E-Mail This Article to a Friend Heavy Metal Metal Gear Solid 3 is a revelation BY JIM MURRAY
	Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Published by Konami. Developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan. For PlayStation 2. Rated M for Mature.

Honestly, I don’t even know where to begin my review of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, other than by saying that I think I just played the greatest videogame ever made. Yeah, that’s a bold statement, I know, and I’m not even saying that as an admitted Metal Gear/Hideo Kojima fanboy, either. Even if you’ve never played any of the previous MGS games (and slap yourself silly if you haven’t), you absolutely, positively can not pass on Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.

MGS3 pushes the PS2 so hard that I was expecting to hear it choke and gag while I was playing this game. I’ll start with the graphics: They are the best seen yet for any game on the PS2. Beautiful, lush landscapes, the most incredible water, fire, and wind effects that I’ve ever seen in a video game, and cutscenes that are now the high-water mark for an entire industry. Countless times while playing MGS3 I stopped in my tracks, switched to first-person view, and just marveled at all of the minuscule details. Hideo Kojima has created a breathtaking work of art with this game; you’ll see what I mean when you first see the swamps, waterfalls, and little rivers that you have to crawl through. It’s just unbelievable.

I also want to quickly touch on the musical score. The train wreck that was Metal Gear Solid 2 at least had decent music, thanks to Harry Gregson-Williams. The dude’s got quite a rèsumé – he’s done this score to many a Hollywood blockbuster, and he’s got a great sense of dramatic timing. Ol’ Harry doesn’t disappoint here with MGS3. The music that plays when you are trying to avoid enemies in "alert" mode is so frigging tense that it will literally make your palms sweat. The opening score is also pretty great in its own cheesy-’60s-Bond kind of way. All in all, I’ve never, ever played a game where the music and sound effects (like birds chirping and bugs a-buzzin’ in the jungle) were just so … perfect.

So, how does it play? Well, like all previous Metal Gear games, it’s a "stealth" game, but the funny thing is that this is really the first time the game makes you be (ahem) "stealthy." You could pretty much blast your way though the first two games if you had to, but wouldn't that be defeating the purpose? Of course, but I’m just saying it could be done. With MGS3, you will have no chance whatsoever if you attempt to blast through the game. When the enemies spot you, they bring it. Seriously, they come in droves; the AI is as sharp as a tack, and running "off-screen" to another part of the level does precious little. They want you dead. Now.

Like I said, the game essentially forces you to be as stealthy as possible. That may seem like a real pain in the ass for some, but here’s the rub: you’ll want to play the game this way. You’ll have a good amount of camouflage options at your disposal – sonar, motion detectors, a vibrating motion sensor, and most importantly no radar. Yes, no radar. To me, it was the biggest crutch of the two previous MGS games, yet the "magic" radar that made it possible to see the enemies' cone of vision is no longer available, folks. Nope, MGS3 takes place in the 1960s, so it hasn’t been invented yet. There’s already been a slew of complaints on message boards by those who wish it was still in the game, but I’m telling you, you won't miss it. It would just take away from the frighteningly-real tension and drama that you feel while playing this game.

Oh, by the way, you have to kill animals and grab fruit from trees and whatnot to survive. It may seem gimmicky, but it isn’t. Think about it: your character, Snake, has been dropped into the jungle with nothing. And if you don’t eat, you’ll get weak, and you won't be able to aim your guns as well, and then your stomach will start to growl – loud enough that enemies will hear it. So, needless to say, kill stuff. And eat it.

Finally, for those of you like myself who are returning vets to the series, you may be pondering the most important question of all: "Is MGS3’s story as fucked-up as Sons of Liberty's?"

No, it most certainly isn’t. Without divulging too much, it basically involves Cold War-era politics between the former Soviet Union and the US. There are no long Codec conversations that go on and on about philosophy, and most importantly, no Raiden. There are so many twists and turns in the plot that you'll want to keep playing to know more. The bosses are the best bunch of freaks in the series' history (some are a tad too easy, though), there’s some great self-deprecating humor for longtime MGS fans, and so many "Oh-my-god" moments that I lost count.

Is the game completely flawless? No game ever will be, but this is as close as it’s ever come. My "problems" with Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater are as minute and nitpicky as they could possibly be. First, as I said, a few of the boss battles are a bit easy; second, as good as the voice acting is, I really wish that Kojima had hired actors who could do a real Russian accent, if only because 90 percent of the game's characters are Soviets. To be honest, I would have preferred it if they all spoke Russian and it was subtitled – but that would never happen. Also, there seems to be some audio clipping when you make Codec calls; not enough to ruin anything, mind you, but it is noticeable. And lastly, it wouldn’t be a Metal Gear game without some pain-in-the-ass character. In addition, one of your support-group "Para-Medics" goes on and on and on about old movies, and it becomes a chore to hear her. But you’ve got to, because she’s the one you save your game with.

For MGS vets, get ready to love Metal Gear all over again. For newbies, you can’t go wrong picking up this title – especially if you love "stealth" games like Splinter Cell. This is hands-down the best game on the PS2, one of the best games I’ve ever played, and my new frontrunner for game of the year (sorry, Ninja Gaiden).

Thank you, Hideo Kojima. You are a genius.

Score: 10.0 (out of 10)