Introduction The MGS series has been know to re-define the stealth genre. This is the third game in the Metal Gear Solid series but it's actually a prequel to the whole entire Metal Gear story line (including the Metal Gears that was on the MSX/NES.) For those who was left clueless by the end of Sons of Liberty, hopefully this game will help you fully understand the story. Story- 8/10 Play any MGS game and you will know that the games are based very heavily on the story. Half the time you will feel like your actually watching a movie than playing a game. The story of this game takes you back to the aftermath of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War. The games starts with everything you might have learned in a textbook. There is a state of tension between the West and the East. During the Arms Race, the Soviets successfully became the first to launch a man into space via a rocket built by a brilliant Russian scientist named Nikolai Stepanovich Sokolov. Sokolov was a man who fear his own creations. After the rocket he built, he defected over to the US along with his family, he fears that in the future, he may develop creations that may put the world in danger. Not long later, the Cuban Missle Crisis started. The US requested that the Soviets removed the missiles immediately but the Soviets refused until they came to a secret agreement. They agreed to removed the missiles on one condition...the return of Sokolov. Given the situation, the US agreed, Sokolov was taken back, his family left in the US. The guy you play as, codenamed "Naked" Snake is on a top secret mission for the FOX Unit led my Major Zero. Your mission objective is to rescue Sokolov, sounds simple? I won't leave any spoilers but as you progress into the story, there will be many twists and turns that you would have never expected. It's emotional, funny, and even stupid at times but it's stupid enough to make it worthwhile. Graphics- 10/10 Graphics were amazing in this game just like the other games in the series. Every bit of the jungle you will be playing in is completely detailed from the plants to the birds and snakes you will be hunting. Cutscenes take place on the spot and there are basically no difference between the graphics you see in cut-scenes than the in-game scenes. Sound- 9/10 The sounds played throughout the whole game corresponds with your location. Voice acting in this game is done by the best obviously as it's almost completely flawless. One of the main complaints is the lip-synching wasn't well done and the talking seems to start AFTER their lips are done moving >_< Gameplay- 9/10 Pretty much similar to the previous games but with alot more worth-mentioning additions. First, there is the stamina bar, which appears under your life bar. This bar determines how well you do in game (your speed, your aiming, damage you take, health regeneration rate, etc.), your stamina bar depletes as your move around, fight, etc, just like in real life. Stamina can be replenished when you eat food which you can obtain from hunting (simple as kill then eat.) The second addition is CQC (Close Quarter Combat). CQC allows you to walk up to an enemy and let's you grab them (if you have a CQC-able weapon equipped or bare-handed) and either slit their throat, interrogate then, hold them hostage, use them as a body shield, choke them out, or just toss them. Very useful when you are surrounded. The next addition is the Cure system. There isn't much to it, when you get seriously injured (gunshot wounds/broken bones/cuts/bleeding/venom/burned etc.), you go into the Cure menu and just patch up the injury that will eventually drain your health away. Finally, we have the camouflage system. Since most of the time throughout the game, you will be sneaking around in the open, you must blend in with your environment to survive. All you have to do is open the menu and choose the camo that best suits the surrounding, at the top right of your screen, it shows how well you blend in with your surrounding. In addition to the regular story mode, there is the Snake vs. Monkey mode. It's suitable for all ages as stated in the manual. You play as Snake who is hunting for...monkeys (from the Ape Escape series), you shoot the robot like monkeys, they get stunned, you capture them. Quite entertaining actually Controls- 10/10 Extremely easy to learn, puts almost every button on the controller to good use and is pressure sensitive. Left analog controls movement, Right controls camera, D-Pad is for stealthy/foot-stepless movement, X is crouch, Square is to shoot, Triangle is the action button, and Circle is for CQC. L1 is for betting aiming, L2 opens item inventory, R1 is for FPS view and R2 controls your weapon inventory. Start is menu and Select is for your radio. Replayability- 8/10 After you finished the game, there are many easter eggs, camos, weapons and other stuff that you can unlock for future play through. There's also 5 difficulty level for you to play in. Overall- 9/10 Definitely a Buy if your a MGS fan, if your not, it's good to start here as well. This games story is actually rather easy to understand and less confusing as oppose to the other games. The game will take you about 20 hours to finish if you don't rush and watch all the cutscenes.
- Better camera - ONLINE MODE! - Theater - comes with the original Metal Gear 1 and 2 (not Metal Gear Solid) - some other stuff, enough to warrent a purchase.
Yes I have MGS3 subsistance and original. I must say the online mode is great. But people glitch so much.
for me this game was a let down i mean i really enjoyed the first two and thougt them one of the best but this one imo the grphics were worse (may be due to the fact that it was in the jungle, larger plane etc.) and the camera was really annoying. Otherwise the story was the only thing that held the game up for me.
