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 | Product OverviewFrom the critically acclaimed director, Hideo Kojima, a new 3D experience re-imagined from one of the most popular Metal Gear Solid titles from the past, comes METAL GEAR SOLID SNAKE EATER 3D. Features
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Product Description
From the critically acclaimed director, Hideo Kojima, a new 3D experience re-imagined from one of the most popular Metal Gear Solid titles from the past, comes Metal Gear Solid 3D Snake Eater.
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29 of 36 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
Fun:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Maybe I'm just a jaded oldschool gamer, but when I see a full-fledged, massive PS2 game ported so faithfully to a portable handheld, as "Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D", I come away impressed if not in awe. In fact, there are enough thoughtful additions and enhancements over the original game to call this more of a remake. Yeah there's a blurry texture here or there, and yeah there are times when I'm ruefully reminded of how inaccessible the Metal Gear Solid games tend to control (this is not a 3DS exclusive problem, trust me) -- there is even some unfortunate slowdown -- but Snake Eater's character driven cutscenes, it's fully realized jungle-sneaking gameplay and it's enthralling "what if" scenario set in real world wartime history hold up extremely well even today. There's a reason why so many MGS fans consider this the pinnacle of Konami/Hideo Kojima's venerable series, and it's not just because it sets up the rest of the entries so well. There are so many memorable scenes and characters; so much quotable quirky humor. So sophisticated is the stealth-espionage gameplay of Snake Eater that it's truly hard to go back and play the previous ones, as they now feel like mere foundational shells upon which this masterpiece was built from: Ironic when you consider that it actually comes before all the rest in the timeline.
Agent Jack, codenamed "Naked Snake" by his fellow CIA "Fox" operatives back in the States, is on a one-man mission in Soviet Russia during the 1960s Cuban Missile Crisis to secure the safety of one Russian weapons scientist and gather info on a dangerous secret weapon being developed there. But what sounds like a straightforward rescue and intel mission at first glance soon turns into a complex moral war of backstabbing double-agents and defective patriotism, and is further complicated by a renegade gang of powerful mercenaries, all vying for that all important upper hand in the Cold War. The game does a fine job of recreating, allegorically, the high stakes tension and distrust the world powers faced at the time, mirrored here through the nervous relationships of the main characters and their hopeless, unrealistic worldly ambitions. All of this tension further feeds into the gameplay itself where Snake must deeply infiltrate the unknown dangers of a foreign land and do so without leaving a trace, or at least, that's the plan.
Like previous entries in the series, Snake is better armed while sneaking around in a cardboard box than by brandishing a gun; more lethal with a well placed trap than an all out assault, and he is more successful nurturing patience over power. And like previous entries in the series, his style is not for everyone. If slowly observing your surroundings and carrying out small methodical maneuvers to bated satisfaction doesn't sound like your idea of fun, then maybe "Metal Gear" just isn't for you. There's an unfriendly pacing to it all, a strong learning curve especially if you're a newcomer. But fans know that it all pays off when you get that grand sense of reassurance that everything you waited for, planned for, worked like clock work in the end. There's no greater feeling of accomplishment in this game than when you: clear a scene without being found, utilize all the tools at your disposal to do so, and come away with new toys, found in the environment, to do it all again better in the next one. "Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater" asks alot from the player, but it also rewards them greatly when they answer the call. It's a far more personal feeling of achievement that a 20 head-shot kill in your standard shooter could ever give, in my opinion, because you actually do feel just like the badass spy you're portraying.
While Snake is more used to the urban and mechanical landscapes from previous outings -- flattening against building walls and shorting out security cameras -- Metal Gear Solid 3 mostly takes place in an organic jungle, and there's a strong emphasis here on survival in it. The change of backdrop not only freshens the locale and visuals, it inherently revitalizes the gameplay. Snake is sent in with very little on person and he must obtain whatever else he needs from his surrounding environment. Whether that be ammo or nourishment, there is a constant threat to Snake's health if the player doesn't carefully monitor his (constantly draining) stamina, keep his weapons loaded and alleviate his injuries from battle. There is an impressive amount of detail put into the jungle itself to make it feel alive. Snakes slither through the grass, birds fly off when you near them (and can give away your position if you're not careful), and frogs and crabs scuttle across the ground. All of this not only adds to the illusion of the jungle but these animals and plants actually feed Snake along the way and can be captured alive with the tranquilizer gun so that they don't rot.
Eat a rotten food item and you may get a stomach ache, (even vomit: which is loud); Take a bullet from a guard's rifle, and you'll need to: dig out the bullet, stitch it up, apply disinfectant and gauze and finally close off the wound from the air with a bandage. If you're poisoned from venom, you'll need the antidote. Medical care is another aspect of the whole survival motif here, and it's this type of deep micro management that adds another layer of strategy to the stealth gameplay. If you're leaving trails of blood everywhere or your stomach is growling when an enemy is near, you're doing it wrong. You would think this would be an annoying aspect to manage every time you're shot, for instance, but because this injury management is so quickly accessed from the touchscreen, it's usually just second nature once the player knows exactly how to treat a given wound and has the resources for it. Okay it's a little annoying after awhile...
Where Snake use to get by crouching behind crates and hanging off of railings, (he can still do this in some areas), he must now utilize the cover of foliage, the depth of water and more importantly, the advent of camouflage. Snake not only has a number of ways to physically hide within a setting, but he now has the opportunity to blend into it. He can change patterned outfits practically on the fly (especially with the added touch screen features of the 3DS), and can paint his face different colors. He can also wear certain disguises or costumes to fit into different situations.
This flexibility in Snake's appearance is also crucial to his success, in that many of Snake's futuristic hand-holding tools from the later games in the timeline are stripped from him here for historical accuracy (no hand radars here for instance), but that only means the player must use what archaic tools they do have in more clever ways, and the camouflages totally open up these possibilities and fits nicely with this new jungle setting. Find yourself stuck in a thicket of tall grass? Switch to a green outfit with a lined pattern... Crawling in the dark? Paint Snake's face black. Or switch to a rain-patterned getup to blend into the bad weather. The Camouflage system is easily one of MGS3's most venerable additions to the series. While it's unfortunate it's effectiveness in a given environment is almost wholly determined by a mere number readout in the upper corner (there are some ridiculous instances where enemies CANNOT spot you if you are at 100% blend no matter if they are right on top of you), it is simply great fun guessing which suits to put on in what environments and realizing you were right.
This customization is further bolstered wonderfully by the 3DS camera enhancements. Using preshot photos from the SD card, a user can upload a part of their image and use it as custom camouflage. You can even pause the gameplay to take a brand new one and use that. And when you acquire the in-game camera, you can actually take pictures of textures from in the game and use those to create new camo. It's certainly a neat addition, and works better than probably expected. There is the occasional result that actually turns out worse than the camo you're already wearing, and far too often the game would read my images as "too green", but I actually did create several good custom camos that gave me 100% blend in certain key areas.
While we're on the subject of 3DS enhancements to this edition, I just want to come out and say that the 3D is well done, but subtle. The visuals, though dated in spots (this is no Revelations), still have a realistic vibe by themselves. But the 3D not only breathes life into the jungle, it gives the gameplay a breath of fresh air. One of my biggest frustrations with the original game was that whenever you snuck into grass sections, you would automatically be put into first person, and it was very hard to view your surroundings in this state (this was before the free form camera of "Subsistence"). It was so hard to determine how much grass was still covering you without moving to separate the blades in your view. While you still are forced into first-person, the grass looks AMAZING in 3D. I can tell exactly how far away I am from that poisonous python shifting around in the distance, and because of this I am much less likely to accidentally stumble onto him, get bitten and alert the guards nearby. You can make out every little blade of grass in the depth spectrum. Very nice indeed.
The addition of 3D not only enhances the overall gameplay but it makes the awesome cutscenes more cinematic than ever. There was clear thought put into how these dramatic scenes would translate to the 3D space, and there are several slick pop-out moments where things are emphasized in front of the view to great effect. It never feels gimmicky, only makes it all the more awesome (and I can't gush enough how well directed the cutscenes and the character voice acting already is. Read more ›
Agent Jack, codenamed "Naked Snake" by his fellow CIA "Fox" operatives back in the States, is on a one-man mission in Soviet Russia during the 1960s Cuban Missile Crisis to secure the safety of one Russian weapons scientist and gather info on a dangerous secret weapon being developed there. But what sounds like a straightforward rescue and intel mission at first glance soon turns into a complex moral war of backstabbing double-agents and defective patriotism, and is further complicated by a renegade gang of powerful mercenaries, all vying for that all important upper hand in the Cold War. The game does a fine job of recreating, allegorically, the high stakes tension and distrust the world powers faced at the time, mirrored here through the nervous relationships of the main characters and their hopeless, unrealistic worldly ambitions. All of this tension further feeds into the gameplay itself where Snake must deeply infiltrate the unknown dangers of a foreign land and do so without leaving a trace, or at least, that's the plan.
Like previous entries in the series, Snake is better armed while sneaking around in a cardboard box than by brandishing a gun; more lethal with a well placed trap than an all out assault, and he is more successful nurturing patience over power. And like previous entries in the series, his style is not for everyone. If slowly observing your surroundings and carrying out small methodical maneuvers to bated satisfaction doesn't sound like your idea of fun, then maybe "Metal Gear" just isn't for you. There's an unfriendly pacing to it all, a strong learning curve especially if you're a newcomer. But fans know that it all pays off when you get that grand sense of reassurance that everything you waited for, planned for, worked like clock work in the end. There's no greater feeling of accomplishment in this game than when you: clear a scene without being found, utilize all the tools at your disposal to do so, and come away with new toys, found in the environment, to do it all again better in the next one. "Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater" asks alot from the player, but it also rewards them greatly when they answer the call. It's a far more personal feeling of achievement that a 20 head-shot kill in your standard shooter could ever give, in my opinion, because you actually do feel just like the badass spy you're portraying.
While Snake is more used to the urban and mechanical landscapes from previous outings -- flattening against building walls and shorting out security cameras -- Metal Gear Solid 3 mostly takes place in an organic jungle, and there's a strong emphasis here on survival in it. The change of backdrop not only freshens the locale and visuals, it inherently revitalizes the gameplay. Snake is sent in with very little on person and he must obtain whatever else he needs from his surrounding environment. Whether that be ammo or nourishment, there is a constant threat to Snake's health if the player doesn't carefully monitor his (constantly draining) stamina, keep his weapons loaded and alleviate his injuries from battle. There is an impressive amount of detail put into the jungle itself to make it feel alive. Snakes slither through the grass, birds fly off when you near them (and can give away your position if you're not careful), and frogs and crabs scuttle across the ground. All of this not only adds to the illusion of the jungle but these animals and plants actually feed Snake along the way and can be captured alive with the tranquilizer gun so that they don't rot.
Eat a rotten food item and you may get a stomach ache, (even vomit: which is loud); Take a bullet from a guard's rifle, and you'll need to: dig out the bullet, stitch it up, apply disinfectant and gauze and finally close off the wound from the air with a bandage. If you're poisoned from venom, you'll need the antidote. Medical care is another aspect of the whole survival motif here, and it's this type of deep micro management that adds another layer of strategy to the stealth gameplay. If you're leaving trails of blood everywhere or your stomach is growling when an enemy is near, you're doing it wrong. You would think this would be an annoying aspect to manage every time you're shot, for instance, but because this injury management is so quickly accessed from the touchscreen, it's usually just second nature once the player knows exactly how to treat a given wound and has the resources for it. Okay it's a little annoying after awhile...
Where Snake use to get by crouching behind crates and hanging off of railings, (he can still do this in some areas), he must now utilize the cover of foliage, the depth of water and more importantly, the advent of camouflage. Snake not only has a number of ways to physically hide within a setting, but he now has the opportunity to blend into it. He can change patterned outfits practically on the fly (especially with the added touch screen features of the 3DS), and can paint his face different colors. He can also wear certain disguises or costumes to fit into different situations.
This flexibility in Snake's appearance is also crucial to his success, in that many of Snake's futuristic hand-holding tools from the later games in the timeline are stripped from him here for historical accuracy (no hand radars here for instance), but that only means the player must use what archaic tools they do have in more clever ways, and the camouflages totally open up these possibilities and fits nicely with this new jungle setting. Find yourself stuck in a thicket of tall grass? Switch to a green outfit with a lined pattern... Crawling in the dark? Paint Snake's face black. Or switch to a rain-patterned getup to blend into the bad weather. The Camouflage system is easily one of MGS3's most venerable additions to the series. While it's unfortunate it's effectiveness in a given environment is almost wholly determined by a mere number readout in the upper corner (there are some ridiculous instances where enemies CANNOT spot you if you are at 100% blend no matter if they are right on top of you), it is simply great fun guessing which suits to put on in what environments and realizing you were right.
This customization is further bolstered wonderfully by the 3DS camera enhancements. Using preshot photos from the SD card, a user can upload a part of their image and use it as custom camouflage. You can even pause the gameplay to take a brand new one and use that. And when you acquire the in-game camera, you can actually take pictures of textures from in the game and use those to create new camo. It's certainly a neat addition, and works better than probably expected. There is the occasional result that actually turns out worse than the camo you're already wearing, and far too often the game would read my images as "too green", but I actually did create several good custom camos that gave me 100% blend in certain key areas.
While we're on the subject of 3DS enhancements to this edition, I just want to come out and say that the 3D is well done, but subtle. The visuals, though dated in spots (this is no Revelations), still have a realistic vibe by themselves. But the 3D not only breathes life into the jungle, it gives the gameplay a breath of fresh air. One of my biggest frustrations with the original game was that whenever you snuck into grass sections, you would automatically be put into first person, and it was very hard to view your surroundings in this state (this was before the free form camera of "Subsistence"). It was so hard to determine how much grass was still covering you without moving to separate the blades in your view. While you still are forced into first-person, the grass looks AMAZING in 3D. I can tell exactly how far away I am from that poisonous python shifting around in the distance, and because of this I am much less likely to accidentally stumble onto him, get bitten and alert the guards nearby. You can make out every little blade of grass in the depth spectrum. Very nice indeed.
The addition of 3D not only enhances the overall gameplay but it makes the awesome cutscenes more cinematic than ever. There was clear thought put into how these dramatic scenes would translate to the 3D space, and there are several slick pop-out moments where things are emphasized in front of the view to great effect. It never feels gimmicky, only makes it all the more awesome (and I can't gush enough how well directed the cutscenes and the character voice acting already is. Read more ›
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By JPTester
Amazon Verified Purchase
Fun:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I just finished the game and I can't wait to play it again, loved the 3d effect and the adjustments to the old version. I really recommend this game for any non-casual gamer. Nice work KONAMI, now, stop recycling and work on MGS5!!
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
Fun:
4.0 out of 5 stars
There have been reviews on Gamespot.com for instance that claim this is the best MGS3 ever created and I'd like to give you my personal opinion on why this is wrong. I've already played MGS3 in the HD collection for Xbox 360 and from the game demo alone I was able to see which was superior. I still bought the game because I wanted a MGS experience on my 3DS, to take with me anywhere. I recommend getting the demo which you should use to compare with this review.
Differences - Gameplay:
There isn't THAT much changed between the console version of MGS3 and MGS3D however I will go over some key differences. For one, the game gives you a constant view of the MAP on the touch screen which is very helpful. I often found that during my MGS3 play through on the console that I sometimes had difficulty figuring out where to go, this game helps alleviate that problem by giving you constant access to the map. This feature turns into a key part of game play when you factor in items such as the Motion Detector and Sonar as they display the information on your map rather than on the top screen.
When you first begin the game (after a jarring amount of cut scenes as per usual in a MGS game) you are immediately thrown into the jungle (which is where you spend most of your time) and must sneak by or dispatch enemy guards. Sneaking is just as FUN as ever, if anything it's THE best part of this game and completely makes it worth while to have MGS as a hand held. You can press yourself against walls, tap on walls to distract guards, use cardboard boxes to sneak around as well as find and equip new types of camouflage to help you blend in. The camo plays a key role in this game as it makes it harder to be identified by enemies and bosses but it does not make you invisible.
Eventually you will get caught by guards and the most fun thing to do is use your CQC to throw them down, choke them out, slit their throat, question them or even use them as a meat shield while you fire off some rounds. The CQC in this game is done very well and is quite rewarding, you might find yourself sneaking up to guards just to hand their asses to them all for fun. While the Close Quarters Combat is quite fun, the shoot outs that happen unfortunately are not.
Fire fights in the console version of MGS3 was very fun and extremely tense but in MGS3D I found myself quickly frustrated. The first thing that stood out to me immediately was I was losing FRAMES PER SECOND. Yeah that's right! In a game this day and age, who releases a game that loses frame rates!? There are moments when you are surrounded by enemies and all you can do is shoot and hope you don't get shot back. The lack of consistent frames during a fire fight can make tense moments turn into moments of anger as you struggle to aim accurately at your opponents while they auto-aim your ass into the ground. It's not all bad though and not every fight you have has frame loss, it all depends on the location and the number of enemies so don't be completely discouraged by this.
While fire fights with multiple enemies on screen can lower your frames per second, boss fights fortunately do not. Boss fights maintain their frames, however you might find a bit of frustration in the lack of a few features that I loved in the console version of MGS. The console versions all have an ability where you can PEAK left, right or up and over boxes/grass, well MGS3D does NOT have peaking! Peaking to me was the best way to fight bosses as you could hide behind a tree, peak out and shoot for a more realistic gun fight. However a key difference is that Snake in MGS3D can strafe in First Person to make up for this. Turning on auto-aim makes boss fights easier as you can run in between different sets of cover and then shoot at the right moments but it's certainly not as much of a thrill as aiming yourself.
Differences - Control:
The biggest difference between this and console versions are the controls which take some getting used to as it's a little clunky but try the demo and see how you like it. To shoot your gun, roll and punch/kick all uses the R button, but to shoot your weapon you must first hold L which is a difference between this an all other MGS titles (in MGS1, 2, 3 you could shoot without aiming and punching/kicking is also a separate button). A nice addition however, is that unlike MGS3 on console which only offers FPS view, in MGS3D you get the option of First person, Third Person and Auto-aim. First person is just like the other MGS entries, when you aim your gun pops up and you MUST use the iron sights to aim as there is no laser sights. Third person is like MGS Peace Walker, where you can strafe and aim around corners which is a big improvement as the console versions never allowed you to strafe and aim (I guess this is their replacement for peaking). And Auto-aim is like run-n-gun in the console version of MGS where you can run around and shoot people. Personally I think Auto-aim is the BEST against boss fights and during alert mode but I think First person is the best for everything else when you are sneaking and sniping.
The use key is UP on the d-pad which allows you to open doors, pick up/put down guards, pull yourself up from ledges and other things. The Left key on the D-Pad changes your item and the Right key changes your weapon. You can customize in the options to allow for item/weapon cycling which can make item swapping easier. Pressing the Down key on the D-Pad changes your stance from standing to crouching and holding the Down key will put you in prone position.
The biggest downfall of the controls is they can't be customized! The only actual customization you get are inverting U/D and L/R on your camera and movement as well as changing the sensitivity of your camera/movement. The sensitivity is a nice option as the console version doesn't have sensitivity options which allows you to adjust your circle pad for accurate running/walking/sneaking as well as your sensitivity for aiming. This game DOES support the circle pad pro but I am not using it, however I think your experience would be a lot better with it BECAUSE to control the camera you must use the X, Y, A, and B buttons to look Up, Down, Left and Right respectively. So to aim your weapon you have to hold L, then use X,Y,A,B to aim and R to fire! You can strafe while holding L in any of the different view modes which is useful and isn't in the console version.
This game does NOT have the option of a non-3rd person normal view which I don't particularly like as I am a fan of the old school MGS where the camera is in a fixed position but still the constant 3rd person view does add tension as you can't always see the entire area and it's still well done. You also can't roll into auto crawl if you hold the roll button in this game, however if you are slick enough you can do this by pressing R while running and simply holding down on the D-pad (which changes your stance) but is kind of awkward. I haven't played MGS Peace Walker on PSP but I can imagine the controls are basically the same as MGS3D, I just wish there was a fixed camera position option as well as the option to customize my controls.
Extras:
If you do buy the game here are some hints. You can press Y to zoom in on cut scenes :)! Hunt the Yoshi's! instead of rubber frogs that you shoot to get a new camo, you must shoot the yoshi's instead. You can move while standing, crouching AND while laying down (unlike MGSPW):)! There seems to only be two save files available :(. There is an achievement type page which allows you see the stats of all your play throughs :). And finally there is 3D! But the 3d isn't done nearly as well as some other games I've seen on the 3DS, but it's there :(.
The thermal in this game is also slightly different from the console. I wouldn't say it's necessarily worse or better. In MGS3D you can see items under water easier with thermal than you can on console version but the thermal also hurts the frame rate a bit. In MGS3 on console the thermal seems better in the jungle and can spot things a bit quicker. Also there seems to be some moments where grass literally pops on the screen, this is called draw distance and it's the distance your character needs to be to see an object. Grass seems to have a very close draw distance which means you can't see it very far away and I think this was to help with some of the frame rate issues. Also a frustrating thing I've found is that it's hard to move and change weapon/gear such as cycling through thermal/nothing. It also takes time getting used to switching back and forth between FPS, TPS and Auto-Aim which requires the touch screen but is important during boss fights or in alert status.
Recommendation:
It may seem like I rag on this game a bit but to be honest if you DON'T own MGS3 then I think this would be a great investment. Just having this game to play on the go so you can sneak around enemies and stomp their faces in with CQC is extremely fun and rewarding. However if you don't own MGS2, MGS3 OR MGSPW then get the MGS HD collection for PS3/360 because I own it and trust me when I say that these games are all must haves! Despite the controls being a little awkward and also a few options missing (like peaking and more control customization) there are some perks that make this game worthwhile such as the different aiming options and the ability to move around while crouched.
All in all, I give this game a 4/5 because it's MGS3 as a hand held and it's controls are changed to fit this style. Though I think the developers could have gotten away with more customization and allowing a few more key control features seen on the console version, it's still a good game. Read more ›
Differences - Gameplay:
There isn't THAT much changed between the console version of MGS3 and MGS3D however I will go over some key differences. For one, the game gives you a constant view of the MAP on the touch screen which is very helpful. I often found that during my MGS3 play through on the console that I sometimes had difficulty figuring out where to go, this game helps alleviate that problem by giving you constant access to the map. This feature turns into a key part of game play when you factor in items such as the Motion Detector and Sonar as they display the information on your map rather than on the top screen.
When you first begin the game (after a jarring amount of cut scenes as per usual in a MGS game) you are immediately thrown into the jungle (which is where you spend most of your time) and must sneak by or dispatch enemy guards. Sneaking is just as FUN as ever, if anything it's THE best part of this game and completely makes it worth while to have MGS as a hand held. You can press yourself against walls, tap on walls to distract guards, use cardboard boxes to sneak around as well as find and equip new types of camouflage to help you blend in. The camo plays a key role in this game as it makes it harder to be identified by enemies and bosses but it does not make you invisible.
Eventually you will get caught by guards and the most fun thing to do is use your CQC to throw them down, choke them out, slit their throat, question them or even use them as a meat shield while you fire off some rounds. The CQC in this game is done very well and is quite rewarding, you might find yourself sneaking up to guards just to hand their asses to them all for fun. While the Close Quarters Combat is quite fun, the shoot outs that happen unfortunately are not.
Fire fights in the console version of MGS3 was very fun and extremely tense but in MGS3D I found myself quickly frustrated. The first thing that stood out to me immediately was I was losing FRAMES PER SECOND. Yeah that's right! In a game this day and age, who releases a game that loses frame rates!? There are moments when you are surrounded by enemies and all you can do is shoot and hope you don't get shot back. The lack of consistent frames during a fire fight can make tense moments turn into moments of anger as you struggle to aim accurately at your opponents while they auto-aim your ass into the ground. It's not all bad though and not every fight you have has frame loss, it all depends on the location and the number of enemies so don't be completely discouraged by this.
While fire fights with multiple enemies on screen can lower your frames per second, boss fights fortunately do not. Boss fights maintain their frames, however you might find a bit of frustration in the lack of a few features that I loved in the console version of MGS. The console versions all have an ability where you can PEAK left, right or up and over boxes/grass, well MGS3D does NOT have peaking! Peaking to me was the best way to fight bosses as you could hide behind a tree, peak out and shoot for a more realistic gun fight. However a key difference is that Snake in MGS3D can strafe in First Person to make up for this. Turning on auto-aim makes boss fights easier as you can run in between different sets of cover and then shoot at the right moments but it's certainly not as much of a thrill as aiming yourself.
Differences - Control:
The biggest difference between this and console versions are the controls which take some getting used to as it's a little clunky but try the demo and see how you like it. To shoot your gun, roll and punch/kick all uses the R button, but to shoot your weapon you must first hold L which is a difference between this an all other MGS titles (in MGS1, 2, 3 you could shoot without aiming and punching/kicking is also a separate button). A nice addition however, is that unlike MGS3 on console which only offers FPS view, in MGS3D you get the option of First person, Third Person and Auto-aim. First person is just like the other MGS entries, when you aim your gun pops up and you MUST use the iron sights to aim as there is no laser sights. Third person is like MGS Peace Walker, where you can strafe and aim around corners which is a big improvement as the console versions never allowed you to strafe and aim (I guess this is their replacement for peaking). And Auto-aim is like run-n-gun in the console version of MGS where you can run around and shoot people. Personally I think Auto-aim is the BEST against boss fights and during alert mode but I think First person is the best for everything else when you are sneaking and sniping.
The use key is UP on the d-pad which allows you to open doors, pick up/put down guards, pull yourself up from ledges and other things. The Left key on the D-Pad changes your item and the Right key changes your weapon. You can customize in the options to allow for item/weapon cycling which can make item swapping easier. Pressing the Down key on the D-Pad changes your stance from standing to crouching and holding the Down key will put you in prone position.
The biggest downfall of the controls is they can't be customized! The only actual customization you get are inverting U/D and L/R on your camera and movement as well as changing the sensitivity of your camera/movement. The sensitivity is a nice option as the console version doesn't have sensitivity options which allows you to adjust your circle pad for accurate running/walking/sneaking as well as your sensitivity for aiming. This game DOES support the circle pad pro but I am not using it, however I think your experience would be a lot better with it BECAUSE to control the camera you must use the X, Y, A, and B buttons to look Up, Down, Left and Right respectively. So to aim your weapon you have to hold L, then use X,Y,A,B to aim and R to fire! You can strafe while holding L in any of the different view modes which is useful and isn't in the console version.
This game does NOT have the option of a non-3rd person normal view which I don't particularly like as I am a fan of the old school MGS where the camera is in a fixed position but still the constant 3rd person view does add tension as you can't always see the entire area and it's still well done. You also can't roll into auto crawl if you hold the roll button in this game, however if you are slick enough you can do this by pressing R while running and simply holding down on the D-pad (which changes your stance) but is kind of awkward. I haven't played MGS Peace Walker on PSP but I can imagine the controls are basically the same as MGS3D, I just wish there was a fixed camera position option as well as the option to customize my controls.
Extras:
If you do buy the game here are some hints. You can press Y to zoom in on cut scenes :)! Hunt the Yoshi's! instead of rubber frogs that you shoot to get a new camo, you must shoot the yoshi's instead. You can move while standing, crouching AND while laying down (unlike MGSPW):)! There seems to only be two save files available :(. There is an achievement type page which allows you see the stats of all your play throughs :). And finally there is 3D! But the 3d isn't done nearly as well as some other games I've seen on the 3DS, but it's there :(.
The thermal in this game is also slightly different from the console. I wouldn't say it's necessarily worse or better. In MGS3D you can see items under water easier with thermal than you can on console version but the thermal also hurts the frame rate a bit. In MGS3 on console the thermal seems better in the jungle and can spot things a bit quicker. Also there seems to be some moments where grass literally pops on the screen, this is called draw distance and it's the distance your character needs to be to see an object. Grass seems to have a very close draw distance which means you can't see it very far away and I think this was to help with some of the frame rate issues. Also a frustrating thing I've found is that it's hard to move and change weapon/gear such as cycling through thermal/nothing. It also takes time getting used to switching back and forth between FPS, TPS and Auto-Aim which requires the touch screen but is important during boss fights or in alert status.
Recommendation:
It may seem like I rag on this game a bit but to be honest if you DON'T own MGS3 then I think this would be a great investment. Just having this game to play on the go so you can sneak around enemies and stomp their faces in with CQC is extremely fun and rewarding. However if you don't own MGS2, MGS3 OR MGSPW then get the MGS HD collection for PS3/360 because I own it and trust me when I say that these games are all must haves! Despite the controls being a little awkward and also a few options missing (like peaking and more control customization) there are some perks that make this game worthwhile such as the different aiming options and the ability to move around while crouched.
All in all, I give this game a 4/5 because it's MGS3 as a hand held and it's controls are changed to fit this style. Though I think the developers could have gotten away with more customization and allowing a few more key control features seen on the console version, it's still a good game. Read more ›
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
i dont know why people dislike this game
it doesnt feel clunky at all, and with the circle pad its great. its like 3D MGS3, how can you go wrong? Read more
Published 9 days ago by Scott
1.0 out of 5 stars
I'm so angry
Game is amazing, series is the best
But the copy of the game that they sent me is broken, so buyer beware
But the copy of the game that they sent me is broken, so buyer beware
Published 1 month ago by Trevor Lahey
5.0 out of 5 stars
very good game
this game looks and plays real good on the nintendi 3ds very happy for buying it thankyou very much bye
Published 1 month ago by Ramiro Delatorre
5.0 out of 5 stars
great title!
now, i got the original PS2 version when it came out, i literaly was waiting years for it to come out. and this port to the 3DS is actually really good. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Ricardo Hinojosa
5.0 out of 5 stars
AWESOME
This was such a great game on ps2, and is great on the 3ds xl wit a circle pad pro
Published 2 months ago by SlapBack69
2.0 out of 5 stars
great game play when you were actually getting to play the thing!
This game is great when you actually get to play the thing! Its all cut scenes and pointless conversations. this is soooo annoying! Read more
Published 2 months ago by kelly donald
5.0 out of 5 stars
very good 3ds game
I have never played it on ps peviously and so this is my first time playing it. i loved the game very much. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Terry
5.0 out of 5 stars
This Game was So Good
I have played Metal Gear Solid since the first one and this port was one of the best I have ever played.
Published 3 months ago by juan diosdado
5.0 out of 5 stars
Really get you into game. Lots of fun to play
Was/is great game to play. Get you excited when playing and you can hardly stop. Really recommend trying it and the ratings tell it all!
Published 4 months ago by Snoogie-britches
5.0 out of 5 stars
Son Loved the Gift
My son loves MGS and for some reason he didn't have this one, which is amazing in itself, so I was able to give him a gift he truly loved and wanted.
Published 4 months ago by J. Phillips
