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I don't remember these being around in the 60's
I don't remember these being around in the 60'sI don't remember these being around in the 60's

Plot-wise, such levity is needed. Snake Eater dangerously walks the line between carry-on fun and bleak sermons on the horror of war. Sometimes the latter is pulled off extremely well, but sometimes the two existing together can grate. It is also easy to become frustrated with Snake; for a well-trained Spy he seems painfully dense at times, blinking vacantly and just repeating what a character has told him in an amazed voice. Perhaps this is to reflect the player's first exposure to such ideas or events, but even in extreme situations the average games-player would credit themselves to maintain a little more intelligence; perhaps it's time Kojima gave them that credit too.

In some ways, the plot itself is inconsequential. The raw nature of combat is put across most effectively in the majority of boss fights, as these are shown to be not only tense and sparking adrenaline, but also rewarding a number of creative approaches. In particular, the stamina bar opens up a new range of tactics, and if players can find a way to defeat the bosses by outlasting rather than outgunning them they will be not only rewarded by a sense of achievement, but by the game itself. Although one or two of these fights bring back memories and feel overly familiar, there are a number which are so fresh and unique that they have already secured their place in the gaming hall of fame.


You may need to force yourself to stop and consider just how far Kojima has come

Battling against The End, a veteran sniper, will immerse you in a battle of wits which stretches across a number of different areas, invites many varying tactics, and presents a use for every piece of equipment you possess. You may need to force yourself to stop and consider just how far Kojima has come - in comparison to this the Sniper Wolf battle from MGS1 feels like a primitive shooting gallery. Even the new fights which may feel familiar provide evolutions. The Fury, for example, is a blistering update of the cat and mouse battle with Vulcan Raven, tweaked to an eerie perfection.

There is no wrestling with the controls during these sequences, as very little has been changed from before. Tweaks have been made, but only in common-sense ways; for example, holding down the X button now drops you straight to a prone position, and likewise for moving from a prone to standing posture. Both camouflage and first-aid screens are accessed via the select button, and their usage is explained to you in the Virtuous Mission.

The bosses get tired tooThe bosses get tired too

Content wise, the PAL version benefits from a few additional extras over the US release: new camouflage, a new difficulty mode, a demo-theatre and Dual-mode. The camouflage consists of face paints which include 'flag' motifs for various countries, and the winners of the worldwide competition Konami ran last year for new designs. The extra-difficulty level, named 'European Extreme', will astonish you with a Game Over screen the instant you are spotted by an enemy, then again, there must be some players out there who are willing to take up the challenge.

Demo-theatre enables you to revisit cut-scenes you have already unlocked, and also hints at extra sequences that you may have missed. The final addition is 'Dual-mode', which allows the player to replay boss encounters in either normal or special modes. Special mode limits your weapons, ensuring a harder fight, but rewards you with special items in the game if you are successful.


It would not be stretching things to call Snake Eater a markedly bold step in the right direction

It would not be stretching things to call Snake Eater, if not near perfection of the MGS formula, a markedly bold step in the right direction. Whilst gamers accused Kojima of arrogantly ignoring their concerns, it turns out that he was listening all along, taking notes and making changes, and the result cannot be denied. Taking the new moves and tricks of MGS2, anchoring them in a game which matches the spirit of MGS1 and doubles if not triples its length, whilst adding systems that expand the formula still more, produces a result few die-hard fans suspected was possible.

Yet, technical issues conspire to bring Snake Eater back down to earth, painfully lodged in-between the genius like poisonous barbs. Excuses can be made, but the camera perspective remains a significant mistake, a dated holdover which hamstrings too many potentially brilliant stealth sequences. Though the rest of the game shines, to agree with the view that this only enhances the experience is to grant licence for it to happen again. Similarly for the bulging dialogue of the Virtuous Mission; it's necessary exposition, but near fatal for a player's initial enthusiasm, belying the huge steps taken in the majority of this game.

With Snake Eater Kojima has found his way back into many people's affections, and so the urge is to congratulate and praise, to let him and his team know, in the strongest possible fashion, that they are now making just the right moves. However, for all its strengths, Snake Eater is not perfect, yet what it proves is that Kojima is capable of perfection. If any of us wish to see the day when he delivers a product that truly reflects this then we must also exercise tough love, pointing out the remaining problems almost as strongly as we do the brilliant new additions. Only then will you see an MGS title on these pages with a '10' standing proudly next to it.

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