Slowpoke: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Review

After completing Resident Evil 5 I found myself in a unique situation: not really having a game which I had to play.  On the rare occasions when this occurs, I usually flip through old games and either play a classic for nostalgia’s sake, or play a game I never got around to trying.

I had played Metal Gear Solid 1,2, and 4 and loved them all immensely.  For some strange reason, I had never played Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, which some would argue is the crowning jewel of the series.  I even remember a friend insisting that I borrow it when it came out, stating quite firmly that I needed to play it.  I think I ended up returning it about a year later untouched.  For Christmas, NutGarden05 bought me a Metal Gear Solid pack which included the complete version of Snake Eater dubbed Substance.

I went into the game with little knowledge or expectations.  All I knew really was that it concerned Big Boss and took place in Russia during the Cold War.  I admit part of me wasn’t expecting much, simply due to the fact that the game is over four years old.  In retrospect I realize how foolish this was…

Anyway, here is a rundown of what I liked:

Presentation – FoxDie is not for painting

First of all, the game’s opening movie and song are both very impressive and seem to really kickoff the game’s style and feeling.  I love the imagery of the ghost-like snake skeletons and the use of forest-y colors.  The song sung by Cynthia Harrell gets me every time I hear it (listening to it now).  It is used a few times throughout the game at important times which adds to the drama.  You can download it here if you would like to slap it on your iPod.

History – We go way back

I really enjoyed the story due in part to the history of the series I have knocking around in my head from the previous titles.  Knowing the future of various characters makes seeing their past that much more interesting.  Seeing Ocelot for the first time when he was a total nub was great.  Discovering that it was actually Big Boss who introduced him to the weapon he comes to have an unhealthy obsession with: the SAA (Single Action Army) is bitterly ironic.  I am only naming a few to prevent spoilers, but trust me, this game really ties things together.

Setting – A colder kind of war

I thought the fact that the game took place during the Cold War gave it a level of class and style most games focusing on any kind of gun warfare lack.  It felt a little like an old James Bond movie, without ever approaching that lame card-playing, fast-car-driving level.  I found myself really getting into Cold War culture, which I will admit is bizarre.  Something about the actual history of the times makes all the Kojima-fabricated-stuff sound like it could really have happened, which is pretty scary.  This game made me think about just what my country is/was capable of.

Bosses – Some are big

If you give Hideo Kojima a box, and tell him to think inside it, you are going to be very disappointed.  The bosses I fought in this game, known as the Cobra Unit, were very uniquely designed.  If that weren’t enough, the way the player does combat with them is even more unique.  Two battles in particular stand out in my mind:

The first was the snipe-off I had with an ancient sniper known as “The End.”  The battle takes place on a series of enormous woodland maps which makes things tricky since he is equipped with some decent camo.  I choose to fight fire with fire and hunt him with my sniper rifle.

I was shocked to learn that there are several other ways to kill this boss.  By entering the battle, saving, and waiting seven RL days, he actually dies of natural causes.  That is not a particularly glorious battle, but it’s still rather ingenious.  Another option is to snipe The End before you even get to the boss battle when he is first introduced.  Again, this is somewhat cowardly but very different.

The next battle (if you can call it that) took place in bizarre spiritual realm assembled by the next Cobra member who stood out in my mind: “The Sorrow.”  The Sorrow is actually deceased, so during the “battle” with him, he has no HP bar which totally threw me off.  Naturally, I had started by unloading on him like a sucker.

Anyway, all you do is walk through waist-deep water while The Sorrow summons phantoms of each and every unit you have killed throughout the game.  Every unit.  I was amazed at the attention to detail here.  People who I slit the throat of appeared with blood gushing from their neck, those who I allowed to be devoured by vultures appeared with vultures circling their heads, etc.  It was intensely spooky but has really stuck with me.

I especially like that this scene forces the player to remember every person you’ve killed.  It’s very easy to kill someone in a video game and not think much of it.  In fact in most games involving guns, success is measured in head shots.  I feel that this scene really changed the way I thought about video game killing, as strange as that may sound.  I did not want to kill anymore for the rest of the game unnecessarily.

Positive Female Characters – They DO exist

It doesn’t take long before the player is introduced to the individual who taught Snake all he knows: The Boss.  She and Snake co-created the CQC (close quarters combat) techniques which are so popular throughout the series.  However, The Boss is still just about everyone’s superior in terms of skills.  This becomes clear by the respect she commands from friend and enemy alike.  She is a very important part of the game’s story and the series as a whole.

The second impressive female is EVA, a highly trained spy who is working just about everyone over. Her skills in espionage are matched by her love for motorcycles.  In the end she ends up besting just about everyone in terms of espionage – including Snake.

I found it refreshing that both female characters contend with Snake on an even level, and in some cases actually surpassed him in skill.  This is contrast to the stereotype of female characters constantly requiring rescue, being the inspiration for revenge, or simply providing eye candy.

Conclusions – I haz them

I admit I am a bit embarrassed as both a gamer and a Metal Gear Solid fan to be appreciating this game so late in its life.  Still, I needed an outlet for me to express my appreciation for the game, so I hope no one minds.  I was thinking about my site and realized I tend to focus a lot on the future rather than the past.  This is probably because I don’t consider myself much of a retro-gamer, but I think a balance of past, present, and future is a good thing to have.

I really enjoyed playing through Snake Eater.  The game’s story and deeper connections now established from the other titles will stick with me for a while I am sure.

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