I’m of the opinion that every gamer has at least one mainstream gaming franchise they never bought into. You know, that game that makes all your friends exclaim “you’ve never played it before!?” when it comes into conversation.
Alas, I must admit that one of my never-played franchises was the Metal Gear Solid series. I don’t really know why I never played it before, nor did I have any sort of prejudice against it. I just never got exposed or drawn to it – until Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D launched on the Nintendo 3DS.
I was rather excited about playing my first Metal Gear Solid game and finally finding out what all the fuss is about. Moreover I was interested in seeing how this game would fare on the 3DS and how it utilises the unique capabilities of Nintendo’s newest console.
Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D is but one of the numerous remakes of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater that launched on the PlayStation 2 in 2005. Although it’s the third instalment it acts as a prequel to the series – making it a somewhat accessible entry point for newcomers like myself.
Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater 3D
The story makes no assumptions about the player’s previous experience with Snake, the main character of the story. While you can play the game without having played Metal Gear Solid 1 or 2, the ending of Snake Eater 3D ties into the other games and you might not get every reference towards the end. Luckily there’s nothing Wikipedia can’t tell you.
The game takes place during the Cold War era in a jungle somewhere in the Soviet Union. While there are mentions of real world events most of the story and locations are pure fiction.
As the game starts I was forced to figure out most of the menu interface and controls by myself. The entire HUD, weapon selection, items and map appear on the bottom touchscreen of the 3DS leaving the main 3D display clear of clutter.
The touchscreen allows players to easily swap between weapons or access the various menu options. While it gives you quick access to some of the most frequently used weapons and items you’ll still need to bring the game to a complete halt if there’s something else you want to take out of the backpack.
The default control configuration uses the circle pad to move, the L button to shoot and the X, A, B and Y buttons to control the camera. Let’s be clear – this is a rubbish configuration and I can’t advise anyone to play this game without investing in a Circle Pad Pro. The Circle Pad Pro adds an additional circle pad to the right of the 3DS and turns the console into a full scale ‘traditional’ controller with two analogue sticks and four trigger buttons. While not required to play the game, the Circle Pad Pro is really comfortable and will greatly enhance the experience.
Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater 3D
As I started getting used to the controls and making my way through the jungle, I began noticing a few peculiar visual facets of the game. First – the 3D has a significant impact on the way you perceive the environment. The stereoscopic effects make it easier to estimate the distance between you and your unsuspecting victim as well as clearly distinguishing items from the forest background.
Like most 3DS games the 3D effects are primarily used to create depth into the screen instead of constantly having things pop out of the screen and into your face. The 3D effects are well executed and playing the game in 2D just isn’t the same. Unfortunately the 3D does little to hide some of the more serious graphical issues in the game. The biggest concern is the dated textures. While the character models can give any HD-console a good run for its money Snake often looks out of place against the dreadful textures used on the walls, trees and forest floor.
The other major issue is that the frame rate drops during intense scenes. This has been a persistent problem in Metal Gear Solid games and I think it has more to do with bad programming than the limitations of the 3DS. Either way – low frame rates aren’t appealing and should never happen.
On top of these graphical problems you’ll also need to deal with the high amount of detail that has to be crammed into the relatively small 3DS screen. It’s a constant barrage of green and brown as Snake explores jungles. Trying to land a headshot on a distant enemy is often down to focussing on one or two pixels.
Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater 3D
After completing the first section the game treats you to a marathon of cutscenes that provide background information and outline your main objective. These scenes are plagued with bad voice acting that’s splattered onto unsynchronized lips which forced me to mute the sound and read the subtitles.
After what feels like an eternity of cutscenes (seriously, I was wondering if I’ll ever get the chance to play again) my 3DS started blinking red which means the battery will give away any second. In a frenzy I tapped through the menu looking for the ‘save’ option – just to discover that I have to sit through another poorly voiced two-minute dialogue every time I want to record my progress.
At this stage I was pretty negative. The game started revealing its true age in visuals as well as design. The game feels old – the map keeps the player boxed in without allowing free exploration, the menu system is sluggish and the excessive amount of cutscenes can be frustrating.
But then something odd happened – the plot took over and I couldn’t put the console down. Out of nowhere the story takes a dramatic turn and kept me captivated through tight escapes and adrenaline filled action.
The eccentric cast of characters adds a unique flair to this otherwise militaristic game. The game features a spectacular line-up of boss fights that plays out in some of the best settings I’ve ever encountered in a video game. The actual story of Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D is what kept me returning to the game. You learn to live with the dated feel of the interface just for the sake of finding out what will happen next. Good plots are becoming increasingly uncommon in modern games and it’s nice to still be able to play titles that know what video gaming is about.
Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater 3D
So herein lies my dilemma; Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D is a splendid game because of the great story, the unique characters and the stealthy gameplay elements. However, it can be critiqued on the dated nature of the environments, the sluggish interface settings, the cumbersome save system and the graphical concerns.
Is Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D on the Nintendo 3DS the best interpretation of Metal Gear Solid 3? What’s better – trading the 3D effects and bottom touchscreen for a bigger screen and greater graphics performance; something that Metal Gear Solid HD Collection on the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 can offer?
Tough decision – but I think Metal Gear Solid 3 is good enough to be replayed on both a hand-held and home console.
