When Metal Gear Solid 3 came out in 2004 I was seriously looking forward to it. I enjoyed Metal Gear Solid 2, though was disappointed with aspects of it. I was hoping that Kojima could give an interesting story in this sequel while improving gameplay and narrative. What I played was an incredible game and 1 which managed to shape my taste in games for years to come. You play as an american agent code named snake, infiltrating a region of the soviet union. What follows is a stealth game which provides deep and interesting gameplay mechanics.
The game gets rid of the radar of previous MGS games. Instead you use camouflage to sneak through the jungle environments. The games forests are mostly linear, but you would be forgiven for thinking otherwise. They feel large and open, and vibrant as you make your way through them encountering animals such as crocodiles and snakes. It is these animals which form the basis of the new survival system. You need to find food to recover health and stamina in the game, and only through trying things out can you discover what is good to eat. Its an intriguing and brilliant addition to the structure of previous games in the series. The combat works much the same as Metal Gear Solid 2, but is slightly more visceral. Snake can slit an enemies throat in combat, spewing blood from the wound. This is a darker game than MGS2, with a more gritty tone.
The graphics are fantastic for their time, and are still not bad even today. The cutscenes, and there are a lot of them, have brilliant production value. There are numerous interesting characters to follow, and the cutscenes do a fantastic job of bringing the cast to life. The environments all look great aswell. The sound is stellar, with top level voice work and music reminiscent of the bond films to a point while also providing some of the finest MGS series tracks. The designs of the characters are great, with clothing and physicality designed in a typically unique mgs style.
The storyline is one of the best I have ever seen in gaming. It is a hugely involving and emotional story, with incredible characters and weaves perfectly into the saga of the series. The villain is truly diabolical, and the motives for Snake to carry out his mission are explored in huge detail. The story has some twists which propel it to the top level of gaming's stories. The pacing of the story is near perfection, as the game builds towards an exciting climax in classic fashion, something seemingly difficult to achieve in gaming. The focus of series has always been stealth, and while the quality of stealth action is maintained here, the manner in which the story is told is massively improved. The narrative makes it clear what is happening at any point in the story and keeps the pacing of the tale perfect and adds urgency to the players mission.
The inventory system of the game can become a bit clunky when you get a high number of items, making things like finding a specific weapon a bit difficult in certain situations, but its not a major problem. The sneaking mechanics are much the same as MGS2 but are faster and more refined in this game. The game has a good number of environments and the campaign is lengthy providing good value for money. Even after the game is done there are bonus features like a mini game called snake vs monkey which provides some laughs. The game also has some of the best boss fights I have played, including a tense sniper dual. It is a truly top quality game for its boss fights and this game has some of the best I have ever experienced.
Metal Gear Solid 3 takes the deep stealth mechanics of the series, improves them, adds some great new aspects and gives you a superior single player campaign than the previous games in the series. The music and voice acting is so memorable that most modern games cannot reach that standard. The story is incredible, the action moments are intense. The production values on this game are extremely high, the environments are great and the game is an experience that no fan of the genre should miss.
Pros: Fantastic and emotional story
deep and believable characters and great script
excellently crafted stealth mechanics
great boss fights
memorable music
Cons: Camera angles can be a problem at times
Graphics have become somewhat dated
wtf: Eva walks around dressed like that? all the time???