Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater scores 8/10 in the verdict of The Games Market editorial team.
Once Upon a Time
Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater
by Simon Larocca·May 16, 2024
If I think of Metal Gear Solid, and a longtime player like me cannot help but do so, my mind brings back multiple still images and background music, echoes of unforgettable gaming sessions almost as much as the characters created by Hideo Kojima, father of the franchise and the mastermind behind one of the most iconic stories of all time.
Eppure, it is not Solid Snake nor Revolver Ocelot, the two main antagonists, who make the sensitive strings of memory and emotion vibrate in me, but rather her.
The Boss. A gigantic character who will be our mentor, adversary, and much, much more in what is effectively the prequel to the entire saga.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is in fact a masterpiece and cannot be described otherwise.
Released in 2004 for PlayStation 2, MGS 3 takes us back in time, long before the rise of Foxhound, the ultra-secret organization to which the great soldier Solid Snake will belong in the numerous titles released for Mx2 and NES: we will step into the shoes of a character identical to him, at least in appearance, known during the game by various code names, including Naked Snake.
We are in the roaring Sixties, the Cold War has been underway for some time between the two blocs par excellence, West and East, and in the middle are soldiers and heroes, mercenaries and martyrs, cannon fodder that the powers-that-be take advantage of, exploiting their patriotic and freedom ideals, for which people like The Boss, for example, would do anything.
Our hero Snake is the best student of the Legendary Soldier, and together they created the CQC System, a hand-to-hand engagement method that Solid Snake will perfect in the future: this is just one of the many easter eggs that connect the adventure in question to the later games, in a burst of revelations and references that will delight those who loved the 1998 game, for example.
Intrigue-filled political fiction and pure arcade-style gameplay sections with a nod to the most iconic Japanese anime series of all time are just some aspects of the title in question: the power of the console that succeeded the first PlayStation is truly pushed to the very last frame, ensuring an unmissable cinematic audiovisual experience.
As per tradition, the enemy agents are characterized in an exemplary manner, defining backgrounds that reach very high lyrical peaks when it comes to shaking players’ consciences; moreover, the ideas devised by Kojima to face them are always different and testify to the very high level of game design they bring with them, a baggage full of wonders.
The stealth genre, which with titles like Tenchu and Clock Tower (just to cite two cornerstones, respectively set in feudal Japan and psychological horror) had previously explored this gameplay mechanic with good results, finds its definitive consecration with Kojima’s title, redefining its basic aspects and concepts.
La screenplay of Metal Gear Solid 3, exactly like the other titles in the series, is at a very high level: the dialogues are creative and elaborate, the characters speak in a natural way and according to their characterization they behave toward other people consistently: of course, many of them, Snake included, often come across as over the top, also because the choice to follow an epic narrative line focused on action that is often excessive and inclined toward exaggeration, typical of genre films and anime, is a constant of Kojima’s works and, after all, that is also part of why we love him.
You have nothing left to do but play and start a snake-based diet.
8
Pro
A grand return of the saga on PS2, Kojima perhaps at his best!
Intricate and complex plot, deep and capable of dragging you into the vortex of the story until the very last sequence
Stealth taken to the extreme, interactions with the surrounding environment that affect the main character, and a whole lot of exceptional ideas
The Boss. Alone, she could carry the entire game’s plot on her shoulders. The final duel with her is legendary
Contro
There are no substantial flaws in this title. The only “con” would be not owning it
Mi chiamo Simon Larocca, e sono un videogiocatore, collezionista e amante della cultura pop in tutte le sue forme. Vado al cinema ogni volta che posso, leggo da quando porto gli occhiali, quindi da sempre, e ho la passione per lo storytelling in tutte le sue forme, così dirompente da farla diventare una professione. Ma come direbbe Doc di Ritorno al Futuro, non ci sarebbe presente se non si guardasse al passato con rispetto e ammirazione, ed è il Simon bambino di più di trent’anni fa, anno più anno meno.
Simon Larocca
Mi chiamo Simon Larocca, e sono un videogiocatore, collezionista e amante della cultura pop in tutte le sue forme. Vado al cinema ogni volta che posso, leggo da quando porto gli occhiali, quindi da sempre, e ho la passione per lo storytelling in tutte le sue forme, così dirompente da farla diventare una professione. Ma come direbbe Doc di Ritorno al Futuro, non ci sarebbe presente se non si guardasse al passato con rispetto e ammirazione, ed è il Simon bambino di più di trent’anni fa, anno più anno meno.
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