Spring Break
The legacy of Solid Snake: A crash course in 'Metal Gear Solid'
Russ Aaron, Entertainment Editor, raaron@smu.edu
Issue date: 7/1/08 Section: Entertainment
Then came Snake's final romp on the Playstation 2 system, "Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater." Released in 2004, the game was a prequel to the first entry in the "Metal Gear Solid" series and, unlike the games before it, took place in the vast reaches of the jungle. Fans rejoiced as protagonist rights returned to Solid Snake. Raiden was nowhere to be seen in the game, except once as a crafty joke pulled by Mr. Kojima. Gone was the headache-inducing story of the previous game, but all the good things from "MGS2" were present in full force. The evolved gameplay from the second game was there, and had been heavily tweaked once again. This time around, players had to catch food in the wild (you guessed it, snakes!) to feed Snake as well as heal his injuries. Cuts had to be treated with ointment, leaches had to be burned off, bullets had to be extracted and so on. All in all, it was a lot of fun and everything made sense this time around. Hell, even some of the mind-bending story of the second game was explained as a bonus! Needless to say, Snake was back and better than ever.
Four years later, Snake ends his legacy on the glory of the Playstation 3 in "Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots." Now known as Old Snake, the visibly aged hero has tracked the villain who has plagued him three games prior to the Middle East. "War has changed," Snake claims as the opening sequence shows what the Playstation 3 hardware can really do. Obviously Snake has changed too. He has a sweet, white mustache.
The basics haven't really changed in 10 years. As Snake, players sneak around, moving from point A to point B - even if it means blowing up giant robot-like tanks and shooting a few guards in the process. This time around, Snake has almost a hundred weapons to choose from. Players can now buy and sell guns from Drebin, a nomadic gun launderer who seems to know more about what's going on than Snake does. Just because you're not supposed to use the guns doesn't mean you won't end up in a situation, or two, or three that you might need them. That's one of the great things about the "Metal Gear Solid" series. Players can play the game however they want. If they want to go through it how it's intended, they can. Or they can stock up on weapons and go through the game, guns ablazin.'
Four years later, Snake ends his legacy on the glory of the Playstation 3 in "Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots." Now known as Old Snake, the visibly aged hero has tracked the villain who has plagued him three games prior to the Middle East. "War has changed," Snake claims as the opening sequence shows what the Playstation 3 hardware can really do. Obviously Snake has changed too. He has a sweet, white mustache.
The basics haven't really changed in 10 years. As Snake, players sneak around, moving from point A to point B - even if it means blowing up giant robot-like tanks and shooting a few guards in the process. This time around, Snake has almost a hundred weapons to choose from. Players can now buy and sell guns from Drebin, a nomadic gun launderer who seems to know more about what's going on than Snake does. Just because you're not supposed to use the guns doesn't mean you won't end up in a situation, or two, or three that you might need them. That's one of the great things about the "Metal Gear Solid" series. Players can play the game however they want. If they want to go through it how it's intended, they can. Or they can stock up on weapons and go through the game, guns ablazin.'
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Robert Perez
posted 7/01/08 @ 11:44 AM CST
I just spent the last weekend porting about 13 hours at this game as a first timer to the MG Solid gaming experience. Let me tell you, it didn't take much for me to take full advantage of the cam-stealth suit that Snake is equipped with off the jump. (Continued…)
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