اقتباس:
Mark (9.0): The setup is nothing new - every Metal Gear plops you in the middle of nowhere wth only your wits (and maybe a few smokes) to get by. But Snake Eater delivers on the survival-and-conquer premise like never before. Staying hidden via stealth and camo, picking off the enemy one by one, living on captured snakes and fish, prying bullets out of your body before sewing up your wounds - John J. Rambo would be proud.
One thing I cannot stress enough: Patience is absolutely required to appreciate MGS3's unique new features. For example, almost any time you get hurt, you need to stop the game, and head to the cure subscreen to spread ointment on burns, stitch up cuts, or mend broken bones. Innovative and definitely realistic, but when you're hurrying or in a boss fight, constantly switching to a menu can be jarring and annoying. Likewise, swapping different uniforms and facepaints to camouflage yourself is great fun - lying in wait for an enemy perfectly hidden in the tall grass is what it's all about - but it also requires switching to a subscreen.
Luckily developer Konami added a great reward for staying stealthy - my favorite new feature, the close quarters combat (CQC) system. Get close enough to grab any enemy and your options are astounding: Slam him to the ground, interrogate him, slit his throat, choke him unconcsious, take him hostage, etc. - all these moves are executed with amazingly lifelike animation. Sure, you could gun your way through the whole game and never bother with CQC, but for those of us who know the thrills of true stealth gameplay, MGS3 offers an impressive deep end worth diving into.
And the graphics...oh my, the graphics. Snake Eater's outdoor environments are huge, bigger than anything Metal Gear Solid or any other console game has done before, yet detailed down to individual blades of grass. Seriously, at times it's hard to believe this game is running on a PS2 - it would still be a feat for the Xbox. All the open space does come with a price, though. The irregular natural terrain and the fact that the new sonar radar doesn't show walls or where enemies are looking make it difficult to locate and keep track of bad guys. Metal Gear's top-down camera is not up to the task, so the player must constantly switch to first-person view or slowly crawl everywhere just to play it safe. I hate to say it, but I think the time has come to kiss the traditional view good-bye and embrace a more (dare I say?) Splinter Cell-style camera.
As for the biggest complaints about MGS2 - its bland, androgynous hero and convoluted story - MGS3 puts the series back on track. The plot is still filled with crazy twists, bizarre dialogue (one boss "meows" to call his troops), but the overarching plot is as exciting and unpredictable as a great popcorn movie. Add in tos of secrets, a bewildering array of different ways to tackle bosses, optional cut-scenes and minigames, and the overall polish Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima is known for, and you have one of the PS2's best games.
Bryan (9.5): A sweaty controller, bent-but-not-broken nerves, a strange craving for snake meat - this game does a number on you both physically and mentally. But as the credits roll, I promise you'll also have a smile that stretches from ear to ear because you'll just have completed the finest installment in Konami's acclaimed stealth-espionage series.
It's kinda funny, but Metal Gear Solid mastermind Hideo Kojima had to take the franchise back in time (to the '60s, to be precise) in order for it to evolve. And it begins with the environments. Snake Eater's new emphasis on outdoor play presents welcome changes to the sneaky, as the uneven terrain makes the patterns of patrolling guards less predictable, plus the lack of an onscreen radar (don't listen to Mark - you won't miss it) and the ability to slice someone's jugular with the new, intuitive close quarters combat moves add to the tension. Oh, and Snake's trip into the great outdoor is a beautiful one. From the dense jungle full mud pits and waterfalls to the rocky mountainside at dusk, this series has once again raised the visual bar for the console.
Snake Eater is so well paced. Boss fights seem to happen right when the action needs an adrenaline shot, and surprisingly, you (and your blood pressure) will look forward to the downtime that the cutscenes offer. The finale is just the dramatic roller coaster you'd expect, and definitely worth the 20-plus-hour investment. Speaking of bosses, even though a few may be too easy to defeat, each Cobra member's shtick is quite original, and there's one encounter in particular that will have the Internet message board crazies yapping until MGS4 - believe me, your noggin and skills have never been tested like this.
Here are some other things that should please the longtime Metal Gear fans who had some legitimate complaints about MGS2: Sons of Liberty: The twist-filled plot actually makes sense, there are far fewer conversations with your allies over Codec (but give them a hollar once and a while; they have some good tips during boss battles), and Snake Eater is considerably longer than the previous game. And in true series form, there's a boatload of secrets that'll have you playing through the game multiple times. I'm totally snake-bitten...and I mean that in the best possible way.
Shane (10.0): You know that feeling you get when you're watching the ending credits of a really amazing game - when you instantly yearn to start all over again to discover all the stuff you missed along the way? You'll be feeling that way about five hours into MGS3. Simply put, it's the deepest, longest, and most replayable chapter in the Metal Gear Solid series yet.
After the lukewarm reception gamers gave MGS2: Sons of Liberty (most loved the gameplay but couldn't wrap their heads around its wild postmodern story line), no one knew what to expect from the plot of Snake Eater, a prequel to the existing titles. Would MGS creator Hideo Kojima delve even further into endless Codec philosophizing? Might he finally begin to unravel the labyrinthine backstory that's only been hinted at in previous games? Would that damn girlyman Raiden return? Well, Raiden-haters take note: MGS3 wisely returns to the style of MGS - it's a gripping yet easy to understand tale of heroism, love, and destiny, packed with memorable characters. Sure, a few bits of dialogue are overtly cheesy, with several homages to the '60s James Bond flicks and hilarious self-depreciating humor aimed at MGS vets. Nevertheless, chuckling's preferable to head scratching, and MGS3 keeps the confusing, meandering chatter of MGS2 to a minimum. Expect to be entertained from the opening cinema to the final epilogue.
While the dramatic story line and expertly directed cinemas drive the overall Snake Eater experience, pitch-perfect pacing blends the cut-scenes with ample amounts of gameplay. Oh, and what phenomenal gameplay it is...no other game has ever come close to matching MGS2's spot-on stealth action (sorry, Splinter Cell, but no), but MGS3 manages to improve the basic mechanics. The addition of customizable camouflage, hunting, and first-aid systems threatens to overly complicate matters, but keen implementation makes these new concerns realistic, rather than annoying. As expected, every facet of sneaking and shooting feels perfect, and series regulars will instantly feel comfortable with the controls.
So, what pushes Snake Eater into the realm of 10-ness? Three things excel far beyond possible expectations - visuals, length, and boss battles. Graphically, MGS3 pulls things out of the PS2 that nobody dreamed possible. Lush jungles, superdetailed characters, and outrageous effects (like fire and water) constantly amaze. You'll also notice a great deal of graphical diversity as Snake travels to several different locales during his surprisingly long mission. Expect to spend at least 25 hours playing before eating your final serpent.
Finally, no MGS3 review could be complete without addressing the game's out-standing boss battles. Creepy, creative, and tenacious, the Cobra team outdoes even the wicked FoxHound squad from MGS in terms of flat-out coolness. The nerve-racking, ambitious duel against one boss, code-named The End (on a side note, it says the boss battle with The End goes over 1 HOUR), will likely go down as one of gaming's finest. So will the game itself.
