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Konami makes a great game even better. Subsistence adds a plethora of new features to the game, including online play, some additional modes and even emulated Metal Gear games. These additions make Metal Gear Solid 3 even better than it was before.
In case you were one of the few people who didn’t play Snake Eater, please refer to our review of Snake Eater for a summary if the game’s plot. It should suffice to say that MGS3’s story is packed with all of the usual foundations: Very chilling story, wild and interesting characters, and more plot twists than you can shake a stick at. Kojima makes sure this time that his twists don’t confuse the gamer and it winds up becoming a more satisfying experience all the way around.
The core of the gameplay is essentially the same as Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. The game takes the road less traveled and it goes back in time. This, in spite of the fact we had a major cliffhanger in MGS2’s tightly wound storyline. MGS3 goes one step further and makes the game feel more like a true spy story. MGS3 does not take place on an island or on a tanker. This time, it’s in the jungle. Naked Snake, the name of the character, must keep an eye out for many things in addition to the enemy guards. He must keep an eye on his stamina and eat the wildlife to keep his energy up. On top of that, Snake has to make sure that he can blend in with the environment so he doesn’t give away his cover.
This is one of the most impressive games I have played all year. It is so deep, so engrossing, and it is a great joy to play. This is certainly a much tougher game than the first two and the higher sense of realism plays an important role into that. The game will take most gamers 15-25 hours the first time through because the new experience that they will be facing will be unfamiliar to them. There is some depth to the game. There is plenty to unlock and they can add some new layers of challenge and fun to the game. The minigame Snake vs. Monkey is a surprise I would rather not go into great detail with you but it is very original and a lot of fun. In Subsistence, the Snake v. Monkey minigame has additional levels. The only weaknesses in the game is that two or three of the bosses aren’t very interesting and very one-dimensional character-wise and when you get shot by a gun, it doesn’t do as much damage as it really should, and then there is the pop-up issue.
The only major addition to the core game is the third-person camera. A concession to the Splinter Cell franchise, this new system lets you move the camera around freely with the right analog stick. While a seemingly minor change, fans of the series will quickly tell you that the old camera system inhibited their gameplay while the new system eliminates much of this. Kojima felt comfortable enough with the new system that it’s the default camera system when you begin the game.
But an even bigger reason to pick up the game is Metal Gear Online. The online mode, which is totally new to the series and again is probably a concession to the wildly popular online mode found in Splinter Cell supports up to eight players and features five different gameplay modes including deathmatch, team deathmatch, rescue mission, capture mission and sneaking mission. The first two modes are pretty self-explanatory, but in rescue mission you’ll basically be protecting a rubber duck while the other team tries to steal it from you, in capture mission you’ll play capture-the-flag but with a frog doll as the flag, while in sneaking mission one person plays as Snake while everyone else tries to take him down before Snake captures an item and reaches the exit point. You’ll still use the gameplay of Metal Gear Solid 3 online so you’ll be able to camouflage, drop mines, distribute adult magazines, and of course, be subject to rather realistic combat which is to say that the characters won’t be able to survive multiple head shots.
Aside from online play and the additional camera mode, the game includes many other extras. You’ll find a duel mode in which you can face any boss outside of the story, a demo theater that lets you view all of the cutscenes, a secret theater that lets you view a number of parody videos, and English-language versions of Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. These versions are based on the MSX versions released in Japan not the somewhat watered down NES versions released in America. Hardcore fans will want to spring another $10 for the Limited Edition which includes a third disc where you’ll find the film “Existence” which edits together all of the game’s cutscenes with some new footage to tie it all together.
The visuals and sound are largely unchanged from Snake Eater. That is to say, that the visuals are amazing. The jungle feels very realistic with detail down to the last blade of grass. The wildlife also looks pretty real. The cinematic videos look even better than ever. There is more emotion displayed in the facial characteristics and there doesn’t appear to be as many problems with lip-synching. Likewise, the sound is equally stunning. Sound effects match the way guns sounded in 1964 and just moving around has been improved. You can hear enemy footsteps, your own breathing, and the noises that the animals in the jungle make with remarkable precision. The voice-overs, led by David Hayter in another knock-out performance, are better than the second one. There seems to be more life and more variety to these characters and that certainly gives it an added dimension. The musical score by Harry Gregson-Williams and the theme song are excellent and they gave the game more of a vintage feel. MGS2 had a very new-age approach to it and the music supported it. This time, Williams shifts gears without skipping a beat.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence managed to make Metal Gear Solid 3 an even better game than it was before. The additional extras, online play and camera angle really manage to make the game nearly flawless. Even if you’ve played the original, the changes are worth picking the game up again.
-- Jose Liz & -- Chris Vavra, PGNx Media
---- Mar 26, 2006
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