Metal Gear Solid 3

I've mentioned before that I bought Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, but I just finished it a few days ago and I didn't want to write a review for it before I completed the game. But lemme tell you, after a year of overhyped video game sequels with dissappointing attributes (with the exception of Ace Combat 5 of course), it's good to finally play one that is nothing short of amazing.

The story takes place in 1964, a drastic departure from previous Metal Gear games. It follows special agent Snake on a sneaking mission in the Russian jungle. His mission is to retrieve a Soviet weapons scientist who defected to the US, but was given back to the Soviets as a bargaining chip during the Cuban Missile Crisis. That's all I'm going to say about the plot for now.

Everything about this game shines. The gameplay is familiar to regular fans of the Metal Gear Solid series, but with a few added abilities. First off, you are required to eat in order to keep up your stamina. Your stamina determines how quickly you heal, how long you can hold your breath underwater, among other things. And since you're in a jungle, that usually means hunting for food like frogs and, yes, snakes. When I first heard about this system I thought it would be annoying but it's not a hinderence at all. Sure, you have to eat, but not so much that you need to hunt for food the entire game. You can keep a lot of things handy, as long as it doesn't spoil, and if you use your tranquilizer gun, you can keep live creatures in a cage for maximum freshness! There's also a backpack system to keep your items so you don't have overflowing item menus. In addition, if you're wounded, you have to patch it up yourself. That's right, you can't just take a health pack and let it miraculously heal you. If you've been shot, you need to dig out the bullet, disinfect it, use styptic to stop the bleeding, sew it up, and apply a bandage. This adds levels to interactivity. There's also no radar, like in the previous games, which makes the game a lot more difficult. I was taken by surprise when I realized how much I relied on it before! The most unique addition to gameplay however has to be the camoflauge. You have to wear the right camoflauge depending on your surrounding environment in order to blend in, decreasing your chance of being seen by the enemy.

The graphics are REALLY good. It looks just as good as MGS2, if not better, and runs smoothly and fluidly. Everything is detailed, down to the blades of grass, which you'll be hiding in plenty of times so you might as well get used to them. The sounds and voice acting is superb as well.

Ahh, but we can't forget about the most worrisome aspect of the game, which made fans nervous to no end. The story. Many were not so happy with the story from MGS2, left confused and dissappointed after the hours they put into the game. I personally didn't find anything wrong with the story of MGS2, or playing as Raiden instead of Snake. After I got over a brief moment of "What the hell?!?" I found it quite enjoyable and respected the game designers for trying something new.

Well, there's nothing wrong with this story. It pulls you in from the start, because although you think you know what's going to happen, you really don't. It relates to stories in both the original Metal Gear Solid and MGS2, but you don't need to play the others to enjoy it. By the end of the game I was like, "Damn."

Oh, and the score? EXCELLENT. Harry Gregson-Williams is one hell of a composer.

This is a game you will not regret playing, believe me. Very polished, looks great, and pulls you in from the start with a big payoff. On Friday night I started up the game with the intention of playing for only a couple of hours, but I COULD NOT stop playing. I wanted to see it to the end, so I played unitl I finished it. By that time, I didn't realize what time it was, but it was 5 in the morning. I worked at 7. That Saturday of work was brutal, and I don't even remember most of it, but it was worth it.

Arguably the best Metal Gear game ever.