When it comes to graphics in Metal Gear Solid games they are always top notch for the time they are released in. Every Metal Gear by far have had only ingame cutscenes without any pre-rendered CG cutscenes. Same as MGS and MGS2, MGS3 also pushes the boundaries of the hardware with excellent graphics and cinematic atmosphere that very few video games can create. At first few hours of the game, the graphics are un-impressive, because of middling textures when the areas are not so huge. But as your progress though the game, the areas expand to provide huge variety in locations and textures. It is quite amazing how PS2 can pull of these amazing graphics for huge areas like these. It’s not just the texture of the environment that is amazing, but also the very realistic character models in game and the facial movement they have during cutscenes. The cutscenes have become bit more dramatic and action packed compared to MGS2 cutscenes. But there is never any slowdowns during any of the action filled cutscenes or huge gameplay areas.

The loading from area to area is about the same amount as it was MGS2 room to room loading. This loading never gets longer or shorted depending on the areas that PS2 has to load. As for the radio and survival viewer opening slowdown, it does not exist. The radio screen opens without any problem or slowdowns. But during the intense gameplay moments when there is lot going on the screen, there is some minimal slowdowns. The usual slowdowns occur when an attack team is all on the screen and someone throws a grenade that lands in an area that with 3-4 animals. When the grenade explodes, there is some slowdown that lasts until the ration boxes from the animals are created. Other than that, most of the time the game works without any frame rate problems indoors or outdoors.

The music composed for this game is the best music from the entire series. The use of guitar for most of the music is very well fitting along with light drums and overall jungle feel to the music. While the ingame music is “junglish,” the music during the cutscenes is quite like MGS2 cutscenes music, only with more use of guitars. The dramatic music during boss fights, to the stylish themes used during the cutscenes are all the best music I have ever heard in a metal gear game. I enjoyed every bit of music I heard in MGS3, expect for a certain bit of up tempo music that sounded suspiciously like Top Gun theme. Other than this one music bit that played in a certain cutscene, every other music in the game was amazing and emotion evoking.

And finally one of the most important things in Metal Gear games and any other cinematic games: Voice acting. The voice acting in Metal Gear Solid 3 can be compared to the level of voice acting present in Metal Gear Solid 2. Most of the cast for MGS3 did an excellent job at VA for most of the game. But at parts of the cutscenes and in some key radio conversions, few voice actors did not have much emotion in lines they conveyed. They sounded bit too plain and read the lines like they were forced to read them. Overall the voice acting is good and of MGS2 levels, but at times the voice actor for The Boss sounded too soft for a woman who has been though so much. Metal Gear Solid has always had the best voice acting of the whole series in my opinion and I still think it’s the best. But MGS3 voice acting is not bad, it’s just not as good as the voice acting in MGS was.

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