Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater playtest

mobil1_oils · Post by **mobil1_oils** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 5:11 am

[b]Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater playtest[/b]

It\'s fortunate for Metal Gear Solid 2\'s biggest critics that creator Hideo Kojima has such a great sense of humour and humility. Within the first five minutes of Snake Eater, he manages to slot in at least a couple of nods to its detractors, and the gaming equivalents of knowing winks to the camera don\'t let up from there.

With that said, the post-modern humour is concealed within a seriously hefty - and heftily serious - plot that once again blends fact-based fiction with the series\' trademark moments of inspired lunacy. A 100 year-old sniper with internal moss growth, the sight of Snake wearing a crocodile cap, and bouts of simian capture (thanks to the brilliant Snake Vs Monkey bonus game) are just several of the off-kilter treats that await you.

Then, of course, there\'s the game itself. It\'s not quite the total re-invention that the beautiful new jungle environment and all the survival-related trappings that come with it would have you believe, but it\'s still a bold move in a slightly different and entirely welcome direction.

Who\'s the Boss?

MGS3 takes us back to 1964, tracing the origins of (among other things) MGS stalwart Revolver Ocelot, Solid Snake\'s arch-nemesis Big Boss, and the first Metal Gear over a critical fortnight during the ongoing Cold War between Russia and the US.

As FOX operative Jack, codenamed Naked Snake, you\'re deployed into the dense forestry of Tselinoyask, Russia in order to locate a top scientist being held captive in the area and promptly escort him back to the other side of the Iron Curtain. Naturally, things don\'t go according to plan and Snake soon finds himself in the position of the only man who can prevent World War III.

It won\'t take a genius to work out that Naked Snake isn\'t the same Snake we all know and love, nor will it take any MGS fan who\'s familiar with Solid Snake\'s part in the \'Les Enfants Terribles\' project to work out exactly who his identical-looking precursor is. Don\'t worry; it\'s not a time-hopping Raiden in disguise.

Survival of the gruffest

At its core, Snake Eater still bears all the hallmarks of its forebears: much of your time is spent hiding behind, under, or on top of objects in an attempt to complete your mission without being detected by the enemy. That iconic, pulse-raising \'!\' sound still sounds when you get spotted, and you\'ll still have to find a safe spot to hide in until the \'Alert\' countdown falls back to zero.

That said, the relatively open nature of the forest environment makes for a more complex stealth experience, with unevenly-shaped trees and rock formations making for obscure hiding spots. The natural environments also mean that you have to deal with the unavoidable crunch of foliage underfoot, which turns basic sneaking into a real challenge.

While it can be frustrating, it\'s a deliberate measure to force you to make full use of the new Camouflage Index and CQC (Close Quarters Combat) systems. The former allows you to modify Snake\'s face paint and uniform in order to blend into his surroundings - how successfully he does this is indicated by a percentage counter in the top-right corner of the screen.

If you then manage to get close enough to a soldier without being spotted, CQC offers a number of useful combat techniques that can be used to take enemies down quickly, extract information from them, or even use them as a human shield. It\'s a long overdue update from the basic combat of previous instalments.

Healing hands

Special mention should also go to the all-new Cure system, which sees you treating the various injuries and diseases that Snake picks up in the harsh environment. If Snake is hurt, you can treat his various disorders with a wide range of helpful medicines and surgical tools. How effectively you tend to his ailments affects the speed of his rehabilitation - you could just bandage up a cut, for example, but it\'ll heal a lot quicker if you disinfect it, apply a styptic, and stitch it up beforehand.

How quickly he recovers from his wounds is also determined by his stamina, which slowly depletes as he continues with on his strenuous task. Only by hunting and devouring the local plants and wildlife - from mushrooms to Japanese flying squirrels - can Snake keep his strength up.

Time eater

It\'s frustrating that we can\'t really say more on Snake Eater without this Playtest entering into essay territory. Mention must be made of the unbelievably immersive environments, the wonderfully ambient forest sounds, the frequent cheeky references to Kojima\'s cinematic favourites of the \'60s (including the brilliant, Bond-mimicking theme song), and the myriad incidental touches that all contribute to making MGS3 one of the most involving and ingenious gaming experiences ever.

In short: it\'s Metal Gear Solid back in peak form, telling a story that you\'re actually interested in hearing and executing it all better than it has ever done before. Eat it up.

[url=\"http://au.playstation.com/news/mgs3_playtest.jhtml\"]Source[/url]

fuseku · Post by **fuseku** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 12:48 pm

I can\'t wait for this game. I was introduced to it when it burst onto the Playstation scene and fell in love with it instantly. I was thinking of importing MGS3 but I think that I will just wait.

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Post by **Tami** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 5:43 pm

Michael\'s got the game; if it\'s any indication of how good the game really is, I didn\'t hear from him for hours...or was it days....

when he wakes up I\'ll get him to post his opinion for you.

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fuseku · Post by **fuseku** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 6:11 pm

Ok thanks..yeah, I don\'t talk much when i\'m caught up in MGS.

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us3rX · Post by **us3rX** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 5:17 am

this game is ALOT better then MGs2 for the simple fact that your snake and not raiden lol, in my opinion MGs3 is \"short\", the first time it took me about 7 hours(on normal), then about 4 hours the second time, i havent done it on extreme yet, but meh its a good game, the \"final\" battle is one of the best i have seen, this game is a must for all MGS fans, but overall the original is better ^.^

us3rX (ninja)

*Also if you need any help on this game just let me know, i am more then sure i can help ya out

/smile.gif\' class=\'bbc_emoticon\' alt=\':)\' /> hit me up on msn fusi0n_9384 [at] hotmail [dot] com

fuseku · Post by **fuseku** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 8:26 am

There\'s nothing wrong with Raiden at all. >_<

Why do people hate him and his boyish good looks?

us3rX · Post by **us3rX** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 5:57 pm

[quote]There\'s nothing wrong with Raiden at all. >_<

Why do people hate him and his boyish good looks?[/quote]

cuz when you think MGS you think of Snake, not Raiden ; lol

us3rX :ninja:

fuseku · Post by **fuseku** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 9:35 pm

I think of Metal Gear. :/

Michael · Post by **Michael** » Mon Mar 21, 2005 9:18 am

ok heres my opiniion of MGS3

HOLLY S*** ITS AWSEOME

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