“You’re not a snake and I’m not an Ocelot. We’re men, with names...”
This game brings us back to 1964 and places us in the shoes of the original special forces operative: "Naked" Snake, who later becomes Big Boss. Gone are the urban corridor settings of MGS1 & MGS2 (although they do show up from time to time later on), replaced instead by the wilds of the Soviet jungle.
I always see this game ranked as being other's favorite MGS title, and with good reason. The original MGS1 still edges it out for me, but MGS3 is a special game, with many callbacks to what made the first one so great.
The boss fights are again legendary, the setting is fantastic and an enjoyable difference from the others that came before, characters are amazing, and the story is an emotional rollercoaster with an ending that knocks it out of the park.
Playing as Snake again after the "adventures of Raiden and Rose" was a very welcome change for me. And while you may not have Solid Snake and Otacon in this prequel, you are introduced to many new and returning characters such as Volgin, Eva, the Boss, and my personal favorite, young Revolver Ocelot. I cannot help but smile when watching all the interactions with Ocelot throughout the game... especially their last scene. So good!
Without spoiling the ending, the last act of this game is truly a masterclass. From the gameplay/boss fights to its story and music... it is all spectacular and comes together for a nigh perfect climax.
Now I won't say the entire game is perfect, mind you... Kojima continued to innovate and raise the bar, but not everything worked as well as you'd hope - specifically surrounding the survival aspect of the game and the camouflage system. There was a bit too much "menu diving" that halted the game and its action. I'm hoping this is what is focused on in the Remake that was recently announced...but I am very worried how it turns out with no Kojima involvement... I'm crossing my fingers that they leave most of the game untouched and just improve the QoL features and "pretty up" the graphics, but don't try to extend themselves and change too much, potentially ruining it.
As it stands, MGS3 is still a game that holds up incredibly well today, and anyone who wants to jump in to see what this franchise is all about, owes it to themselves to play this title. It stands tall as one of the best video games out there.
This game brings us back to 1964 and places us in the shoes of the original special forces operative: "Naked" Snake, who later becomes Big Boss. Gone are the urban corridor settings of MGS1 & MGS2 (although they do show up from time to time later on), replaced instead by the wilds of the Soviet jungle.
I always see this game ranked as being other's favorite MGS title, and with good reason. The original MGS1 still edges it out for me, but MGS3 is a special game, with many callbacks to what made the first one so great.
The boss fights are again legendary, the setting is fantastic and an enjoyable difference from the others that came before, characters are amazing, and the story is an emotional rollercoaster with an ending that knocks it out of the park.
Playing as Snake again after the "adventures of Raiden and Rose" was a very welcome change for me. And while you may not have Solid Snake and Otacon in this prequel, you are introduced to many new and returning characters such as Volgin, Eva, the Boss, and my personal favorite, young Revolver Ocelot. I cannot help but smile when watching all the interactions with Ocelot throughout the game... especially their last scene. So good!
Without spoiling the ending, the last act of this game is truly a masterclass. From the gameplay/boss fights to its story and music... it is all spectacular and comes together for a nigh perfect climax.
Now I won't say the entire game is perfect, mind you... Kojima continued to innovate and raise the bar, but not everything worked as well as you'd hope - specifically surrounding the survival aspect of the game and the camouflage system. There was a bit too much "menu diving" that halted the game and its action. I'm hoping this is what is focused on in the Remake that was recently announced...but I am very worried how it turns out with no Kojima involvement... I'm crossing my fingers that they leave most of the game untouched and just improve the QoL features and "pretty up" the graphics, but don't try to extend themselves and change too much, potentially ruining it.
As it stands, MGS3 is still a game that holds up incredibly well today, and anyone who wants to jump in to see what this franchise is all about, owes it to themselves to play this title. It stands tall as one of the best video games out there.