

 

I'm still sad I've nothing new to run on my PS2 this winter.

 

Dan

[FLYING SE7EN]

So far a 'Duel Mode' (where you can fight each boss independently) and a 'Demo Theatre' (where you can watch every cut scene) have been announced, but Konami is promising a good few more PAL exclusives and enhancements.

 

That may bode well for an eventual XBOX release of the game. Kinda like Substance. Here's hoping it works out that way. These types of enhancements do make the wait a bit easier though.

 

J.

[Angry the Clown]

These types of enhancements do make the wait a bit easier though.

 

It does, yes. We faced similar treatment with Metal Gear Solid 2 which, when it finally hit these shores, sported some enhanced features and a bonus DVD with making off and all sorts of nice behind the scenes stuff. I am hoping given Japan got such a DVD with MGS3, the European release will have it too alongside the game enhancements.

 

Dan

[EnemaEms]

t does, yes. We faced similar treatment with Metal Gear Solid 2 which, when it finally hit these shores, sported some enhanced features and a bonus DVD with making off and all sorts of nice behind the scenes stuff.

Too bad no extra features could help that turd that was called MGS2.

 

I have MGS3, but I only played it for a short bit. What I played I liked. As long as there isn't a character change and the story stays on track somewhat, it will be 100 times the game that Sons of Liberty was. :tu:

 

-Dean-

[Angry the Clown]

Too bad no extra features could help that turd that was called MGS2

 

Well quite, although I didn't despise Sons of Liberty it was indeed a bit of a let down. Anyone should know when I am able to complete a game quickly (or indeed, complete a game at all) something is drastically wrong.

 

Dan

[Big Daddy Bling Bling]

I have MGS3, but I only played it for a short bit. What I played I liked. As long as there isn't a character change and the story stays on track somewhat, it will be 100 times the game that Sons of Liberty was.

 

You'll be pleased to know that the story is just about perfect. It ties up quite a few loose ends for the series and gets it back on track. The story is much better than even the first MGS.

[JFo]

Quick question -- if I haven't played Metal Gear Solid 2, will I still be able to follow the storyline of this one? Or at least, will I be able to follow it as well as it is possible to follow the storyline to a Metal Gear Solid game?

 

I've played through The Twin Snakes on the GameCube, so I'm up to date with what happens there. I'm somewhat interested in playing this sometime soon and I figured I might as well ask.