Cobras in the House

Mission Briefing

Metal Gear Solid 3 Subsistence is one of those few games I paid full price for, and it takes a lot for a budget gamer like me to do that. Well for $29.99 it was well worth it. In this remake of Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater a hodgepodge of extras is thrown in, including the first two original Metal Gear ported from the MSX2 and the very first Metal Gear Game to go online, which is an extraordinary deal. Metal Gear fans all over the world can now compete to achieve the highest rank, FOXHOUND. This game is ideal for hardcore Metal Gear fans and will be more than satisfied with the extras. Now if you had the original Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater and didn't like it, then Subsistence will probably do nothing to change your mind. For those who already have Snake Eater and wonder if they should upgrade and get Subsistence, then I may recommend you pick this one up for the online play and tighter control scheme. Other than that, those were the only extras that were most enjoyable.

Basics of CQC

The gameplay is still familiar to the past Metal Gear games, except you are now able to control your camera angle, which gives the player a better view of the enemies location as well as the rich environment around you. The new camera angle control makes the game flow better as you hide, seek and combat.

For those who are not familiar with the past Metal Gear games gameplay, it will seem awkward at first. The "right" way to play this game is to sneak around using the environment to complete your objection with out getting caught and killing the least amount of enemies as possible. Remember, you are a spy in this game and although the concept may seem boring to blood thirsty killing fans the challenge is all still there.

In the game you have a semi-overhead view of the main character, code name "Naked Snake". During combat, their are many approaches for a lethal kill. A choice of fighting in 3rd person view (using auto aim) and first person mode, in which you can't move around while in it, are at your disposal. There are also other ways to fight, such as CQC (close quarters combat), which is basically a melee and using your trusty knife.

Since it's a spy game, you'll have some fun getting creative fighting against the enemy. You can set up claymores, snipe, throw poison food at them, take a hostage or the classic, hide in a box then come out for a surprise attack.

One new feature to the game is the necessity to feed and heal yourself. You'll do this by gathering food and medicine around the environment. If you'd ever wanted to go hunting in a Metal Gear Game, your in luck. Their are various animals in the jungles available for killing and feasting. The beastiary buffet consists of snakes, frogs, rabbits, crabs, bats, alligators, birds and fish. Oh, and there's some fruit and odd mushrooms too. During treatment, you'll have to use certain items for certain wounds. Treatment gets very tedious, especially if you get hurt often.

When you reach a boss battle in this game, a feeling of intensity, anxiety and excitement overwhelmes you. Whether it's the music or the rising suspense, every boss battle feels like a classic movie action scene. The first battle with Young Ocelot clearly feels like an old western gun slinging showdown. If Rambo had a PS2 game, then this would be it.

Son you've got a way to fall

The audio in this game is remarkable, both the sound and the music. The sounds of different types of gunshots can give you a clue of what type of gun is being used, such as the AK-47,a M16, a pistol and a sniper. The jungle environment is detailed with noise along with detailed graphics. Everything from rustling grass from footsteps to wild animals from a distant can be heard. This experience really gives you a feel of what it's like to be in a jungle. It may also remind you of those nature shows about wild life.

The music in this game is far from average, especially if I went and downloaded the entire soundtrack. The music in this game is very well orchestrated to set the mood and the 60's theme. Music in this game puts the mood in a very serious tone, making you think that you have a mission to accomplish and it is your soul duty to accomplish it. The song themes in the games tends to motivate me and "be all you can be." During times of drama, a soft collie tune sets a calming mood. In the beginning of the game you see an outline of Snake slowly performing CQC on an enemy soldier while an energetic song using mostly drums fuels your adrenaline and crave for excitement. The intro song reminds me of an African Tribal song played before going on a dangerous hunt. During the first boss battle with Young Ocelot, slow paced music composed of tribal drums and whistles is played to build up suspense, then the song reaches it's climax introducing 60's style guitar and shifts upbeat creating a western gun slinging showdown feeling. The song played fits the scene quite well, since Ocelot is a fan of old spaghetti westerns.

The main theme of this game is very motivating, sometimes to the point that adrenaline takes over your body. It makes me you feel that you have a mission an it is most honorable to complete it. The only song more motivating than the theme song is Eye of the Tiger. When my friend and I played "Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels" and kept on getting killed by Bowser up to the point that we got discouraged, I'd pulled out my PSP and played the Metal Gear Solid 3 Theme to raise morale and Bowser no longer stood a chance.

The ending song Way to Fall, by Starsailor fits Snakes dramatic life story. The song is about a mans struggle with external and internal forces , which leads to the suffering of ones self. This song fits perfectly for Snakes, due to a dramatic traumatizing discovery at the end of the game. When I listen to this song, I think about the struggles Snake overcame and the dramatic heart trenching ending.

A Tear Jerkering Tale

Well, the Metal Gear games are infamous for their twisting plots and confusing story lines, but they are top notch none the less. A secret agent, code named Snake, was originally sent to the jungles of Russia to rescue a kidnapped scientist by the name of Sokolov who is forced to develop a tank capable of nuclear warfare, but our leading protagonist got himself into deeper trouble than he could bargain for. The setting is in Russia during the Cold War, so the theme of nuclear fear is fittingly appropriate.

During snakes mission, he finds out that his mother figure mentor known as the Boss has defected to a Russian terrorist group called the Cobras. Snake is confronted by the Cobras during his mission and takes Sokolov with them for the development of a nuclear war tank called the Shagohod. During the Cobras escape, one member by the name of Volgin tested out a nuclear shell launcher on the jungles of Russia. Phone calls were made from the president of the Soviet Union to the president of the United States stating that a nuclear war shell was ignited on their land and noticed that American airships were on their restricted air territory at the time. The blame is clearly placed on the United States. The US president stated that the Boss, a legendary war hero of the US, has defected to the Cobras and she was to blame for this. The leader of Russia found this to be quite untruthful. In the United States defense, the president claimed that the Boss has defected and she was to blame. The head of Russia proposed an ultimatum, he wants the Boss dead.

With the United States in this dilemma, Snake is asked to kill his military mentor who practically raised him. The two have "lived and died together." Snake now has two things to do, kill the Boss and rescue Sokolov. During his encounter first encounters with the Boss, Snake is reluctant to fight and tries to figure out the Boss's reasons for defecting. He fails to find out the first few time. Although the Boss is now an enemy of Snake, she spares his life many times. As Snake progresses, he takes on a family of over the top bosses, each with their own unique features. Overall, this game has action, suspense, romance, drama, humor and everything you'll find in a James Bond flick.

The War Online

For the first time, the Metal Gear series go online. The online features include an array of modes, which include sneaking mission, capture mission, rescue mission, team death match and deathmatch. Foe team modes, a headset is highly recommended for better communication and team work. The online play may take some time to get use to, so set the controller setting that is best for your playing abilities. The online play is solid and fun at first, but if your not good, then it is easy to get frustrated and quit, especially if your playing with people out of your level. Luckily, their is a filter system to match players of the same levels as you.

One thing that sets this game from other squad-based shooters, is the lack of a crosshair, which makes it very difficult to aim. Their is an auto-aim, but it's only during 3rd person and you can't get a head shot. I mostly play team deathmatch and capture mission. When things get boring, you'll have to create your own humor within the game and be creative. For example, in the map "city under siege" there are two tall buildings and players would only shoot from roof to roof, similar to pirate ship battles.