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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great game, okay guide, March 15, 2006
This review is from: Metal Gear Solid 3(R): Snake Eater(TM) Limited Edition Strategy Guide (Paperback)
Alright, so I have to say, this guide was a bit... average. While the maps were excellent, the secrets section and boss strategies were lacking. In fact, strategy was lacking throughout. They didn't even attempt to get you through the game without being seen or without killing anyone, which is the real challenge. I know how to run around killing everybody, I don't need that.
Metal Gear Solid 3 was a game that really encourages innovative use of the environment and your abilities to get around obstacles, and this guide didn't play to those strengths. I discovered more ways to kill the boss on my own then the guide told me about. It felt like it was a compilation of all the radio conversations you have with your support team. There was nothing new, really.
Finally, it was lacking in terms of secrets. Metal Gear Solid 3 was packed with secrets. This had only the most obvious.
It does get a thumbs up for the interviews in the back, those were very cool, and it is a strategy guide, but c'mon, give me a bit more.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Nice Metal Gear Solid Collector's Package, May 26, 2007
This review is from: Metal Gear Solid 3(R): Snake Eater(TM) Limited Edition Strategy Guide (Paperback)
This strategy guide is a good companion for the game, but certainly targeted more at avid fans. No doubt, collectors will take interest in the (included) Art of Metal Gear Solid book, which contains concept art, and sketches from all the MGS games, while the guide could have used some improvement, and been a bit more thorough in some places. Allot of the notations in the art book are in japanese and untranslated, but that's a fairly nit-picky complaint; overall, it's a nice collection of sketches and concept art from each game, and has been pretty well put together. As for the guide it's self, differences between the standard and special edition guides themselves are cosmetic. The limited edition guide has a different cover than the standard guide, but the contents are identical. In general, the guide covers all the bases, and contains everything you would expect and demand of a good guide. It gives recommendations on which animals provide the best health and stamina recovery, and lets you know which ones are worth hunting and which aren't. It is thorough, and the strategies and tactics are generally sound and useful. Enemies, weapons, and item lists, kerotan locations (for those hunting them) annotated maps, along with puzzle solutions, boss strategies, and even interviews with key members of the MGS3 development team are also included. Organization could have been a bit better (more on that in a minute), but it's not a big problem overall. Presentation, and production values on this guide are very good, and the guide is very nice overall.
What I didn't like however is how the items and enemies lists, are sandwiched together in the front of the book. The maps preface each chapter which can demand some flipping back and forth, but they are detailed, annotated, and quite useful. The maps could have been more useful if they had marked the guard's positions, along with their patrol routes. Brady has done a better job with maps in their MGS 2: Sons of Liberty, and MGS2: Substance guides, so it's disappointing to see them not uphold that standard of quality here, but the maps are still detailed and useful enough that it's not a deal breaker. A more significant problem is that the guide makes little effort to lead you through the game with minimal enemy discoveries. The walkthrough doesn't provide allot of suggestions on how to most effectively use stealth, or the environment, which is where most of this game's challenge and innovations lie. MGS's gameplay doesn't encourage "run n' gun" tactics, and it would have been nice to see the guide play more to those strengths than conventional shooter tactics. The boss strategies, and secrets sections are also a bit sparse, and could have been more comprehensive than simply pointing out the most obvious. Also, this edition is quite pricey (about thirty dollars retail), and while used copies can be acquired for more reasonable prices, collectors after one in good, or mint condition can still expect to see somewhat elevated prices. Overall though, this is a good guide; deciding whether or not you want it, or whether or not the limited edition guide is worth the money for you will depend quite heavily on how much of a Metal Gear Solid fan you are, how you are playing the game, and whether or not you bought the game as a permanent addition to your collection. For casual fans, it might be worth your money if you chance across one in a second hand outlet, but this guide will be a rare sight in such places, so you might be better off with the standard edition which remains fairly common, and more reasonably priced. But for fans of the franchise, and collectors who have every MGS game and guide, it's pretty much a must have item.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
For really big fans, June 30, 2005
This review is from: Metal Gear Solid 3(R): Snake Eater(TM) Limited Edition Strategy Guide (Paperback)
I really wanted to get the limited edition just because of the artbook, but there were other things i found out that surprised me. First off, the "strategy guide" itself doesnt look exactly the same as the regular one, it has a different cover front and back, and im not talking about the outside cover. You know of course, the strategy has everything you need for the game. But my favorite is the artbook. It was way better than I thought it would be, but without spoiling to much, some of the sketches go full depth into how some suits work and what some of the bosses carry on them, really interesting stuff. The only downside I would give this whole thing would be that the artbook is written in 90% Japanese notes. But hey, these really are original sketches so its not even a big deal. If you really need to, go to translate/com. If you own all MGS games, I strongly suggest you buy this book
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