Reviews// Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

For some, the stealth genre represents the anti-fun component of the wider games catalogue. It's a premise based on a negative concept, and it's what you can't do that makes the game interesting to play. The value of such a challenge is almost entirely dependent on cunning level-design and clever AI, yet the very nature of these games discourages excessive exploration and the best players will simply not encounter most of the AI. And with the Metal Gear Solid series representing perhaps the purest take on the idea of the stealth game, these inherent anomalies are all too obvious. Hideo Kojimo and co. have created an absolutely stunning backdrop, packed with alert guards who want to come out and play. And the idea of the game is... to get to the end with as little interaction with these things as possible. You're allowed to play the game, but only if it doesn't know it's being played. On the surface, it seems like a duff deal.

We'll fully admit that we were ready to slate MGS3 for being just the same all over again with some camouflage. MGS2 seemed to have been a little over-hyped for what some found to be quite a dull game, and this snake eating malarkey seemed like a silly gimmick worthy only of poking with cheap innuendo. But now we are eating those words. Not only because they are nutritious and health-giving, but also because they were ill-founded. You see, Metal Gear Solid 3 is absolutely ace. It's not just Sons of Liberty all over again in the jungle, it's actually a real sequel. In a year that has seen more sequels that haven't really been sequels than there have been references to sequels in this sequel-packed sentence. It's a delight to see such a significant step forward. What makes it even better is the fact that that this third iteration deserves to expand the fanbase. It's not just significantly different, but it's also significantly better.

The overall presentation of MGS3 is top tier. From the opening cut-scene, which pretty much defines the production values that you'll see throughout. That is a glorious thing: because it can carry a plotline that's rife with cheesy lameness without making you cringe. Apparently, the really hardcore fans of MGS got really uppity about Snake's replacement with Raiden as the lead character in MGS2, because he wasn't manly enough or shaved too closely or something. Whatever. Snake's back and he's as cliched and macho as he's supposed to be. The fans will be pleased. And although cynics might initially think that a silly Clint Eastwood-alike is a plainly unimaginative lead character, just wait until they hear him speak. If it doesn't make you feel inspired, heroic and masculine, then it'll make you fall over laughing. It's hilarious. It's not just that there are some tongue-in-cheek remarks, but also the absurdly gruff and over-acted manner in which they're delivered. And that means that the basic character and story set-up has a wonderfully broad appeal. If you're into commandos and stuff, you can take it as it is and be very impressed. If you think it‘s all a bit far fetched, however, MGS3 gains a surprising camp comic value just in the way it takes everything so seriously.