A shining example of how prequels – and gaming in general – should be done.
I don’t throw this word around carelessly, but Metal Gear Solid 3 is a masterwork. It’s not just that Hideo Kojima, who directed the game, fixed some of the flaws in the Metal Gear formula. And it’s not just that Metal Gear Solid 3 (MGS3) finally gives fans an origin story worthy of the franchise. It’s that MGS3 has diverse, deeply layered, perfect gameplay. It’s getting harder and harder to reconcile Kojima’s reluctance to identify his own games as art with the cold, hard fact that his games, especially MGS3, are some of the most captivating, seamlessly constructed, and emotionally powerful video games I’ve ever played.
MGS3 is a prequel to Metal Gear Solid. In fact it takes place before the first Metal Gear. Set at the height of the Cold War, MGS3 follows CIA operative “Naked Snake” as he attempts to infiltrate the Russian jungle and rescue a captive Soviet scientist. Things go dreadfully wrong, and the operation suffers a major setback. But soon enough, Snake is redeployed in the field, this time with a much bigger, more challenging mission that will test his endurance, resolve, and sense of duty like never before.
If that last paragraph was overly vague, it’s because MGS3, like the Cold War spy movies that inspired it, is filled with enough plot twists, shifting political alliances, and double agents to make your head spin. Kojima, however, tells his story deftly. Unlike the story in Metal Gear Solid 2 – which was convoluted at best, impenetrable at worst – the story in MGS3 makes sense, at least according to the rules of Metal Gear. Moreover, it is told poetically through some of the best cut-scenes you’ll ever find in a video game with some of the very best voice acting. By the end of the game I had tears in my eyes.
Critics and fans alike have complained about the length and abundance of cut-scenes in the Metal Gear franchise, but apart from the first three hours – which are weighed down with long cut-scenes – MGS3 strikes a careful balance between playing and watching the game. Many of the cut-scenes are actually interactive, so it never quite feels like the player is totally out of control. Thankfully, though, the majority of the game is spent controlling Snake as he navigates jungles, swamps, mountains, and buildings. It is necessarily to be stealthy to make progress in MGS3, and to that end the designers introduced a new camouflage system whereby players can change Snake’s face paint and fatigues to match jungle, urban, and mountainous environments, to name a few. A camouflage meter in the top right corner of the screen informs players to what degree they are hidden from the enemy.
Combat is sometimes unavoidable, however. Thankfully there is a new combat system in MGS3 called close-quarters combat (CQC) which is a huge improvement over previous Metal Gear games. Snake can perform combo attacks; grab enemies from behind and interrogate them; and even use captured enemies as human shields. Combat is even more necessary during encounters with enemy bosses in MGS3 which, I have to say, has the best collection of boss battles of any video game ever. Gunplay has never been the smoothest operation in Metal Gear Solid, but in MGS3 it works. Snake can aim his weapons in first-person mode and, more importantly, aim down the sight. This is absolutely essential to take down bosses.
The third part of the MGS3 trinity, in combination with stealth and combat, is survival. Snake is deployed miles away from his target in a harsh and unforgiving jungle filled with hostile sentries, poisonous snakes, and lethal traps. Whereas previous games in the franchise had only a life bar to monitor Snake’s health, in MGS3 Snake has both a life bar and an endurance bar, which depletes as Snake performs strenuous actions or if he is burdened with heavy supplies. Low endurance levels are bad news: Snake’s hands shake when he is aiming weapons, nearby enemies can hear his stomach gurgling; and wounds heal slowly or not at all. To restore endurance levels Snake must eat food, either captured from storehouses or unconscious soldiers, or gathered from the local flora and fauna. Some food items restore lots of stamina, some restore very little, and some will actually poison Snake. There is also a “cure” tab in the start menu where players can identify and treat Snake’s wounds. For example: applying a splint to a broken bone. It makes for a much more immersive game experience.
MGS3 is surprisingly long. It took me about 16 hours to complete, but I easily could have spent several more hours exploring everything there is to see and do in the game. There are many secret areas, weapons, camouflage, food items, and Easter eggs hidden throughout the jungle and in storehouses, many of them off the beaten path.
MGS3 is not for everyone. It takes a great deal of patience to move quietly through the jungle past enemy patrols. It is also slower and more deliberate than the majority of action games. But for those who want a gaming experience that represents a near-perfect combination of narrative, gameplay, and new ideas about what a video game can and should be, look no further.
Score: 10
Editor's note: The version of Metal Gear Solid 3 I played came bundled in the Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection. That version is based on Subsistence which is an expanded release of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Konami recently released a collection called Metal Gear Solid HD Collection that has a remastered port of Snake Eater as well. Just play whichever version you can get your hands on.
MGS3 is a prequel to Metal Gear Solid. In fact it takes place before the first Metal Gear. Set at the height of the Cold War, MGS3 follows CIA operative “Naked Snake” as he attempts to infiltrate the Russian jungle and rescue a captive Soviet scientist. Things go dreadfully wrong, and the operation suffers a major setback. But soon enough, Snake is redeployed in the field, this time with a much bigger, more challenging mission that will test his endurance, resolve, and sense of duty like never before.
If that last paragraph was overly vague, it’s because MGS3, like the Cold War spy movies that inspired it, is filled with enough plot twists, shifting political alliances, and double agents to make your head spin. Kojima, however, tells his story deftly. Unlike the story in Metal Gear Solid 2 – which was convoluted at best, impenetrable at worst – the story in MGS3 makes sense, at least according to the rules of Metal Gear. Moreover, it is told poetically through some of the best cut-scenes you’ll ever find in a video game with some of the very best voice acting. By the end of the game I had tears in my eyes.
 |
| Cut-scenes are a major part of Metal Gear Solid 3. |
Critics and fans alike have complained about the length and abundance of cut-scenes in the Metal Gear franchise, but apart from the first three hours – which are weighed down with long cut-scenes – MGS3 strikes a careful balance between playing and watching the game. Many of the cut-scenes are actually interactive, so it never quite feels like the player is totally out of control. Thankfully, though, the majority of the game is spent controlling Snake as he navigates jungles, swamps, mountains, and buildings. It is necessarily to be stealthy to make progress in MGS3, and to that end the designers introduced a new camouflage system whereby players can change Snake’s face paint and fatigues to match jungle, urban, and mountainous environments, to name a few. A camouflage meter in the top right corner of the screen informs players to what degree they are hidden from the enemy.
 |
| Keep an eye on that camouflage meter! |
Combat is sometimes unavoidable, however. Thankfully there is a new combat system in MGS3 called close-quarters combat (CQC) which is a huge improvement over previous Metal Gear games. Snake can perform combo attacks; grab enemies from behind and interrogate them; and even use captured enemies as human shields. Combat is even more necessary during encounters with enemy bosses in MGS3 which, I have to say, has the best collection of boss battles of any video game ever. Gunplay has never been the smoothest operation in Metal Gear Solid, but in MGS3 it works. Snake can aim his weapons in first-person mode and, more importantly, aim down the sight. This is absolutely essential to take down bosses.
 |
| Try to avoid this whenever possible. |
The third part of the MGS3 trinity, in combination with stealth and combat, is survival. Snake is deployed miles away from his target in a harsh and unforgiving jungle filled with hostile sentries, poisonous snakes, and lethal traps. Whereas previous games in the franchise had only a life bar to monitor Snake’s health, in MGS3 Snake has both a life bar and an endurance bar, which depletes as Snake performs strenuous actions or if he is burdened with heavy supplies. Low endurance levels are bad news: Snake’s hands shake when he is aiming weapons, nearby enemies can hear his stomach gurgling; and wounds heal slowly or not at all. To restore endurance levels Snake must eat food, either captured from storehouses or unconscious soldiers, or gathered from the local flora and fauna. Some food items restore lots of stamina, some restore very little, and some will actually poison Snake. There is also a “cure” tab in the start menu where players can identify and treat Snake’s wounds. For example: applying a splint to a broken bone. It makes for a much more immersive game experience.
 |
| It's not half bad. |
MGS3 is surprisingly long. It took me about 16 hours to complete, but I easily could have spent several more hours exploring everything there is to see and do in the game. There are many secret areas, weapons, camouflage, food items, and Easter eggs hidden throughout the jungle and in storehouses, many of them off the beaten path.
MGS3 is not for everyone. It takes a great deal of patience to move quietly through the jungle past enemy patrols. It is also slower and more deliberate than the majority of action games. But for those who want a gaming experience that represents a near-perfect combination of narrative, gameplay, and new ideas about what a video game can and should be, look no further.
Score: 10Editor's note: The version of Metal Gear Solid 3 I played came bundled in the Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection. That version is based on Subsistence which is an expanded release of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Konami recently released a collection called Metal Gear Solid HD Collection that has a remastered port of Snake Eater as well. Just play whichever version you can get your hands on.
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