Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 11/17

[me]

wow...this game gets no love? this will probably be one of the best games to drop in a long time. F' GTA and F' Halo, both are good games but ive been waitin for this game over everything else. with less than a week till its release...no one cares? i guess its just me.

[Bunk]

uuuuuuhhhhh no. Im not really a big fan,, problem is I have all the prior releases.

[.Joker.]

arsenal...your crazy...i love the MSG series. i have them all going way back to nes. but like bunk said there just crazy games i'm trying to finish b4 it comes out. almost aldone with gta.

[me]

Maybe by now you've played the OPM demo, or at least read impressions of it, but we've had recent extended playtime with the final version of the game and can tell you about a few things beyond that. The end of the demo is really the beginning of the game, and launches the biggest journey yet undertaken in a Metal Gear game.
The first new wrinkle in the gameplay is the Cure option in the Survival Viewer menu, the same subscreen where you manage your food, items, and camouflage. Normally, Snake's life bar increases in MGS3 not through rations but by refilling gradually over time. The higher his stamina is, the faster his life will recover -- but certain serious injuries can prevent him from healing all the way. To fix those up, you'll have to go into the Cure menu and expend some first-aid or surgical supplies for some field medicine.

Some gunshot wounds will leave a bullet inside Snake's body, for instance, in which case you'll have to dig the bullet out with a knife, disinfect the wound, apply sutures, stanch the bleeding with a styptic, and apply a bandage. If Snake falls from too great a height, or otherwise breaks a bone, you'll need to set a splint before bandaging it up. The less attention you pay to serious wounds, the longer it'll take to recover from them on your own, which results in a weakened Snake.

Something fun about the post-demo sequences are the several areas that don't involve slipping past the enemy guards. In one section, Snake has to get by a series of electrical fences by exploiting the natural terrain, such as trees and hills, to his advantage; another is little more than a crocodile-infested pond, which Snake can either wade through or dive deep into to catch some bottom-dwelling fish.

The graphics in that area in particular, and throughout the game in general, are beautiful to see, especially the soft glow of the lighting that gleams down on the water. Other standout graphical effects include the fire that blazes when Snake lights a torch underground -- the light glinting off the wet surfaces of the cave is pretty, but the actual flame animation is impressive, too. Character animation receives a similarly careful touch -- everyone has much greater facial expressiveness, such as the wicked grin Snake sports when he sees through his scope a beehive hanging above an enemy soldier. The cloth dynamics, too, are top-notch -- but unfortunately, we're presently constrained from mentioning our favorite examples of that particular technology.

There's plenty more to talk about too, so come back next week for our full review and survival guide. Until then, get excited: one of the best PS2 games of the year is almost here.

[.Joker.]

it suck's that i still don't have a job. maybe i can get the wife to buy it....yeah right

[me]

i got it today and all i will say is WOW.

[.Joker.]

DAMN YOU ARSENAL... i have to wait a few more weeks till my b-day.

[me]

that was my b-day present to myself, along with another pair of shoes.

[.Joker.]

LOL...i here yah.

[me]

someone needs to get this game already... I NEED TO DISCUSS!!!!

[Jester]

ARS...It's either MSG or Halo 2...tomorrow...I'm soooo torn....ARRGGGHHHH...... .... .....

[.Joker.]

you aint gettin either one... you've been saying you was getting halo b4 it came out. me, bunk, stunna and the other guys are still waiting. LOL

your almost as bad as stunna saying he gonna play paintball...LOL

[me]

this game is difficult as a motherfucker, but once you get past somethin you get a sense of achievement. and this is only like an hour into the game. the soldiers are a bunch of gangstas, they dont let shit fly. the camo is type sick too, along with the way you patch up wounds and broken bones (i had to sit there and do surgery on myself, that shit blew me away LOL)

[jackal88]

OMG WTF!!! I'm copping the game today. I read on it, but that whole surgery and splint shit killed it. I'm hitting my secret bank account/slush fund for this one today!!!

[.Joker.]

man you know you aint getting it before xmas. the wife will kick your ass... ;D