So just what is this tactical espionage action business?
For those uninitiated in the stealth hijinks found in past Metal Gear Solid games, Snake Eater places the player in an environment full of hostiles, and asks them to get out of the situation without being seen. While shooting your way out of situations is possible, the best method is always the quiet approach – a tranquilizer dart to the back of the head being the usual way. This time around though, the setting isn’t an urban fortress, but a thick Russian jungle (for the most part).
Snake fires up.
The storyline in Snake Eater is one of the game’s strongest assets. You take control of Snake, espionage expert extraordinaire, during the 1960s. The Cold War is the backdrop for the strong narrative, full of the usual zigs and zags you expect from Metal Gear Solid. Your mission (initially, anyway) is to infiltrate a base located deep in Russian territory, in order to rescue a scientist, Dr. Sokolov. The good doctor is being forced against his will to create a ‘Shagohod’ – a moving weapons platform of doom, so to speak. Things quickly become much more complex, but it’s best you discover it all for yourself.
Erm… Snake Eater?
Thankfully, Snake Eater is not just a regurgitated copy of Sons of Liberty with a new storyline. Snake’s survival is imperative here, and the game pushes it throughout the game. Much has changed from the last outing, with the first big change being the complete removal of the radar on all difficulty levels. Gulp. In order to make up for this obvious deficiency, Snake is fitted out with a map, sonar technology, a motion sensor, and the concept of camouflage, which plays a huge role during the game. In the top right hand corner of the screen is Snake’s current camouflage level. Through changing into various suits and using different face paint styles, Snake’s camouflage meter increases or decreases, with higher levels meaning Snake is basically invisible to the enemy. An example of this would be wearing forest face paint, along with a tree bark suit, while lying in long grass. This makes Snake basically invisible to the enemy, unless they are actively looking for him. Conversely, standing in the open forest while wearing a white lab coat will see you spotted instantly – and rightly so.
Another big addition, as you could probably expect from the game’s subtitle, is eating. Snake has been fitted out with a stamina bar, which drains constantly as you play. If the bar drops too far, Snake begins to become slower and less effective, before, well, dying. In order to prevent this, Snake must slay some of the local wildlife found in the game in order for a snack. Everything from snakes (obviously) to rats and frogs are fair game. Thankfully, the speed at which stamina decreases has been perfectly judged. Snake doesn’t get a bout of the munchies every thirty seconds, but, at the same time, he needs to eat often enough to prevent the whole thing from being a meaningless addition.
Adding to the whole survival aspect is the neat addition of first aid. If Snake is injured, he can patch himself up. Bullets wounds, cuts and fractured bones are all common injuries, and if they aren’t treated quickly then Snake will end up dead in record time. Snake can disinfect cuts, use cold medicine and even apply bandages to wounds. The odd thing is that they can be performed at any time through the start menu, regardless of the fact that a boss is just meters away, firing a stream of bullets straight at you. Perhaps it would have been a better idea to make Snake hide and then perform the necessary actions.
The final big change comes in the form of close quarters combat – CQC for short. Snake can flip opponents in a variety of ways, hold them up for information, or slit their throat with his trusty combat knife. It’s definitely a worthwhile addition, but something that only experienced campaigners will probably use, as shooting a guard in the head is far easier thanks to the somewhat clunky controls.
No, don’t lay down, run!
The biggest problem with Snake Eater is that the basic controls haven’t really changed since the first game. While they aren’t hopeless by any means, they just aren’t quite as responsive as they should be in this day and age. Snake will often get caught up on trees, press against walls accidentally, and, worst of all, lay down when you want him to run, thanks to the X button being really picky at times. Still, a few hours practice with the game will see most gamers coming to grips with the faults and learning to compensate for them, so it isn’t game-destroying.
Enemy AI has been greatly improved since the last outing. No longer does hiding for a few seconds make the local guards forget about you – after they initially spot you, they will search the area up and down for a minute, and then go into an even longer caution period. And unless you can find a good place to hide where they can’t physically see you, they will hunt you down. Getting spotted is now a big penalty, rather than just a momentary hassle like it was in the last games.
However, it must be said that it is often easier to just shoot your way out of a situation, as they couldn’t shoot accurately to save their lives. Kill enough guards, and the timer eventually goes away. Indeed, Snake can even run straight through areas regardless of being seen and the alert will reset because the next area triggers a cut scene. It can just defeat the whole purpose of the game, unfortunately. But, despite this, the sense of imminent danger doesn’t go away. You will still try and play the game as intended – sneaking through long grass, silently capping hapless opponents, and infiltrating that gigantic base. And you will love every moment of it, because it is absolutely fantastic.
This guy couldn’t shoot his way out of a cardboard box.
Boss fights play a huge role in the game, but they are typically hit and miss. One of the hits is an absolutely fantastic sniper battle, which takes place over several levels. The biggest problem is that they are just too easy – especially once you find their weak point. Most can be beaten on the first try, unfortunately.
The first two games copped a lot of flack because of the number of cut scenes and codec sequences in the game. Thankfully, the inanimate codec – now called a radio – sequences are minimal, with the bulk of the story being told during the cut scenes. These can often be long – but are nowhere near their length in previous games. They are also much further apart, so after the initial hour or two of the game is completed, there is much more game than there are cut scenes.
Cut scene, take 1
Snake Eater is a joy to look at, despite the various shades of brown you will encounter in the jungle. The best work here is the cut scene direction, which is brilliant. There are a number of hand-to-hand fights that occur, and you will swear they were real. Some of the scenes featuring some firearms action could have been pulled straight out of a John Woo movie. All characters – cut-scene or in game – have been modeled superbly, and are arguably the best human models seen on the PS2. The faces display real emotion, which is rare for a game. The environments generally look superb, except for the odd level or two that look like an afterthought. The feel of the jungle has been captured superbly, with overwhelming trees surrounding Snake, complete with leaves as high as the eye can see.
The only somewhat significant disappointment here is the camera. It follows Snake from a fixed rail, and can be manipulated to pan in any direction – but not very far. It becomes a real issue when you have to run back into the camera, which is very often. A lock-on third-person camera could have been very useful here.
Snake? Snake!? SNAAAKKKEEE!?!!!
As usual, the voice acting in Snake Eater is top notch – hell, it’s probably some of the best you will find in a game. All characters are utterly convincing, if occasionally long-winded. David Hayter reprises his role as Snake here, and reminds us how important he is to the series. The one questionable decision here is that even Russian characters have an American accent. Zuh?
The score and effects are just as good. Birds or crickets chirp in the jungle, depending on the time of day, while guns let off thunderous cracks from first-person view. Even the sound of silence is at its most convincing here, adding to the atmosphere that Snake may be spotted at any moment. Another fantastic audio performance from Konami.
Short and sweet
The Metal Gear Solid series is infamous for its short playtime, and Snake Eater doesn’t significantly change this. It is certainly longer than its predecessors, and your first run through should take between 12 and 16 hours, presuming you choose a difficulty level of normal or above – which you really, really should if you want value for money. The length is perfect for the game though, as anything extra would have only really been pointless filler.
Of course, there is a plethora of reasons to keep playing the game, with countless secrets to uncover. There is an odd Snake vs. Monkey mode too, which sees Snake hunt down some Ape Escape monkeys in the forest. Maybe something our staff member Chris would enjoy, but not something with a lot of long term appeal. Duel mode will also appear on completion of the game, which will allow you to tackle bosses at your leisure. Most people may not want to return after completion, but there is plenty here for those who do.
Snake Eater summed up in one picture.
Come back alive, Snake.
Snake Eater is easily the best game in the Metal Gear Solid series, and quite possibly the best game full stop on the PS2. It looks and sounds brilliant, and has a unique style of gameplay that no other game has been able to match. Its flaws are incredibly minor, and many people won’t even notice them – they will be too wrapped up in the games blistering story to care. If you own a PS2, you need this game. If you don’t… Well, this as good a reason as you will get.
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