Metal Gear Solid 3 returns with a bang in Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence. The newest addition to the MGS series is almost, what we would call, an expansion pack to MGS 3: Snake Eater. Anyone that has played Snake Eater will see that the single player campaign mode is exactly the same with one big twist, a completely new and simplified camera angle. The new third-person camera angle perspective allows players to rotate their view 360 degrees around Snake using the right analog stick. The first person camera angle perspective can still be used, but once you try the new camera angle, you most likely won,t want to go back. So you,re probably thinking of reasons why you would go and spend $30 on a game just because of a new camera angle. Well here,s the catch: MGS 3: Subsistence features a brand new online mode, as well as tons of extras including playable demos from older games, cut scenes from different games, and more all included on two discs (or three discs if you can find the rare special edition of the game).
Let,s get right into it and discuss the online mode. First off, the online mode is included on disk two of the normal version of the game. You,ll find the regular single player on the first disk, if you were wondering. Anyways, the online mode features five different modes of game play. These are: deathmatch, team deathmatch, rescue mission, capture mission, and sneaking mission. Deathmatch and team deathmatch are extremely fast paced for the most part, and you won,t see yourself living for much longer than a minute or two at a time, even if you,re skilled. It,s mainly run-and-gun in these two modes, and on smaller maps these two modes can be seen as chaotic. In the rescue mission mode, one team on the defensive must protect a yellow rubber ducky while the assault side must retrieve the rubber ducky and return it to their base without being killed. In this mode, players have no respawn and will only be alive once. This is the only mode where in which this is the case. In the capture mission mode, one frog must be put in one side,s base for a certain period of time. The only way to get the frog is to kill the person in possession of the frog or to run across the base in which the frog has been put. Think of it as a capture the flag mode with teams and bases where the flag must be put in to win. The final mode, sneaking mission mode, puts one player as the main character Snake. Snake and his team must find a microfilm and reach the extraction point before the other team kills Snake and his teammates. These three other modes are a little less chaotic, but still fast paced and a lot of fun.
The online mode gives players the choice of a nice array of different weapons; ranging from an AK-47 to two different types of sniper rifles. Pistols, knives, grenades, claymores, naughty magazines, and all of the little weapons you know and love from past games are all included.
The online mode supports up to 8 players per room. 12 different maps are included in the online mode, ranging from very small to rather large maps. You won,t see maps as big as maps in SOCOM 3, but that wouldn,t fit the game play style of MGS, anyway.
The game does a great job in tracking your stats for each game you have played. For example, after every round you play, it will give you a rundown of what you did during that specific round. Kills are however many you get multiplied by 2, while deaths are how ever many you get multiplied by -1. For sneaking missions, capture missions, and rescue missions, it will show you how many times you placed the item needed in the base, how many objectives you completed, etc. All of this is something you don,t often see in other games. This is an amazing feature of the online mode that will keep fans coming back for a long time.
The online portion of the game has a large community, and you,ll find no trouble getting straight into the action with the nicely organized lobby system. A friends list and the whole lot are also included as you would have suspected. The only problem I found with the online mode was within the community itself, as nobody seems to use their headsets when they should. Other than that, the online mode is amazing and worth the $30 in itself.
Now aside from the online mode, you,ll also receive a barrage of other things packed into this game. Some of these things include playable versions of Metal Gear and Metal Gear Solid Snake 2, a theater mode with cut scenes from the game, a mode in which you can replay all of the bosses from the game, as well as the classic Snake vs. Monkey mini games.
The graphics in this game are amazing, and utilize all of the PS2,s graphical abilities. The new third person camera angle will help you notice things that you wouldn,t notice in MGS 3: Snake Eater.
The audio is mainly the same as in MGS 3: Snake Eater, as the weapon sounds and dialogue are still top notch. One feature that I would like to mention is the ability to choose which games music and dialogue you would like to use during online play, this option is available every time you respawn during a round.
Overall this is a jam packed game that I would recommend to any PlayStation 2 owner. The retail price of only $29.99 is a complete steal. Even if you,re not able to get online, the new camera angle along with the insane amount of extras is worth the price tag alone.
