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Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater PS2 Konami  I don't play many games these days, but one series of games always impressed me, and when I heard that there was a new instalment in the 'Metal Gear Solid' series, I just knew it was time to break out the controllers again. Long before the likes of 'Splinter Cell', the 'Metal Gear Solid' had you conducting missions of tactical espionage. It's a premise that always appealed to me much more than the plethora of first person shooters that are available. Sure, you could kill everyone in the room, but wouldn't you feel a greater sense of accomplishment in sneaking past all of those guards without them seeing you? The latest edition to the series, 'Snake Eater' doesn't disappoint. It's set back in the 'sixties at the height of the cold war, but you're playing a character that looks and sounds just like the nineties Solid Snake character in the previous games. Again, he is voiced by David Hayter (coincidentally a screenwriter who penned the 'X-Men' scripts) and before long it's apparent, at least to players of the previous games, that you are playing the part of the original soldier (Naked Snake) who was eventually cloned into the modern Solid Snake. Already confused? Actually, this instalment to the series probably has the most streamlined plot of the last couple of games. The cutscenes are just as long as always (there are some points where you don't actually "play" for at least twenty minutes) but less time is spent developing the side characters and the story is relatively straightforward, but still intriguing. Director Hideo Kojima has definitely added a dash of James Bond to the proceedings. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the extremely Bond-esque opening title sequence and song, compete with writhing silhouettes and sultry female vocals. Again the visuals push the Playstation 2 as far as it can go, with many of the lengthy rendered on-the-fly cutscenes looking unbelievably lifelike, particularly the opening sky dive sequence. In-game graphics, while excellently detailed, haven't developed much further from the previous instalment, except for the addition of forest environments. The use of audio is brilliant. For instance, if you make the enemy guards go hungry (I'll let you figure out how), you can use the noise of their complaints to help guide you. This leads to another improvement: the removal of the radar system that told you exactly where each soldier was in previous games. It makes the game much more interesting, and means you're relying much more on what you can see and hear on screen. You can still use devices to locate the enemy, but they are much more limited. The gameplay is still in enclosed areas, so some sense of realism is lost at times, but this is fully made up for by the fully immersive gameplay. All those little details that made the previous games great have been improved. You can now interrogate enemy soldiers and use them as human shields. You need to change your camouflage to suit your environment, and you even need to forage for food to eat. With an engrossing (if unlikely) storyline and top-notch gameplay, 'Snake Eater' is must buy for PS2 owners. Just don't expect much from the advertised "Net Features"; all you can do is download extra novelty camouflage outfits.  |
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