The quintessential, tactical espionage-action game is back and it’s snakier than ever. At its core, “Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence” is essentially the same game we’ve come to know and love; an overhauled “Snake Eater” with our hero, Solid Snake, skulking through the jungle or down guarded and booby-trapped corridors with his trusty bowie knife and impossibly quiet shoes, taking out guards one broken neck or punctured thorax at a time.
It’s interspersed with intense moments and enthusiastic firefights – but with major tweakage and the bonanza of full 3-D camera control (fixed, top-down view is an option and targeting is still in first person).
The puzzle-intensive cerebralness of the series remains, promoting stealth and skullduggery over running and gunning.
A second disc contains a bunch of bonuses, foremost of which is an online multiplayer component for up to eight players – a first for the franchise – long sought and hugely welcome. Clunky PS2 connection issues aside, these are a mixed bag of “hide and Snake” and “capture-the-frog” (seriously) games that try to remain true to the measured pacing of “Metal Gear,” with some opportunity to join pickup frag fests.
You get gobs of bonus content, including playable versions of the original “Metal Gear” and “Metal Gear 2” games from the late ’80s in all their pixilated glory. Plus, more mini games and insider gags and spoofs than you can shake a stick at. All that and bargain-bin pricing out of the gate; there is absolutely no reason you shouldn’t go pick this up.
Konami; PlayStation 2; $29.99. Rating: Mature (17+) (blood and gore, intense violence, language, sexual themes)
Shaun Conlin writes about video games for Cox News Service.
