Day 208, Game 208 - Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D

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OK, don't yell at me. I know the questions are coming, and honestly, I don't really have a good answer for them. Let's get that out in the air right now. 

Yes, I finally got to Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, although, I really didn't play it in the way you probably expected me to. Sure, I could have easily played it on my PS3, since it is included with the huge Metal Gear Solid Legacy Collection. And that's probably the best way to experience this game. But instead, I took a gamble and gave it a shot on the little ole Nintendo 3DS system. I swear I knew what I was doing at the time. 

So this game is the prequel to all prequels, as it is essentially the first game in the entire series. I think; For now, at least. You play as Naked Snake, who is Big Boss, but it's all semantics anyway. At this point, the story line is all garbled and I'm just trying to pull whatever I can from the games for blogging purposes. There is no longer reason to try and figure out the entire story. It's just not possible. I'm OK with that.  

This game is interesting, for many reasons. It forces you to rely heavily on stealth, and surprisingly, more so than any other games that came before it (but after it in context of the story, I guess). I suppose a lot has to do with the lack of technology in the time period the game is set it, which is actually cool to think that they essentially went backwards in game development despite the technology being better when they created it. 

As Snake, you have to utilize camouflage quite a bit, which is a lot more fun than I thought it would be, switching different suits and face paints to blend in with the environment you are in. The gauge shows how hidden you are, which is fun to play around with, seeing which camos are best. 

Also, there is the infamous mechanic of having to actually heal particular limbs in order to fully recover your health, and the fact you must actually eat food to keep from fatiguing too much. Don't eat, and your vision gets blurry and you slow down. You can keep food in your backpack for later, but be careful, because some types of food spoil, thus making it inedible. 

Here is my problem I ran into, though. The controls SUCK in this version of the game. And I solely blame the lack of a second joystick on the 3DS for this being the reason why. I understand it was a big deal for Konami to put this game on the 3DS, but I can't understand why they would be OK with making the controls a complete disaster in order to try and compensate for the lack of a second stick. It just makes no sense to me. Sure, you could get a Circle Pad Pro extension for your 3DS to add the second stick, but honestly, you shouldn't have to. It is practically inexcusable for Nintendo to be so stubborn about this stick. And I can't blame developers and publishers from shying away from really good games on the 3DS because of the lack of a second stick. 

Bottom line is, my experience was skewed heavily because of the system I chose to play on. Once I catch up with my backlog, I will need to give this game the due diligence and play it properly on the PS3

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