Just as MGS2: Sons of Liberty received something of an upgrade after its original release in the form of Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance, so does this latest edition of the series. Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence is a comprehensive compilation of the occurrences in MGS3: Snake Eater plus some gameplay tweaks, a new multiplayer mode and some lovely bonuses. All this comes on the one 3-disc collection.
For those who are uninformed, MGS3 takes the series back to its roots. Where MGS2 left the series in a precarious position, this game goes back to the 1960’s, during the Cold War and you take the role of “Naked Snake”. Who is that? That’s the character that will be later referred to as “Big Boss”. While on a mission to retrieve a Russian scientist, who happens to be working on a huge secret project, Snake comes into trouble when he is confronted by his mentor. The mentor, The Boss, has defected to Russia and the events are leading towards a potential nuclear war. It’s up to Snake to go in and save the day. Basically.
Snake is back, and he's brought along a new camera.
The story isn’t a total screw-around as it was in the previous game. While you will definitely find that it makes more sense this time round, there are still some very stupid and almost incomprehensible things that will happen. Whether it’s because the game is trying to take itself too seriously or whether people are unwilling to accept these oddities, fact remains, this is a video game. Almost. If you haven’t already played it, be prepared for a first couple of hours that are heavily soaked in cutscenes and many more throughout the game. After a while you just want to jump in and play, so the constant distractions will, again, become annoying.
The basic game is pretty much the same as last year’s edition. You’re still playing through the same story. There is one incremental difference though, that actually manages to change a lot of the underlying gameplay. That is, the addition of a new camera system. You start off with the default, fixed camera just as in previous games. However, clicking the R3 button will drop the camera down behind Snake and allow for you to have full control over it. Clicking on the R3 button again will pull the view back to its traditional position.
The good news is that this works even better then you could have imagined. It opens up the game in a way that on the one hand, hasn’t been done before but at the same time, is comfortable enough to feel like it has been there the whole time. It feels intuitive and it never gets in the way. Best of all, you have the option of flipping between both, so you can optimise for the right situation. The only real limitation comes when you’re up against a wall, because you’re left with the old style of camera that only allowed you to move the screen-view a little bit.
This enhances the game because you are now able to observe your horizons in a much easier manner. It makes planning your moves much more of an exercise of skill, rather than trial and error. As you have been stripped your radar, you need to rely much more on what you can see and with this new camera, the game is able to adequately facilitate this.
Some crazy things happen in multiplayer.
Otherwise, the rest of the game is essentially identical to the game that was released last year. It’s not a bad thing, as it once again shows why Metal Gear Solid is among the most popular and enjoyable stealth-action series. MGS3 added aspects to the game such as keeping up your stamina levels, healing your serious injuries and most importantly, use of camouflage. Put this together with solid but unique gameplay mechanics, a much better story and whole lot of fun and you’ve got one of the best that the PS2 has to offer, so long as you can keep awake through the first couple of hours.
There are a couple of other substantial additions to the package that is MGS3: Subsistence. The biggest one is the addition of a new multiplayer component, where you can partake with up to eight players. There are five ways different modes: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture, Rescue and Sneaking. Capture has you taking an object to your team's goal and protecting for a period of time. Rescue has one team protecting a “ducky”, the other trying to escape with it – a mode that is best served with the full set of players. Sneaking rotates one player against everyone else, trying to steal a microfilm as Snake. These modes come across as unique thanks to the MGS style of gameplay and can be quite fun, especially when you’ve managed to get the full set players.
There are only two minor complaints. The manual doesn’t do a very good job of explaining how everything works, or in our case, the sheet of paper that was provided. A little bit too much is left to the player to figure out for themselves. The MGS style of gameplay makes for some unique and crazy situations, such as a player coming across a cardboard box. Do you shoot it and risk exposing your position or risk leaving it? However, the pace of the multiplayer is quite hectic and not always able to keep up with the slightly slower mechanics that are present. It takes a little while adjust and it can be a little overwhelming at times. Otherwise, the multiplayer component is an excellent addition for those who have access to utilizing it.
Beacause you're always likely to find scantily dressed women in warzones
The other extras are good as well. You have a mode that allows you to take on bosses from throughout the game. Furthermore, the original MSX versions of Metal Gear and Metal Gear II, which started off the series and never had PAL releases. The ports are solid and make for an excellent collectors item and if you’ve started the series with MGS, it’s good to see where the series started. Finally, you have on the third disc, a collection of the cinematics from the game and almost turn the game into something of a movie. It’s the aforementioned extras that make the selling point for the game. If you’re a MGS fan who was burnt by MGS2, then Subsistence goes a long way to make up for it. This set also has great value to collectors.
Visually, the game was easily one of the best on the PS2 and even in the twilight of the system, it’s just as compelling now as it was last year. The new camera fits in superbly and the visuals in the multiplayer are surprisingly detailed. Not quite up to the single player but pretty good nonetheless. Sound-wise, the game still leads the way with excellent voice work, excellent music and a deep array of both serious and quirky sound effects. Both the visuals and the sounds do an excellent job of conveying a unique experience.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence adds to what was already an excellent game, some excellent improvements and goodies. While it still comes of as silly and there was nothing really “fixed”, it still manages to stand out as one of the best experiences for the PS2. However, as good as the package is, unless you’re an avid gamer or collector, the value of this game is diminished if you’ve already played Snake Eater. If you’ve haven’t, you’ve been missing out all this time.
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