Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence

If you have yet to play Metal Gear Solid 3, you are doing yourself a great disservice. But fear not, it has been re-released in the form of Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, and now it has tons of goodies. Subsistence is a 2-disc game for the Playstation 2; the first disc being the full game of MGS3 and the demo theater, and all the rest of the fun stuff is packed onto the second disc.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is still intact and in its entirety, but with one major change – there is now a new over-the-shoulder camera angle. This camera can be rotated a full 360 degrees around Snake, and switching between it and the original camera position is as easy as pressing R3. The new camera was integrated so well, and it almost makes Snake Eater feel like a whole new game (in a good way).

Another noticeable change is the included camo you start with. There are now face paint designs that previously weren’t available to America. European Extreme was also added as a new difficulty. With these being the only changes to the story mode, I won’t be reviewing the game itself. That would just be redundant when you can read the Snake Eater review right here. Besides, there are plenty of additions to talk about.

The first disc of Subsistence houses Snake Eater, as well as the new Demo Theater. In the Demo Theater you have access to every story scene in the game. You can watch them one at a time, or you can start from a certain event and watch the entire game from that point. It’s a really cool feature if you have a favorite scene you want to show a friend, or if you just feel like watching the story without playing the game. The camouflage downloader and photo album are also present on the first disc.

The new features reside on disc 2. Kicking off disc 2 (titled Persistence) at the top of the menu list is Online Mode. Online Mode could quite possibly be the most anticipated feature of Metal Gear fans. You can now battle with up to seven other players online in one of five multiplayer modes. These modes include Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Sneaking Mission, Rescue Mission, and Capture Mission. Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch speak for themselves, and are played like any other shooter’s deathmatch mode. Rescue Mission has one team trying to extract and object and take it to a drop point, while the defending team attempts to stop them. In Capture Missions, both teams are after one item, and must hold it at their base for a set amount of time as the other team tries to take it for themselves.

Overall these are pretty generic multiplayer modes, but Sneaking Mission retains the true essence of Metal Gear. One player takes on the role of Snake, and their goal is to obtain a piece of microfilm and return it to a goal...the other seven players are guarding that microfilm. Since Snake is outnumbered, he gets the stealth camo to aid in staying sneaky. This game mode is pretty intense, especially as Snake, and ends up being extremely fun.

In a multiplayer game, depending on the weapon restrictions, players get to choose their primary weapon, sidearm, grenade-type weapon, and the sound set for their next life. The sound set is extensive, featuring songs from Metal Gear 1 and 2, MGS 1 and 2, and specific points in Metal Gear Solid 3. There’s a pretty good selection of weaponry as well (including the dirty magazines) but the real heavy-hitting weapons can’t be selected and must be found within the 12 maps. Playing Metal Gear online is even more fun than I expected, and gets extremely addicting. It even supports gametype cycling in a single server, so the host can not only have the maps cycle after a certain number of rounds, but the actual gametype can change too. This is nice, as it keeps the gameplay on a single server fresh.

The next feature on the menu is Duel, a sort of boss rush type mode. In Duel you can pick your favorite boss fight and replay them. Whether you replay them to perfect your combat or just for fun, this is a blast. The game keeps track of how long it takes you, as well as how many supplies you use during the fight. At the end of the battle your points are tallied based on these stats. The game has a preloaded top three scores, and getting number one will take some perfecting. There are even two events in Duel that aren’t really boss fights and are more like “one vs. many” moments.

Within Duel there is a Special Duel selection. Once you feel you’ve honed your skills against a certain boss you’re ready to try Special Duel. Special Duel takes the Duel battles and limits the player’s inventory for the fight. For example, in one of the duels Snake must fight eight of Ocelot’s men at once. In Normal Duel, you have full ammo for every weapon and grenade, including an AK47. In Special Duel, you have eight tranquilizer darts, eight pistol shots, one of each grenade, and your knife. Special Duel is very fun if you’re looking for a challenge, and can make for extremely intense action sequences. Both Duel modes are awesome, and I can see many gamers (myself included) that will spend a lot of time mastering the boss fights.

The third mode is the beloved Snake vs. Monkey. It’s back, and this time it features new levels. Snake vs. Monkey is a parody game mode that mimics the Ape Escape series, and requires that you stun and capture all the monkeys in a given area. Like Duel, there are three top times to try and beat for each stage. Anyone that’s played an Ape Escape game will find this mode funny, but even if you haven’t it’s hard not to laugh at Snake’s dance once he’s caught all the monkeys.

The Metal Gear series is known for having bits of humor here and there, and considering the serious situations of the games makes them even more humorous. Well, the Secret Theater features some of the funniest stuff I’ve ever seen in a video game. The Secret Theater is a collection of rewritten and reedited scenes from throughout Snake Eater that range from just plain wacky to absolute genius. I don’t want to spoil any of the scenes, but some of them had me in tears. If you haven’t played the game yet I’d advise you to wait until finishing before you watch any of them, but they must be seen.

Disc 2 finishes strong with the original Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake MSX games. Now you can finally play the beginning of the series the way it was meant to be played. See first hand the relationship between Solid Snake and Big Boss, and the origins of Gray Fox. These games are pretty tough, but many gamers will be eager to see how the story began with the perks of modern gaming (like saving your progress to the memory card).

Metal Gear Solid 3 was a really nice surprise after MGS2, and was a solid game with excellent gameplay and an epic, emotional storyline. But then comes Subsistence: fixing the limited camera, adding online play, and expanding the other game modes beyond what anyone would expect. As if that weren’t enough, they throw the complete versions of the first two original Metal Gears into the mix, making MGS3: Subsistence quite possibly the greatest Metal Gear release of all time. This game is not to be missed, especially at its $30 price tag.        

Gameplay: 10
The new camera system makes MGS3 even more playable, and the Duel modes are so much fun. Online Mode is like a drug once you get started, but the Metal Gear gameplay mechanics are a bit slow for the fast-paced deathmatch modes. It’s still manageable, and some of the best times you’ll have online on your PS2.

Graphics: 9.7
Not much has changed in this department since Snake Eater’s initial release. The jungle is densely populated with wildlife, swaying foliage, folding grass, and incredibly detailed character models. Animations on everything are spot on, and the overall feeling of being in a living jungle is impossible to ignore.

Sound: 9.8
The Metal Gear Solid series has always been on top with their voice acting, and the third installment is no exception. And you can’t overlook the soundtrack either, which can easily be enjoyed just as much outside of the game as within it. All the sound effects and radio chatter are done realistic enough that they just seem natural.

Difficulty: Easy-Hard
Subsistence offers a huge spectrum of difficulties, from Very Easy to European Extreme. Very Easy is insanely easy, and European Extreme is insane. I’m not kidding.

Concept: 9.5 
Re-releases of games don’t always work, but lately certain companies have been pulling it off really well. A good recent example is Devil May Cry 3; new character, new game mode, new area, a demo theater, etc. Subsistence really raised the bar in the land of remakes, and I hope if more remakes are in the works from other companies they take note of Konami.

Multiplayer: 9.8
The only reason this isn’t a perfect 10 is because in the deathmatch modes the Metal Gear controls can feel a bit limited. This doesn’t tragically affect the gameplay, but is noticeable. Otherwise the modes are great, the level design fits the style of gameplay, and I didn’t notice any lag while playing.

Overall: 10
I honestly can’t think of any flaws in Subsistence; the camera improvement was all the game needed, and there are plenty of extras. Metal Gear Solid 3 was a fantastic game as it was, but all the additions included in Subsistence just pushes it over the top. You must own this game.