5/5 ★ – RawMetal's review of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.

System: PlayStation 2 Started: December 2014 Ended: January 8, 2015 Flashback Review Continuing on with my Metal Gear binge. I was happy with Metal Gear Solid 2, and now I've finally reached the point to play everyone's favorite game in the series, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Few of my friends claimed that I should have started the series by playing 3 first. It's considered to be their most favorite game in the Metal Gear franchise, plus it's the very first game in the Metal Gear timeline. I ignored it due to story and character reasons. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is considered to be the best one by the majority of fans. I would agree to some degree, but it's not my true favorite. But it's still a bonafide entry in the franchise. The gameplay is somewhat similar to Metal Gear Solid 2. Your equipment is old and less reliable since the game is set in 1964 during the Cold War. You don't play as Solid Snake; instead, you play as Naked Snake, or better yet, Young Big Boss, the antagonist from the classic Metal Gear games. I hadn't played those yet at the time, but at least he was mentioned quite a lot in Metal Gear Solid 1. Metal Gear Solid 3’s story is fantastic. Since this game is set in the 60s, it's a stealth-action game, and Kojima being a huge movie fanatic, it's absolutely guaranteed that this game will have a James Bond style to it. And what a thrill: we got the main theme being a huge James Bond homage, and even the characters mention one of the movies. Metal Gear Solid 3 has one of the best boss fights in the franchise. The Pain, The Fury. Even fighting The End was well-known since you can even beat him by just sniping him very early in the game or just leaving the console off for a week and playing again while facing him. And lastly, Metal Gear Solid 3 has possibly one of the best final boss fights in video game history. The location, the story, and the tension. It's all there. Still gets me that The Boss is the same voice actress who voiced Pearl from SpongeBob SquarePants. Like all Metal Gear games, Metal Gear Solid 3 is a cinematic experience with cutscenes that can last from 30 minutes to an hour. The extensive exposition and backstories can get lengthy, making me want to skip those cutscenes, but thanks to the interesting story, it actually did keep my interest going. Another point of criticism is the gameplay. It can be quite stressful avoiding detection, especially in tight map sections filled with enemies. When fired upon, you need to use bandages and other healing items, affecting your performance. Eating snakes and calorie mates is essential, as lack of food impacts aim and a growling stomach can give you away. The 60s-era equipment includes no radar, so you rely on sonar, which isn't very helpful. The camo system allows you to blend with the environment, but the clunky controls make Snake feel like a tank. Performing stealth knockouts is frustrating, as I often accidentally use the violent CQC technique and blow my cover. My goal is to interrogate enemies at knifepoint, not kill them accidentally, especially when attempting a Pacifist run. Metal Gear Solid V and later games improved on these issues. I get why people love this game. This game rules mainly for its story and boss fights. But it's not my absolute favorite. At least it's in my top 5 in the franchise. However, I would not go as far as to avoid it. This game is a must-play. Not only has it been praised as the best Metal Gear game, but it's one of the best video games of all time. There was even a 3DS version of it and now there is even a remake coming out as Metal Gear Solid Delta. Looking at the trailers, it does look pretty good, and hopefully they get rid of the button-sensitive controls and use the Metal Gear Solid V controls. Which I absolutely love about the 5th Metal Gear Solid game. If you have not played this entry, I may suggest waiting for Delta if you care about graphics in games.