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Having playedMetal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Painfor roughly 100 hours, I think I’m ready to make an assessment of it in terms of how it relates to the rest of the franchise. While it’s definitely up there, it’s far from my favorite in the series, and likely won’t crack my top five. That’s not becausePhantom Painis a lackluster game — far from it, as it’s better than the vast majority of AAA releases these days — but the other titles in the series are so phenomenal that they overshadow it.
Snake Eateris one such game.
TheMetal Geargames are often chastised for going off-the-wall (Guns of the Patriotsis the worst offender), butSnake Eateris rather down to earth, once you get past the enemies that spit bees and shoot lightning. It’s a tried and trueJames Bondexperience, from the catchy theme song to the “Bond Girl” Eva, and the mustache-twirling Volgin. Of course there’s a lot of nuance here with cast members like The Boss, who is one of the more interesting characters in the entire series.
It’s also the perfect jumping off point for new fans, as it takes place before every other title in the series, and requires no previous knowledge of the inner machinations ofMetal Gearto comprehend. It also bumps up the emphasis on stealth with newly minted camouflage options, and features a survival aspect that requires you to hunt for your own food, and patch up your wounds. It’s just enough to add an element of simulation without going overboard. Nicknows exactly what I’m talking about.
That’s not even takingSubsistenceinto account, which may be the best re-release of all time. Not only did it completely rework the camera to be more likeSplinter Cell, a mechanic that would be used in future releases, but it also implemented the first-ever iteration ofMetal Gear Online, on top of anApe Escapetie-in minigame, and fully playable versions of the first two MSXMetal Geargames. I still have fond memories to this day of hooking up the network adapter on my PS2 and playing online.
If you haven’t playedSnake Eateryet, go do so, by way of the fantastic HD re-release on 360, PS3 or Vita (I don’t recommend the 3DS version as it lacks the aforementioned extras, though it plays well enough — then again, the HD re-release lacks Snake vs. Monkey, so try to track down a used copy ofSubsistenceover everything). You won’t regret it.
