4/5 ★ – isaiahbot's review of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.

While story and themes are far less impactful here than in MGS2, this is a showcase for new, deeper gameplay that mostly met up to its potential, backed by a good ole fashion action spy thriller origin story. This isn’t to say the game doesn’t reach or get creative with its narrative, because it absolutely does, and has some really memorable moments, but looking back on this, I feel like I had a far better and more engaging experience with gameplay than experiencing the narrative, and vice versa with MGS2. I found myself using a lot more of the gadgets and weapons at my disposal here than I was in previous entries, and I think this can be attributed to the game’s level layouts and primitive era, which brings restrictions that encourage more interesting and experimental approaches. Things like the provisions and ammo storehouses were a good example of this, introducing a risk vs reward mechanic that encouraged this creative playstyle by giving the player the choice to risk more time and recourses to cripple the enemy for future encounters. MGS3 also has my personal favorite boss lineup in the series so far. I think collectively the bosses here are definitely the most creative and cohesive, and are also the most open for customized strategy. The end bosses are also pretty good and appropriate, but good Lord this thing overstayed it’s welcome at a certain point with like fifteen minutes of on-rail shooting segments and an escort mission that really just made for a disjointed end segment. The survival aspect of this entry leads to more depth with basic player options, but toggling through menus to get to necessitative items is also kind of annoying and slow, and the surgery/medical mechanic is a good idea on paper for reinforcing this survival aspect but just felt like more of a chore in its execution. I’m definitely a fan of the innovative gameplay here and all the little nuances that are to be expected from a Kojima game, and there are amazing moments and clever uses of this game’s great OST that set the tone for certain set pieces, and while the narrative isn’t as mind boggling as MGS2’s, it’s pretty confident and well executed in it’s spy thriller tone that it’s super easy to fall in love with.