It's back to basics for Snake...

Hideo Kojima is an absolute riot.

Upon launching a fresh game of Snake Eater, you'll be asked to answer a brief questionnaire about the series so far. Declare your affection for Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and you'll find yourself staring at what appears to be an erstwhile hero; his blonde locks and unforgettable femininity staring you back in the face. For a moment, you feel uncomfortable. You're confused. You possibly even feel cheated. It's him again. However, just as you're about to lose all faith in a game you've been waiting four years for, you're asked to "remove your disguise" and Snake is revealed, in all his rugged, chisel-jawed glory.

Raiden's brief appearance in Snake Eater is Kojima's tongue-in-cheek jab at Sons of Liberty and those who disagree with his inclusion as the main character. Let me stipulate for you right now that I never had too much of a problem with Raiden. In fact, I considered him to be an essential piece of the puzzle-like story. Kojima has often rightly defended his decision to include him, giving the player a chance to look at Snake from another perspective.

Ambiguity?

You see, people lambasted Metal Gear Solid 2 for being overly confusing. I'm not quite sure where they're coming from. Sure, the ending wasn't entirely without ambiguity, but every great story has its loose-ends. Final Fantasy VII is [rightly] often referred to as one of the finest games of all-time, yet its story and ending is riddled with controversy, and is still widely debated even to this day. Often, discussing an ending and interpreting just what it all actually means is part of the experience, and there's also an argument that Sons of Liberty was just the beginning for something on a much larger scale.

Still, in an effort to avoid confusion, let me assure you things are little more clear-cut this time around. Set during the turbulent time of nuclear threat, Snake Eater departs somewhat from the series we've grown accustomed with and drops us into a new, vegetated setting in 1964, in a bid to extract a scientist who holds the plans to a weapon powerful enough to threaten the very existence of humanity. Of course, much like the previous games, that little titbit of narrative is the tip of the iceberg, and we're desperate to let you in on what to expect as you venture further in. We won't though. We're not that mean.

Having switched environments from the comfortable confines of a terrorist installation to the harsh expansiveness of a living, breathing jungle, it's essential to re-learn what you already know about the series. The crux of the game is now survival, and while you're always on your own when playing as Snake, in the jungle, the feeling of isolation is more extreme than ever. Without a functioning radar [this is the 1960s], you're naked. You have to rely on your instincts, more so than you have ever done before. Simply glancing to the upper left-hand corner won't tell you where the enemy is looking, or where they're walking; a rudimentary motion tracker will only confirm their presence. The rest is up to you.

Hidden and dangerous

And that's where the camouflage system works itself in, which largely increases the reliance on the stealth aspect of the game by encouraging you to merge with the environment, rather than hiding behind, or indeed under, boxes and crates. A percentage in the top-right corner reveals how well-hidden you are, determined by the uniform you're wearing and how well it matches the surroundings. So, when hiding in the undergrowth, you'll want to switch to a leaf pattern, while swapping to a tree-bark uniform when backed-up against a tree. It's exactly how you should expect to work your way through the game, and more importantly, it works incredibly well.

Living in the jungle actually plays a massive part in the proceedings as well. Since Snake has to survive there, he needs to search out food to remain healthy. Food can be caught all around the woodland areas, in the form of rabbits, snakes, rats or even crocodiles. Once caught, he'll be able eat the animal and replenish his stamina bar - a new element added to simulate fatigue, which determines how accurate your aim is, or how fast your health bar recharges, amongst other physical effects.

Yes, I said "recharges." Now, Snake is able to replenish his health through rest, and his stamina bar adjudicates how fast this will refill. Of course, this means nothing if you're caught in the middle of a fire-fight and don't have a chance to cool off for a while, or catch a bullet in the leg and need it removed. In fact, catching a bullet in the leg, or suffering a deep cut, means you'll have to treat it in the cure menu - or at least face having your health bar temporarily shortened until you do. Enter the cure menu and you'll see the extent of your injuries, with instructions on how to treat them. So, take a nasty bullet in the shoulder and prepare to remove it with a knife, douse it in disinfectant and stop the bleeding with a styptic. This menu is also used for countering neurotoxins, food poisoning or burning leeches off your body with a cigar.

It's worth pointing out that, despite the number of changes, Snake Eater remains Metal Gear Solid through and through, even if it doesn't feel like it for the first hour or so. Unfortunately, the game suffers for a short while after the opening introductory cut-scene, although there's an argument that all its doing is easing you into the jungle experience. Sure, I got that, but the pacing is poor. There's very little to do in the opening 90 minutes, and most of it will be spent trying to navigate a jungle that will prove to be heavily disorientating for most.

The best MGS ever?

But, stick with it until you reach, arguably, the true introductory cut-scenes and once again you'll be enchanted by that old Metal Gear magic. The jungle becomes your playground, and it will soon feel more at home than any terrorist base or oil rig could ever accommodate.

Ask me if this is the best game in the series and I'll tell you that I honestly couldn't say. It has everything you could ask for from a Metal Gear Solid game: astonishing visuals, paramount presentation, gripping gameplay and a story that continues to develop until its epic and enthralling conclusion. It pushes every one of your senses until it can push no more. It is, quite simply, another glorious entry to the series, and one that proves that Metal Gear Solid can still be taken forward in new, exciting and accomplished ways.

So, yes, it possibly could be the best. But I don't want to be the one to make that call.

GAME's Verdict

• Brilliant MGS stealth action with health and cammo management giving you the real one-man jungle warfare feel
• Great presentation, fantastic story
• The most brilliant rollercoaster ride in its last few hours of any game in years

• Sloooooooow start and generally poor pacing
• Still lots of waiting to play while you listen to the codec
• The jungle setting makes this less straightforward to enjoy than past MGS games.

Review by: Scot Bennett
Review Published: 03.03.05