Shame that it took getting death threats after MGS2 to do it, but Kojima finally just sitting down and earnestly trying to make an enjoyable game was the best thing could have happened to him. MGS 3 is the game I recommend to people who don't understand why people like these games so much, it's perfectly paced, the cutscenes are long and goofy but they're based almost entirely on what's going on in the game, and the animations are excellent.

The soundtrack absolutely blasts, it gives you just enough space to really enjoy all the trademark weird Kojima details, the enemy sight lines make more sense and are generally forgiving enough to understand, it's got three of the best boss fights ever conceived (all very different from each other), the 60s Bond homages are terrific and fun. It's just a great game, and it balances a camp silliness through most the runtime with one of the most sobering, tragic and truly emotionally affecting endings in the history of the medium. It's as close to perfect as any action game has ever gotten.