E3'2003: MGS3: Snake Eater Preview

E3 certainly felt like something was missing this time around; the lack of surprises compounded by the fact that virtually all the big titles were shown in video format only, certainly left us with a tinge of regret that we'd managed to endure an 11 hour flight and blag our way through a heavy-handed US customs just for this…<br><br>Having said that, seeing Metal Gear Solid 3 in action was certainly a highlight of the show and should make up for its ‘less-then-amazing’ predecessor.<br><br>Having won the gaming world over in 2000 with the first video footage of Metal Gear Solid 2 in action, Konami decided to try a similar stunt with the unveiling of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - yes you read that correctly.<br><br>Certainly MGS3 looks like surprising people, even the most hardened of Snake fans will probably find themselves staring blankly when they check out the final game sometime next year. There’s no doubt that Kojima-san and his team at KCEJ have become absolutely driven from the criticism levelled at MGS2 and have decided to completely change the boat and give us the next-generation stealth adventure that fans have been demanding.<br><br>We say all of this, yet specific details on the title are extremely thin on the ground and a large degree of what’s been said is purely speculation; TVG decided to squeeze what we can from Konami and has begun to dream about what lies in store.<br><br>Firstly what we do know. <br><br><b>MGS3 will contain a jungle section to begin with.</b><br><br>Previous MGS titles have never featured the build up to the infiltration, placing players directly at the start of the base/tanker/facility. Kojima-san and his team wanted to change this and so developed an entirely new engine to create a luscious jungle setting for Snake to begin in. Players will eventually reach the base towards the second half of the game, which is believed to be closer to the gameplay featured in the first two titles. We know that Snake parachutes into the jungle and loses a variety of items, thus introducing a survival element to the proceedings.<br><br><b>A completely new engine???</b><br><br>Yes that’s what I said, as you can see from the screens the jungle section should certainly go along way to impressing those who grew tired of the monotonous colour schemes used in previous MGS titles. KCEJ have spent the last year creating the new engine, which incidentally allows Snake to try out a variety of new tricks such as climbing up trees and hanging from them. As you can see from the screens and video footage, the new engine allows for the creation of dense environments and a variety of impressive effects such as light filtering through the trees and bits of bark flying off from gun-fire to blood realistically running through a stream!!!<br><br><b>So he’s a monkey now then?</b><br><br>Not quite although he did look like one during the initial phases of development; Snake can use this new technique to drop from trees and take out the enemy silently or gain a vantage point for some guns blaring action.<br><br><b>Guns blaring action…</b><br><br>Whilst MGS3 will feature a heavy degree of stealth, Kojima-san has told us that the game will place more emphasis on action then previous MGS titles – in fact Snake’s looking more like Rambo the more we see of him.<br><br>Having said that it’s a Metal Gear Solid game at the end of the day so stealth will still be the main priority, although this appears to have placed more emphasis on aspects such as camouflage instead of tiptoeing about. Instead of sound/sight featured in MGS2 and light/dark featured in Splinter Cell, we’re assuming that MGS3 will be about how well you can blend into the surrounding scenery.<br><br><b>So what else can Snake do?</b><br><br>Because Snake loses virtually all of his equipment and items during the parachute drop, players must not only take into consideration stealth but also survival for the first time. Thankfully Kojima-san eased our confusion when we saw Snake biting into a snake for the first time, as players will need to hunt and eat the various animals within the forest to maintain Snake’s stamina.<br><br>Stamina is a new feature to the series and will have varying effects on Snake’s abilities; one such example is that Snake’s aiming will be off when trying to fire with low stamina.<br><br>As you can see from the video footage Snake can now slice an opponents throat from behind; whether this has replaced or joined his neck-snapping move is currently unknown. It also appears that Snake now has night-vision equipment, which gives the game a very similar look to the Schwarzenegger flick ‘Predator’.<br><br><b>Wait a second, Snake has to eat animals???</b><br><br>As bizarre as it sounds the E3 demonstration showed Snake tucking into a fish and snake on different occasions, whilst the feature promoted a range of taglines such as ‘Eat or be Eaten’, ‘Hunt or be Hunted’; it’s our guess that players will need to be in constant alert to the various animals that populate the jungle as well as the enemy troops that patrol the locations.<br><br><b>So what about the story, are we going to be sitting through hours of cut-scenes and CODEC transmissions again?</b><br><br>Whilst we can’t be 100% accurate on this as KCEJ are keeping specific details a secret at the moment, we’re led to believe that MGS3 is set before the first two games during the 1960’s and has something to do with the former USSR; which if our history serves us correctly could suggest something to do with the Cuban Missile Crisis, however that is pure speculation.<br><br>Unlike the MGS2 unveiling, the video footage of MGS3 didn’t contain any CODEC transmissions; if we correct on our assumptions with the date, this could suggest CODEC transmissions will not feature in the game at all…<br><b>Anything else???</b><br><br>It seems as if Snake will be spending a fair amount of time submerged in the water that frequents the jungle; Snake can now shoot whilst under the water or standing hip deep in a classic action-hero pose.<br><br><b>So when can I get it?</b><br><br>Konami have assured us the game will be released sometime in 2004, as to when is anyone’s guess at present.<br><br><b>Great so I’ll be able to finally play a new MGS title on my Xbox</b><br><br>Unfortunately not, Sony have once again tied this down to an exclusive release on the Playstation2- these guys aren’t stupid after all.<br>