Snubsistence?
Ten months. Ten long, agonising, thumb-twiddling months. That's how long we in the UK have had to wait since Japanese gamers first got their hands on the re-released version of Metal Gear solid 3 - and over six months since those jammy Americans were first able to play the game. As is usual with releases in Hideo Kojima's stealth series, us Brits are late to the party, and have a little bit of a right to feel snubbed. But has it been worth the wait?
No. Yes. Maybe. It all depends on a few defining factors, really: If you've played Snake Eater to exhaustion; if you can afford to pay full whack what is, ostensibly, a re-edited special edition; and most importantly, if you're one of the few PS2 owners to have the option of taking their console online.
If the answers to the above questions are Yes, No and No, then you may want to stop reading now, unless you really love your Metal Gear games. If, on the other hand, your answers are No, Yes and Yes, then welcome - you're all set for one of the best experiences Sony's six year-old console has to offer. However, if you're a bit like us, then you'd have completed Snake Eater's story mode, put it aside, and waited for Subsistence before playing it through again - and you'll also be intrigued about the idea of playing a Metal Gear game online. That means you're in the Maybe column, and it's our job to elaborate on exactly why you should be putting any doubts well and truly behind you.
A new view
Comparing the singleplayer experiences of Snake Eater and Subsistence, there's no doubt as to which comes the more highly recommended. Last year's edition of MGS3 may still be a brilliant game in its own right, but Subsistence's new Splinter Cell style camera makes returning to the overhead viewpoint feel like a backwards step in every regard.
Indeed, a press of the right analogue stick allows you to do just that - switching to the old overhead perspective, and really highlighting its inadequacies. Even in the first jungle area, patrolling enemies will proffer the same old problems when viewed from above. They'll skulk to the side of the screen and leave your view, forcing you to move into first-person, poke your head above the grass and risk being seen, just to track their movements - a limiting and irritating system that feels sort of like playing an analogue game with digital controls.
Subsistence's new Splinter Cell style camera makes the overhead viewpoint feel like a backwards step in every regard.
Not so with Subsistence. In fact, you'd be amazed at just how intuitive the other, free-floating camera feels. With a mere ten minutes of practice you'll be steering Snake between trees, finding cover in long grass, panning the camera to stalk enemies from afar, and lining up your stealth kills with a precision of movement and timing you never thought previously possible in a Metal Gear title. It effectively turns the series' entire gameplay on its head, but has been so well done that the evolution never feels anything other than entirely natural.
Other than that, the core Snake Eater experience remains the same standard setting action adventure as before - areas exude life, bosses imbue dread, and the story is never less than gripping, but the basic stealth gameplay itself feels all the more rewarding for the new perspective. This truly is the complete version of the game that Konami and Kojima always envisaged - and arguably the most well-rounded outing in the series so far, to boot.
Online Geeeaaar!
If you've yet to play any form of MGS3, though, then that may have all gone over your head - in which case, our Snake Eater Review will detail exactly what makes the game so great. There are, however, a few select additions that really set Subsistence apart from its forebear, and it's these we'll focus on here.
Most important, of course, is the online mode. Supporting up to eight players, it marks the first time the Metal Gear series has had a multiplayer component of any sort, and proves a remarkably well-done online debut for what's always been a traditionally solo style of gameplay.
Again, the camera is the star - opening up Metal Gear's previously rigid approach to sneaking to become a fast-paced, instantly playable stealth-actioner that simply wouldn't have worked from a purely top-down perspective. The three main online modes help this too - be it in Sneaking mode, Capture games or Rescue missions, there's plenty to keep third-person stealth buffs and fans of more traditional online shooters occupied.
One of PS2's best online games, and for the machine's (admittedly small) online gaming fraternity, easily worth the price of admission.
Sneaking seems to be the most popular mode online, probably because it plays the most like a traditional Metal Gear Solid game. One player takes on the role of Snake and aims to outwit seven other players to reach a goal - which sounds fun enough in theory, but proves immeasurably brilliant the first time you use the old cardboard box trick to sneak past actual living, breathing opponents.
Likewise, Rescue mode, which tasks you with obliterating the enemy party and grabbing their GO-KA (a cute little duck item), and the Capture gametype, which is basically CTF with frogs instead of flags, adapt old MGS items and tricks to the multiplayer environment with intelligence and style. CQC (Close Quarters Combat) lets you grapple and throw your opponents, the impressive armory allows you to play the way you wish, plus wall-hugging, first-person aiming, corner shooting and camouflaging yourself in foliage are all prevelant aspects of the online experience. It really is one of the PS2's best online games, and for the machine's (admittedly small) online gaming fraternity, easily worth the price of admission.
A class act
The other additions for Subsistence are the same as mentioned in our Preview. The old MSX Metal Gears will perhaps be for hardcore MGS fans only, but they're a nonetheless fantastic novelty, and show just how much vision Kojima had for the series even in its early days - while Bonus Theatre, Boss Attack and Snake vs Monkey all add to the longevity; the latter two again benefiting from the new camera. The movie version of the game, meanwhile, is just another nice little Kojima touch. He's even seen fit to include a note on this in the game's manual, getting across that MGS3 is a game, and he wants people to play it as such, but also wants gamers with less free time on their hands to still be able to experience the story in it's entirety. As a director, storyteller and game creator, the guy's an all-around class act.
As is Subsistence - apart, perhaps, for the cost. At full price, it really will depend on those first three variables. If you loved MGS3, can't wait to play it online and can afford the outlay, then it's a no-brainer. Likewise if you've yet to play MGS3 and the price really doesn't bother you, for this really is the best, most complete MGS package we've ever seen. On the other hand, with Snake Eater lining bargain bins across the country, and the majority of PS2 owners preferring purely offline pursuits, much of what makes Subsistence such a quality offering may go amiss. On an artistic and technical level, however, this latest Metal Gear is another fine addition to the series, and when considered apart from its older sibling, is by far one of the best games you'll ever play on PS2. Looks like the wait was worth it, after all.
Review by: Mark 'Sneaky' Scott
Version Tested: PS2
Review Published: 17.10.06