Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D
Developer: Kojima Productions
Publisher: Konami
Release Date (US): February 21,2012
ESRB Rating: M for Mature (17+): Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, Sexual Themes
Features: Circle Pad Pro support
Concept: Remake and enhance Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater for the 3DS
Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D is my first experience in the Metal Gear series, which has been around since the days of the NES. I do know some of the series' lore from protagonist Solid Snake's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. For those of you who don't know, the series is about Snake's missions in order to prevent the usage of nuclear missile-launching mechs called Metal Gears. Snake Eater is a prequel to the other Metal Gear games, set in the middle of the Cold War in 1964. It stars Solid Snake's predecessor, codenamed Naked Snake, and follows his mission to save a Soviet weapons scientist, destroy an experimental nuke-launching tank he was working on, and kill his mentor because she had defected to the USSR.
Controls: Let me tell you right now: if you are going to get this game, buy a Circle Pad Pro. I played the demo without it, and it felt alright. But when I played it with the attachment, it made a world of difference. Camera control/aiming with the face buttons just can't compare to the right Circle Pad. Since Snake Eater was originally on the PlayStation 2, and the CPP's added buttons amount to a PS2-like setup, this makes sense. With the CPP, it plays like a dream. Touch screen actions also add to the experience greatly. Playing without the second analog pad isn't unbearable, but with it you'll never go back.
Gameplay: Metal Gear is famous for pioneering the stealth sub-genre of action games, and Snake Eater seems to be a prime example of this. Finding the right camouflage then sneaking around guards makes for good fun. But why not knock out or kill those guards? Snake Eater lets you choose. Though, keep in mind, the number of people you kill will affect the length of a boss battle in the later half of the game. Speaking of boss battles, Snake Eater has some of the best battles I have ever seen. The use of a "stamina" bar for both you and all the bosses let you figure out how you want to beat your enemy. Do you want to kill them or let them tire themselves until they fall unconscious? The stamina bar is really emphasized in a sniper battle against an old man named The End in the middle of the game. You'll have to watch that bar, and feed yourself as much as possible. That is another aspect of Snake Eater, surviving. Most of your food will come from animals that you hunt, which your over-the-radio medical assistant Para-Medic can describe its benefits (and sometimes taste) for you. You can also occasionally find Soviet rations, but those aren't that excellent. Other over-the-radio partners Snake has to support him include Major Zero, his commanding officer, Mr. Sigint, his tech adviser, and EVA, another American defector now working as a KGB spy working for the Soviet Premier (the antagonist, Volgin, wishes to take over the Soviet Union). They provide interesting insight, especially Para-Medic's speak of movies after you save. Famous 1950s-60s movies like Godzilla, Forbidden Planet, Creature from the Black Lagoon, For a Fistful of Dollars, From Russia with Love, and more all get mentioned. In short, Snake Eater's gameplay is extremely deep, yet very fun.
Story: Along with the stealth gameplay, the Metal Gear games come with very deep plots. Why Hideo Kojima doesn't write movies is beyond me. The one complaint I do have about Snake Eater 3D's story is its really long cutscenes, which doesn't fit well with a portable system. I used the 3DS's Sleep Mode feature plenty of times in the middle of cutscenes (along with gameplay), because I had to go do stuff. But overall, the story for Snake Eater is one of the best I have ever experienced in a video game. I tend to deduce plot twists before they happen in plenty of stories, but in Snake Eater I couldn't do it. You'll be surprised of the true motives and/or missions of certain characters in this game, and even after the end it still leaves some mysteries unanswered for the most part.
Graphics: Snake Eater 3D's graphics are very detailed, with both jungle and indoor environments detailed pretty well. Pretty much all (the opening credits are the exception) of the cutscenes are (or at least look like they are) rendered by the game engine, which is even more impressive. It's not as detailed as Resident Evil Revelations, but it still looks pretty good.
Conclusion: Snake Eater 3D is a great introduction to the world of Metal Gear. Its main plotline is self-contained enough to satisfy newcomers, and series veterans can have one of the best Metal Gear entries on the go. That said, it's probably not the best idea to port a game like Snake Eater to a portable due to its long cutscenes and gameplay that is best enjoyed in extended periods of time, but Sleep Mode can remedy most of that, so overall I say this is a must-have title for the 3DS!
Features: Circle Pad Pro support
Concept: Remake and enhance Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater for the 3DS
Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D is my first experience in the Metal Gear series, which has been around since the days of the NES. I do know some of the series' lore from protagonist Solid Snake's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. For those of you who don't know, the series is about Snake's missions in order to prevent the usage of nuclear missile-launching mechs called Metal Gears. Snake Eater is a prequel to the other Metal Gear games, set in the middle of the Cold War in 1964. It stars Solid Snake's predecessor, codenamed Naked Snake, and follows his mission to save a Soviet weapons scientist, destroy an experimental nuke-launching tank he was working on, and kill his mentor because she had defected to the USSR.
Controls: Let me tell you right now: if you are going to get this game, buy a Circle Pad Pro. I played the demo without it, and it felt alright. But when I played it with the attachment, it made a world of difference. Camera control/aiming with the face buttons just can't compare to the right Circle Pad. Since Snake Eater was originally on the PlayStation 2, and the CPP's added buttons amount to a PS2-like setup, this makes sense. With the CPP, it plays like a dream. Touch screen actions also add to the experience greatly. Playing without the second analog pad isn't unbearable, but with it you'll never go back.
Gameplay: Metal Gear is famous for pioneering the stealth sub-genre of action games, and Snake Eater seems to be a prime example of this. Finding the right camouflage then sneaking around guards makes for good fun. But why not knock out or kill those guards? Snake Eater lets you choose. Though, keep in mind, the number of people you kill will affect the length of a boss battle in the later half of the game. Speaking of boss battles, Snake Eater has some of the best battles I have ever seen. The use of a "stamina" bar for both you and all the bosses let you figure out how you want to beat your enemy. Do you want to kill them or let them tire themselves until they fall unconscious? The stamina bar is really emphasized in a sniper battle against an old man named The End in the middle of the game. You'll have to watch that bar, and feed yourself as much as possible. That is another aspect of Snake Eater, surviving. Most of your food will come from animals that you hunt, which your over-the-radio medical assistant Para-Medic can describe its benefits (and sometimes taste) for you. You can also occasionally find Soviet rations, but those aren't that excellent. Other over-the-radio partners Snake has to support him include Major Zero, his commanding officer, Mr. Sigint, his tech adviser, and EVA, another American defector now working as a KGB spy working for the Soviet Premier (the antagonist, Volgin, wishes to take over the Soviet Union). They provide interesting insight, especially Para-Medic's speak of movies after you save. Famous 1950s-60s movies like Godzilla, Forbidden Planet, Creature from the Black Lagoon, For a Fistful of Dollars, From Russia with Love, and more all get mentioned. In short, Snake Eater's gameplay is extremely deep, yet very fun.
Story: Along with the stealth gameplay, the Metal Gear games come with very deep plots. Why Hideo Kojima doesn't write movies is beyond me. The one complaint I do have about Snake Eater 3D's story is its really long cutscenes, which doesn't fit well with a portable system. I used the 3DS's Sleep Mode feature plenty of times in the middle of cutscenes (along with gameplay), because I had to go do stuff. But overall, the story for Snake Eater is one of the best I have ever experienced in a video game. I tend to deduce plot twists before they happen in plenty of stories, but in Snake Eater I couldn't do it. You'll be surprised of the true motives and/or missions of certain characters in this game, and even after the end it still leaves some mysteries unanswered for the most part.
Graphics: Snake Eater 3D's graphics are very detailed, with both jungle and indoor environments detailed pretty well. Pretty much all (the opening credits are the exception) of the cutscenes are (or at least look like they are) rendered by the game engine, which is even more impressive. It's not as detailed as Resident Evil Revelations, but it still looks pretty good.
Conclusion: Snake Eater 3D is a great introduction to the world of Metal Gear. Its main plotline is self-contained enough to satisfy newcomers, and series veterans can have one of the best Metal Gear entries on the go. That said, it's probably not the best idea to port a game like Snake Eater to a portable due to its long cutscenes and gameplay that is best enjoyed in extended periods of time, but Sleep Mode can remedy most of that, so overall I say this is a must-have title for the 3DS!
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