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78 of 83 found the following review helpful:
Gaming or Cinematic Excellence?Dec 25, 2004
By Charles Chen
"Keyboard Jockey"
By far, this movi--err, I mean game, has some of the best cut scenes I've ever seen in a game. Kojima, the creator/director of the Metal Gear Series goes beyond delivering a traditional action shoot-em-up and offers up a truly interactive cinematic experience, with some truly original gameplay to boot.
In a sense, this game is really an "interactive movie" where parts of it, you control the character (although your actions largely have little outcome in the plot). On your first play-through, you will be immersed in the plot line and the execellent cinematic sequences. You'll find that you're often playing just to get from one cut scene to the next (there has to be well over 1.5 hours of cut scenes). 4 of my friends basically sat around and watched me beat the game in one sitting (~9 hours) just to watch the cinematic sequences.
In these cut scenes, Kojima pieces together a somewhat hokey plot-line, which is interesting, but not entirely believable (I'll let it slide ;)). What's more impressive, though, is the detail to which the cut scenes are executed; all of the sequences use high detail, in game models (not pre rendered), pretty good voice acting, and fully motion captured action. Kojima adds cinematic flare to the scenes by making creative use of camera angles and techniques like slo-mo (don't worry, none of it is cheesy) and using a pitch black screen (only audio) during a sequence when Snake has a sack over his head. In addition, Kojima introduces a few very interesting characters, most notably, The End, an expert marksman in the twilight of his life and a young hotshot, Ocelot. All in all, the cut scenes are top notch; they come together to form a truly cinematic experience, something you don't always expect from a game.
While you can beat the game playing it as a pure shoot-em-up style type of game (you'll probably want to do that on the first play through, just to watch all of the cut scenes), you'll get the most satisfaction and challenge from trying to use your stealth capabilities and sneaking through the various stages of the game undetected by the enemy. To that effect, MGS3 introduces the very novel idea of camouflage. Snake can don various camo uniforms and face paints to blend in with his environments and decrease his visibility. It adds a novel twist and, as other reviewers have mentioned, would have been even more welcome if the interface to change the camo was more accessible (you have to enter the game menu to change camo).
MGS3 also introduces the idea of food, which can be used in various ways in the game (even as a weapon in some cases). Snake can obtain traps and capture live animals for consumption later on, or he can kill an animal and store it in his backpack. But beware, just like in real life, the food will spoil. Just turn the game off, come back two or three days later and you'll find that most of your food has spoiled. Don't worry though, there are plenty of little critters to hunt down in the game ;)
Although the game is relatively short, there is tremendous replay value for those that are up to the challenge of trying to play through the game under certain conditions to unlock secret items/weapons. For example, each of the bosses can be defeated by either depleting their health or stamina. Defeating a boss by the latter results in obtaining their camo, which often have special abilities.
All in all, I think this is a great game that anyone that owns a PS2 owes it to themselves to play through at least once. It is truly a masterpiece that kind of bridges the gap between a movie and a game (one of the final "chase" sequences is *very* awesome).
Graphics: 9/10; Some of the best visuals I've seen to date, particularly the excellent cut scenes, which use high detail in game models and fully motion captured action. There is just an incredible level of detail to everything in the game. For example, when you run through the jungle, the blades of grass move as well, you leave footsteps when you step through the mud, and when you get shot or injured, your uniform gets stained with blood accordingly
Mechanics: 8/10; I only have three minor gripes about the mechanics of the game. First of all, there isn't a second person view and you can't move in first person view. It's incredibly difficult to aim in third person view, but in first person view, you can't move, so you're basically a sitting target every time you need to aim precisely. Second of all, since camo plays a big part in the game, there should really have been a better interface to change camo. And finally, you cannot load the game during a game, you have to reset the game. This is somewhat frustrating and time consuming when you are trying to obtain certain items under certain conditions in the highest difficulty level ;)
Music/Sound: 9/10; The voice acting in the game seems hokey at first, but after a while, you won't be able to imagine the characters with any other voice. Overall, the voiceovers are done fairly well. For the most part, the gameplay sequences are devoid of music. When it does come on, usually when you get caution/alert status, it can be a bit annoying since it makes it somewhat difficult to hear the ambient sounds like footsteps and what not. The ambient sounds, from jungle to mountain top to caves, are all very well done. When it rains, it really sounds like rain. When the wind howls, it really sounds like the wind is howling. Put on a good pair of headphones, and you'll really feel like you're in the jungle with Snake. There are also a few 007-esque tracks, which may or may not be your thing.
Difficulty: 7/10; The game is not actually very difficult, it just requires a lot of patience, some creative thinking occasionally, and a steady hand. This game is certainly not for younger gamers; it's not really a run-and-gun type of game. In addition, there is quite a bit of suggestive material and violence.
Replay Value: 8/10; With many different levels of difficulty, different optional items to get, different styles of play, different rankings, secret items, and a relatively short length, the game offers a high level of replayability. Even some of the cut scenes are worth watching a few extra times. I'm currently on my second play through, trying to get the invisible camo on the hardest difficulty mode.
Overall: 9/10; This is a great, great game. It's nearly perfect (nearly!). You'd be doing yourself a great disservice if you didn't pick it up and play it.
30 of 32 found the following review helpful:
The best yetFeb 04, 2005
By Terry Mesnard 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, thinking I had already started the game proper. But that was just the tip of the iceberg.
I think Kojima did an excellent job of creating a 60s style Metal Gear game. He mirrored the game off of James Bond, taking the beginning area, then a cool segue into the main action, including a song that has meaning to the game. The opening theme also carries into the mission and is played at several key points. Very effective.
Also in keeping with a James Bond type influence, there's the female love interest, who has a habit of exposing her bra. I found myself chuckling and thinking fondly of James Bond movies at many points in the game. I think what Kojima has done so well is construct a game that truly has a cinematic flair. Yes there are cut scenes that are long but, in comparison to MGS2, they are short and have a TON of gameplay in between. I never once found myself sitting through a boring codec call or boring cutscene wanting the action. There was enough spliced through.
In fact, toward the end, the game raises the bar on cinematic excellence, incorporating you directly into the action while at the same time making you feel like you're watching a truly awesome scene. I don't want to spoil it for those who play, but the last 1/3 of the game races to a truly exciting climax.
I am completely amazed at how well all of the new gameplay works into the game, from the camo to the food to the healing system. All of it naturally fits and the game does a good job in teaching you the basics with it. I never once felt like it was a gimick.
As far as negatives, sometimes the color scheme was so drab it was hard to see some people who weren't trying to hide. In particular toward the end, almost at the climax. Also, unlike previous MGSs who have bosses nicely spread out, I felt that they all came at once. I didn't feel like I got a chance to really know them like in the first MGS. But, these bosses (the Fear, Fury, Sorrow, Pain, End) are some of the weirdest and cool bosses in MGS games to date.
Some people have commented on the lack of radar. I never found this lack to be a hinderance to the game. In fact it makes perfect sense in the context of the game world. And, the truth is, there is a radar that you can use. You have a motion detector, and a sonic detector that shoots sonic waves and shows you where things are. I say things because you are in a jungle and it's possible that what shows up is an animal not a human. Also, getting caught does result in either killing everybody and hiding, or just hiding forever. In fact, at one point in the game, I hid in a place I couldn't be found and went to the restroom and got something to drink just to wait it out.
However, this minor things aside, this game does what Metal Gear Solid 2 semi-failed in doing. It brings together the cinematic experience with wonderful espionage. The characters are excellent, the story far surpasses the previous two (which is a difficult thing to do since I consider the story in MGS1 to be one of the best I've experienced). And it is just plain exciting. Kojima and his wonderful team know pacing and the pacing of this third masterpiece is wonderful.
I can't recommend this game enough. For those jaded on MGS2 (I happened to like it), this will help bring you back into the weird world of Snake.
14 of 14 found the following review helpful:
Hands down the best Playstation2 game ever..Dec 25, 2004
By Robert Evans
"Robert"
Metal Gear Solid 3 is amazing. Everything about this game is gold. Visuals, Music, voice acting, and superb gameplay. Hideo Kujima is a Genious. I had my doublts on this after the ever so great yet dissapointing Metal Gear Solid 2 but I was wrong. Metal Gear Solid 3 proves to be one of the best games around and is one of the biggest titles of the year. Forget Grand Theft Auto and play this game! Metal Gear Solid 3 is not only one of the best games ever created but it's quiet simply the best MGS game. It has everthing you'll love from the first one and times ten mixed with steriods!
Another thing that makes the new gameplay of Metal Gear Solid 3 is the CQC and the new survival Menue which lets you eat, cure self and so on which is a great element to the MGS series. What also makes Metal Gear the best in the series is that the game is suprisingly long taking about 20 to 22 hours(It took me 18 hours)and trust me evertime you're in a new area you'll just stop and stare at the lushis graphics of the beautiful Jungle and its invorments. Metal Gear Solid 3 is also superb cause of the amazing boss battles. One of the biggest parts of the game is the Sorrow who is the coolest boss in the game(and the most mysterious). Overall Metal Gear Solid 3 proves to up the anti. So let's get to it.
Graphics:
The visuals are amazingly detailed especially in First Person mode. The tree's are very detailed some of the visuals on the water a greatly well done and even though you'll find som slow glitches it won't stop you from enjoying this superb game. The characters are very well modeld especially EVA(huba huba) and this truly deserves a star.
Sound:
The Sound is great! The voice acting is once again amazingly done by David Hayter and the rest of the MGS casts. The sound of the Jungle is great. The sound is pretty much like all the other MGS games....DETAILED! The Detailed sound of this Game once again deserves a star rating..
Gameplay:
Well...Were do I start off. Well first off it's awesome! The new CQC(Close Quarters Combat)is a great new gameplay added in the Metal Gear series. Though it's great it is a bit complicated because there are numerouse CQC's to do. You can slice there throat, interigate them, or choke them to death but there is abunch that I can't name. The new Survival Menue is greatly well done.. If you have a cut or you aight something rotten you can always go to the Survival menue and choose one of a few things you can do to solve the problem, for instance this one is for CURE which you use to cure cuts, broken bones ect. The backpack is great cause it holds alot of Items you can't carry while in the game. The codec is also new though I must say I miss the old Codec in MGS and MGS2 but oh well. There are some new weapons added to the MGS series like THE SHOTGUN! You can also change your Uniform to blend in with the ivorments and it's much easier and you'll have a better chance losing the guards. Overall the Biggest aspect of Metal Gear Solid 3 is the gameplay and deffinetly earns a star rating.
The Music is so amazing in this game that the "James Bond" like theme is better then the James Bond theme itself! I loved the music in this game. Some people are complaining that the game is too unrealistic cause the animals you kill turn into rations..well I'm not trying to sound harsh but the game isn' trying to be extreamly realistic. Is San Andreas very realistic?...I thougth so...
Overall Metal Gear Solid 3 proves to be a game that can handle and do everything. The graphics are superb and pushes the Ps2 to the limit, the sound is greatly detailed, the lush invorments of the Jungle make you wanna' drool, the cutting edge Boss Battle is enough to get the action ready, Lengh is suprisingly long and the New Gameplay elements like CQC and the Survival menue shows that Metal Gear Solid is strong enough to be the Best PS2 game ever...and possibly is!..
This amazing game obviously gets a
5 out of 5 stars!
Best Ps2 game ever....
Lates
12 of 13 found the following review helpful:
metal gear amazing!Nov 19, 2004
By Josh Perkins
"antisugarcoated"
i just finished beating this game, and i have to tell you the ending brought a tear to my eye. i couldn't help myself, the story is just so damn good. it took me about 18 and a half hours to complete, without any strategy guides or tips, on normal mode. and i can't wait to go back through. i don't see what people are talking about being annoyed by the fact that you have to switch into your pause menu to change camo. you don't need to change it with every step you take. some people are just too damn picky. but seriously, this game is amazing. from the breathtaking graphics, to one of the best stories ever to grace the screen, to some of the coolest and deep character ever thought of. sure, some of the COBRA members (the evil team in the game, like the first game's FOXHOUND) may seem a bit comic book like. but the way Hideo Kojima tells the story and how they fall into it, all you can do is admire how neat they are.
they are: The Pain, a man that leads an army of hornets to do his bidding. The Fear, a Predator like man with a long lizard tongue, stealth cloaking, and incredible agility. The End, a hundred year old man known as the "Father of Modern Sniping", most of the time he is asleep or in a wheelchair, but when you fight him, his battle is so well executed and paced, that it can take up to an hour to complete. The Fury, an ex-NASA astronaut who's gone a little insane; he rides around his lair on a cool-looking jetpack and wields a flamethrower that sets almost everything ablaze. The Boss, a woman of great legend and combat skills, she has a past with Solid Snake and i can't say much about her without ruining anything story wise. Then there's The Sorrow, and i can't say anything about him except he is one of the coolest characters ever created for a video game, and his battle is...different, and really makes you think. and whenever he is around he causes a nasty rainstorm. then there are all other kinds of cool characters and game situations that i won't go into, for fear of spoiling anything else.
the jungle setting adds much more in terms of gameplay. you can use different camos to blend in with the backgrounds. if you sneak up on enemies, you can press circle to grab them and put your knife to there throat and either: 1. knock them to the ground/knock them out. 2. Interrogate them, maybe they'll tell you some interesting secrets... 3. slit their throat. 4. use them as a shield against other enemies. this tactic is usually helpful in alert mode, because ememy soldiers won't shoot at you if their fellow comrade is in front of you. and enemy troops are a lot more aware this time around. so no more running up behind people and snapping there necks without having to worry. now, you have to creep up behind them, and even then they will still hear the grass under your feel moving around, or the dirt crumbling, or the soft footsteps on cements caused by your boots. it doesn't hatter what you do, they will always turn around to see what the hell is behind them, but if you are quick, you can grab them without them warning their friends. maybe this is just in normal mode, i don't know, i haven't done easy or very easy modes yet. but after i beat the game i unlocked some cool stuff, but i still haven't recieved the optic camo yet. if it's even in the game, i don't know, but i really hope so.
the graphics in this game are amazing. every blade of grass blows in the gentle breeze and gets smashed when you crawl over it. the trees and canopy look great and the water is fantastic. the numerous animals also look realistic, but you still need to kill or subdue them to eat them in order to survive. and at one point in the game, someone has a plastic bag over their head, and it inflates and deflates with every breath they take, it looks amazing and very real.
the new suriving aspect is great. you must hunt and eat animals to recover stamina, which drains over time and even more when you run or swim or do anything that involves a lot of energy. some things taste bad and don't recover as much stamina, while others taste delicious and have excellent stamin recovery. your life bar refills itself at different speeds, depending on how much stamina you have. when your stamina reaches zero, you pass out/die. i'm just assuming that, because it never happened to me. i always made sure i had stamina. but i'm assuming it's just like a breath gauge, when it reaches zero, you start to lose health rapidly. i have no idea.
when you get shot, or fall off something too hight, or get burned, the damages don't just magically go away. you have to remove bullets and arrows, treat burns, and set broken bones. it a new system that adds even more to the reality of the game. if you choose not to heal your wounds, you will keep losing life until you die. so make sure to heal yourself whenever possible.
in the game, you are taken from lavish jungles and forests, to swamps filled with alligators and leeches, to mountain trails and a mountain summit. you visit all kinds of interiors that look great and are all quite varied. sewers look dingy and grimy and high tech areas seem very clean. but i still think a stage later in the game, a very important part, is the most amazing. there are literally thousands of beautifully rendered flowers all around you, about waist high. just the sight of seeing all of them swaying back and forth in the wind, or bending over as i ran past/over them is just plain phenomenal. the area where you battle The End is also very lush and quite gorgeous from certain spots. but every area in this game looks amazing in it's own way and this game seems to have squeezed all of the power from the ps2, and stolen some from the other two systems as well. i don't see how people can say the graphics haven't changed much since mgs2. that game all looked the same. puffy, soft looking metal floors, walls and ceilings. i'm not saying it was a bad game, it was just bland. and Raiden sucked. in Snake Eater, all the character models are much more detailed. when people look at eachother, their eyes move realistically. people actually have fingernails, and everyone's hair looks really well done. all the different camo suits are cool looking, especially the sneaking suit, which has a bunch of different lines of metal alloy all over it, all of them shine independentely in light and it looks pretty cool. explosions are bright and vibrant and are some of the best on any system. same goes for The Fury's jetpack and it's exhaust shooting out the back. bright blue and white flames, causing the air around him to ripple. everything in this game is just plain cool to look at.
There is also a minigame called "Snake vs. Monkeys", and it's pretty fun. it pits snake against a set amount of Ape Escape monkeys/apes. he has banana camo on and a little toy looking gun he has to use to tranq them with so he can capture them. every level has rankings for good times, so that will keep you busy for awhile. just the first level took me about twenty minutes to get first place, and there are still at least four or five more levels. then there are other training areas, in CQC (close-quartes combat), and other survival techniques.
this is by far the best, and longest, metal gear game, so pick it up immediately if you're a fan of the series, even if you were turned away by the strange story of Sons of Liberty (mgs2). this one is just plain amazing and if you have an internet connection, you can download new camouflage to creep around the jungle in.
and don't worry, this will not be the last metal gear game. the series will continue on the next gen playstation and the PSP. but until then, buy this game and get ready to experience one of gaming history's finest titles.
15 of 17 found the following review helpful:
Snake Eater slowly eats away at your time.Nov 18, 2004
By S. Rhodes Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is a wonder to behold. It improves among its predecessor greatly but unfortunately, due to the essence of time, doesn't make as big of an impact on the gaming world. An innovative storyline, and great systems but as with MGS2 it puts far too much emphasis on storyline.
Metal Gear Solid 3 is a different sort of game. It takes place in the 1960's rather than in the millenium like the previous games. Snake is sent into the harsh depths of a Cuban jungle to rescue a Russian weapons specialists who has created a weapon so powerful it could disrupt the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. He has to stop this weapon before it falls in the hands of Colonial Volgin, Snake's nemesis in this title. Anyone who has played previous games in the series knows that there's so much more to it than this. The game is once again full of plot twists that will ultimately blow your mind unlike any other.
As with the previous games, the story is told in cutscenes that ultimately deterierate from the gameplay itself. Most of the cutscenes are fascinating and well thought out but others seem to be there just to be there. There will be plenty of times when you'll wish some cutscenes would get to the point, especially since the game takes a while to jump into the story and the cutscenes really stack up in the beginning.
Gameplay is more influenced and open ended in MGS3. This is mostly because you're in a more open setting than the corriders of the previous two games. Rather than being on a base you're in a jungle. This installment also doesn't have a radar to guide you.
However, the game does have new innovations. For example, even though you don't have a radar, remaining undetected is no harder than it was in the previous game. There's a percentile to tell you how close you are to be detected and how exposed you are. In addition, the game also presents different camoflouge outfits that Snake can outfit himself in when in different enviroments. These outfits can make it so that blending in with the terrain makes the difference between being discovered and not.
Another new addition is the "stamina" guage and the ability to eat food. Unlike the past two games in the series, there are no rations scattered around. You actually have to eat animals in order to survive. But food doesn't recover your health. The stamina gauge does. Whenever your low on health the stamina guage slowly depletes to refill your life guage. The only way to refill your stamina gauge is to eat animals. When your stamina gets too low Snake starts to feel the effects such as he can't aim his gun very well (he'll be too shaky) and some animals even give Snake a stomachache. This is really fun to experiment with (and some of Snake's reactions to the food are funny) but the food system isn't anything to jump about. It isn't all that innovative.
The game's boss battles are perhaps the most fun in the game. The MGS series is famous for having some pretty innovative and epic boss battles. This one is no exception. Most boss battles encourage you to experiment with what Snake can do. This in itself is a fun experience. If you're ever stuck in a boss battle and don't know what to do you can just as easily call your supporters on the codec, mainly Major Zero, who'll give you some handy advice.
There's one mini-game extra that MGS3 presents. The monkey capturing game, which is similar to VR training in helping you get used to the game. In each level of this mini-game Snake is to go around and catch monkeys. He's either supposed to knock them out with a stun grenade or shoot them with a special gun. Once the monkey is knocked out you capture him. As you get further and further in this mini-game the levels get harder and harder and you have to capture more and more monkeys.
The game also repeats many of the gameplay elements found in MGS2. You can still hold up guards and shoot in first person. You can also still use the cardboard box to sneak around. So when you actually get to play the game it's rather fun. There's a bit more things to do as well. You can use the enviroment to your advantage. You could shoot a bees nest and have the bees pester your enemies. You can also pick up poisonous snakes and throw them at your enemies. The possiblities of torturing your enemies are endless.
Replay wise the game is great. After you beat the game once you get items to start with. There's also the fact that the game presents many difficulty levels which add to the replay value. It's also great to play through the game again and fill in plotholes you might've missed. Also, it's remarkable how much gameplay there really is once you start skipping the cutscenes.
However, the game has drawbacks. As I mentioned, the game becomes tedious in its cutscenes. The story is intriguing and much better than MGS2 but sometimes you'll wish it would pace faster. The radio talks (better known as codec conversations) are also tedious at times. Most cutscenes aren't boring and being able to zoom in on them isn't so bad either. They're lavish and look incredible and are filled with incredible emotion. The cutscenes are too close together and take a lot from the gameplay. Some are just downright meaningless and drag on for far too long.
The game also presents too little of a challenge. Enemy AI is improved but not much better than MGS2. Most enemies don't do much damage to you, even on the hard mode setting you won't take so much damage.
Graphically, MGS3 is great. The jungle is really vibrant and colorful and character models are excellent. It's visually stunning but doesn't make as big of an impact as earlier games did since there's nothing visually new about these graphics. Many character models have even been repeated from MGS2. The frame rate also has a tendency to slow down due to the vibrant colors of the jungle. Overall though, the graphics are almost no different than they were in MGS2.
The sound in this game is to die for! The Snake Eater theme is perhaps the best soundtrack in the entire game. The music was done by Harry Gregson-Williams, who also did the soundtrack for MGS2 and many Hollywood films. Voice acting is done great but sometimes feels a bit overdone. I'm happy David Hayter has reprised his role. He makes a great voice for Snake. Other voices sometimes don't fit with the character. Major Zero feels a bit overdone and his voice doesn't even match up with who his character really is. But the voice acting is splendid and among the best in the video-gaming industry.
It should take you at least 15 hours to beat the game the first time, assuming you don't skip the cutscenes. It'll keep you busy for the better half of the day. This is one incredible game that won't soon be forgotten.
The Good:
+Impressive graphics
+Innovative gameplay
+A bit more realistic
+Good replay value
+Incredible storyline
+Amusing characters
+Good voice acting and music
The Bad
-There are tons of cutscenes that take away from the gameplay.
-Many cutscenes are useless
-The game doesn't present a major challenge
-There's way too much emphasis on plot and not on gameplay
based on 199 reviews
( 199 customer reviews )
