Dynafire has 132 chronicles

1. My Top Ten Favorite Games of All-Time pt.3
   

   Player Chronicle -- Posted on Nov 16 2008

   Metal Gear Solid is a great series. So great, in fact, that I would have liked to include the entire metal gear saga into my top 10, but that would take up at least half the slots, and make me do a top 15 instead. Rather, I'm going to write about the one I enjoyed the most. (keep in mind that I haven't played MGS4 yet)
   
   Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is actually one of the first games in the series, chronologically speaking. I'm not certain where it lands in the timeline specifically, but it's much earlier than MGS or MGS2.
   
   Anyway, all the Metal Gear games have the same basic premise - you are sent in to some remote location on a simple mission, only to have things get incredibly complicated, and ultimately destroy some huge machine, be it a Metal Gear or something similar. The gameplay relies heavily on being stealthy, rather than running around blasting guards, and is more like playing a movie than a game. There are a ton of cutscenes that tell a great story, and they look extremely good for a PS2 game.
   
   A very subtle part of MGS3 is keeping yourself nourished. You have your standard health bar, and then you have your stamina bar. When your stamina gets low, your hands will shake while aiming, and your stomach will start grumbling which can alert nearby guards. You nourish yourself by eating animals that you find in the environment. You can either kill them or capture them, then eat them at your leisure. The downside to killing them is that they will go bad (captured animals don't), and harm you if they spoil. Likewise, not all animals are good for you. It takes a bit of trial and error to figure out what is good for you and what isn't, but if you eat something enough times, you'll gain a tolerance to it. Furthermore, time continues to lapse even when you turn the system off, which means that you'll likely have to toss all your food when you load an old game. (or you can set the system clock back if you want to cheat)
   
   There is another neat feature that makes this game stand out from the others - camouflage. Seeing as how the game is set in the '60s (IIRC), you obviously don't have access to the kind of technology you had in MGS1 & 2 that keeps you stealthy. Certain patterns work better in certain environments. It's kind of annoying having to constantly switch it up, but thankfully the menus load pretty quick, and it doesn't take long.
   
   This game also has one of the longest boss battles ever, and it's not even the final boss. A few hours into the game, you will have to battle a sniper. This sniper doesn't just run around in the open while you shoot at him - he's hidden and camouflaged very well and will shoot you and move if he spots you before you spot him. The battle takes place over three separate sections of one large area, and he moves between the three. Your goal is to stay hidden while using your various gadgetry (the directional microphone works wonders in this fight) to locate him, get a shot in, and find him again. This battle took me about an hour and fifteen minutes to complete the first time, and I loved every tense moment of it.
   
   If you haven't experienced these games yet, you're in luck. There is a "Metal Gear Solid: The Essentials" box set that comes with MGS, MGS2, and MGS3 all for $30. I've heard that bonus content such as the VR missions from MGS, and Snake vs. Monkey from MGS3 were removed, but it's still an amazing deal.

   
   

   ---

   Send To A Friend

Dynafire has 1 comment on this chronicle.

1. cableguy
   Posted On Nov 16 2008

   MMmmmm MGS goodness.