It's finally over... No wait
If you've ever played Metal Gear Solid then I'm sure you are familiar with the title above. MGS is known for several things: stealth action, good visuals, cinematic presentation, and the enumeration of plot twists which leave you saying, "huh?"
If you were a fan of the previous installments of the series then you are human; however, if you can summarize the entire plot of the series in under five hours, then you are no mere mortal. Hideo Kojima and company have managed to somehow create another story line in the MGS universe even more convoluted than its predecessor; Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater.
I tried to follow along.. oh how I tried, but Kojima's boat of continuity was just a shadow on the horizon as I was left to drown in the sea of confusion. Just when I thought I had a grasp on the story, it seemed that Snake Eater would say, "Um... I don't think so."
For the twenty or so hours I spent playing MGS:SE, it was a lot of the same: hiding in tall grass, hiding in short grass, hiding behind trees, hiding in trees. While this may seem like a dream come true if you are Ted Nugent, there was definitely something left to be desired.
The team behind MGS:SE did a great job with the addition of the food, first aid, and camouflage system; however, the same amount of attention should have been paid to the action. I'll explain... the action consists of a lot of trial and error. One level in particular I spent 30 minutes trying numerous times to gain entry to a heavily guarded building. I would attempt a route, be detected, killed, and start again. Try another route, become a target, die, and try again... starting to get the picture?
Another issue is the balance. While the camouflage is a great innovation, I'd rather not spend every five minutes worrying about whether I should be wearing the "tree bark" or the "forest" camo. The pacing is also a problem, having to pause the game and enter the "camouflage" menu every time you need to change your outfit really takes away from the tension of the stealth action. This same type of issue is apparent with the first aid feature as well. I found during the boss battles I would have to pause the game to go to the "cure" menu and administer first aid nearly every other time a boss successfully attacked.
In closing, Snake Eater is definitely the best looking title in the MGS series (and maybe the PS2). Is it the better than the MGS first released on the PSOne or rereleased on the Gamecube? Probably not. Will you buy it because it is the latest Metal Gear Solid title? Probably.
If you were a fan of the previous installments of the series then you are human; however, if you can summarize the entire plot of the series in under five hours, then you are no mere mortal. Hideo Kojima and company have managed to somehow create another story line in the MGS universe even more convoluted than its predecessor; Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater.
I tried to follow along.. oh how I tried, but Kojima's boat of continuity was just a shadow on the horizon as I was left to drown in the sea of confusion. Just when I thought I had a grasp on the story, it seemed that Snake Eater would say, "Um... I don't think so."
For the twenty or so hours I spent playing MGS:SE, it was a lot of the same: hiding in tall grass, hiding in short grass, hiding behind trees, hiding in trees. While this may seem like a dream come true if you are Ted Nugent, there was definitely something left to be desired.
The team behind MGS:SE did a great job with the addition of the food, first aid, and camouflage system; however, the same amount of attention should have been paid to the action. I'll explain... the action consists of a lot of trial and error. One level in particular I spent 30 minutes trying numerous times to gain entry to a heavily guarded building. I would attempt a route, be detected, killed, and start again. Try another route, become a target, die, and try again... starting to get the picture?
Another issue is the balance. While the camouflage is a great innovation, I'd rather not spend every five minutes worrying about whether I should be wearing the "tree bark" or the "forest" camo. The pacing is also a problem, having to pause the game and enter the "camouflage" menu every time you need to change your outfit really takes away from the tension of the stealth action. This same type of issue is apparent with the first aid feature as well. I found during the boss battles I would have to pause the game to go to the "cure" menu and administer first aid nearly every other time a boss successfully attacked.
In closing, Snake Eater is definitely the best looking title in the MGS series (and maybe the PS2). Is it the better than the MGS first released on the PSOne or rereleased on the Gamecube? Probably not. Will you buy it because it is the latest Metal Gear Solid title? Probably.
posted by Garry at 3:46 AM
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