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Introduction: Contains a formal introduction to the premise of the game and a brief overview of the game. Most of the information has already been officially releases, hence no spoilers

Gameplay: a detailed overview of all the gameplay elements present in MGS3. Also lists quite a lot of unreleased and new information of new features and items in the game. Also brief synopsis of some boss fights and some memorable scripted gameplay events. Can be spoilers to people who want to be surprised by the gameplay elements. Also contains some minimal story details that might be needed to clearly explain a certain boss fight or event.

Graphics and Sound: An analysis of MGS3 graphics, music and voice acting. Contains few minor gameplay spoilers and little story details that have been presented in trailers already.

Story: A brief overview of the story in MGS3 which includes details on some major events/surprises presented in the game. But this part is mostly about the narration style present in the game and how the story unfolds. Needless to say this section contains massive story spoilers.

Final Thoughts: This part is for my true feelings on the games story and gameplay. It contains minor story and gameplay spoilers. But it is mainly written to give the readers my opinion on MGS3.

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[STEALTH]
To perform an action in a silent, secretive manner
To proceed secretively, to move silently
The act of moving silently and secretly

[SURIVAL]
The act or process of surviving
The fact of having survived
A state of surviving; remaining alive

Ever since the first Metal Gear released on MSX in Japan, Hideo Kojima has been changing the gaming industry with this brain-child of his. His idea of a stealth game has become so popular that numerous games have tried to emulate his style (and usually fail). What makes Metal Gear games different from other stealth games is the unusual gameplay and story ideas Hideo Kojima places in them. Only in Metal Gear series will you find a lunatic mad bomber on skates or a mind numbing story filled with twists and turns that is not clichéd or already been attempted before. The new gameplay mechanics are usually unique ideas that set trends in gaming world. Just as in the past Hideo Kojima has once again created an amazing work of art that will again change the gaming world.

Metal Gear games always consisted of a lone operative that is send to an enemy territory to clear certain set of objectives as stealthy as possible. But what made each sequel different was the unique and sometimes downright wacky gameplay mechanics and story implemented in them. But all these past games focused heavily only on the stealth aspect in gameplay and story. This new element of stealth made its way into many games and some even arguably bested MGS2 when it comes to realistic stealth gameplay and story.

But MGS3 is not just an average Metal Gear sequel set in jungle with few new moves. MGS3 overall evolved from MGS2 gameplay to include a new element: survival. While this new element is not as pre-dominant as stealth was in the past games, survival is the focusing aspect of the gameplay and the story along with stealth.

Similar to the other Metal Gear games, MGS3 also starts off with the insertion of a lone operative into enemies’ territory with strict mission guidelines. But the similarities end there. Instead of making the players infiltrate another base in a post-modern setting, Hideo Kojima decided to create a prequel that is set in a jungle. Metal Gear solid 3 takes place in 1964, a time when tensions between USSR and USA was at peak. As mentioned before, the setting for this mission is a frictional jungle named Tselinoyarsk inside Soviet territory. In the past the players were restricted to sneak around man made structures and only had to worry about occasional re-stocking and get around guards.

But Metal Gear Solid 3’s introduction of survival element now drops the players in middle of a jungle with very few support tools and new level of realistic gameplay. Unlike before, the players are now required to make sure snake is properly feed so he can preserve his stamina. On top of that, major injuries can damage the maximum capacity of snake’s health bar. To fix it, players are to “cure” snake using different surgical equipment, medicines and procedures. Also to keep snake properly feed, players are to hunt for food and carry it with them. This new level of survival adds to the stealth gameplay that has already been established in MGS2.

In the past the players only had to worry about human enemies, but now players have to survive from humans as well as deadly animals. Not only that, but the whole setting for the game is a hazard that players have to survive. Players have to navigate though the jungle while avoiding natural traps like swamps that can drown snake, as well as man made traps like trip wire explosives to snares. The players also have to be careful of what they eat or they might end up eating something poisonous.

But the game did not loose the stealth gameplay that made the past Metal Gear games famous. The game is a seamless blend of survival in jungle as well as stealthy navigation though it. The players are still expected to sneak by the patrolling guards without causing any commotion or killing anyone. But MGS3 unlike the “other” stealth games does not severally penalize the players for not sneaking perfectly. Compared to past Metal Gear games, in MGS3 players can easily shoot there way though most of the enemies they might face if they do get caught.

The survival element exists not only in the gameplay, but also plays a very strong part in the story. The story twists and development always throws the players in situations they have to “survive” through to progress in either gameplay or story wise. From the events were boss breaks snake’s hand to surprise attack by Ocelot unit, the story always furthers the survival element by throwing players in tight situations where they have to utilize what they have and what they can salvage to survive.

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