Retro Wildlands #63 - Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

[00:00:20] Greetings fellow travelers, vagrants, explorers, wildlanders, and welcome to episode 63 of The Retro Wildlands.

[00:00:30] My name is Nomad and this is my gaming podcast where I like to share my thoughts and experiences

[00:00:35] with a video game that I've discovered or rediscovered while roaming the gaming wildlands.

[00:00:41] Thank you very much for tuning into the show today.

[00:00:44] It's always an adventure any time we take a trip into the wildlands and nothing beats

[00:00:48] having some company while we do it, so I'm glad you decided to join up with us today.

[00:00:54] Dee Dee, our canine expedition leader, is… where the hell did he go?

[00:00:59] I could've swore he was here a minute ago, but anyway.

[00:01:04] Dee Dee should be around at some point to greet you, give you the obligatory sniffing of the leg and all that,

[00:01:10] but until he gets back here, go ahead and settle in by the campfire, my friends.

[00:01:13] Dee Dee, our canine expedition leader, is a great idea.

[00:01:14] We've been to a lot of places on our expeditions, but today we're going somewhere new.

[00:01:20] We are going deep into the lush jungle of Selinyarsk, which is just south of the former Soviet Union.

[00:01:29] Just what are we doing here, you might be wondering?

[00:01:33] Over the course of 62 previous expeditions into the gaming wildlands,

[00:01:37] we've built up quite a reputation for ourselves, and we've been asked to undertake a dangerous mission into enemy territory.

[00:01:47] A Russian rocket scientist wants to defect to the United States, and we need to locate and extract them.

[00:01:54] Should be a fairly straightforward endeavor, as we'll have a support team working with us over the radio,

[00:02:00] and we'll have a simple extraction plan. Really, we should be home in time for dinner.

[00:02:06] But if anything goes wrong, we'll be eating dinner, breakfast, and all the rest of our meals in the jungle.

[00:02:13] We'll need to rely on our training to remain undetected as well,

[00:02:17] as an encounter with the enemy could spell doom for us and our entire mission.

[00:02:22] What do you think, my friends? Are you up for it?

[00:02:25] Well, good, because as soon as Dee Dee gets his little butt back here, we are heading off.

[00:02:31] Just... God damn, where the hell did he go?

[00:02:36] BROP!

[00:02:36] Holy shit, there you are, boy! God, didn't even see you there!

[00:02:40] BROP!

[00:02:41] By the way, what are you wearing?

[00:02:44] BROP!

[00:02:45] Ah, I see. You are using camouflage. Very sneaky, my boy.

[00:02:51] Let's make sure everyone at the camp is equipped with plenty of camouflage and face paint,

[00:02:56] so we can blend in with our surroundings.

[00:02:59] I had Dexter, Dee Dee's brother from another dog mother, scout ahead and give us a lay of the land.

[00:03:05] We'll need camo for the lush jungle as well as camo for some urban environments,

[00:03:10] sandy terrain, swamp lands, and even pitch black environments.

[00:03:15] How's everyone going to carry all this camouflage and be able to change them on the fly without

[00:03:20] someone walking in on us while we do it?

[00:03:23] Well, you see, that's going to be part of the fun, my friends.

[00:03:28] Anything can happen in a pause menu, so we'll be just fine.

[00:03:33] On today's episode, we're checking out a video game that took the stealth-based

[00:03:37] action-adventure genre in a new direction.

[00:03:41] In the late 90s, early 2000s, we would see stealth-based games like Tenchu, Stealth Assassins,

[00:03:47] and Thief. The Hitman series also debuted in the year 2000, and in 2002, we would see the first

[00:03:55] Splinter Cell game released. Each of these games, and even the ones that came after,

[00:04:00] had their unique approaches to stealth-based gameplay and allowed the player to hide in

[00:04:05] the shadows and sneak around the game world while taking out enemies or accomplishing specific tasks

[00:04:11] or missions. And while it's hard to pinpoint exactly when it was that the stealth genre of

[00:04:17] games was truly born, I argue the release of Metal Gear in 1987 was one of the main starting points.

[00:04:26] Taking place mainly inside a brick-and-mortar military compound, players controlled an operative

[00:04:32] code-named Solid Snake, and his mission was to infiltrate Outer Heaven, a fortified military

[00:04:38] zone in an effort to destroy Metal Gear, a bipedal walking battle tank capable of launching nuclear

[00:04:45] missiles anywhere in the world and virtually at any target in the world. Snake would ultimately do

[00:04:52] battle with Big Boss, the leader of Outer Heaven, who was also Snake's commanding officer. Talk about

[00:04:58] a double-cross. Snake would emerge victorious, but the series would go on from there and blossom into

[00:05:03] multiple games that would span decades. And in 2004, after we experienced Metal Gear Solid on

[00:05:11] the original PlayStation and Metal Gear Solid 2 on the PlayStation 2, series creators took us back to

[00:05:17] the very beginning of the series by tossing us into a stealth environment we really hadn't experienced

[00:05:23] up to that point. And that environment was the jungle. Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater expanded on the

[00:05:32] stealth formula in some interesting ways by adding a camouflage system that added to your ability to stay

[00:05:37] hidden, a stamina gauge that you needed to keep filled by eating local flora and fauna, an injury system,

[00:05:44] and a close-quarters hand-to-hand combat system. Snake Eater would go on to be one of the most highly

[00:05:52] regarded games in the entire Metal Gear series, and in the stealth genre as a whole. And while stealth-based

[00:05:59] games aren't really my absolute favorite, they can be incredible when they are done right. But for me,

[00:06:06] it's the story Snake Eater tells to the player that always stuck with me. At the time of this recording,

[00:06:13] Konami is set to re-release MGS3 as Metal Gear Solid Delta Snake Eater. And while the release date

[00:06:20] hasn't been officially announced, I have a feeling we are getting close. So I decided to replay this game so

[00:06:27] you and I could dive into it a bit together in preparation. Plus, I've been itching to share my

[00:06:33] thoughts on the story and this game's amazing ending. Now, just to set the stage ahead of time,

[00:06:41] my plan today is to talk about the game's basic story setup and gameplay. We'll work through the

[00:06:47] game's opening segment called The Virtuous Mission together and reminisce on Snake Eater's gameplay as we go.

[00:06:54] Afterward, I do want to talk about some parts of the game that will ruin certain plot points and I do

[00:07:00] want to end the episode talking about the game's ending. You'll be able to listen for a good while as

[00:07:06] the Virtuous Mission section is the very start of the game, but as soon as we get into those plot

[00:07:12] spoilers, I will let you all know well in advance and give you plenty of time to dip out if you don't

[00:07:17] want anything spoiled for you if you haven't had a chance to play this game yet. And please, do not let me

[00:07:24] spoil this game's story for you if you've never played Snake Eater before. Games in the Metal Gear series can

[00:07:30] have some really complicated stories and character moments, but I always felt like Snake Eater kept it simple

[00:07:35] and it was very easy to follow in my opinion. So again, don't let me spoil things unless you want them to be spoiled.

[00:07:42] I am very excited to talk about this game today and I hope I can do it some justice.

[00:07:48] Stealth-based games aren't always for everyone, but of all the games in the genre, I argue MGS3

[00:07:55] Snake Eater is one of the good ones. Well, mostly. I don't love everything about this game, but I am

[00:08:03] getting ahead of myself. Now, if you're new to the show, I like to kick things off first by chatting it

[00:08:10] up with you all and give everyone a peek behind the scenes here in the retro wildlands before we get

[00:08:15] into the episode proper. Depending on what's on my mind, I like to share what's going on with the show,

[00:08:20] what's happening in my personal life, talk about what games I might be playing, or whatever else I

[00:08:25] feel like spitting into this here microphone. I'll also use this time to read and respond to any

[00:08:31] comments we received about Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater as a way to set the stage for the main part of the

[00:08:37] episode and give members of the community a moment to share their own thoughts and memories.

[00:08:42] Now, if none of that interests you and you're just here for the Snake Eater experience,

[00:08:47] no worries, you can skip ahead about, let's say about 20 minutes, let's say, and you should get into the game talk.

[00:08:54] That's purely an estimate based on the comments that we already received and what I know is coming up,

[00:08:59] but I will put timestamps in the show notes so if you want to know exactly where you need to go and you

[00:09:04] don't want to stick around, you can go exactly to that spot by clicking it on your podcast app.

[00:09:10] But I will say, you should definitely consider sticking around. It's going to be a relaxing time

[00:09:15] as we chit-chat, talk some video games, and your fellow Wildlanders will get a chance to sound off

[00:09:20] their thoughts to the rest of us, and I can't think of a better way to get our expedition moving.

[00:09:26] So, without further ado, let's get into our opening segment that I like to call

[00:09:32] Campfire Catch-Up.

[00:09:49] With 2024 coming to a close, I've been thinking back on the year, and I have to say,

[00:09:55] I'm happy to be heading into a new year.

[00:09:58] 2024 wasn't the worst year ever for me personally or anything, but it felt like one of those years

[00:10:02] where I just cruised through it half-tuned in, half-tuned out.

[00:10:07] My day job brought tons of stress this year, and there were some days I just couldn't bring

[00:10:12] myself to be as productive with my time as I wanted, whether it was with this show or

[00:10:16] things I needed to do around the house. People often look at the new year as a time to sort of reset,

[00:10:23] and I am really, really looking forward to that.

[00:10:26] Now, like I said, 2024 wasn't all bad.

[00:10:29] When I sit back and think about it all, plenty of awesome things happened.

[00:10:33] We had our yearly family vacation that took us to Orlando, Florida, where we were fortunate enough

[00:10:39] to take the kids to Disney World and spend several days checking out the Animal Kingdom

[00:10:43] and Universal Studios.

[00:10:45] I was able to go to two gaming conventions this year, the Cleveland Gaming Classic and

[00:10:51] Korgs down in Columbus, Ohio.

[00:10:54] My family and I also partook in a few escape rooms this year, which I have to say,

[00:10:59] I am not the best person when it comes to figuring out puzzles and riddles, but escape rooms are

[00:11:03] fun with the right people.

[00:11:05] I was able to visit some of my close friends from high school a few times this year, which

[00:11:10] was a long time coming, too. I also officiated the wedding of one of my good friends a little

[00:11:17] over a month ago, and it is an experience that I will never forget.

[00:11:21] And as of this recording, I was fortunate enough to make time to read about a dozen new books this year

[00:11:27] and complete about 30 New to Me video games.

[00:11:31] Oh, and I also watched 25 New to Me movies this year, too.

[00:11:36] Yes, that is correct. I am one of those people that likes keeping track

[00:11:40] of these kinds of things.

[00:11:42] So I guess when I look back at everything that happened this year, 2024 wasn't too bad.

[00:11:48] But god damn, I am ready to get this year over with and start fresh.

[00:11:53] I want to find a way to play more games, read more books, catch up on some movies that I've

[00:11:59] been meaning to watch, and do more with the Retro Wildlands as a whole.

[00:12:03] Maybe one thing I should do soon is rank all of my top things in 2024.

[00:12:08] Best game I played, maybe even the best movie I saw, or the best book I read.

[00:12:13] Is that something you'd be interested in?

[00:12:16] You can get a hold of me on our social media pages and let me know if that's something

[00:12:19] that would interest you.

[00:12:21] So, speaking of 2025, I have a couple resolutions, which I am hoping I stick with.

[00:12:28] I figure if I say them out loud to you all, that should help my chances, so we'll see.

[00:12:36] Regarding the Retro Wildlands as a whole, I've been dinking around with ways to get

[00:12:40] back to some semblance of consistency around here.

[00:12:44] One thing I've done a handful of times now that I want to do more of is live streaming.

[00:12:50] While I don't have the best computer and equipment setup in the world, I've been able to upgrade

[00:12:55] my tech and internet speeds just enough to where I can stream pretty consistently and reliably.

[00:13:01] I've been having a blast playing the original Resident Evil games, and I'm learning a lot

[00:13:06] about streaming in general.

[00:13:08] It's been a bit of a learning curve because it's not just playing the game.

[00:13:13] I enjoy talking to people, and I often find it hard to play a game and hold a conversation

[00:13:19] at the same time, so it's been fun to navigate around both.

[00:13:23] And while I'm fortunate enough to have had at least two or three people join me each live

[00:13:28] stream, there are times where I would just be talking to myself, and that can be tough

[00:13:32] sometimes.

[00:13:34] Still, I have had a blast each time I stream, but it has been a while.

[00:13:39] I'd love to stream at least once a week like I was when I was playing through Sea of Stars

[00:13:44] with my pal Lindsey, but I also need to make sure that I won't be taking away from time

[00:13:49] here at home.

[00:13:50] So that's something I'll be talking to my wife about.

[00:13:53] Maybe I'll do it every other week.

[00:13:55] We'll see.

[00:13:57] So all that said, stay tuned for that.

[00:14:00] Beyond that and finding other ways to grow the retro wildlands as a whole, another resolution

[00:14:06] I have is that I want to complete at least three of the original six Final Fantasies.

[00:14:12] I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a physical copy of the Final Fantasy Pixel

[00:14:17] remasters that included one through six, but I haven't taken the plunge with any of

[00:14:22] them yet.

[00:14:23] Well, no, I take that back.

[00:14:24] A couple of years ago, I started Final Fantasy VI, got about halfway through, and then I just

[00:14:30] stopped.

[00:14:31] And I've played the first game about halfway through as well on my PlayStation Portable,

[00:14:36] but didn't commit to finishing.

[00:14:38] After playing Final Fantasy IX for the first time this year, I really want to complete all

[00:14:44] of the mainline Final Fantasy games, so this coming year will officially start that journey.

[00:14:49] Another goal that I have for 2025 is that I want to complete 50 video games or more this

[00:14:55] coming year.

[00:14:56] These games include games that I plan to complete for the show, too.

[00:15:01] While I think I've come to terms with the idea that I'm never going to play all the games

[00:15:05] that I own, I really want to commit to finishing what I have.

[00:15:09] I'm fortunate that I have a rather large physical games collection, but I never wanted to be one

[00:15:15] of those collectors that collects and doesn't play.

[00:15:19] I want to experience as much as I can this coming year and fill as many gaps in my retro

[00:15:24] resume as I can as well.

[00:15:26] And to accomplish that, I am going to need to be strategic with my time.

[00:15:32] So let's math it out for funsies.

[00:15:35] This is not an endorsement or anything, but I do want to mention that I use the website

[00:15:40] HowLongToBeat to track my games, so let's take a look here.

[00:15:43] If I spend 2 hours a day gaming, let's say, times 7 days a week times 52 weeks in a year,

[00:15:51] that's 728 hours.

[00:15:54] I still need to upload the rest of my backlog, but of what I have up there on the website,

[00:15:59] I'm looking at an average of 14 hours a game to beat.

[00:16:04] So divide that into 728 hours, and I have the potential to complete 52 games this year

[00:16:12] at a pace of 1 a week.

[00:16:14] Nice.

[00:16:15] So, I guess we'll just see how it goes.

[00:16:18] Now, if you're interested in keeping up with my 2025 gaming journey, be sure to follow the

[00:16:24] Retro Wildlands on your favorite social media platform.

[00:16:28] You can check out our Linktree at linktr.ee forward slash retro wildlands, which will spew

[00:16:34] out all of our social platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

[00:16:37] Blue Sky is another platform that we're on, and it's been blowing up recently, so join

[00:16:42] us over there as well.

[00:16:44] Once I'm back to streaming, I'll be streaming over on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch, so

[00:16:50] be sure to follow us over there on those platforms, or whichever ones you prefer.

[00:16:55] And, speaking of social media, I'm going to try and be more active with posts this coming

[00:17:01] year as well, and at least commit to the idea of posting at least something once a day,

[00:17:06] if not more.

[00:17:07] I always worry about drowning people in stuff from our social media pages, but I do recognize

[00:17:13] that there are times where I'll go days and sometimes even as far out as a week before

[00:17:17] I post anything, and I do want to close that gap.

[00:17:20] Download numbers for the podcast itself continue to grow, so in 2025, I think it is time to really

[00:17:27] push social media and get our name out there, and I'd love it if you came along for the ride

[00:17:33] with me.

[00:17:34] Alright, I think that's about it as far as my goals for 2025 and what's going on with

[00:17:39] the podcast as a whole.

[00:17:40] But really quick, before we move on, an update on what games that I'm currently playing.

[00:17:45] I am mostly focusing my gaming time on Mario & Luigi Brothership, the RPG adventure on the

[00:17:53] Nintendo Switch.

[00:17:54] I mentioned that I was playing this game last episode, and so far I'm still having a pretty

[00:17:59] good time with this one.

[00:18:01] It's still very much a 7 out of 10 game for me, but it continues to surprise me and keeps

[00:18:06] things fresh as the story goes on and as more abilities and gameplay mechanics are unlocked.

[00:18:11] The story is pretty generic for my liking, but the battles are fun, the worlds are cool to

[00:18:17] explore, and the progression is mostly satisfying.

[00:18:21] I'm about 40 hours in, and I am not getting the impression that I am close to the end yet,

[00:18:27] though I'm making it a point to do as many side quests as I can when they pop up so I

[00:18:31] know that's adding to my time.

[00:18:33] Even if the rewards for these side quests are completely hit or completely miss.

[00:18:41] Still, I'm committed to finishing this one now, so anytime I have a chance to game on

[00:18:46] the Switch, that is what I'm playing.

[00:18:48] Well, no, not exclusively, now that I think about it.

[00:18:52] My sister-in-law recently picked up Moving Out on the Switch, and once my wife and I tried

[00:18:58] it together, we scooped that one up as well on one of Nintendo's latest eShop sales.

[00:19:03] If you've never heard of this one before, it is a mostly co-op game where you and up

[00:19:08] to three other pals play the part of movers, and you have to move all the objects in a

[00:19:13] home or a building to the moving truck as fast and efficiently as possible.

[00:19:18] It is one hell of a good time, but be warned.

[00:19:22] Make sure you have a solid relationship with whomever you're playing with because you will

[00:19:26] need to work together to be successful.

[00:19:29] While my wife and I usually work well together when we play co-op games, last night was especially

[00:19:35] frustrating because we were both tired and couldn't beat one of the harder levels to save our lives.

[00:19:41] Still, it has been fun, and I love playing co-op games with Justine, so I highly recommend

[00:19:47] giving this one a shot if you're looking for some wacky co-op goodness.

[00:19:52] Other than that, I also got sucked into playing Skyrim a week or so ago, but I have successfully

[00:19:58] put it down for the time being.

[00:20:01] I own a PlayStation Portal, and in case you missed the news, you're able to cloud stream

[00:20:06] games with the portal if you have the highest tier of PlayStation Plus.

[00:20:11] The best part about that is you don't need to connect to your PlayStation 5 to do it.

[00:20:16] I tested this out by firing up Skyrim, and my god, I was very impressed with how it all handled.

[00:20:24] I've got decent internet here at home, so the connection was always solid, the graphics in

[00:20:29] the game looked crisp, and I had a ton of fun looting people's houses of all their valuables

[00:20:34] while I sat on my toilet.

[00:20:37] Back in the day, I almost 100%ed this game on the Xbox 360, and as soon as a trophy popped

[00:20:44] up while I was playing Skyrim on my portal, I almost let the idea of going for a platinum

[00:20:50] trophy consume me.

[00:20:51] I was able to walk away, thankfully, but all of that to say, I might be revisiting Skyrim

[00:20:58] in the near future.

[00:20:59] Maybe I'll do a podcast episode on it.

[00:21:03] Maybe.

[00:21:05] Alright, I think that's about all I have for this catch-up session, my friends.

[00:21:10] It is time to get to the reason that you are all here today.

[00:21:14] It's time to talk about Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater.

[00:21:21] We had a few members of the Retro Wildlands community chime in with their snake eater

[00:21:25] thoughts and memories.

[00:21:27] First up, we have Curtis, who chimed in over on our Facebook page.

[00:21:31] He said,

[00:21:33] One thing I really appreciated about this game was the little touches.

[00:21:37] Like having to literally catch, cook, and eat snakes.

[00:21:41] Little touches like that added more depth to the game, even if it could get a little annoying,

[00:21:46] and it really helped add more immersion for me.

[00:21:49] I 100% agree with that, my friend.

[00:21:52] I don't really remember a game around this time that emphasized a jungle setting quite

[00:21:57] like this.

[00:21:58] Most stealth-based games were centered around urban environments.

[00:22:02] Gray walls, cramped indoor facilities.

[00:22:04] This was the first time we really got a setting like this, and adding the stamina meter which

[00:22:09] made you have to hunt for food to keep yourself healthy was a great touch.

[00:22:13] It's like you weren't just fighting the enemy, you were fighting and mastering the environment.

[00:22:19] I do agree things had the tendency to get annoying though.

[00:22:23] You had to go into, what, five different menus just to eat something?

[00:22:27] It was all a little bit tedious after a while, but still, for the time and even in some ways

[00:22:33] now, this idea absolutely fits in this game, and I cannot imagine the experience without

[00:22:39] it.

[00:22:40] We also got one more comment about Snake Eater from Eric who also chimed in over on our

[00:22:46] Facebook page with this.

[00:22:48] Absolutely love everything about this game.

[00:22:52] From when you're knee-deep in blood and bodies to when you're sneaking through the woods and

[00:22:57] come up upon someone that's an enemy and when you hold them hostage.

[00:23:00] The storyline was slash is amazing.

[00:23:04] Just brings back a lot of memories and Sons of Liberty too.

[00:23:08] In that game, I love Mr. X's sword that you get at the end.

[00:23:12] Can't wait to hear this episode.

[00:23:15] There is something very satisfying sneaking around in the jungle in this game.

[00:23:20] The inclusion of stalking, where you can walk extra slow and not make any sound, is awesome,

[00:23:26] especially when you get someone in arm's reach and you're able to take them down,

[00:23:29] interrogate them for information, or like you mentioned Eric, hold them up.

[00:23:34] I didn't hold up very many people though.

[00:23:36] I was more into the CQC aspect of the game and I loved tossing people around like there were

[00:23:41] sacks of potatoes.

[00:23:42] And I agree, I loved getting a hold of the sword at the end of Sons of Liberty too.

[00:23:48] That game went way off the rails with regards to its story, so after trying to digest that

[00:23:53] particular narrative, it was very nice to just slice and dice my way to the end credits.

[00:24:00] Eric and Curtis, thank you both for taking the time to drop your thoughts on MGS3 Snake

[00:24:06] Eater.

[00:24:06] I really appreciate it.

[00:24:08] If you listening want to drop your thoughts on a game that I'll be covering on the show,

[00:24:12] be sure to follow us on your favorite social media platform.

[00:24:16] You can find all of our socials when you go to our link tree at linktr.ee forward slash

[00:24:22] retro wildlands.

[00:24:23] I'll put a call out when I start writing up the script, so if you want your comment featured

[00:24:29] on the show, that is how you do it.

[00:24:31] Or you can join the SuperPod Lounge, a Discord server that's part of the SuperPod network

[00:24:37] that I frequent.

[00:24:38] I'll put a call out in our dedicated Retro Wildlands channel as well.

[00:24:43] I'll be sure to put a link to the Discord server if you're interested in joining up

[00:24:47] in the show notes.

[00:24:48] Hope to see you all there or on our socials, my friends.

[00:24:51] And...

[00:24:54] Originally released on November 17th, 2004 on the Sony PlayStation 2, and later made available

[00:25:00] on the PS3, Xbox 360, PlayStation Vita, Vita the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, and later

[00:25:08] made available on the Switch, PS4, PS5, PC, and Xbox Series Everything, thanks to the Metal

[00:25:14] Gear Solid Master Collection Volume 1.

[00:25:16] Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater continued the series by expanding on the stealth gameplay,

[00:25:22] the series was known for in some unique ways, all while serving as a prequel to the entire

[00:25:28] Metal Gear universe.

[00:25:30] Set in the year 1964, 31 years before the events of the original Metal Gear, we join covert CIA

[00:25:38] agent and Fox operative Naked Snake as he attempts to rescue a Russian scientist who is looking

[00:25:45] to defect to the United States.

[00:25:47] What starts as a simple snatch and extract mission behind enemy lines soon turns into a complicated

[00:25:54] game of espionage and betrayal.

[00:25:57] Beyond his rescue mission, Snake will be tasked with destroying an experimental weapon before

[00:26:03] it sees combat, but his greatest mission will be to assassinate one of the greatest soldiers

[00:26:08] who ever lived.

[00:26:09] A soldier who happens to be Snake's former mentor.

[00:26:14] Tensions across the globe are still high, and if Snake doesn't succeed in his mission, the

[00:26:19] world will face a conflict like never seen before.

[00:26:23] Can Snake succeed in his mission which will ultimately require him to kill the one person

[00:26:29] he holds dear in this world?

[00:26:31] Or will he fail and doom us all?

[00:26:34] The answer to that question, my friends, is going to be completely up to us.

[00:26:40] So let's gear up, Wildlanders.

[00:26:42] Dawn your tiger-stripe camouflage fatigues, smear on a little green face paint, and tie on

[00:26:49] your bandanas.

[00:26:50] This won't be an easy mission, and our country is asking a lot of us.

[00:26:55] But as we sneak our way through the jungle, are we going to have the strength needed to accomplish

[00:27:01] our mission?

[00:27:02] Can we really kill her, our mentor?

[00:27:06] One must die, and one must live.

[00:27:09] No victory, no defeat.

[00:27:12] The survivor will carry on the fight.

[00:27:15] It is our destiny.

[00:27:17] As I continue to discover new video games and play some of the older ones I missed out on,

[00:28:19] I often hear some games referred to as quote-unquote one of the greatest of all time, or a specific

[00:28:25] game that someone must play before they die.

[00:28:29] A lot of times the criteria for such games are the idea that the games included have some

[00:28:34] sort of historical significance on video games as a whole, or they introduce some sort of

[00:28:40] gameplay element that was the first of its kind, or is completely unique.

[00:28:45] And while those are fine enough reasons for a game to earn the must-experience stamp of approval,

[00:28:51] I find that my own criteria for this sort of thing often comes down to the individual

[00:28:55] and what that game means to them.

[00:28:58] But there's sort of a catch with this.

[00:29:00] A game or other piece of media that really resonates with you and means something to you

[00:29:06] may not have the same impact on someone else.

[00:29:09] Does that mean you shouldn't share your passions?

[00:29:11] Of course not.

[00:29:12] But I say all that to say, Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater is a game that really means something

[00:29:17] special to me, and I'm very excited to talk to you all about it today.

[00:29:21] Though, now that I've replayed the game as a 40-year-old adult with not nearly as much

[00:29:27] free time as I used to have, I fully recognize that this game may not suit everyone.

[00:29:32] Some things I used to love about this game do continue to impress me.

[00:29:37] Other things about this game no longer seem as interesting or as innovative as they used

[00:29:42] to be.

[00:29:43] And at the end of the day, this is a Metal Gear Solid game where you're spending more

[00:29:47] time watching cutscenes or listening to radio conversations between characters than you

[00:29:52] are playing the actual game.

[00:29:54] I don't have the official numbers, but I read somewhere online that there's about 10 hours

[00:29:59] of cutscenes and radio conversations if you decide to watch and listen to them all, and

[00:30:03] about 3, maybe 4 hours of actual gameplay to be had.

[00:30:07] I don't know how accurate those numbers are, but they seem right to me.

[00:30:12] While I love the cutscenes and listening to these characters talk about everything and

[00:30:17] anything thanks to the superb voice acting, not everyone may feel the same way.

[00:30:23] Skipping them is optional, of course, but I argue doing so will rob you of some much-needed

[00:30:28] and very interesting story beats.

[00:30:31] So, when someone tells me that Snake Eater or games that have a ton of dialogue like this

[00:30:36] aren't for them, I can't say I really blame that person.

[00:30:40] A game is meant to be played, right?

[00:30:43] But, my friends, even after re-experiencing this game and seeing how rough this game can

[00:30:49] be nowadays, I still hold this game up as one of my personal favorites.

[00:30:53] And one of the reasons for that is the story this game tells and how attached I became to

[00:30:59] the characters, specifically our protagonist, Naked Snake.

[00:31:04] I won't really get into the details about Naked Snake and how he ties into the Metal

[00:31:09] Gear universe until we talk spoilers on the off chance you've never played this game

[00:31:13] before, but this character holds special meaning for me.

[00:31:17] When this game was first advertised, I don't think we really knew who this character was.

[00:31:22] Game director Hideo Kojima worked with artist Yoji Shinkawa and had him design Naked Snake

[00:31:29] much like Solid Snake, the protagonist from earlier entries in the series, except Naked Snake would

[00:31:35] be young, naive, and still learning.

[00:31:38] Even though I got Naked Snake's true identity spoiled before I played the game for the first

[00:31:43] time, it actually made the game more interesting from a narrative standpoint knowing who it was

[00:31:47] that you were playing as, and getting to watch him grow into what he would become one day as

[00:31:52] the story played out.

[00:31:54] And that's what really stuck with me over the years.

[00:31:58] I also love that the overarching story takes place over top of real world events, and even

[00:32:04] has its own ways of explaining how certain events in history actually played out.

[00:32:09] Well, fictionally, of course.

[00:32:11] While Snake Eater may not be as snappy and as cutting edge as it used to be, the game's

[00:32:16] many quirks and its story are what make this a game that I will always recommend.

[00:32:22] Now, really quick before we start dissecting this game and experiencing it first hand.

[00:32:26] A reminder about spoilers in case you skipped past the intro of the show today.

[00:32:31] As we talk about Snake Eater, I'm going to walk us through the game's opening mission

[00:32:35] called the Virtuous Mission.

[00:32:37] It's more or less the game's tutorial mission and sets up the game proper.

[00:32:42] I will be talking about some of the story beats and gameplay mechanics during this opening

[00:32:47] mission, but there's nothing here that I would personally consider a spoiler.

[00:32:51] Afterwards, I do want to touch on the game's finer features, like some of the boss battles

[00:32:56] and some of the more interesting quirks this game has to offer, and I want to highlight the

[00:33:00] game's ending so I can speak to what that experience meant for me the first time and

[00:33:04] still means for me today.

[00:33:07] Once we get to the spoiler section, I will give you clear warnings so if you don't want

[00:33:11] any of the major plot points spoiled for you if you haven't played the game before or

[00:33:15] you're waiting for the remake to drop, you can dip out if you want and come back after

[00:33:20] you've experienced the story for yourself.

[00:33:22] Does that all sound good?

[00:33:24] Awesome!

[00:33:25] Now, let's start diving into this game and see exactly what it is that we're working with.

[00:33:33] So, what is this game?

[00:33:36] Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater was originally released on the PlayStation 2 back in 2004.

[00:33:44] This game serves as the prequel to the entire Metal Gear series taking place in 1964.

[00:33:51] This is a third-person action-adventure stealth game with a huge emphasis on stealth.

[00:33:57] Players take control of a CIA operative codenamed Naked Snake who represents the Fox Unit, a unit

[00:34:04] that specializes in solo sneaking missions.

[00:34:08] One of the things that makes this game so unique is that previous Metal Gear games took

[00:34:12] place in urban environments like military bases.

[00:34:16] Snake Eater will see us primarily navigating jungle environments, a first for the series.

[00:34:21] We'll have to make our way through the mostly jungle terrain, avoiding detection by enemy

[00:34:26] patrols as we work to accomplish our mission.

[00:34:30] When the game begins, our mission is a simple one.

[00:34:33] We'll be sent into an area just south of the Soviet Union called Selinyarsk, and we'll

[00:34:39] be tasked with locating and securing a Russian rocket scientist named Nikolai Sokolov.

[00:34:45] He's looking to defect to the United States and needs help getting there.

[00:34:49] What makes this mission so dangerous is that it all takes place in 1964 during America's Cold

[00:34:55] War with Russia, so tensions are very high.

[00:34:59] We need to make sure we sneak in and out undetected.

[00:35:03] If we're caught or killed, the United States will deny everything, meaning we're truly on

[00:35:08] our own to get this job done.

[00:35:11] What makes Sokolov so important that the United States would risk poking Russia, especially

[00:35:16] when Cold War tensions were at an all-time high?

[00:35:20] Well, that's not for us to know right now.

[00:35:23] We're just soldiers, and all that matters is the mission, right?

[00:35:27] That, in and of itself, will be a question that we'll find ourselves asking soon enough.

[00:35:33] It's about time we pop the game in and begin our mission, but before we do, it's worth

[00:35:38] noting that Snake Eater has seen several iterations over the years.

[00:35:43] It was originally released on the PlayStation 2, but about a year later it was re-released

[00:35:47] as Metal Gear Solid 3 Subsistence.

[00:35:51] It's an expanded version of the game with one notable difference.

[00:35:54] In the original game, the camera view was mostly top-down like previous entries into

[00:36:00] the series, but in Subsistence, players were treated with a full 3D camera, meaning the

[00:36:07] player could rotate the camera around Snake, effectively seeing much more around them.

[00:36:13] This was the version that I got my hands on when I played this game originally, and man,

[00:36:18] I cannot imagine playing this game without the 3D camera option.

[00:36:23] In the more recent versions of the game, you can toggle back and forth between the two camera

[00:36:28] schemes, but come on, nothing beats a 3D camera scheme in a stealth game, right?

[00:36:34] Snake Eater was also released in the Metal Gear Solid The Essential Collection, which came

[00:36:40] with the original game on the original PlayStation, MGS2, and 3 on the PlayStation 2.

[00:36:46] The Metal Gear Solid 3 HD Collection brought the game to the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and the

[00:36:53] PlayStation Vita.

[00:36:55] They even made this game for the Nintendo 3DS, calling it Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater 3D.

[00:37:01] Gameplay was updated to feel more like Metal Gear Solid 4 and Peace Walker from the PSP.

[00:37:07] Graphics were improved and you had the ability to crouch walk.

[00:37:11] Most recently, and how I replayed the game for this episode, Konami released the Metal Gear Solid

[00:37:17] Master Collection Volume 1, which made the first 3 games accessible on current generation

[00:37:23] consoles, the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series everything, PC, and even the Switch.

[00:37:30] There's a lot of ways to play this game, so don't worry about finding a method to undertake

[00:37:35] your mission to save Sokolov.

[00:37:37] Speaking of, it is well past time that we get this ball rolling.

[00:37:41] We're going to fire this up on the PlayStation 5 via the Master Collection today and play this

[00:37:46] game on a modern console because, I don't know, why the hell not?

[00:37:50] Figured we'd do something different and give the PlayStation 5 a little love.

[00:37:54] So, let's wake up the system from rest mode and get this ball rolling.

[00:38:00] Heh, while I do love that little beep, I think the best software update that they came out

[00:38:05] with for the PS5 was the one allowing you to shut that startup beep off.

[00:38:10] I never really minded it, and thankfully I have a spouse that doesn't roll her eyes

[00:38:14] whenever she hears that sound.

[00:38:15] Well, at least not that I've ever noticed, but anyway, I'm getting off on a tangent.

[00:38:24] On screen, the PS5 awakens from its slumber and gives us the obligatory warning if you happen

[00:38:30] to have photosensitive epilepsy.

[00:38:33] Next, because I turned my console on with the button on the console like a weirdo, we hit

[00:38:38] the PlayStation button in the middle of our controller to start signing in.

[00:38:42] We select our profile, and then we quickly enter our four-digit passcode to access said profile.

[00:38:55] Ah, the majestic sounds of the home screen.

[00:38:59] MGS3 is already selected since that's the last thing I played, so just press the X button

[00:39:04] on your controller and enter the game.

[00:39:07] After we see the Konami logo, we're met with the Master Collections title screen for Snake Eater.

[00:39:14] For those that have played the game before, you will immediately recognize the man we see

[00:39:19] on screen.

[00:39:28] Holding a crisp military salute and dressed in his military best is Naked Snake.

[00:39:34] This right here is one of my favorite depictions of this character, if I'm being honest.

[00:39:39] White flower petals seem to be floating around Snake, and it creates a sort of air of mystery.

[00:39:46] When we press a button on the controller, we're taken to a submenu.

[00:39:50] While I haven't explored it fully, the Master Collection sports some pretty cool extras that

[00:39:55] series veterans and fans are sure to love.

[00:39:58] I'm not going to get into the weeds and go through all of these extras here, so let's

[00:40:02] go ahead and keep moving along.

[00:40:04] Let's select Game Selection, the menu choice at the top.

[00:40:10] From here, we can choose to play the North American version of the game, the European version,

[00:40:15] or even the Japanese version.

[00:40:17] I never got around to really diving into the differences between each version, and if I had

[00:40:21] the time, I'd love to play through them all one day so I could spot the differences, but

[00:40:25] for today, let's stick with the North American version.

[00:40:29] Next is our language selection.

[00:40:32] While I can speak some French,

[00:40:35] Bonjour, je m'appelle François, omelette du fromage,

[00:40:39] and I can speak a little bit of Spanish,

[00:40:41] Donde esta la biblioteca?

[00:40:43] Let's go ahead and stick with English.

[00:40:47] Lastly, we can either select Start Game, or we can check out the online manual.

[00:40:52] No need for the manual since I'll be showing you the ropes around here, so let's go ahead

[00:40:56] and select Start Game.

[00:41:01] From here, we're now in the game proper.

[00:41:04] More specifically, we're playing the MGS3 HD version that came out on the PlayStation 3.

[00:41:10] The Konami and Kojima production logos come on screen, but then we'll see the logo for

[00:41:15] Bluepoint Games, the developer who helped port the original PS2 version over.

[00:41:21] I'd like to think that they did a pretty good job overall.

[00:41:25] After their logo, an opening movie starts to play, but go ahead and push your Start button.

[00:41:30] This opening movie is going to play later, and I personally think it's way cooler when

[00:41:34] we put it in between some of the gameplay that we're going to experience.

[00:41:38] Now, from here, we're taken to the title screen.

[00:41:42] On screen, the game's title appears, but what always caught my eye first was the background.

[00:41:48] The background itself is covered in an eye-catching camouflage-style background, but within it,

[00:41:55] we'll see Snake using CQC, close-quarters combat on an enemy soldier.

[00:42:01] I always found CQC fascinating, how in-game and with CQC-style techniques in real life,

[00:42:08] you can disarm and incapacitate your enemy.

[00:42:11] While the CQC you'll use in-game isn't this advanced, really, still really cool to see,

[00:42:17] and in a way we won't understand for a while, CQC has a very important role in the narrative.

[00:42:24] Now, before we press Start and keep moving, here's a fun little Easter egg for you.

[00:42:28] You can manipulate the title screen by pressing several buttons on your controller.

[00:42:34] R1 speeds up the CQC animation, R2 slows it down, pressing the right thumbstick changes the color scheme.

[00:42:41] There's so much more, so if you think about it,

[00:42:44] press some random buttons when you're at the title screen and see what happens.

[00:42:48] Stuff like this really isn't all that impressive nowadays,

[00:42:51] but I love discovering little Easter eggs like this when I was younger.

[00:42:55] And the nice thing is, MGS3 is full of them.

[00:42:59] Anyway, when you get your fill messing around with the title screen,

[00:43:02] go ahead and press Start to keep on moving.

[00:43:06] On the next screen, we're going to have some options.

[00:43:09] For the sake of time, I'm not going to get into detail with all of them,

[00:43:12] so let's hit the high points.

[00:43:14] New game and load game, I would hope, are self-explanatory.

[00:43:18] Briefing Files allows you to watch a couple cutscenes

[00:43:20] that set up the story behind the Virtuous mission,

[00:43:23] the game's opening level of sorts,

[00:43:25] as well as Operation Snake Eater, the meat of the game.

[00:43:29] Demo Theater lets you come back and watch any of the in-game cutscenes

[00:43:32] if you're looking to relive your favorite moments.

[00:43:34] We also have the Options menu,

[00:43:36] which will, well, allow you to tweak some gameplay options,

[00:43:39] and a special menu that has some tutorials that you can read through,

[00:43:43] as well as a photo album of any photos you take while in-game

[00:43:47] after you acquire the camera item after beating the game once.

[00:43:51] Lots to mess around with here,

[00:43:53] but let's stay on mission and select New Game.

[00:43:57] Now, from here, we'll need to make a selection from four choices,

[00:44:01] and the ramifications of each choice aren't quite clear.

[00:44:05] You'll need to select between

[00:44:07] I'm playing the MGS series for the first time,

[00:44:10] I like MGS1,

[00:44:12] I like MGS2,

[00:44:14] or I like MGS3.

[00:44:16] Depending on what you select,

[00:44:18] your gameplay experience will differ slightly.

[00:44:21] I'll let you either experiment on your own or look up what does what,

[00:44:25] but I will say,

[00:44:26] selecting I like MGS3 gives you more things such as

[00:44:31] extra camouflage to use in-game,

[00:44:33] as well as access to some special features outside the game.

[00:44:36] But for now,

[00:44:38] let's select I'm playing the MGS series for the first time,

[00:44:41] just to keep things basic.

[00:44:44] Okay, next up,

[00:44:45] difficulty.

[00:44:46] There is a bevy of options here,

[00:44:49] starting from very easy,

[00:44:50] going all the way up to extreme difficulty.

[00:44:54] From my experience,

[00:44:55] as you go up in difficulty,

[00:44:57] enemies are more plentiful,

[00:44:58] they will spot you easier,

[00:45:00] you can't carry as much ammunition around,

[00:45:02] and boss fights get harder.

[00:45:04] Of course,

[00:45:05] to get better end-game rankings,

[00:45:07] you'll want to pump that difficulty level up.

[00:45:09] Oh,

[00:45:10] and there's also the European Extreme setting

[00:45:13] if you're looking for a unique challenge.

[00:45:16] It's available by default in the Master Collection,

[00:45:19] but I think back in the PlayStation 2 era,

[00:45:21] you had to beat the game first before you could select it.

[00:45:24] I don't know,

[00:45:25] I can't remember.

[00:45:26] But I do know that in this game mode,

[00:45:29] it is an instant game over if you're spotted or raise an alarm.

[00:45:33] I haven't tried it yet,

[00:45:35] but I've been told it's a wonderful way

[00:45:37] to change up the gameplay experience.

[00:45:39] For our purposes today, though,

[00:45:41] let's select normal and keep everything standard.

[00:45:44] Once we do,

[00:45:45] it's game time.

[00:45:49] As the game opens,

[00:45:51] we're met with some text on screen to set the stage.

[00:45:54] Don't worry about reading it yourself, though.

[00:45:56] Series legend David Hader,

[00:45:59] who voices Solid Snake in the first two games,

[00:46:01] narrates for us here.

[00:46:04] After the end of World War II,

[00:46:06] the world was split into two.

[00:46:08] East and West.

[00:46:09] This marked the beginning of the era called the Cold War.

[00:46:13] The words fade,

[00:46:15] and we see Konami Presents on screen,

[00:46:18] and music starts to swell up.

[00:46:20] Alright, here we go.

[00:46:23] On screen,

[00:46:24] we're shown a military aircraft flying through the clouds.

[00:46:28] An American flag can be seen on the tail,

[00:46:31] and for those of you with the proper know-how,

[00:46:33] or the ability to use Google,

[00:46:36] you'll know this particular airship is the MC-130E Combat Talon,

[00:46:41] an aircraft that didn't actually see service until 1966.

[00:46:46] We're taken inside the aircraft

[00:46:48] and shown the pilots and several members of the flight crew

[00:46:51] talking about our current positioning.

[00:47:01] Altitude 30,000 feet.

[00:47:03] Approaching Soviet airspace.

[00:47:07] 20 minutes to drop off.

[00:47:09] Commencing internal depressurization.

[00:47:11] Equipment check.

[00:47:13] Our main parachute.

[00:47:15] Alright.

[00:47:16] You ready to go?

[00:47:18] Drop zone still showing a high-pressure mass.

[00:47:21] Cab okay.

[00:47:22] Good.

[00:47:23] We've got high visibility.

[00:47:24] Inside the plane's cargo area,

[00:47:25] we see a man in full flight gear

[00:47:28] making preparations for what appears to be a parachute jump.

[00:47:31] And our jumper,

[00:47:33] who's sitting off to the side enjoying a cigar,

[00:47:35] is our protagonist, Naked Snake.

[00:47:38] He seems to be in another world,

[00:47:40] and when he's asked to put out his cigar,

[00:47:43] he slowly takes another draw.

[00:47:45] That is, until he gets a ribbing

[00:47:47] from the man who seems to be running the show.

[00:47:54] Does this panty waste know what he's doing?

[00:47:56] Ten minutes to drop off.

[00:48:04] Hey!

[00:48:05] Are you deaf?

[00:48:06] He said put out the cigar and put on your mask.

[00:48:11] Snake slowly, but finally, complies,

[00:48:14] flicking the cigar away.

[00:48:16] In slow motion, we get a glimpse of the cigar wrapper.

[00:48:20] In my personal life,

[00:48:21] I actually do enjoy the occasional cigar myself.

[00:48:24] The wrapper says Habano,

[00:48:27] which from what I read roughly translates to

[00:48:29] From Havana.

[00:48:31] I think the cigar here in game

[00:48:33] is just a basic Cuban cigar

[00:48:35] that doesn't really resemble a real-life brand

[00:48:37] that I could find,

[00:48:38] but I always found this intriguing.

[00:48:40] Cuban cigars were banned in the United States

[00:48:43] starting in 1962,

[00:48:44] and seeing as this game took place in 64

[00:48:47] makes me wonder where Snake got the Cuban from.

[00:48:50] Maybe that's why he wanted to savor each draw.

[00:48:53] Anyway, there's some useless trivia for you.

[00:48:57] After Snake puts on his mask,

[00:48:59] things start to ratchet up.

[00:49:01] It's clear Snake is about to jump out of the plane,

[00:49:04] and the man in the cargo bay with Snake continues the countdown.

[00:49:08] Depressurization complete.

[00:49:09] Checking oxygen supply.

[00:49:12] Six minutes to drop off.

[00:49:13] Opening rear hatch.

[00:49:24] Sunrise.

[00:49:27] We see a shot of the gunship

[00:49:30] as the sun creeps over the horizon.

[00:49:32] It's a beautiful sight indeed.

[00:49:35] External temperature minus 46 degrees Celsius.

[00:49:38] Two minutes to drop off.

[00:49:40] Stand up.

[00:49:42] Snake gets to his feet.

[00:49:45] You'll be falling at 130 miles per hour.

[00:49:48] Try not to get frostbite from the wind chill.

[00:49:51] One minute to drop off.

[00:49:53] Move to the rear.

[00:49:54] Activate me, Alar, Arnold.

[00:49:55] This is one for the history books.

[00:49:58] The world's first halo jump.

[00:50:00] Halo meaning high altitude, low opening.

[00:50:04] Snake moves to the rear of the plane,

[00:50:06] his foot crushing the cigar he had discarded earlier.

[00:50:09] Prepare for drop off.

[00:50:11] Countdown.

[00:50:12] Five.

[00:50:13] Four.

[00:50:14] Three.

[00:50:15] Two.

[00:50:16] One.

[00:50:17] Spread your wings and fly.

[00:50:19] God be with you.

[00:50:21] Snake slowly allows himself to fall forward

[00:50:24] and off the back of the plane.

[00:50:33] After a series of somersaults and flips,

[00:50:35] the music fades and the screen goes black,

[00:50:38] revealing the name of the game's director.

[00:50:42] Hideo Kojima.

[00:50:45] Man, I don't know about you all,

[00:50:46] but I absolutely love the opening to this game.

[00:50:50] Mwah!

[00:50:50] So good.

[00:50:52] The Metal Gear series is well known for its unique stealth-based gameplay

[00:50:56] and memorable characters,

[00:50:57] but equally so.

[00:50:58] This series is known for its cutscenes,

[00:51:01] where we get to sit back and watch the story unfold

[00:51:03] like we're watching a movie.

[00:51:05] Back in the late 90s and early 2000s,

[00:51:08] I feel like this sort of thing was revolutionary,

[00:51:10] and when I think back to when I played this particular game for the first time,

[00:51:14] I had much more time to really sit back and enjoy it all.

[00:51:18] Today though,

[00:51:19] even though I still stand by this opening being one of the best,

[00:51:22] I think your mileage for the overall experience may vary.

[00:51:27] After we see Hideo Kojima's name on screen,

[00:51:29] we're taken to another scene which acts as a flashback

[00:51:32] and explains to us our mission.

[00:51:35] Then, we're back with Snake,

[00:51:36] who makes landfall in enemy territory.

[00:51:40] I actually clocked the opening cutscene

[00:51:42] at about 25 minutes end-to-end

[00:51:45] before we actually take control of Snake.

[00:51:48] It's kind of a long time.

[00:51:50] So once you enjoy the 25-minute-long opening,

[00:51:53] which I will say is pretty good

[00:51:55] and expertly voice-acted by the likes of David Hader as Snake,

[00:51:59] Jim Piddock as Major Zero,

[00:52:01] and the other soldiers in the scene,

[00:52:03] we'll find ourselves in Selino Yarsk.

[00:52:06] Lush jungle surrounds us on all sides,

[00:52:09] and we can see for miles off the cliff that we're standing on.

[00:52:14] Snake removes his non-essential gear

[00:52:16] and takes cover behind a tree.

[00:52:18] Then, he takes a knee,

[00:52:20] turns on his radio,

[00:52:21] and prepares to contact his support team.

[00:52:24] Radio conversations are how a large part of the story is going to unfold.

[00:52:28] There will be instances, like right now,

[00:52:31] where the conversations are started automatically,

[00:52:33] and other times where conversations are optional.

[00:52:36] There are a ton of radio conversations in this game,

[00:52:40] easily culminating into several hours' worth of audio

[00:52:43] if you listen to everything the game has to offer.

[00:52:46] This opening scene that we're experiencing now

[00:52:49] more or less helps you get your bearings.

[00:52:51] It's here that Snake is officially given his codename.

[00:52:56] Do you copy?

[00:52:57] You're already in enemy territory,

[00:52:59] and somebody might be listening in.

[00:53:00] From here on out,

[00:53:02] we'll be using codenames to refer to each other.

[00:53:05] Your codename for this mission will be Naked Snake.

[00:53:08] I'll be referring to you as Snake from now on.

[00:53:10] You're not to mention your real name.

[00:53:13] Snake?

[00:53:14] What, you don't like snakes?

[00:53:16] What do you mean?

[00:53:17] You've eaten one before, haven't you?

[00:53:19] In survival training.

[00:53:21] I'm glad to hear that.

[00:53:23] The man speaking here is Major Zero,

[00:53:26] the commander of the Fox Unit.

[00:53:28] He goes by Major Tom for this mission,

[00:53:31] and while that seems strange now,

[00:53:33] if you pay attention to a radio conversation later in the game,

[00:53:35] he'll actually explain why he went by Tom

[00:53:37] instead of Zero for this mission.

[00:53:39] But I am going to continue to call him Major Zero,

[00:53:42] because that just sounds cooler.

[00:53:45] Anyway, Snake asks Zero how he'll go about

[00:53:48] feeding himself in the jungle,

[00:53:50] and mentions that Snake was issued

[00:53:52] a tranquilizer gun and knife to hunt for food.

[00:53:55] Hunting and eating isn't really going to be important

[00:53:58] in the Virtuous mission for how short it is,

[00:54:01] but when the game really opens up,

[00:54:03] having a fresh supply of food on hand

[00:54:05] is going to be very important.

[00:54:07] This is one of the game's newest features,

[00:54:10] and it's pretty interesting all things considered.

[00:54:13] Below Snake's life gauge is a stamina gauge.

[00:54:16] Over time, the stamina bar will decrease.

[00:54:19] This happens quicker if you spend a lot of time running,

[00:54:23] rolling, hanging from edges,

[00:54:25] carrying too much weight outside your backpack,

[00:54:27] or whatever else exerts energy.

[00:54:29] Keeping your stamina up helps you heal from injuries faster,

[00:54:33] and your aim when in combat will be pretty accurate.

[00:54:36] As your stamina decreases and Snake becomes more tired,

[00:54:40] you don't heal as fast,

[00:54:41] and performance with weapons starts to go down,

[00:54:44] and that can really hamper you,

[00:54:45] especially in the late game.

[00:54:47] I can't remember what happens if you fully run out of stamina,

[00:54:51] but I think Snake will literally pass out,

[00:54:53] fall over and fall asleep for a little bit,

[00:54:55] and recover a little stamina before getting back on his feet.

[00:54:59] You can imagine how bad this can be,

[00:55:01] so keeping food on you at all times to eat is a must.

[00:55:06] Shooting animals like snakes, birds, or rats

[00:55:08] will cause them to turn into items

[00:55:10] that you can pick up and use later.

[00:55:13] If you hit an animal with a tranquilizer dart,

[00:55:15] they'll turn into a cage icon,

[00:55:17] and you can capture the animal alive.

[00:55:20] While you can still eat the animal,

[00:55:23] more advanced players have found ways to use live animals

[00:55:26] for various things,

[00:55:27] as well as tools to aid in their infiltration.

[00:55:30] But I'll leave that sort of thing for you to discover.

[00:55:34] Major Zero also mentions several medical supplies

[00:55:37] that we have in our backpack.

[00:55:40] Yeah, about the backpack.

[00:55:42] I lost it in a tree on the way down.

[00:55:44] I see.

[00:55:45] Well, you'd better go back and get it then.

[00:55:47] You know where it is?

[00:55:49] No problem.

[00:55:50] I can see it from here.

[00:55:51] It's stuck on a branch.

[00:55:53] Zero goes on to explain to us how we get our backpack,

[00:55:56] but I vote we skip that conversation

[00:55:58] and get right to the gameplay.

[00:56:00] He can help us later.

[00:56:02] Alright, now that we're in control,

[00:56:05] let's take a quick look around the screen.

[00:56:08] HUD elements are usually pretty sparse as we play,

[00:56:11] but here are the important things.

[00:56:13] At the upper left-hand side of the screen,

[00:56:15] you'll see Snake's life gauge.

[00:56:18] Mostly self-explanatory,

[00:56:19] this will decrease as Snake takes damage.

[00:56:22] Once it's depleted,

[00:56:24] Snake is toast and it's game over.

[00:56:27] Another new feature to the game

[00:56:28] is the injury system.

[00:56:30] If Snake takes damage in combat

[00:56:32] or finds a creative way to get himself hurt,

[00:56:35] he can actually sustain injuries like

[00:56:37] broken bones,

[00:56:38] burns,

[00:56:39] cuts,

[00:56:39] and so on.

[00:56:40] If Snake is injured,

[00:56:42] the overall length of his life gauge will decrease

[00:56:45] and the missing portion will turn red.

[00:56:48] Injuries do heal over time

[00:56:50] or you can quickly heal them with medical supplies,

[00:56:53] which happen to be in our backpack

[00:56:55] that we're about to retrieve.

[00:56:56] Below the life gauge

[00:56:58] is the stamina gauge,

[00:56:59] but we've already touched on that

[00:57:00] so we can just skip over it.

[00:57:02] Next,

[00:57:03] on the top right-hand side of the screen

[00:57:05] is what's called your Camo Index.

[00:57:08] This is the feature

[00:57:10] that most people think of

[00:57:11] when they think of this game.

[00:57:13] We'll get a more in-depth tutorial later,

[00:57:16] but it's a pretty simple idea in practice.

[00:57:19] We have the option to change uniforms

[00:57:21] and apply face paint on the fly

[00:57:24] from the pause menu.

[00:57:25] Different colored and patterned camouflage

[00:57:28] will help us blend into our environments better,

[00:57:30] and how well our camouflage is working

[00:57:33] can be gauged by the percentage

[00:57:35] in the upper right-hand side of the screen.

[00:57:38] The higher the percent,

[00:57:39] the closer an enemy needs to be to us

[00:57:42] in order to spot us.

[00:57:43] Moving around,

[00:57:44] as well as our current stance,

[00:57:46] i.e. standing, crouching, lying down,

[00:57:49] will naturally decrease or increase

[00:57:51] our Camo Index,

[00:57:53] so it's always beneficial

[00:57:54] to take your time in areas

[00:57:55] that you know that there's an enemy presence.

[00:57:58] If you head into an area

[00:58:00] where your current Camo

[00:58:01] isn't the best for stealth anymore,

[00:58:03] hit that pause menu

[00:58:04] and switch it out for something else.

[00:58:07] It's pretty unrealistic

[00:58:09] if you really stop and think about it,

[00:58:11] but I always thought

[00:58:12] that this was a neat system.

[00:58:14] You have the potential

[00:58:15] to find different camouflage as you go,

[00:58:17] allowing you to further blend in

[00:58:19] with your environments,

[00:58:20] which is neat.

[00:58:20] But the one thing

[00:58:22] that always annoyed me

[00:58:23] when I replayed this game

[00:58:24] was how tedious

[00:58:25] changing out your Camo

[00:58:27] every 20 seconds was.

[00:58:29] It's not always necessary,

[00:58:31] but in order to maintain

[00:58:32] the highest Camo Index,

[00:58:33] you'd have to stop,

[00:58:35] go into the menu,

[00:58:36] select a new piece of Camo,

[00:58:37] back out,

[00:58:38] go in to select

[00:58:39] a new piece of face paint,

[00:58:41] and then go back

[00:58:41] through these menus

[00:58:42] in order to resume gameplay.

[00:58:45] Changing Camo

[00:58:46] can sometimes take

[00:58:47] upwards of 30 seconds

[00:58:49] to a minute each time,

[00:58:50] and while it's very easy

[00:58:51] to see which Camo

[00:58:52] is going to benefit you the most,

[00:58:54] it's all still very time-consuming

[00:58:56] when you add up all that time.

[00:58:59] Generally,

[00:59:00] I just found a Camo

[00:59:01] that's somewhere in the middle

[00:59:02] based on the location

[00:59:03] that I'm in,

[00:59:04] and I usually leave it at that.

[00:59:06] I will say,

[00:59:07] the Camo system in this game

[00:59:08] is honestly one of my favorite

[00:59:10] game mechanics of all time.

[00:59:12] I mean,

[00:59:13] it's incredible

[00:59:14] how the game reads

[00:59:15] your location

[00:59:16] and movements

[00:59:16] based on the background

[00:59:17] of the area

[00:59:18] that you're standing in.

[00:59:20] And there's nothing

[00:59:21] more satisfying

[00:59:22] in a stealth game

[00:59:23] than watching an enemy

[00:59:24] walk right past you

[00:59:25] because you have

[00:59:26] the right camouflage on.

[00:59:28] It really is awesome.

[00:59:30] But,

[00:59:31] a lot of time

[00:59:32] goes into these wins,

[00:59:33] and as an old man

[00:59:34] who doesn't really

[00:59:35] have the patience

[00:59:35] for tedium

[00:59:36] as much as I used to,

[00:59:37] I think the enjoyment

[00:59:39] of this system

[00:59:43] is the right

[00:59:44] we'll get into

[00:59:44] how to use items

[00:59:46] a little bit later,

[00:59:47] but for now,

[00:59:47] we need to retrieve

[00:59:48] our backpack

[00:59:49] so we can continue

[00:59:50] with our mission.

[00:59:51] Originally,

[00:59:52] when this game

[00:59:52] was released,

[00:59:53] the camera

[00:59:54] would be positioned

[00:59:54] above us,

[00:59:55] and we'd have a more

[00:59:56] traditional top-down

[00:59:58] view of Snake

[00:59:58] and his surroundings.

[01:00:00] To look forward,

[01:00:01] we'd have to go

[01:00:02] into first-person

[01:00:03] view mode

[01:00:04] by pressing and holding

[01:00:05] the R1 shoulder button.

[01:00:08] In every iteration

[01:00:09] of the game

[01:00:09] past the original

[01:00:10] PlayStation 2 launch,

[01:00:12] a 3D camera

[01:00:13] was implemented,

[01:00:14] meaning the camera

[01:00:15] is now at eye level

[01:00:16] with Snake

[01:00:17] and you can rotate it

[01:00:18] around using

[01:00:19] your right thumbstick.

[01:00:21] The 3D camera

[01:00:22] makes this game

[01:00:23] so much more approachable,

[01:00:24] and I cannot imagine

[01:00:25] how I would have

[01:00:26] gotten through

[01:00:27] this game without it.

[01:00:28] You can flip

[01:00:29] between the camera schemes

[01:00:31] if you want

[01:00:31] by clicking

[01:00:32] the right thumbstick,

[01:00:33] and there are

[01:00:33] some advantages

[01:00:34] to doing so,

[01:00:35] so keep that in mind.

[01:00:37] Alright,

[01:00:38] let's move towards

[01:00:39] our backpack

[01:00:39] so we can get

[01:00:40] this mission underway.

[01:00:42] The jungle area

[01:00:43] is covered with tall grass,

[01:00:45] and it can be

[01:00:45] pretty hard to figure

[01:00:46] out where to go,

[01:00:47] but navigating around

[01:00:49] isn't too terribly bad.

[01:00:51] Using the left thumbstick,

[01:00:53] you can move Snake

[01:00:53] in all directions.

[01:00:55] Holding the thumbstick

[01:00:56] fully in one direction

[01:00:58] will make Snake run

[01:00:59] by default,

[01:01:00] but if you only push

[01:01:01] the thumbstick

[01:01:02] just a little bit,

[01:01:03] Snake will walk.

[01:01:05] It's slower,

[01:01:06] but not nearly

[01:01:07] as noisy.

[01:01:08] Go ahead now

[01:01:09] and move forward.

[01:01:12] Now,

[01:01:12] you can stick to the left

[01:01:14] or the right sides

[01:01:15] of the area here,

[01:01:16] but I actually recommend

[01:01:16] going up the right-hand side.

[01:01:19] You'll know you're

[01:01:20] on the right track

[01:01:20] when you slowly

[01:01:21] start moving uphill

[01:01:22] in knee-high grass.

[01:01:25] Why do we want

[01:01:26] to go this way?

[01:01:27] Because there is

[01:01:28] a useful item up there

[01:01:29] that I want you

[01:01:30] to pick up.

[01:01:31] Like previous

[01:01:32] Metal Gear games,

[01:01:33] items will hover

[01:01:34] over the ground

[01:01:34] and spin

[01:01:35] so they're generally

[01:01:36] easy to spot.

[01:01:37] Go ahead and grab

[01:01:38] the item at the very

[01:01:39] top of the hill here.

[01:01:42] There you go.

[01:01:43] You just picked up

[01:01:44] a life medicine.

[01:01:46] Just like rations

[01:01:47] in previous games,

[01:01:49] this will instantly

[01:01:50] restore a little bit

[01:01:51] of your health,

[01:01:51] so save that puppy

[01:01:52] for a rainy day.

[01:01:54] Now,

[01:01:54] from here,

[01:01:55] go ahead and jump off

[01:01:56] the small cliff side

[01:01:57] here,

[01:01:58] and you'll be back

[01:01:58] on the main path.

[01:02:00] Now,

[01:02:01] see that large tree

[01:02:02] where the vines

[01:02:03] are wrapped around it,

[01:02:04] almost forming

[01:02:05] a sort of ladder?

[01:02:06] You can climb trees

[01:02:08] like this by walking

[01:02:09] up to them

[01:02:10] and pressing the

[01:02:10] action button,

[01:02:11] which is usually

[01:02:12] the triangle button.

[01:02:14] Snake will start

[01:02:14] to climb up,

[01:02:15] and when he gets

[01:02:16] to the top of the tree,

[01:02:17] you can walk across

[01:02:18] any branches

[01:02:19] that'll support

[01:02:20] your weight.

[01:02:21] I never found myself

[01:02:23] climbing very many

[01:02:24] trees in this game,

[01:02:25] but you have to admit,

[01:02:26] it's an awesome addition

[01:02:27] to the stealth-based

[01:02:28] gameplay.

[01:02:29] I can just imagine

[01:02:30] hanging out up high,

[01:02:32] watching a patrol

[01:02:33] walk underneath you,

[01:02:34] unaware of where

[01:02:35] you are.

[01:02:36] But anyway,

[01:02:37] at the end of the branch,

[01:02:38] you can see

[01:02:39] your backpack hanging.

[01:02:40] Go ahead and press

[01:02:42] the triangle button again

[01:02:43] to hang from the branch

[01:02:44] and grab it.

[01:02:46] There you go.

[01:02:47] Super easy.

[01:02:48] With that accomplished,

[01:02:50] your reward is...

[01:02:52] another lengthy

[01:02:53] radio call.

[01:02:56] I see you've retrieved

[01:02:58] your backpack, Snake.

[01:02:59] Major Zero goes on

[01:03:01] to tell you about

[01:03:02] the backpack feature

[01:03:03] of the game.

[01:03:04] In short,

[01:03:05] you can equip items

[01:03:06] to your person,

[01:03:07] which you can then

[01:03:08] select using the

[01:03:09] controller's shoulder

[01:03:09] buttons during gameplay.

[01:03:11] Anything you aren't

[01:03:12] wanting to actively

[01:03:13] have at the ready,

[01:03:14] you can store

[01:03:15] in your backpack.

[01:03:17] You can take

[01:03:17] almost everything

[01:03:18] out of your backpack

[01:03:19] and make it selectable,

[01:03:21] but the caveat

[01:03:21] there is,

[01:03:22] the more items

[01:03:23] that you have

[01:03:24] at the ready,

[01:03:25] the more weight

[01:03:25] that you're lugging around,

[01:03:26] and that makes

[01:03:27] your stamina gauge

[01:03:28] deplete faster.

[01:03:30] So that said,

[01:03:31] it's a good idea

[01:03:31] to only take out

[01:03:32] of your backpack

[01:03:33] what you plan

[01:03:34] to use often.

[01:03:36] Now,

[01:03:37] after the Major

[01:03:37] gets done with

[01:03:38] that explanation,

[01:03:39] we get into

[01:03:40] the beat of the

[01:03:40] radio call,

[01:03:41] and we're introduced

[01:03:42] to our support team.

[01:03:44] The first member

[01:03:45] of the support team

[01:03:45] will be in charge

[01:03:46] of monitoring

[01:03:46] your physical condition,

[01:03:48] acting as a medic,

[01:03:49] so to speak,

[01:03:50] as well as recording

[01:03:51] your mission data.

[01:03:52] She's a member

[01:03:53] of Fox as well,

[01:03:54] and she's here

[01:03:55] on the gunship

[01:03:56] with me.

[01:03:57] She?

[01:03:58] Hello, Snake.

[01:03:59] I'm Paramedic.

[01:04:00] Nice to meet you.

[01:04:02] Paramedic.

[01:04:02] As in a medic

[01:04:03] who comes in

[01:04:04] by parachute.

[01:04:06] Paramedic is

[01:04:06] an easygoing gal

[01:04:07] and acts as

[01:04:08] the mission's

[01:04:09] medical advisor.

[01:04:10] She's great

[01:04:11] for talking Snake

[01:04:12] through some of

[01:04:13] the animals and plants

[01:04:14] that he'll come across

[01:04:15] when hunting for food.

[01:04:16] What I always liked

[01:04:17] about her

[01:04:17] was her love

[01:04:18] of movies.

[01:04:20] Sometimes when

[01:04:20] saving your game,

[01:04:21] she'll talk to Snake

[01:04:22] about a movie

[01:04:23] that was relevant

[01:04:23] around the time

[01:04:24] that the game

[01:04:25] took place

[01:04:25] and sometimes

[01:04:26] use scenes

[01:04:27] from a movie

[01:04:27] to impart

[01:04:28] a lesson

[01:04:29] or a bit of advice.

[01:04:31] After Paramedic

[01:04:32] gets done

[01:04:32] with her introduction,

[01:04:34] the Major

[01:04:34] comes back

[01:04:35] on the line

[01:04:35] to introduce you

[01:04:36] to one more

[01:04:37] member of Snake's

[01:04:38] support team.

[01:04:39] There's one more

[01:04:40] person I want

[01:04:41] to introduce you

[01:04:42] to, Snake.

[01:04:44] Speaking of snakes,

[01:04:45] you remember

[01:04:46] the boss,

[01:04:46] don't you?

[01:04:47] A legendary soldier

[01:04:48] and your mentor.

[01:04:50] Actually,

[01:04:50] it was the boss

[01:04:51] that got the DCI's

[01:04:52] authorization

[01:04:52] in the first place.

[01:04:53] She's going to be

[01:04:54] serving as Fox's

[01:04:55] mission advisor.

[01:04:57] The boss is?

[01:04:58] She also helped

[01:04:59] me plan this mission.

[01:05:00] She and I

[01:05:01] were at SAS together.

[01:05:03] Jack,

[01:05:04] is that you?

[01:05:04] How many years

[01:05:05] has it been?

[01:05:07] Boss?

[01:05:08] That's right.

[01:05:09] It's me.

[01:05:13] Talk to me.

[01:05:14] Let me hear

[01:05:14] your voice.

[01:05:16] It's been five years,

[01:05:18] 72 days,

[01:05:19] and 18 hours.

[01:05:21] You've lost weight.

[01:05:22] You can tell

[01:05:24] just by the sound

[01:05:24] of my voice.

[01:05:26] Of course I can.

[01:05:27] I know all about you.

[01:05:29] We don't really

[01:05:29] know this now,

[01:05:30] but the boss

[01:05:31] is going to become

[01:05:32] one of the most

[01:05:33] important characters

[01:05:34] with regards to the story.

[01:05:36] We never really

[01:05:37] get a glimpse

[01:05:38] into Snake

[01:05:38] and the boss's

[01:05:39] past together,

[01:05:40] but we know

[01:05:41] that the boss

[01:05:41] trains Snake up

[01:05:42] into the agent

[01:05:43] that he is today,

[01:05:44] but the boss

[01:05:45] has been gone

[01:05:46] for several years.

[01:05:48] Snake never took

[01:05:49] her absence well

[01:05:50] and decides

[01:05:50] to call her out

[01:05:51] on it.

[01:05:52] Why'd you disappear

[01:05:53] on me all of a sudden?

[01:05:55] I was on a top

[01:05:56] secret mission.

[01:05:58] You didn't need

[01:05:59] me anymore.

[01:06:00] But there were

[01:06:01] still so many things

[01:06:02] I wanted you

[01:06:03] to teach me.

[01:06:04] No,

[01:06:05] I taught you

[01:06:06] everything you needed

[01:06:07] to know about

[01:06:07] fighting techniques.

[01:06:09] I taught you

[01:06:10] all I could.

[01:06:11] The rest you needed

[01:06:12] to learn on your own.

[01:06:14] From the player's

[01:06:15] perspective,

[01:06:15] it's a little hard

[01:06:16] to really dial in

[01:06:17] on what sort of

[01:06:18] a connection Snake

[01:06:19] and the boss share,

[01:06:20] but you can feel

[01:06:21] how passionate Snake

[01:06:22] is about it all.

[01:06:23] It's not a romantic one,

[01:06:25] but the two of them

[01:06:26] have clearly been

[01:06:27] through a lot together.

[01:06:29] The boss does give us

[01:06:30] one key glimpse

[01:06:31] into her character,

[01:06:32] though,

[01:06:32] when she talks to Snake

[01:06:34] about what it means

[01:06:35] to be a soldier.

[01:06:36] Listen to me, Jack.

[01:06:38] Just because soldiers

[01:06:39] are on the same side

[01:06:40] right now

[01:06:41] doesn't mean

[01:06:42] they always will be.

[01:06:43] Having personal feelings

[01:06:44] about your comrades

[01:06:45] is one of the worst sins

[01:06:47] you can commit.

[01:06:48] politics determine

[01:06:49] who you face

[01:06:50] on the battlefield.

[01:06:51] And politics

[01:06:52] are a living thing.

[01:06:54] They change

[01:06:55] along with the times.

[01:06:56] Yesterday's good

[01:06:57] might be tomorrow's evil.

[01:06:59] Is that why

[01:07:00] you abandoned me?

[01:07:01] No.

[01:07:02] It had nothing

[01:07:02] to do with you.

[01:07:03] I already told you, Jack.

[01:07:05] I was on a top-secret mission.

[01:07:07] A soldier has to follow

[01:07:09] whatever orders

[01:07:10] he's given.

[01:07:11] It's not his place

[01:07:12] to question why.

[01:07:13] But you're looking

[01:07:14] for a reason to fight.

[01:07:15] You're a natural-born fighter.

[01:07:18] But you're not

[01:07:19] quite a soldier.

[01:07:20] A soldier is a political tool

[01:07:23] and nothing more.

[01:07:24] That's doubly true

[01:07:25] if he's a career soldier.

[01:07:27] Right and wrong

[01:07:27] have no place

[01:07:28] in his mission.

[01:07:30] He has no enemies

[01:07:31] and no friends.

[01:07:32] Only the mission.

[01:07:34] You follow the orders

[01:07:35] you're given.

[01:07:36] That's what being

[01:07:37] a soldier is.

[01:07:38] I do whatever I have to

[01:07:40] to get the job done.

[01:07:41] I don't think

[01:07:42] about politics.

[01:07:44] That's not the same thing.

[01:07:46] Sooner or later

[01:07:47] your conscience

[01:07:48] is going to bother you.

[01:07:49] In the end,

[01:07:50] you have to choose

[01:07:51] whether you're going

[01:07:52] to live as a soldier

[01:07:53] or just another man

[01:07:54] with a gun.

[01:07:55] There's a saying

[01:07:56] in the Orient.

[01:07:57] Loyalty to the end.

[01:07:59] Do you know

[01:08:00] what it means?

[01:08:01] Being patriotic?

[01:08:02] It means devoting

[01:08:04] yourself to your country.

[01:08:05] I follow the president

[01:08:06] and the top brass.

[01:08:08] I'm ready to die

[01:08:09] for them if necessary.

[01:08:10] The president

[01:08:11] and the top brass

[01:08:12] won't be there forever.

[01:08:13] Once their terms are up,

[01:08:15] others will take their place.

[01:08:17] I follow the will

[01:08:18] of the leader,

[01:08:19] no matter who's in charge.

[01:08:21] People aren't the ones

[01:08:22] who dictate the missions.

[01:08:23] Then who does?

[01:08:25] The times.

[01:08:26] There's a lot

[01:08:27] to unpack here,

[01:08:28] but there's a reason

[01:08:29] I let this play out

[01:08:30] as long as I did.

[01:08:32] With regards

[01:08:33] to the story,

[01:08:34] two very important things

[01:08:35] are established

[01:08:36] about these characters.

[01:08:38] Snake comes off

[01:08:39] very loyal to his country

[01:08:41] and willing to lie down

[01:08:42] his life for those

[01:08:43] in leadership.

[01:08:44] Snake also shows hints

[01:08:46] of his proclivity

[01:08:47] to engage in conflict,

[01:08:48] even if that's all

[01:08:49] he's ever really known

[01:08:51] being in the military

[01:08:51] for a majority of his life.

[01:08:53] The boss,

[01:08:54] on the other hand,

[01:08:55] values unwavering

[01:08:56] loyalty to country,

[01:08:58] and even though

[01:08:58] she recognizes

[01:08:59] that soldiers can be used

[01:09:01] as nothing but tools,

[01:09:02] it's more important

[01:09:03] to remain loyal

[01:09:04] and discard

[01:09:05] your personal feelings.

[01:09:06] The mission

[01:09:08] is all that matters,

[01:09:09] and sometimes

[01:09:10] the mission

[01:09:10] can change

[01:09:11] with the times.

[01:09:13] It's a lot to take in,

[01:09:14] especially when you've

[01:09:15] only had seven seconds

[01:09:17] of actual gameplay

[01:09:18] under your belts

[01:09:19] at this point,

[01:09:19] but part of what makes

[01:09:21] this story so amazing

[01:09:22] to me

[01:09:22] is what happens

[01:09:24] with these ideas

[01:09:25] from each character's

[01:09:36] perspectives

[01:09:36] the way a soldier

[01:09:37] is supposed to think.

[01:09:38] The only thing

[01:09:39] we can believe in

[01:09:40] with absolute certainty

[01:09:42] is the mission, Jack.

[01:09:44] All right,

[01:09:45] but do me a favor.

[01:09:46] What is it?

[01:09:47] Call me Snake.

[01:09:49] Snake?

[01:09:50] Oh, right.

[01:09:51] Your codename is Snake.

[01:09:53] It suits you well.

[01:09:54] From here,

[01:09:55] the boss talks

[01:09:56] to Snake

[01:09:56] about CQC.

[01:09:59] CQC?

[01:10:00] Close quarters combat, huh?

[01:10:02] I've been in the Green Berets

[01:10:03] for the past few years.

[01:10:05] I'm probably pretty rusty.

[01:10:06] Not to worry.

[01:10:08] I'll be here

[01:10:09] to help you remember.

[01:10:10] I mentioned it before,

[01:10:12] but I love the idea

[01:10:13] behind CQC in this game

[01:10:15] and just in general.

[01:10:17] CQC is a new feature

[01:10:19] to the series in this game

[01:10:20] and allows you

[01:10:21] as the player

[01:10:22] to throw enemies

[01:10:23] to the ground,

[01:10:24] grab them,

[01:10:25] choke them out,

[01:10:25] and much more.

[01:10:27] Ever see a movie

[01:10:28] where the main character

[01:10:29] wrestles an enemy

[01:10:30] to the ground

[01:10:30] or disarms them

[01:10:31] with what looks like

[01:10:32] judo or something similar?

[01:10:34] That's pretty much

[01:10:35] CQC in a nutshell.

[01:10:37] Getting used to

[01:10:38] using CQC

[01:10:39] can be a little tricky,

[01:10:41] but once you get

[01:10:41] the hang of it,

[01:10:42] you'll be throwing around

[01:10:43] bad guys like ragdolls.

[01:10:45] As the conversation continues,

[01:10:47] Major Zero reminds us

[01:10:49] for probably the eighth time

[01:10:50] up to this point

[01:10:51] what our mission is.

[01:10:54] Rescue Sokolov,

[01:10:55] who is being held

[01:10:56] in an abandoned factory

[01:10:57] to the north

[01:10:58] of our location.

[01:10:59] It is imperative

[01:11:01] that we are not spotted

[01:11:02] as this is a stealth mission.

[01:11:04] From here,

[01:11:05] the game transitions

[01:11:06] back to actual gameplay

[01:11:08] and we see Snake

[01:11:09] preparing to officially

[01:11:10] set off.

[01:11:11] But not before getting

[01:11:13] one more bit of advice

[01:11:14] from his mentor.

[01:11:17] Snake,

[01:11:18] try to remember

[01:11:19] some of the basics

[01:11:20] of CQC.

[01:11:21] Snake gets to his feet.

[01:11:27] After scanning his surroundings

[01:11:28] through the iron sights

[01:11:29] of the gun,

[01:11:31] Snake decides it's time.

[01:11:34] Commencing virtuous mission

[01:11:36] now.

[01:11:38] Alright,

[01:11:39] it's finally,

[01:11:40] finally time

[01:11:41] to get some actual

[01:11:42] gameplay in.

[01:11:43] Are you ready?

[01:11:45] Well,

[01:11:45] if you didn't fall asleep

[01:11:47] during all that dialogue,

[01:11:48] I reckon you're ready to go.

[01:11:50] But,

[01:11:51] before we move on,

[01:11:52] I recommend putting on

[01:11:53] some better camo

[01:11:54] before pressing forward.

[01:11:56] It'll just take a moment,

[01:11:57] I promise.

[01:11:59] Go ahead and open up

[01:12:00] the menu,

[01:12:01] also known as

[01:12:01] the survival viewer.

[01:12:04] Now select camouflage.

[01:12:07] In the face menu,

[01:12:09] throw on some

[01:12:09] woodland camo face paint.

[01:12:11] It'll add a bit

[01:12:12] to your camo index

[01:12:13] and it's a good

[01:12:14] all-around face paint

[01:12:15] for the jungle.

[01:12:17] Nice.

[01:12:18] Now back out

[01:12:19] and select uniform.

[01:12:22] Tiger stripe

[01:12:23] is a camo

[01:12:23] that I always found

[01:12:24] as a good all-rounder

[01:12:26] for the jungle as well.

[01:12:27] So let's select that one.

[01:12:29] Perfect.

[01:12:30] Thanks to the magic

[01:12:31] of video games,

[01:12:32] changing your clothes

[01:12:33] all happens instantaneously

[01:12:35] and there is no danger

[01:12:36] of an enemy patrol

[01:12:37] coming up on you

[01:12:38] while you change.

[01:12:39] But now that we've been

[01:12:40] through all those menus,

[01:12:41] don't you see

[01:12:42] what I was talking about

[01:12:43] as far as the tedium goes,

[01:12:44] the camouflage?

[01:12:46] Anyway,

[01:12:46] go ahead and back

[01:12:47] out of the menu

[01:12:48] and let's get to the gameplay.

[01:12:51] In the next few areas,

[01:12:52] you're not going to have

[01:12:53] to worry about enemy soldiers.

[01:12:55] At least not for a little bit.

[01:12:56] Definitely get used

[01:12:57] to the controls

[01:12:58] because you'll want to know

[01:12:59] how to move Snake around

[01:13:00] before navigating

[01:13:01] around the enemy.

[01:13:03] You'll also notice

[01:13:04] that Snake has his

[01:13:05] tranquilizer gun equipped

[01:13:06] after that last cutscene

[01:13:07] as there's an icon

[01:13:08] in the lower right-hand side

[01:13:09] of the screen.

[01:13:11] Holding the R2 button

[01:13:12] will open up

[01:13:13] the item screen

[01:13:14] and you can use

[01:13:14] the directional pad

[01:13:16] to toggle any weapons

[01:13:17] you have

[01:13:18] that aren't

[01:13:18] in your backpack.

[01:13:20] Let's take a quick look.

[01:13:22] We have a combat knife

[01:13:24] and we also have

[01:13:25] a directional microphone.

[01:13:27] Now that is a fun toy

[01:13:29] that lets you hear

[01:13:30] sounds and conversations

[01:13:31] at much greater distances.

[01:13:33] We're not going to use

[01:13:35] either of the knife

[01:13:36] or the directional mic

[01:13:37] right now,

[01:13:37] so let's just leave

[01:13:38] the tranquilizer gun equipped.

[01:13:42] Now holding the L2 button

[01:13:44] opens up the item menu.

[01:13:47] There's a decent amount

[01:13:48] of stuff here

[01:13:48] as you'll see.

[01:13:50] Parabinoculars,

[01:13:51] a motion detector,

[01:13:52] an anti-personnel detector,

[01:13:54] and sonar.

[01:13:56] In previous Metal Gear games,

[01:13:58] you have the luxury

[01:13:58] of an on-screen radar

[01:13:59] that lets you know

[01:14:00] where your enemies are

[01:14:01] and you can see

[01:14:02] their field of vision.

[01:14:04] There's no radar

[01:14:05] in that sense

[01:14:06] in Snake Eater,

[01:14:07] however,

[01:14:07] these items offer

[01:14:08] some unique ways

[01:14:09] to know

[01:14:09] if enemies are

[01:14:10] in your vicinity.

[01:14:11] They do run

[01:14:12] on battery power

[01:14:13] so you can't rely

[01:14:15] on them all the time.

[01:14:16] There's also

[01:14:17] a fake death pill

[01:14:19] in your inventory,

[01:14:20] something that I rarely used

[01:14:21] but thought

[01:14:22] was a neat inclusion.

[01:14:24] If you're ever

[01:14:24] surrounded by the enemy,

[01:14:26] you can take this pill

[01:14:27] and it quote-unquote

[01:14:28] kills you,

[01:14:29] even going so far

[01:14:30] as displaying

[01:14:31] the game over screen.

[01:14:33] You can wake yourself up

[01:14:34] by using the revival pill

[01:14:36] in your inventory

[01:14:37] and that'll get you

[01:14:38] back on your feet.

[01:14:39] This is a great way

[01:14:41] to fake out your enemies

[01:14:42] and get out of some jams.

[01:14:44] Just be careful, though.

[01:14:45] If you play dead

[01:14:46] for too long,

[01:14:47] the game will actually end.

[01:14:49] The last thing

[01:14:50] in your inventory

[01:14:51] is a cigar.

[01:14:53] As a passive cigar smoker myself,

[01:14:56] I love having this item.

[01:14:57] It doesn't have

[01:14:58] very many positive uses, though.

[01:15:01] If you equip it,

[01:15:02] Snake will actively smoke it

[01:15:04] and you will slowly lose health.

[01:15:06] And if you happen

[01:15:07] to be in dark areas,

[01:15:08] the glow of the end

[01:15:09] of the cigar

[01:15:09] will potentially

[01:15:10] give away your position.

[01:15:12] But it is a great

[01:15:14] light source

[01:15:15] if you don't have

[01:15:15] anything else on hand.

[01:15:17] I'll let you discover

[01:15:18] how to best use

[01:15:19] these items on your own,

[01:15:21] but for now,

[01:15:22] no need to equip anything

[01:15:23] to your item slot,

[01:15:24] so close the menu

[01:15:25] and let's keep moving.

[01:15:28] As we move into

[01:15:29] the next area,

[01:15:29] we'll come up

[01:15:30] on a swamp.

[01:15:32] There's no enemy

[01:15:33] soldiers here,

[01:15:34] but there are about

[01:15:34] a half a dozen crocodiles

[01:15:36] hanging out in this area.

[01:15:37] Or maybe they're

[01:15:38] alligators?

[01:15:39] I have no idea

[01:15:41] how the hell

[01:15:41] to tell the difference.

[01:15:43] Anyway,

[01:15:43] you can make your way

[01:15:44] around them

[01:15:45] if you're careful.

[01:15:46] Just don't get

[01:15:47] too close to them.

[01:15:48] They'll snap at you

[01:15:49] or try to beat you

[01:15:50] with their tails.

[01:15:52] You can use the

[01:15:53] tranquilizer gun

[01:15:54] to put them to sleep

[01:15:55] with a single bullet

[01:15:55] if you wanted

[01:15:56] to make things easier

[01:15:57] on yourself.

[01:15:58] Holding your square button

[01:16:00] will have Snake

[01:16:01] point his equipped weapon

[01:16:02] and the game

[01:16:03] usually auto-aims

[01:16:04] towards your nearest threat.

[01:16:06] If you want to do

[01:16:07] more precise shooting,

[01:16:08] though,

[01:16:08] hold down the R1

[01:16:10] shoulder button

[01:16:10] and the game

[01:16:11] will enter

[01:16:11] first-person view mode.

[01:16:13] You can aim

[01:16:14] in first-person

[01:16:15] and this is a great

[01:16:16] way to increase

[01:16:17] your accuracy.

[01:16:18] It's sort of a

[01:16:19] common thing nowadays,

[01:16:20] but I always

[01:16:21] appreciated your ability

[01:16:22] to target an enemy's

[01:16:24] different body parts

[01:16:25] when shooting

[01:16:25] in first-person.

[01:16:27] Headshots are always

[01:16:28] the best for quick

[01:16:29] results,

[01:16:29] but you could also

[01:16:30] shoot a weapon

[01:16:31] out of an enemy's

[01:16:32] hands by shooting

[01:16:32] their arm with

[01:16:33] something more powerful

[01:16:34] than the Trank gun.

[01:16:35] You can even

[01:16:36] slow them down

[01:16:37] by shooting them

[01:16:37] in the leg.

[01:16:39] It's these touches

[01:16:40] that we take for granted

[01:16:41] today,

[01:16:42] but really helped

[01:16:43] enhance the experience

[01:16:44] back then.

[01:16:46] Anyhow,

[01:16:46] navigate past the gators

[01:16:48] however you see fit

[01:16:49] and let's move

[01:16:49] to the next area.

[01:16:51] A cutscene takes over

[01:16:53] as we move

[01:16:54] into the next area.

[01:16:56] Snake spots something

[01:16:57] up ahead

[01:16:57] and takes out

[01:16:58] his binoculars

[01:16:59] to investigate.

[01:17:00] The R1 prompt

[01:17:01] appears at the top

[01:17:03] right-hand side

[01:17:03] of the screen,

[01:17:04] which is something

[01:17:04] that you'll see

[01:17:05] every now and then.

[01:17:06] This lets you go

[01:17:08] into first person

[01:17:09] during the cutscene.

[01:17:11] Through Snake's eyes,

[01:17:12] we see an enemy

[01:17:13] patrol up ahead.

[01:17:15] Major,

[01:17:16] I've spotted

[01:17:17] two enemy soldiers.

[01:17:18] They're probably

[01:17:19] KGB troops

[01:17:20] sent to guard Sokolov.

[01:17:23] AK-47s

[01:17:25] and grenades.

[01:17:28] Like clockwork,

[01:17:29] we're tossed

[01:17:30] into another radio

[01:17:30] conversation

[01:17:31] with Major Zero

[01:17:32] and the boss.

[01:17:34] After another

[01:17:35] reminder about

[01:17:35] how important

[01:17:36] it is to stay

[01:17:37] hidden from sight,

[01:17:38] the boss goes over

[01:17:39] how to use

[01:17:39] camouflage.

[01:17:41] We've already

[01:17:42] touched on that

[01:17:42] already,

[01:17:43] so after the boss

[01:17:44] gets done with

[01:17:45] her tutorial,

[01:17:46] we can go to work.

[01:17:48] Okay,

[01:17:49] here we go.

[01:17:50] You have a lot

[01:17:51] of choice

[01:17:52] with how you

[01:17:53] tackle enemy patrols.

[01:17:55] You can either

[01:17:56] attempt to sneak

[01:17:56] around them

[01:17:57] using your

[01:17:57] camouflage

[01:17:58] to stay out

[01:17:59] of sight,

[01:17:59] or what I

[01:18:00] usually do

[01:18:01] is I try to

[01:18:02] take the enemy

[01:18:02] out.

[01:18:03] The enemy

[01:18:04] can't spot you

[01:18:04] if they are

[01:18:05] dead and or

[01:18:06] incapacitated.

[01:18:07] You can shoot

[01:18:08] your enemy

[01:18:09] at a distance,

[01:18:10] or you can

[01:18:10] go in close

[01:18:11] and use CQC

[01:18:12] to knock out

[01:18:13] the enemy.

[01:18:14] The safest option

[01:18:16] is shooting

[01:18:16] the enemy

[01:18:17] from a distance.

[01:18:18] In first-person view,

[01:18:20] you can line up

[01:18:21] a headshot

[01:18:21] with your

[01:18:21] tranquilizer gun,

[01:18:22] and if you land

[01:18:23] a hit,

[01:18:24] the enemy

[01:18:24] will be down

[01:18:24] for the count

[01:18:25] immediately.

[01:18:27] Let's give

[01:18:27] that a try

[01:18:28] right now,

[01:18:29] as one of the

[01:18:29] enemy soldiers

[01:18:30] is directly

[01:18:31] ahead of us.

[01:18:32] Oh,

[01:18:33] that reminds me,

[01:18:33] hold the X

[01:18:34] button,

[01:18:35] and Snake

[01:18:35] will lie

[01:18:36] prone on the

[01:18:36] ground.

[01:18:38] This is a

[01:18:38] great way

[01:18:39] to increase

[01:18:39] your camo

[01:18:40] index

[01:18:40] and steady

[01:18:41] your aim.

[01:18:42] There you go,

[01:18:43] now go ahead

[01:18:44] and take this

[01:18:45] guy out.

[01:18:49] Excellent,

[01:18:49] nice work.

[01:18:50] If you happen

[01:18:51] to hit a guard

[01:18:52] with a tranquilizer

[01:18:53] dart somewhere

[01:18:53] other than their

[01:18:54] head,

[01:18:55] they'll eventually

[01:18:55] pass out still,

[01:18:57] but the effect

[01:18:57] won't be instantaneous,

[01:18:59] so keep that in

[01:19:00] mind.

[01:19:01] Okay,

[01:19:02] let's go ahead

[01:19:02] and move up.

[01:19:04] Uh-oh,

[01:19:04] there's another

[01:19:05] guard further

[01:19:05] ahead of us,

[01:19:06] but he has his

[01:19:07] back turned to us

[01:19:08] and he's moving

[01:19:08] away.

[01:19:10] Instead of taking

[01:19:11] him out at a

[01:19:12] distance,

[01:19:12] let's practice

[01:19:13] sneaking up behind

[01:19:14] him and grabbing

[01:19:14] him with CQC.

[01:19:17] Now,

[01:19:17] enemies in this

[01:19:18] game won't just

[01:19:19] see you,

[01:19:20] they can also

[01:19:20] hear you if you

[01:19:22] make too much

[01:19:22] noise.

[01:19:23] Running will

[01:19:24] cause the enemy

[01:19:25] to hear your

[01:19:25] footsteps,

[01:19:26] so you'll want to

[01:19:27] approach your

[01:19:27] target slowly.

[01:19:29] Walking by

[01:19:30] lightly tilting

[01:19:31] the left

[01:19:32] thumbstick will

[01:19:33] reduce the sound

[01:19:33] of your footsteps,

[01:19:34] but they can

[01:19:35] still be heard

[01:19:36] as you get

[01:19:36] closer.

[01:19:37] Instead,

[01:19:38] as we get

[01:19:39] close to the

[01:19:39] enemy,

[01:19:40] we're going to

[01:19:40] switch over

[01:19:41] to a technique

[01:19:42] called stalking.

[01:19:44] Stalking,

[01:19:45] as I like to

[01:19:45] call it,

[01:19:46] can be done

[01:19:47] by using the

[01:19:48] directional pad.

[01:19:49] As you hold

[01:19:50] down the pad

[01:19:51] in the direction

[01:19:51] that you want

[01:19:52] to move,

[01:19:53] Snake will

[01:19:53] move agonizingly

[01:19:55] slow,

[01:19:56] but his

[01:19:56] footsteps will

[01:19:57] be completely

[01:19:57] silent.

[01:19:58] Even though

[01:19:59] Snake is

[01:20:00] moving horrifically

[01:20:01] slow,

[01:20:02] he's just

[01:20:02] fast enough

[01:20:03] that he'll

[01:20:03] catch up to

[01:20:04] the enemy

[01:20:05] so long as

[01:20:05] they're walking.

[01:20:07] Okay,

[01:20:08] let's try

[01:20:09] stalking and

[01:20:09] get into

[01:20:10] arm's reach

[01:20:11] of our enemy.

[01:20:12] Okay,

[01:20:13] good.

[01:20:14] Very good.

[01:20:15] Be very,

[01:20:16] very quiet.

[01:20:19] Almost there.

[01:20:21] Now,

[01:20:21] press and

[01:20:22] hold the

[01:20:23] circle button

[01:20:23] and reach out

[01:20:24] and grab

[01:20:24] the enemy.

[01:20:29] Nice.

[01:20:30] Nice.

[01:20:30] Okay,

[01:20:31] here's the

[01:20:32] fun part.

[01:20:32] With the

[01:20:33] enemy guard

[01:20:34] in our grasp,

[01:20:35] we can do

[01:20:35] several things.

[01:20:37] We can choke

[01:20:38] the guard out

[01:20:38] and render him

[01:20:39] unconscious by

[01:20:40] tapping the

[01:20:41] circle button

[01:20:41] repeatedly.

[01:20:42] If we keep

[01:20:43] doing that,

[01:20:44] after they've

[01:20:45] passed out,

[01:20:46] we'll quietly

[01:20:46] break the

[01:20:47] guard's neck.

[01:20:49] Unconscious guards

[01:20:50] will eventually

[01:20:51] wake up,

[01:20:51] so it's up to

[01:20:52] you to decide

[01:20:52] how permanently

[01:20:53] you want to

[01:20:54] take out the threat.

[01:20:55] Choking a guard

[01:20:56] out does take

[01:20:57] time,

[01:20:58] so if you want

[01:20:58] a quick kill,

[01:21:00] you have another

[01:21:00] option at your

[01:21:01] disposal.

[01:21:02] If you hold

[01:21:03] down the

[01:21:04] circle button

[01:21:04] firmly,

[01:21:05] Snake will slit

[01:21:06] the enemy guard's

[01:21:07] throat in just

[01:21:08] a quick motion.

[01:21:10] Throat slitting

[01:21:11] is a little louder,

[01:21:12] but it is quicker,

[01:21:13] so be careful

[01:21:14] if there are

[01:21:15] other guards

[01:21:15] around.

[01:21:17] But if you

[01:21:18] have some time

[01:21:19] and are relatively

[01:21:19] safe from other

[01:21:20] patrols,

[01:21:21] you could also

[01:21:22] interrogate the

[01:21:23] enemy.

[01:21:25] While holding

[01:21:25] your enemy,

[01:21:26] click the left

[01:21:27] thumbstick and

[01:21:28] hold it down.

[01:21:29] Snake will put

[01:21:30] his knife to

[01:21:31] the enemy's

[01:21:31] throat and

[01:21:32] they'll sometimes

[01:21:33] spill some

[01:21:33] useful information.

[01:21:35] Let's try that

[01:21:36] now.

[01:21:38] Speak.

[01:21:40] The others

[01:21:43] speak.

[01:21:45] If you want

[01:21:46] to learn more,

[01:21:47] take a look

[01:21:47] at the

[01:21:48] survival viewer

[01:21:48] map.

[01:21:50] You can get

[01:21:51] locations to

[01:21:51] hidden items

[01:21:52] put on your

[01:21:53] map,

[01:21:53] information about

[01:21:54] the terrain,

[01:21:55] or even

[01:21:55] information

[01:21:56] pertaining to

[01:21:57] the game's

[01:21:57] story this

[01:21:58] way.

[01:21:58] It's always

[01:21:59] worth interrogating

[01:22:00] your enemy when

[01:22:01] you can.

[01:22:02] But once your

[01:22:03] interrogation is

[01:22:04] over, you have

[01:22:05] to decide what

[01:22:06] to do from

[01:22:06] there.

[01:22:07] Personally, I

[01:22:08] recommend knocking

[01:22:09] out enemies

[01:22:09] instead of flat-out

[01:22:10] killing them where

[01:22:11] possible.

[01:22:12] The only reason

[01:22:14] for this is that

[01:22:15] kills will

[01:22:16] negatively impact

[01:22:17] your final rating

[01:22:18] at the end of

[01:22:18] the game,

[01:22:19] which is very

[01:22:20] annoying if I'm

[01:22:21] being honest.

[01:22:22] The game doesn't

[01:22:24] actively ask you

[01:22:25] to go non-lethal

[01:22:26] and while you

[01:22:27] are actively

[01:22:27] encouraged to

[01:22:28] stay out of

[01:22:28] sight and avoid

[01:22:29] enemy contact,

[01:22:30] I felt like I

[01:22:31] couldn't really

[01:22:32] use all of the

[01:22:33] lethal weaponry I

[01:22:34] found because of

[01:22:35] this.

[01:22:36] There's also a

[01:22:37] boss fight that I

[01:22:37] won't spoil here

[01:22:38] that gets more

[01:22:39] difficult depending

[01:22:40] on how many

[01:22:41] enemies you've

[01:22:41] actually killed up

[01:22:42] to that point in

[01:22:43] the game, so

[01:22:44] just for the sake

[01:22:45] of making that

[01:22:46] encounter easier,

[01:22:47] try to go

[01:22:47] non-lethal if you

[01:22:48] can.

[01:22:49] But, man,

[01:22:51] nothing beats

[01:22:52] popping off

[01:22:52] patrols at a

[01:22:53] distance with a

[01:22:54] silenced assault

[01:22:55] rifle.

[01:22:57] Anyway, tap your

[01:22:58] circle button

[01:22:59] repeatedly and put

[01:23:00] this guy to

[01:23:00] sleep, will ya?

[01:23:06] Good work, it's

[01:23:08] like you've done

[01:23:08] that before.

[01:23:10] You can walk

[01:23:10] over to the body

[01:23:11] and hold down the

[01:23:12] square button to

[01:23:13] have Snake grab

[01:23:13] the body.

[01:23:14] From here, you

[01:23:15] can drag the body

[01:23:16] wherever you want.

[01:23:17] It's always a good

[01:23:18] idea to hide

[01:23:19] fallen enemy soldiers

[01:23:20] so that enemy

[01:23:21] patrols don't find

[01:23:22] them and call

[01:23:23] in for help.

[01:23:25] Alright, it's not

[01:23:26] entirely clear how

[01:23:27] many other soldiers

[01:23:27] are around the

[01:23:28] area, so let's

[01:23:29] cautiously move

[01:23:30] towards the north.

[01:23:31] Uh-oh.

[01:23:33] Up ahead, there's

[01:23:34] a soldier that's

[01:23:34] getting dangerously

[01:23:35] close to us we

[01:23:36] didn't see earlier.

[01:23:37] He stops in his

[01:23:38] tracks all of a

[01:23:39] sudden, and a

[01:23:40] blue exclamation

[01:23:41] point appears

[01:23:42] overhead.

[01:23:43] I think I saw

[01:23:44] something.

[01:23:45] When the enemy is

[01:23:46] out patrolling

[01:23:47] normally, they

[01:23:48] might not

[01:23:48] immediately recognize

[01:23:49] us from a distance

[01:23:50] and come closer to

[01:23:51] investigate.

[01:23:52] In these cases, we'll

[01:23:54] either need to get

[01:23:54] out of sight quickly

[01:23:55] or take the

[01:23:56] soldier out.

[01:23:57] Given how close

[01:23:58] this guy is, I

[01:23:59] vote we take him

[01:24:00] down with a

[01:24:01] tranquilizer gun.

[01:24:02] If we move too

[01:24:03] much, our camo

[01:24:04] index may go down

[01:24:05] and he may spot us

[01:24:06] as a result.

[01:24:07] Go ahead and

[01:24:08] take aim in first

[01:24:09] person view mode

[01:24:10] and let him have

[01:24:10] it.

[01:24:13] Crap, you

[01:24:14] missed!

[01:24:15] The sound of the

[01:24:16] dart hitting a

[01:24:17] nearby tree makes

[01:24:18] the soldier think

[01:24:19] he's under fire

[01:24:19] and he quickly

[01:24:20] grabs his radio.

[01:24:21] HQ, respond!

[01:24:27] This is HQ.

[01:24:29] Patrol here.

[01:24:30] We're under

[01:24:31] enemy fire.

[01:24:32] Enemy's position

[01:24:33] is unknown.

[01:24:34] Going into alert

[01:24:34] formation.

[01:24:39] On screen, we'll

[01:24:41] see the word

[01:24:41] caution with a

[01:24:42] countdown timer

[01:24:43] that's counting

[01:24:44] down from 99.99.

[01:24:47] When the enemy is

[01:24:48] in this state, they

[01:24:50] still aren't aware

[01:24:51] of Snake's

[01:24:51] presence and will

[01:24:52] be extra cautious

[01:24:53] in this mode.

[01:24:54] They won't follow

[01:24:56] their normal patrol

[01:24:56] patterns and more

[01:24:58] soldiers may be

[01:24:58] called into the

[01:24:59] area.

[01:25:00] When you're in

[01:25:01] this state, don't

[01:25:02] panic.

[01:25:03] You haven't been

[01:25:04] spotted yet and

[01:25:05] things will return

[01:25:06] to normal when the

[01:25:06] countdown reaches

[01:25:07] zero.

[01:25:08] Our best bet is

[01:25:09] to turn around

[01:25:10] and make our way

[01:25:11] to some tall grass

[01:25:12] and hunker down.

[01:25:15] Who's that?

[01:25:16] Dammit, another

[01:25:17] soldier sees us.

[01:25:18] Quick, before he...

[01:25:20] Who's that?

[01:25:21] Once we hear that

[01:25:22] classic, they

[01:25:23] spotted you sound,

[01:25:25] the game enters

[01:25:26] alert mode and

[01:25:27] now we have a

[01:25:28] problem.

[01:25:29] A counter will

[01:25:30] appear on screen

[01:25:30] that will stay at

[01:25:31] 99.99 until we

[01:25:33] can break the

[01:25:34] enemy's line of

[01:25:35] sight and go back

[01:25:35] into hiding.

[01:25:37] Or we can get

[01:25:38] ourselves out of

[01:25:39] alert mode by taking

[01:25:40] out all of the

[01:25:41] enemies.

[01:25:42] While the enemy

[01:25:43] has us in their

[01:25:44] sights, they'll

[01:25:44] actively try to

[01:25:45] take Snake

[01:25:46] out with gunfire,

[01:25:47] and unless you're

[01:25:48] paying attention at

[01:25:48] the start of the

[01:25:49] mission, we don't

[01:25:50] really have the

[01:25:50] means to defend

[01:25:51] ourselves.

[01:25:52] Tranquilizer gun's

[01:25:53] only gonna go so

[01:25:54] far.

[01:25:56] CQC is a decent

[01:25:57] defense, and if we

[01:25:58] want to head right

[01:25:59] into the bullet

[01:26:00] storm, we can run

[01:26:01] up on enemies and

[01:26:02] throw them to the

[01:26:02] ground, knocking

[01:26:03] them out.

[01:26:04] But expect to take

[01:26:05] a few bullets in

[01:26:06] the process.

[01:26:08] Another strategy

[01:26:09] would be to exit

[01:26:10] the area that

[01:26:10] you're in.

[01:26:12] Depending on where

[01:26:13] you're at in the

[01:26:13] game, this doesn't

[01:26:14] always get you out

[01:26:15] of a jam, as

[01:26:16] other patrols and

[01:26:17] other areas may be

[01:26:18] aware that something

[01:26:19] is wrong, but it's

[01:26:20] still a good way to

[01:26:21] break line of sight

[01:26:22] with the enemy.

[01:26:23] Whatever you do, do

[01:26:25] it fast, or else

[01:26:26] you're going to be

[01:26:27] taking a dirt nap

[01:26:28] while enjoying the

[01:26:29] series classic

[01:26:30] Game Over screen.

[01:26:37] Snake!

[01:26:38] What happened?

[01:26:40] Snake!

[01:26:41] Snake!

[01:26:46] There's still a lot

[01:26:47] I could touch on when

[01:26:48] it comes to the

[01:26:49] overall gameplay, and

[01:26:50] in classic Metal

[01:26:51] Gear fashion, we

[01:26:52] have just barely

[01:26:53] scratched the surface

[01:26:54] as to what's on

[01:26:55] offer here.

[01:26:56] There's many tools

[01:26:57] at your disposal, and

[01:26:59] ways to work through

[01:27:00] an area that you're

[01:27:01] in, and it's really

[01:27:02] up to you as the

[01:27:03] player to decide how

[01:27:04] you want to go about

[01:27:05] each challenge that

[01:27:06] you face.

[01:27:07] Even though the

[01:27:08] game subtly encourages

[01:27:09] you to not kill

[01:27:11] everyone you see,

[01:27:12] there really is no

[01:27:13] wrong way to play.

[01:27:15] The biggest challenge

[01:27:16] that you're going to

[01:27:17] face when playing

[01:27:17] Snake Eater through

[01:27:18] is going to be the

[01:27:19] controls.

[01:27:21] There's a lot that

[01:27:23] you can do in this

[01:27:23] game when controlling

[01:27:24] Snake, and on the

[01:27:25] surface, that's

[01:27:26] awesome.

[01:27:27] You can run, walk,

[01:27:29] stalk, roll, crouch,

[01:27:30] crawl, hang, swim,

[01:27:32] climb.

[01:27:33] You have close

[01:27:34] quarters combat where

[01:27:35] you can punch, kick,

[01:27:36] throw, grab, choke,

[01:27:37] interrogate, stab,

[01:27:39] hold up your enemies,

[01:27:40] or even use them as a

[01:27:41] human shield.

[01:27:42] Oh, and you can even

[01:27:43] hide in lockers, and

[01:27:45] did I mention you can

[01:27:46] knock on a wall to

[01:27:47] make noise to draw

[01:27:48] your enemy in?

[01:27:49] You can also peek

[01:27:50] around corners, and

[01:27:52] you can also jump from

[01:27:53] around a corner with

[01:27:54] your weapon drawn.

[01:27:56] There's so much you

[01:27:57] can do, and while the

[01:27:58] game encourages you to

[01:28:00] take your time and

[01:28:00] explore all of your

[01:28:01] options, most of this

[01:28:03] goes out the window in

[01:28:04] combat situations.

[01:28:06] It's very easy to lose

[01:28:07] track of who's around

[01:28:08] you, and the

[01:28:09] convoluted controls can

[01:28:11] make engaging in a

[01:28:11] firefight with your

[01:28:12] enemies pretty

[01:28:13] cumbersome.

[01:28:14] That's not to say you

[01:28:15] can't learn the

[01:28:16] controls over time and

[01:28:17] get good, but if you're

[01:28:19] diving in for the very

[01:28:20] first time, be prepared

[01:28:21] to have a very clunky

[01:28:23] experience.

[01:28:24] I will say, even

[01:28:26] though I just got done

[01:28:27] saying combat was very

[01:28:28] clunky, boss fights are

[01:28:29] still very unique and

[01:28:31] very fun to experience.

[01:28:33] I'll save my thoughts on

[01:28:34] the boss encounters for

[01:28:35] the spoiler section coming

[01:28:37] up, but the Metal Gear

[01:28:38] formula of having standout

[01:28:40] boss encounters is very

[01:28:41] present in this game.

[01:28:43] Each boss that you face

[01:28:44] poses a unique challenge

[01:28:46] when doing battle with

[01:28:47] them, and that challenge

[01:28:48] is even harder, but more

[01:28:50] rewarding if you can find

[01:28:51] a way to take them out

[01:28:53] non-lethally.

[01:28:55] When it comes to the

[01:28:56] visual presentation Snake

[01:28:57] Eater has on offer, it's

[01:28:59] hard not to marvel in how

[01:29:00] detailed this world is,

[01:29:02] even today.

[01:29:03] For a PlayStation 2-era

[01:29:05] game, the details are on

[01:29:07] point.

[01:29:08] I love the jungle setting

[01:29:10] and how everything around

[01:29:11] you just feels and looks

[01:29:13] alive.

[01:29:15] Snakes slither around on

[01:29:16] the ground, and as they

[01:29:17] move through the tall

[01:29:18] grass, you can see the

[01:29:19] blades of grass, all done

[01:29:21] up individually by the

[01:29:22] way, move back and

[01:29:23] forth.

[01:29:25] Every character from Snake

[01:29:26] himself down to the lowly

[01:29:28] enemy soldiers are modeled

[01:29:30] exceptionally well, and

[01:29:31] everyone's quite detailed.

[01:29:33] From a sound design

[01:29:35] standpoint, the noises of

[01:29:36] the jungle help the

[01:29:37] environment around you feel

[01:29:39] very much alive, and

[01:29:40] while music isn't always

[01:29:42] present so that the

[01:29:43] sounds of the jungle or

[01:29:44] the ambiance of what's

[01:29:46] happening around you can

[01:29:47] take precedence, the game's

[01:29:49] soundtrack does a fantastic

[01:29:50] job of immersing you in

[01:29:52] every scene music is

[01:29:53] present in.

[01:29:54] And who doesn't love the

[01:29:57] title track to this game,

[01:29:58] Snake Eater, sung by

[01:30:00] Cynthia Harl?

[01:30:01] The James Bond-esque song is

[01:30:04] the perfect icing on the

[01:30:06] cake.

[01:30:08] Over the last several years,

[01:30:10] whenever I think of Metal

[01:30:11] Gear Solid 3 and the

[01:30:13] respect and reverence a lot

[01:30:15] of people seem to have for

[01:30:16] this game, I often wonder

[01:30:18] why that is.

[01:30:19] What is it that makes this

[01:30:21] game special to those that

[01:30:22] hold it in such high

[01:30:23] regard?

[01:30:25] Not everyone is a fan of

[01:30:26] stealth-based gameplay, and

[01:30:27] the Metal Gear series as a

[01:30:29] whole can be very odd,

[01:30:30] quirky, and downright

[01:30:32] convoluted for the

[01:30:33] uninitiated.

[01:30:34] Hell, even the initiated

[01:30:36] can find the lure and all

[01:30:38] the little nuances hard to

[01:30:39] wrap your head around

[01:30:40] completely.

[01:30:41] I can't count how many

[01:30:43] times I went to Wikipedia

[01:30:44] just to remind myself of

[01:30:45] some of the finer plot

[01:30:46] details.

[01:30:48] But for me, now that I've

[01:30:50] really thought about it

[01:30:51] all, it has got to be the

[01:30:54] emotional connection that

[01:30:55] people have with the story

[01:30:57] and the character moments

[01:30:58] and their interactions with

[01:31:00] each other.

[01:31:01] The setting for this game is

[01:31:02] also a huge part too.

[01:31:05] Taking place in the 1960s

[01:31:07] and leveraging the Cold

[01:31:08] War era really helped the

[01:31:09] developers lean into the

[01:31:11] espionage aspect of things,

[01:31:13] and, I don't know, it

[01:31:14] just all feels more

[01:31:15] authentic.

[01:31:16] The whole world seemed like

[01:31:18] it was sneaking around each

[01:31:20] other at this time, and it

[01:31:21] all just feels more genuine.

[01:31:23] I felt genuinely vested in

[01:31:25] Snake's mission and

[01:31:26] empathized with his struggles

[01:31:28] as his mission went on.

[01:31:30] I know I just spent entirely

[01:31:31] too much time talking about

[01:31:33] the opening to this game to

[01:31:34] explain the gameplay to you

[01:31:36] and get you immersed in the

[01:31:37] world, but the real heart of

[01:31:38] this game is with Snake's

[01:31:40] development over the course of

[01:31:41] the game.

[01:31:42] And let's not forget all the

[01:31:44] other characters that round out

[01:31:45] the narrative.

[01:31:46] Major Zero, Paramedic,

[01:31:49] Sigent, whom we haven't even

[01:31:50] talked about yet.

[01:31:51] Oh, and I didn't even mention

[01:31:53] Eva, Ocelot, Colonel Volgen,

[01:31:56] or really get into the boss

[01:31:58] herself.

[01:31:59] Though, we will do some of that

[01:32:01] if you decide to stick around

[01:32:02] for the spoiler section.

[01:32:04] All in all, MGS3 feels like a

[01:32:06] complete adventure that's

[01:32:08] relatively easy for the player

[01:32:10] to follow, has some great

[01:32:11] character moments even if they

[01:32:13] can be a little weird at times

[01:32:14] in that classic Kojima fashion,

[01:32:17] and the story wraps up in a way

[01:32:19] the player will never forget.

[01:32:22] At least, I know I'll never

[01:32:23] forget it.

[01:32:24] When the game comes to an end

[01:32:26] and all the pieces and threads

[01:32:28] of the story are sewn together,

[01:32:30] the aftermath leaves you feeling

[01:32:31] something, I don't know,

[01:32:33] genuine, I guess.

[01:32:35] Even if like Snake himself,

[01:32:36] you struggle to figure out

[01:32:37] what it all means to you.

[01:32:39] And it's that ending and

[01:32:42] reflection on the journey that

[01:32:43] I think people think back to

[01:32:45] when they decide where this

[01:32:46] game sits in terms of legacy

[01:32:48] and staying power.

[01:32:49] And that ending, and what

[01:32:51] comes after that, made Naked

[01:32:53] Snake one of my favorite gaming

[01:32:55] characters of all time.

[01:32:59] Okay, my friends, with that,

[01:33:01] it is well past time to dive a

[01:33:03] little deeper into Metal Gear

[01:33:04] Solid 3.

[01:33:06] I know we're probably going to

[01:33:07] go long with this episode,

[01:33:09] but there's a lot to unpack here,

[01:33:11] and I would love it if you

[01:33:11] continue to stick around.

[01:33:14] So far, we talked about the

[01:33:15] structure of the game,

[01:33:16] gameplay nuances,

[01:33:18] and together we have

[01:33:19] infiltrated Selino Yars.

[01:33:22] Even though this episode is

[01:33:23] poised to be a long one,

[01:33:24] there's no way we can part ways

[01:33:26] without talking about some of

[01:33:28] the epic boss battles,

[01:33:29] diving into some of my

[01:33:31] thoughts on some of the

[01:33:32] characters that we'll meet,

[01:33:33] and, of course, discussing

[01:33:35] that amazing ending.

[01:33:37] So, if you haven't played

[01:33:39] Snake Eater before and you

[01:33:41] don't want to have anything

[01:33:42] spoiled for you, this is where

[01:33:44] we part ways, my friends.

[01:33:46] Go forth and either experience

[01:33:48] the game for yourself now or

[01:33:50] hang on until the remake drops,

[01:33:52] whenever the hell that's gonna be.

[01:33:54] Then, of course, come on back.

[01:33:57] But, if you're sticking around,

[01:33:59] be warned that full spoilers are

[01:34:02] on the table from this point

[01:34:03] forward.

[01:34:04] I'm going to refill my drink,

[01:34:06] and when we come back,

[01:34:08] we'll get into the game a bit

[01:34:10] deeper, and we'll end the episode

[01:34:11] by talking about the epic

[01:34:13] conclusion to Snake's mission.

[01:34:44] As I wrote the script for this

[01:34:45] spoiler section, I honestly

[01:34:47] didn't know where the hell

[01:34:48] to start.

[01:34:49] I tried to imagine telling a

[01:34:50] friend about this game, and

[01:34:52] what it was specifically that I

[01:34:53] wanted to highlight.

[01:34:54] There's the characters, the

[01:34:56] epic boss battles, the

[01:34:57] memorable radio conversations,

[01:34:59] that hilarious scene in the

[01:35:01] waterfall cave with Snake

[01:35:02] and Eva.

[01:35:03] I could go on and on.

[01:35:06] But, maybe I'll approach

[01:35:07] this in order of story, and

[01:35:09] touch on some things as I

[01:35:10] remember them.

[01:35:11] I don't know, we'll see

[01:35:12] what happens.

[01:35:14] That said, outside of going

[01:35:15] into the ending in detail

[01:35:17] when we get there, I'm

[01:35:18] probably just going to bounce

[01:35:19] around a bit, so hopefully

[01:35:20] this part of the show doesn't

[01:35:21] feel too disjointed.

[01:35:23] So, let's talk about some of

[01:35:25] the characters and work in

[01:35:26] some of the boss fights.

[01:35:29] When the Virtuous mission

[01:35:30] ends, a lot happens in a

[01:35:32] short amount of time.

[01:35:34] After we make contact with

[01:35:35] Sokolov, we learn that he's

[01:35:37] being hunted by a renegade

[01:35:39] Russian colonel named Volgin,

[01:35:41] a man that Sokolov refers to

[01:35:43] as Thunderbolt.

[01:35:45] As we escape the facility

[01:35:47] that we found Sokolov in,

[01:35:48] we're introduced to Major

[01:35:50] Ocelot, the commander of the

[01:35:52] Ocelot unit which is part of

[01:35:54] Spetsnaz.

[01:35:55] I remember my eyes going wide

[01:35:57] when I saw Ocelot for the

[01:35:59] first time playing this game.

[01:36:01] Was that the Ocelot from the

[01:36:03] previous game?

[01:36:04] Indeed it was, and throughout

[01:36:06] the game we got to see his

[01:36:08] origins and how cunning this man

[01:36:10] was even at such a young age.

[01:36:13] Ocelot is so deeply woven into

[01:36:16] the story of the entire series

[01:36:17] that removing him would cause

[01:36:19] the series to collapse in on

[01:36:21] itself.

[01:36:22] I've heard some Metal Gear

[01:36:24] diehards proclaim that

[01:36:25] everything that happens in

[01:36:26] this series is all thanks to

[01:36:28] Ocelot in some way.

[01:36:30] We could probably spend several

[01:36:32] hours trying to make sense of

[01:36:33] it all, but I loved seeing Ocelot

[01:36:35] where it all began and how his

[01:36:37] interactions with Snake helped

[01:36:38] him become who he was over time,

[01:36:41] specifically with regard to him

[01:36:42] using his signature weapon,

[01:36:44] the revolver.

[01:36:46] Besides, I don't think you're

[01:36:48] cut out for an automatic in the

[01:36:49] first place.

[01:36:50] You tend to twist your elbow to

[01:36:52] absorb the recoil.

[01:36:54] That's more of a revolver

[01:36:56] technique.

[01:36:58] But that was some fancy

[01:37:00] shooting.

[01:37:01] You're pretty good.

[01:37:03] Later, when Ocelot shows back

[01:37:05] up again and puts Eva at gunpoint,

[01:37:07] we'll see that Ocelot took

[01:37:09] Snake's advice and is now

[01:37:10] holding a shiny new revolver,

[01:37:12] decked out in some pretty

[01:37:14] impressive engravings.

[01:37:16] Snake approaches Ocelot and

[01:37:18] decides to give Ocelot another

[01:37:20] lesson.

[01:37:21] I see you've got yourself a

[01:37:23] single action army.

[01:37:25] That's right.

[01:37:26] There'll be no accidents this

[01:37:28] time.

[01:37:29] You call that an accident?

[01:37:31] Well, it wouldn't have happened

[01:37:33] if you hadn't been showing off.

[01:37:35] What did you say?

[01:37:36] It's a nice gun.

[01:37:37] I'll give you that.

[01:37:38] But the engraving gives you no

[01:37:40] tactical advantage whatsoever.

[01:37:43] Unless you were planning to

[01:37:44] auction it off as a collector's

[01:37:45] item.

[01:37:48] And you're forgetting one more

[01:37:51] very basic thing.

[01:38:09] The revolver is out of ammo and

[01:38:12] Eva uses this opportunity to

[01:38:14] escape.

[01:38:15] Completely baffled by what just

[01:38:17] happened, Snake reveals to Ocelot

[01:38:20] just how observant he can be.

[01:38:24] Six shots.

[01:38:25] That thing only carries six

[01:38:27] shots.

[01:38:28] The Makarov carries eight.

[01:38:30] You have to get a feel for how

[01:38:32] many you have left.

[01:38:39] This is a high class weapon.

[01:38:41] It's not meant for shooting

[01:38:43] people.

[01:38:45] Damn!

[01:38:52] One of the things that made me

[01:38:53] start to like Snake as a

[01:38:55] character was how he was able

[01:38:56] to identify someone with

[01:38:58] potential and talent.

[01:39:01] Ocelot was his enemy, but the

[01:39:02] two of them started to form a

[01:39:04] sort of respect for one

[01:39:06] another.

[01:39:07] Which is evident when Eva goes

[01:39:09] to shoot Ocelot as he flees

[01:39:11] here.

[01:39:24] Those words from Eva cut

[01:39:26] deep.

[01:39:27] Can you imagine what things

[01:39:29] would have been like if Ocelot

[01:39:30] was killed there and then?

[01:39:32] Which reminds me, there's

[01:39:34] several points that you do get

[01:39:36] the opportunity to kill Ocelot

[01:39:38] if you so choose.

[01:39:39] But if you do, you'll get a

[01:39:42] game over by creating a time

[01:39:44] paradox.

[01:39:50] Snake, what have you done?

[01:39:52] You changed the future.

[01:39:54] You've created a time

[01:39:55] paradox.

[01:39:59] Not only does this get you a

[01:40:00] PlayStation trophy for doing

[01:40:02] this, eagle-eared players will

[01:40:04] be happy to hear that the guy

[01:40:06] who did the time paradox

[01:40:07] voiceover was none other than

[01:40:09] Colonel Campbell from MGS 1 and 2.

[01:40:13] Gotta love the little touches.

[01:40:16] For the majority of the game,

[01:40:18] Ocelot works with the game's

[01:40:20] primary antagonist, Colonel

[01:40:22] Volgan.

[01:40:23] Of all the villains in the series,

[01:40:25] I honestly appreciate how

[01:40:27] straightforward he is.

[01:40:29] Volgan is just an evil, sadistic

[01:40:32] man with dreams of power.

[01:40:34] His main goal was to overthrow

[01:40:37] Khrushchev, the leader of the

[01:40:38] Soviet Union at the time, and

[01:40:40] seize power by helping to install

[01:40:42] Brezhnev as the leader of the

[01:40:44] Soviets.

[01:40:45] Many times throughout the game,

[01:40:47] Volgan displays pleasure from

[01:40:49] abusing and torturing others, and

[01:40:51] some of those scenes could

[01:40:52] potentially make some players

[01:40:53] uncomfortable, especially since

[01:40:55] his methods do not discriminate

[01:40:57] in terms of gender.

[01:40:59] A woman named Tatiana, who was

[01:41:02] supposedly Sokolov's lover, took

[01:41:04] the brunt of Volgan's physical

[01:41:06] abuse.

[01:41:08] What makes Volgan stand out more

[01:41:10] than all of that, though, is his

[01:41:12] body's ability to generate and

[01:41:14] manipulate electricity.

[01:41:17] Coupled with Volgan's insane

[01:41:18] strength, he was a force to be

[01:41:21] reckoned with.

[01:41:22] It's funny now that I think about

[01:41:24] it.

[01:41:24] When we meet Volgan at the end of

[01:41:26] the Virtuous mission for the first

[01:41:27] time and we see him discharge

[01:41:29] electricity from his hands, I

[01:41:31] remember not feeling any sort of

[01:41:33] emotion towards it.

[01:41:34] Specifically because I just accept

[01:41:36] whatever batshit crazy thing

[01:41:38] happens in the Metal Gear Solid

[01:41:39] universe and don't question any of

[01:41:42] it.

[01:41:42] Most of the time, things like this

[01:41:44] are explained away using science.

[01:41:46] Other times, they're left ambiguous.

[01:41:49] But they never stop being cool.

[01:41:52] While Volgan does come off as a one-dimensional

[01:41:55] villain at times, I appreciated his

[01:41:57] character and anytime he was on screen, I

[01:42:00] felt genuine tension and I felt a little

[01:42:02] bit of fear knowing that I'd have to take him

[01:42:04] on at some point.

[01:42:05] He was cold, calculating, a little

[01:42:08] unpredictable, and just plain evil.

[01:42:11] And sometimes, you just need a solid, evil

[01:42:14] villain to drive you forward.

[01:42:16] But like I alluded to just a second ago,

[01:42:19] it's the unpredictability of Volgan that

[01:42:22] makes him such an awesome antagonist.

[01:42:25] Thanks to Colonel Volgan and his use of

[01:42:28] a US-made nuclear weapon, his destruction

[01:42:31] of Sokolov's research facility not only

[01:42:34] showed off what kind of person he was, but

[01:42:36] he sparked the events of the entire game

[01:42:39] because even the US government had no

[01:42:41] idea who they were dealing with.

[01:42:44] We have no further use for Sokolov's

[01:42:46] research facility.

[01:42:48] I think it's time I gave this marvelous

[01:42:50] new toy a try.

[01:42:54] Colonel, even if they are our enemies,

[01:42:57] they're still our country, baby.

[01:42:59] But it won't be me that pulled the trigger.

[01:43:02] It'll be our friend, the American defector.

[01:43:05] You're going to nuke your fellow Russians?

[01:43:09] Remember the Alamo.

[01:43:11] Colonel!

[01:43:14] Colonel!

[01:43:31] Another interesting character we meet is Eva.

[01:43:34] During the Operation Snake Eater portion of the game,

[01:43:37] Snake meets Eva at the location Sokolov was

[01:43:40] being held during the Virtuous mission.

[01:43:43] Snake had four objectives as part of Operation

[01:43:46] Snake Eater.

[01:43:47] Snake needed to rescue Sokolov,

[01:43:50] locate and destroy the Shagalhod,

[01:43:52] a mobile nuclear ballistic missile platform,

[01:43:55] take out Colonel Volgan,

[01:43:57] and then finally eliminate the boss.

[01:44:00] When Volgan launched the nuke at Sokolov's research facility,

[01:44:04] the Soviets assumed that the United States was at fault.

[01:44:07] It was a U.S.-made weapon, after all,

[01:44:10] and the Soviets happened to spot the combat talent in the air

[01:44:13] during the Virtuous mission.

[01:44:15] Operation Snake Eater needed to happen in order for the United States to prove its innocence,

[01:44:20] and the way to do that was for the U.S.

[01:44:23] to eliminate the woman who defected to the Soviet ranks.

[01:44:27] That, of course, being the boss herself,

[01:44:30] Snake's former mentor.

[01:44:32] If we failed,

[01:44:33] there was the very real risk of another world war.

[01:44:38] Snake's first objective is to return to the abandoned factory Sokolov was being held at

[01:44:43] and meet with a KGB contact named Adam,

[01:44:46] who will clear the way for Snake to rescue Sokolov.

[01:44:50] Adam, your KGB contact,

[01:44:52] is waiting for you at the abandoned factory up ahead.

[01:44:54] The same factory Sokolov was being held in last week.

[01:44:58] Yes, meet up with Adam first.

[01:44:59] He's cleared the way for you to rescue Sokolov.

[01:45:02] How'll I know this Adam guy when I see him?

[01:45:05] You'll know once you reach the factory.

[01:45:07] The whole area's been polluted by the fallout from that nuclear blast.

[01:45:10] No one else would dare come close.

[01:45:13] The password is

[01:45:14] Who are the Patriots?

[01:45:16] And Lali Lulelo.

[01:45:18] Lali Lulelo.

[01:45:20] Gotcha.

[01:45:21] When Snake sneaks around,

[01:45:23] he's blinded by a bright light.

[01:45:32] Sorry I'm late.

[01:45:35] Cut the engine.

[01:45:36] They'll hear us.

[01:45:37] Are you the agent they sent?

[01:45:40] Are you Adam?

[01:45:42] I thought you were supposed to be a man.

[01:45:44] Adam couldn't make it.

[01:45:47] All right, say the password.

[01:45:50] Who are the Patriots?

[01:45:53] Who are the Patriots?

[01:45:56] Answer me!

[01:46:34] Eva gets off the motorcycle she rode in on

[01:46:37] and slowly, seductively,

[01:46:39] walks over to Snake.

[01:47:01] She steps right in front of him

[01:47:03] and unzips the top part of her jacket,

[01:47:06] revealing her chest to Snake.

[01:47:08] And all Snake can do is look like a kid

[01:47:11] who's seen his father's nudie magazines for the first time.

[01:47:15] Hell, with the R1 button,

[01:47:17] the game will even let you stare at Eva's chest if you want.

[01:47:21] I will admit,

[01:47:22] as a kid playing this game,

[01:47:24] I was all in for this sort of thing.

[01:47:26] Today, though,

[01:47:27] I do think this scene and scenes like it

[01:47:30] are a little cringy.

[01:47:32] But hey,

[01:47:32] the Japanese do things their way

[01:47:34] and Hideo Kojima is a unique sort of spirit,

[01:47:37] so who are we to judge?

[01:47:40] I find it all funny, though,

[01:47:41] thinking back to when I played the game for the first time.

[01:47:44] It should have been very obvious

[01:47:47] that Eva wasn't who she claimed to be.

[01:47:49] She didn't even know the password,

[01:47:51] and she loves avoiding direct questions.

[01:47:54] But I found it very easy to trust Eva as a player,

[01:47:57] and even Snake himself warmed up to her.

[01:48:00] It's easy to say that's because of how Eva handled herself,

[01:48:04] always flashing her boobs around,

[01:48:06] talking all seductive-like and whatnot.

[01:48:08] But really,

[01:48:09] the situation we find ourselves in

[01:48:12] is just crazy and over the top.

[01:48:14] We were there to kill our former mentor,

[01:48:17] and the fate of the world literally hangs in the balance.

[01:48:20] On top of that,

[01:48:21] we're fighting a man who can literally shoot lightning from his fingertips.

[01:48:25] It's much easier to just go with the flow

[01:48:27] and trust this random woman

[01:48:29] than it is to question everything.

[01:48:31] At least, that's how I felt,

[01:48:33] and I wonder if Snake felt the same way.

[01:48:36] It's also later revealed that Eva was posing as Tatiana,

[01:48:40] Sokolov's former lover,

[01:48:42] as a way to infiltrate Volgan's ranks,

[01:48:44] but I never put that together for some reason when I was a kid.

[01:48:48] As the game comes to its conclusion,

[01:48:51] we as the player largely come to trust Eva

[01:48:53] and maybe even care about her a little bit.

[01:48:56] Working with her on the back of her motorcycle

[01:48:58] in one of the most action-packed parts of the game near the end

[01:49:02] is one of my favorite moments.

[01:49:04] And when Snake finally lets his guard down

[01:49:07] and he and Eva share a night of passion together,

[01:49:10] it makes her delivery of the cold hard truth to Snake

[01:49:13] even harder to hear and much more impactful.

[01:49:18] Now, of all the characters in this game,

[01:49:20] none take the spotlight quite like the boss does.

[01:49:25] Much of the boss's and Snake's past is shrouded in mystery,

[01:49:29] but their bond becomes evident as the story goes on.

[01:49:32] We don't really get a chance to know the boss much in the beginning,

[01:49:36] and even though the game implies a heavy connection early on,

[01:49:39] it was hard to feel much of anything

[01:49:41] when we learn that she defected to the Soviet Union.

[01:49:45] At the end of the virtuous mission,

[01:49:47] the boss confronts Snake in person with this decision.

[01:49:51] She recaptures Sokolov

[01:49:52] and then tosses Snake off Rope Bridge,

[01:49:55] seemingly to his death.

[01:49:57] He survives, of course,

[01:49:58] taking the boss's bandana with him

[01:50:00] as he tumbles to the river below.

[01:50:03] As a player,

[01:50:04] the impact of this betrayal wasn't much.

[01:50:07] We really didn't have time

[01:50:08] to fully understand the connection

[01:50:09] between these two characters,

[01:50:11] but it was still sort of a gut punch anyway.

[01:50:14] You could tell that the boss

[01:50:16] didn't really want to harm Snake,

[01:50:18] but her reasons for defecting

[01:50:20] were lost on us at the time.

[01:50:22] Snake is still very much attached to the boss,

[01:50:25] even electing to wear her bandana

[01:50:27] into battle moving forward.

[01:50:29] Now, with Volgan recklessly firing

[01:50:31] the US-made nuke

[01:50:32] that we learn the boss brought with her

[01:50:34] as a gift for her new hosts,

[01:50:36] this sparks the mission

[01:50:38] in which Snake must kill her

[01:50:40] in order to prove America's innocence.

[01:50:43] The boss shows that

[01:50:44] she's a force to be reckoned with as well,

[01:50:46] and as Snake meets her several times

[01:50:48] over the course of the game,

[01:50:49] she constantly outclasses him

[01:50:52] in hand-to-hand combat.

[01:50:54] Snake admits to himself

[01:50:55] that there is no way

[01:50:56] that he can beat her

[01:50:57] with sheer technique alone.

[01:50:59] It makes us wonder as a player

[01:51:01] how it is that we're going to take her down.

[01:51:04] And by the time we get

[01:51:05] to the end of the game,

[01:51:06] we know that we're going to have

[01:51:07] no choice but to find a way,

[01:51:09] and we're going to have to

[01:51:11] muster the courage

[01:51:11] to pull the trigger

[01:51:12] when the time comes.

[01:51:15] Each time Snake and the boss meet,

[01:51:18] the boss seemingly discourages Snake

[01:51:20] and tells him to go home.

[01:51:22] All this does for Snake, though,

[01:51:24] is make him more confused,

[01:51:26] but at the same time,

[01:51:27] it was clear that the boss

[01:51:29] was up to something.

[01:51:31] She was still guiding Snake,

[01:51:33] still teaching him, even.

[01:51:34] And the thing that she wanted Snake

[01:51:37] to really think about

[01:51:38] was his loyalty

[01:51:39] and why he was fighting

[01:51:41] in the first place.

[01:51:44] The border is 60 miles south of here.

[01:51:46] You ought to be able to run that far.

[01:51:54] Why'd you defect?

[01:51:58] I didn't.

[01:52:00] I'm loyal to the end,

[01:52:02] to my purpose.

[01:52:03] What about you, Jack?

[01:52:07] What's it going to be?

[01:52:09] Loyalty to your country

[01:52:10] or loyalty to me?

[01:52:11] Your country or your old mentor?

[01:52:13] The mission or your beliefs?

[01:52:16] Your duty to your unit

[01:52:17] or your personal feelings?

[01:52:24] You don't know the truth yet.

[01:52:27] But sooner or later,

[01:52:28] you'll have to choose.

[01:52:32] I don't expect you to forgive me,

[01:52:34] but you can't defeat me either.

[01:52:37] You know me too well.

[01:52:44] Just look at that bandana.

[01:52:46] If you can't put the past behind you,

[01:52:48] you won't survive long.

[01:52:53] Now, before we go any further

[01:52:55] regarding the boss

[01:52:56] and how she ties into the end of it all,

[01:52:59] I think this is a good time

[01:53:00] to pivot a little bit

[01:53:01] and talk about the Cobra unit

[01:53:03] and the several boss battles

[01:53:04] that you'll encounter.

[01:53:06] You're somewhat introduced

[01:53:08] to the Cobra unit

[01:53:09] at the end of the Virtuous mission,

[01:53:11] and it's clear that

[01:53:11] they are an unnatural bunch.

[01:53:14] The boss leading this unit

[01:53:16] were said to be

[01:53:17] the real heroes of World War II.

[01:53:20] And if you thought

[01:53:21] Volgan shooting lightning

[01:53:22] everywhere was crazy,

[01:53:24] get a load of these people.

[01:53:26] Each member of the Cobras

[01:53:28] is given a codename

[01:53:29] that's more or less an emotion

[01:53:30] that they carry in the battle.

[01:53:33] The first one

[01:53:34] that you're going to fight

[01:53:35] in battle

[01:53:36] is called the Pain.

[01:53:38] At some point,

[01:53:39] he developed the ability

[01:53:40] to control insects

[01:53:42] by secreting a pheromone

[01:53:43] of some kind.

[01:53:44] He also receives

[01:53:46] a large amount of adrenaline

[01:53:47] when his body experiences pain,

[01:53:50] hence the name.

[01:53:51] When we first meet him,

[01:53:53] he's literally controlling

[01:53:54] a swarm of hornets

[01:53:55] because, you know,

[01:53:57] that's a normal thing

[01:53:57] in this universe.

[01:53:59] When you fight him in battle,

[01:54:01] the Pain is on a platform

[01:54:02] surrounded by water.

[01:54:04] You'll mainly want to stay

[01:54:06] in the water

[01:54:07] to avoid the bees

[01:54:08] and projectiles

[01:54:08] that he throws at you.

[01:54:10] The Pain will also use

[01:54:12] hornets as body armor,

[01:54:13] so you have to kill them off

[01:54:15] first before you can deal

[01:54:16] any actual damage

[01:54:17] to the Pain.

[01:54:19] The Pain also uses

[01:54:20] what he likes to call

[01:54:22] bullet bees,

[01:54:23] and these fast-moving projectiles

[01:54:25] can embed themselves

[01:54:26] in Snake

[01:54:27] and eat him

[01:54:28] from the inside.

[01:54:29] Yes,

[01:54:30] it's as gross

[01:54:30] as it sounds.

[01:54:32] Whenever you get hit

[01:54:33] by one of these little buggers,

[01:54:34] you'll have to go

[01:54:34] into the survival viewer

[01:54:36] and use your knife

[01:54:37] to dig them out.

[01:54:38] It's definitely

[01:54:39] a little annoying

[01:54:40] at times.

[01:54:42] The fight itself

[01:54:43] is probably

[01:54:43] my least favorite

[01:54:44] of all the boss fights,

[01:54:46] but it's probably

[01:54:47] the most memorable

[01:54:48] because,

[01:54:48] well,

[01:54:49] bee swarm,

[01:54:50] I guess.

[01:55:01] The Fury

[01:55:02] is probably

[01:55:03] the member

[01:55:03] of the Cobras

[01:55:04] that I dislike

[01:55:05] the most,

[01:55:06] only because

[01:55:07] he comes off

[01:55:07] as the least interesting

[01:55:09] to me

[01:55:09] as far as personality goes.

[01:55:12] The Fury

[01:55:12] is best known

[01:55:13] for his flamethrower

[01:55:15] and fire-based attacks.

[01:55:17] The story goes

[01:55:19] that the Fury

[01:55:19] was set to become

[01:55:20] the first ever human

[01:55:21] into outer space,

[01:55:22] ahead of Yuri Gagarin.

[01:55:24] But an accident

[01:55:25] caused the spaceflight

[01:55:26] to erupt in flames

[01:55:27] and his body

[01:55:28] was severely burned

[01:55:29] all over.

[01:55:31] During the ordeal,

[01:55:32] all the Fury saw

[01:55:33] was a world

[01:55:34] engulfed in flames

[01:55:35] and this seemed

[01:55:36] to trigger

[01:55:37] some sort of

[01:55:37] world-hating

[01:55:39] pyromania in him.

[01:55:41] When facing him

[01:55:42] in battle,

[01:55:43] I was reminded

[01:55:43] of the fight

[01:55:44] with Vulcan Raven

[01:55:45] in the original

[01:55:46] Metal Gear Solid.

[01:55:47] You're running

[01:55:48] down long hallways

[01:55:50] and the Fury

[01:55:50] is trying to cook you

[01:55:51] with his flamethrower.

[01:55:53] It could be

[01:55:54] a tough fight

[01:55:55] for sure,

[01:55:55] but I never found

[01:55:56] this one

[01:55:57] particularly memorable.

[01:55:59] I will say

[01:56:00] I did enjoy

[01:56:00] trying to sneak up

[01:56:01] on the Fury

[01:56:02] as he skulked

[01:56:03] through some

[01:56:03] of the hallways.

[01:56:05] It's satisfying

[01:56:06] to sneak up

[01:56:07] behind him

[01:56:07] and cut him

[01:56:08] repeatedly

[01:56:08] with your combat knife.

[01:56:10] This in turn

[01:56:11] rips his suit

[01:56:12] allowing you

[01:56:13] to deal

[01:56:14] significantly

[01:56:14] more damage

[01:56:15] to him.

[01:56:16] I always found

[01:56:17] it annoying

[01:56:17] getting hit

[01:56:18] with a ball

[01:56:19] of his flames

[01:56:20] though

[01:56:20] because you

[01:56:21] had to stop

[01:56:21] what you were

[01:56:22] doing

[01:56:22] and constantly

[01:56:23] treat burn wounds.

[01:56:25] Still,

[01:56:26] while not my

[01:56:26] favorite,

[01:56:27] this boss fight

[01:56:28] was pretty decent

[01:56:29] if forgettable.

[01:56:44] Now,

[01:56:44] the Fear

[01:56:45] is a memorable

[01:56:46] character

[01:56:47] with a memorable

[01:56:48] boss fight.

[01:56:49] His whole shtick

[01:56:50] was the idea

[01:56:51] that he instilled

[01:56:52] fear into his enemies.

[01:56:55] While I don't

[01:56:55] think he had

[01:56:56] any actual

[01:56:57] supernatural powers

[01:56:58] or abilities,

[01:56:59] I read that he

[01:57:00] underwent several

[01:57:01] surgeries to alter

[01:57:02] his appearance

[01:57:03] and how he moved.

[01:57:04] This included

[01:57:05] altering his eyes

[01:57:07] so they looked

[01:57:07] reptilian

[01:57:08] and forking his tongue.

[01:57:11] Surgeons also

[01:57:12] modified him

[01:57:13] in such a way

[01:57:13] that he became

[01:57:14] double-jointed,

[01:57:15] allowing him

[01:57:16] to move

[01:57:16] very unnaturally.

[01:57:18] As part of the

[01:57:19] Fear package

[01:57:20] when fighting enemies,

[01:57:21] the Fear used

[01:57:22] a sort of

[01:57:23] prototype stealth

[01:57:24] camouflage that

[01:57:25] made him mostly

[01:57:26] invisible to the

[01:57:27] naked eye.

[01:57:28] He couldn't use

[01:57:29] this technology

[01:57:30] for very long,

[01:57:31] however,

[01:57:31] as it apparently

[01:57:32] was very taxing

[01:57:33] and drained

[01:57:34] his stamina

[01:57:34] very quickly.

[01:57:36] Another staple

[01:57:37] of the Fear

[01:57:37] was his use

[01:57:38] of poison.

[01:57:40] The Fear

[01:57:41] used two

[01:57:41] crossbows

[01:57:42] and would have

[01:57:43] bolt tips

[01:57:44] coated in a

[01:57:45] poison solution.

[01:57:46] This all

[01:57:47] made the Fear

[01:57:48] a formidable

[01:57:49] opponent and

[01:57:49] when it came

[01:57:50] time to do

[01:57:51] battle with him,

[01:57:52] he was quite

[01:57:52] unpredictable.

[01:57:54] Well,

[01:57:54] mostly.

[01:57:55] The best part

[01:57:56] about the battle

[01:57:57] with the Fear

[01:57:58] was how many

[01:57:59] ways you could

[01:57:59] actually go

[01:58:00] about it.

[01:58:01] In battle,

[01:58:02] the Fear uses

[01:58:03] his camouflage

[01:58:04] a lot,

[01:58:05] so if you happen

[01:58:05] to have thermal

[01:58:06] goggles on you,

[01:58:07] you're able to

[01:58:07] use those to

[01:58:08] track him much

[01:58:09] easier.

[01:58:10] The Fear

[01:58:11] is also extremely

[01:58:12] agile,

[01:58:13] jumping from

[01:58:13] tree to tree,

[01:58:14] so it'll take

[01:58:14] a patient and

[01:58:15] steady hand to

[01:58:16] end up dealing

[01:58:17] damage to him.

[01:58:19] But here's some

[01:58:20] fun things that

[01:58:20] you can try.

[01:58:22] Like I mentioned

[01:58:23] a moment ago,

[01:58:23] the stealth

[01:58:24] camouflage will

[01:58:25] drain the Fear's

[01:58:26] stamina pretty

[01:58:26] quickly to the

[01:58:27] point where the

[01:58:28] Fear will

[01:58:28] actually stop

[01:58:29] fighting you and

[01:58:30] go off to hunt

[01:58:31] an animal in the

[01:58:32] area so he can

[01:58:33] regain some of

[01:58:34] his stamina back.

[01:58:35] If you happen

[01:58:36] to have an animal

[01:58:37] on you that

[01:58:38] happens to be

[01:58:39] poisonous,

[01:58:40] you can toss it

[01:58:40] out and the Fear

[01:58:41] will eat it and

[01:58:42] then become

[01:58:43] poisoned himself.

[01:58:45] Or, perhaps my

[01:58:46] favorite, you can

[01:58:47] use the fake

[01:58:48] death pill to

[01:58:49] pretend to die,

[01:58:50] which will cause

[01:58:51] the Fear to

[01:58:51] walk towards your

[01:58:52] body in complete

[01:58:53] surprise.

[01:58:55] Then, when he

[01:58:56] turns his back

[01:58:56] on you, you

[01:58:57] can spring up

[01:58:58] using the

[01:58:58] revival pill and

[01:59:00] get a bunch of

[01:59:01] free hits in.

[01:59:02] It's a fun battle

[01:59:03] all things considered,

[01:59:05] but don't get

[01:59:05] complacent.

[01:59:07] The Fear will

[01:59:08] absolutely take

[01:59:09] you out if you

[01:59:10] are not in tune

[01:59:11] with your own

[01:59:11] skills and your

[01:59:12] surroundings.

[01:59:27] The last member

[01:59:28] of the Cobra unit

[01:59:29] you fight is by

[01:59:30] far the most

[01:59:31] memorable and unique,

[01:59:32] and I venture to

[01:59:33] say this is the

[01:59:34] most outstanding

[01:59:36] fight in the

[01:59:37] entire game.

[01:59:37] time.

[01:59:38] Or, it's the

[01:59:39] most tedious,

[01:59:40] depending on your

[01:59:40] viewpoint.

[01:59:42] The End is the

[01:59:43] Cobra unit's

[01:59:44] sniper, and he

[01:59:45] is exceptionally

[01:59:47] old.

[01:59:48] At over 100

[01:59:50] years old, The

[01:59:51] End was called

[01:59:52] the Father of

[01:59:53] Sniping and

[01:59:54] developed a lot of

[01:59:55] sniping techniques

[01:59:56] that were passed

[01:59:57] down over the

[01:59:57] years.

[01:59:58] When you

[01:59:59] eventually face

[02:00:00] him in battle,

[02:00:01] the battlefield is

[02:00:02] set in three

[02:00:03] different locations,

[02:00:04] all covered in

[02:00:05] jungle.

[02:00:05] battle.

[02:00:06] The battle is

[02:00:07] quite literally a

[02:00:08] sniping battle, a

[02:00:09] game of cat and

[02:00:10] mouse.

[02:00:11] The End is hidden

[02:00:13] in the jungle

[02:00:13] somewhere, and you

[02:00:14] have to take him

[02:00:15] out before he

[02:00:16] takes you out.

[02:00:17] Depending on how

[02:00:18] you approach this

[02:00:19] fight, it can

[02:00:20] take a very, very

[02:00:22] long time.

[02:00:23] You have to be

[02:00:24] stealthy while

[02:00:25] trying to locate

[02:00:26] the End.

[02:00:26] If you're reckless

[02:00:27] and just run

[02:00:28] around, the End

[02:00:29] will quickly fire

[02:00:30] at you and do so

[02:00:32] with extreme

[02:00:33] accuracy.

[02:00:34] The End usually

[02:00:36] doesn't move unless

[02:00:37] you make your

[02:00:37] presence known, and

[02:00:38] it's actually

[02:00:39] possible to sneak

[02:00:40] up on him if

[02:00:40] you're good enough.

[02:00:42] You can use

[02:00:43] thermal goggles to

[02:00:44] potentially see

[02:00:44] him, or you can

[02:00:45] hear him breathing

[02:00:46] if you're close

[02:00:47] enough to him.

[02:00:48] The End focuses

[02:00:49] on dealing stamina

[02:00:51] damage to you, and

[02:00:52] if he happens to

[02:00:52] knock you out, he'll

[02:00:54] drag your ass to a

[02:00:55] prison cell and

[02:00:56] force you to do a

[02:00:57] ton of backtracking

[02:00:58] as punishment for

[02:00:59] your failure.

[02:01:01] But while the

[02:01:02] fight can be very

[02:01:03] tedious, what

[02:01:04] makes the battle

[02:01:05] memorable for a lot

[02:01:06] of people are the

[02:01:07] quirks and oddities.

[02:01:09] First, if you decide

[02:01:11] to save your game

[02:01:12] and quit in the

[02:01:13] middle of battle

[02:01:14] and it takes you

[02:01:15] more than a day

[02:01:15] to come back,

[02:01:17] you'll be met with

[02:01:17] a cutscene the

[02:01:19] moment the game

[02:01:20] loads.

[02:01:21] Snake will be shown

[02:01:22] sleeping against a

[02:01:24] tree, and as soon

[02:01:24] as he wakes up,

[02:01:25] he'll be nailed by

[02:01:26] a tranquilizer dart.

[02:01:28] The End will

[02:01:29] chastise you, and

[02:01:31] it's off to prison

[02:01:32] for you.

[02:01:34] You disappoint me,

[02:01:36] young snake.

[02:01:39] The moment you

[02:01:41] close your eyes on

[02:01:42] the battlefield is

[02:01:43] the moment you

[02:01:44] never open them

[02:01:45] again.

[02:01:47] Now, if you're

[02:01:48] having a hard time

[02:01:48] with this fight,

[02:01:49] there's another way

[02:01:50] to achieve victory,

[02:01:51] though it is a

[02:01:52] less honorable

[02:01:53] victory to be sure.

[02:01:55] If you save your

[02:01:56] game and wait about

[02:01:57] a week before you

[02:01:58] go back to the

[02:01:59] game, or you

[02:02:00] cheat a little bit

[02:02:01] and reset your

[02:02:02] system's internal

[02:02:03] clock if you're

[02:02:03] not that patient,

[02:02:04] when you reload

[02:02:06] your save, you'll

[02:02:07] find out that the

[02:02:08] End actually died

[02:02:10] of old age.

[02:02:11] I mean, come on,

[02:02:13] how unique and

[02:02:14] creative is that?

[02:02:16] Sure, it's a

[02:02:17] funny gimmick, but

[02:02:18] the developers and

[02:02:19] Hideo Kojima did a

[02:02:20] fantastic job with

[02:02:22] this one, making

[02:02:23] what usually is a

[02:02:24] normal boss fight

[02:02:25] used to skill

[02:02:26] check the player

[02:02:27] into a one-of-a-kind

[02:02:29] experience.

[02:02:31] When you load back

[02:02:32] into the game after

[02:02:33] a week has passed,

[02:02:34] a cutscene plays

[02:02:35] showing Snake

[02:02:36] sneaking up on the

[02:02:37] End, only to find

[02:02:38] out that he's been

[02:02:39] dead for what seems

[02:02:40] like several days.

[02:02:42] I also like how

[02:02:43] disappointed Snake

[02:02:44] is with himself if you

[02:02:45] let this happen.

[02:02:47] The fight with the

[02:02:48] End will go down as

[02:02:49] one of the most

[02:02:50] memorable to me.

[02:02:51] It's right up there

[02:02:52] with the Psycho Mantis

[02:02:53] fight in MGS1.

[02:02:55] Whether you love it

[02:02:57] or you hate it,

[02:02:58] you cannot deny the

[02:02:59] creativity that went

[02:03:00] into designing this

[02:03:01] battle.

[02:03:02] Oh, and I almost

[02:03:03] forgot!

[02:03:04] If all of this

[02:03:05] wasn't enough,

[02:03:06] there's a moment

[02:03:07] after a cutscene

[02:03:08] where the End will

[02:03:09] still be on screen

[02:03:10] after the cutscene

[02:03:11] ends and Control

[02:03:12] returns to you.

[02:03:14] If you're quick

[02:03:15] enough, you can

[02:03:16] pull out your

[02:03:16] sniper rifle and if

[02:03:18] you can land a

[02:03:19] headshot, the End

[02:03:20] will die on the

[02:03:21] spot and you

[02:03:23] won't even have to

[02:03:23] deal with this

[02:03:24] boss fight altogether.

[02:03:26] There really is no

[02:03:28] end to the

[02:03:29] surprises with this

[02:03:30] guy.

[02:03:42] Oh, and that also

[02:03:43] reminds me.

[02:03:44] There's one scene

[02:03:46] in this game that's

[02:03:47] extremely iconic that

[02:03:48] I wanted to touch

[02:03:49] on, but I didn't

[02:03:50] quite know where to

[02:03:51] put it, so I'm just

[02:03:52] going to slot it in

[02:03:52] here.

[02:03:53] And that scene is

[02:03:55] the ladder scene.

[02:03:58] Those of you that

[02:03:59] have played the game

[02:04:00] before, I am sure

[02:04:01] know exactly what

[02:04:02] it is that I'm

[02:04:03] talking about.

[02:04:04] You might even

[02:04:05] consider the ladder

[02:04:07] to be its own

[02:04:08] boss fight.

[02:04:09] In case you don't

[02:04:11] remember or you

[02:04:11] don't know, Snake

[02:04:13] will eventually make

[02:04:14] his way out of the

[02:04:15] jungle and find

[02:04:15] himself in a more

[02:04:17] mountainous region.

[02:04:18] To get there, you

[02:04:20] have to climb a

[02:04:21] ladder.

[02:04:22] What makes this

[02:04:23] ladder climb so

[02:04:24] memorable is that it

[02:04:25] literally takes three

[02:04:27] or so solid minutes

[02:04:29] to climb it.

[02:04:30] All the while, a

[02:04:31] hushed version of

[02:04:32] the game's theme

[02:04:33] song, Snake

[02:04:34] Eater, plays in

[02:04:35] the background.

[02:04:36] I find this point

[02:04:38] in the game absolutely

[02:04:39] fascinating.

[02:04:40] It's one thing to

[02:04:41] have to climb a

[02:04:42] ladder for three

[02:04:42] straight minutes, but

[02:04:43] depending on who you

[02:04:44] talk to, there's

[02:04:45] people out there that

[02:04:46] feel that the ladder

[02:04:47] is symbolic of

[02:04:48] something or has

[02:04:49] some sort of a

[02:04:50] deeper meaning.

[02:04:51] As I looked around

[02:04:53] Reddit, I found

[02:04:54] people that felt the

[02:04:55] ladder climb was

[02:04:56] symbolic of the

[02:04:57] endless nature of

[02:04:58] war.

[02:04:59] Others thought it

[02:05:00] served as a moment

[02:05:01] of reflection, forcing

[02:05:03] Snake and the player to

[02:05:04] think about what we'd

[02:05:05] faced so far and

[02:05:06] steel ourselves for

[02:05:07] the battles yet to be

[02:05:08] fought.

[02:05:10] Some thought the

[02:05:11] ladder climb was

[02:05:11] symbolic to Snake

[02:05:13] rising to face the

[02:05:14] mission at hand and

[02:05:16] ultimately coming to

[02:05:17] terms with the idea

[02:05:18] that he is fated to

[02:05:19] kill his mentor in

[02:05:20] battle.

[02:05:21] Or maybe the ladder

[02:05:23] just existed purely for

[02:05:24] the sake of being

[02:05:25] there.

[02:05:25] I wouldn't put it

[02:05:26] past Kojima to just

[02:05:28] put something odd into

[02:05:29] his game so people

[02:05:30] could just debate it

[02:05:31] back and forth with

[02:05:32] no real answer truly

[02:05:34] being correct.

[02:05:36] What do I think the

[02:05:37] ladder represents?

[02:05:39] Honestly, it

[02:05:40] represents three

[02:05:41] minutes I could have

[02:05:42] been doing something

[02:05:43] else.

[02:05:44] Still, it succeeds in

[02:05:46] being a very iconic

[02:05:48] moment in the game and

[02:05:49] players are free to

[02:05:50] interpret it however

[02:05:50] they want.

[02:05:57] Well, my friends, we

[02:05:58] are coming up on the

[02:06:00] end now.

[02:06:01] There's still so much

[02:06:03] that could be said and

[02:06:04] discussed about this

[02:06:05] game.

[02:06:06] But I think if you ask

[02:06:08] anyone who's played

[02:06:09] this game to completion

[02:06:10] what their standout

[02:06:11] moment would be, I

[02:06:12] think the mass majority

[02:06:13] would say it's the

[02:06:15] game's ending.

[02:06:16] While the story in

[02:06:18] Snake Eater is one of

[02:06:19] the more straightforward

[02:06:20] ones in the series,

[02:06:21] you're probably going to

[02:06:22] go into the ending of

[02:06:23] the game with a

[02:06:24] with some unanswered

[02:06:25] questions.

[02:06:26] Still, though, as you

[02:06:27] approach the end of the

[02:06:28] journey, it seems like

[02:06:29] things are wrapped up

[02:06:30] quite nicely.

[02:06:32] You succeeded in

[02:06:33] defeating Colonel Volgen

[02:06:34] and you destroy the

[02:06:35] Shagohod, all with Eva's

[02:06:37] help.

[02:06:38] Eva ends up getting

[02:06:39] injured along the way,

[02:06:40] but Snake and Eva work

[02:06:41] together and eventually

[02:06:42] find a wig, which is a

[02:06:44] wing-in-ground effect

[02:06:46] vehicle, basically a

[02:06:47] plane on water that they

[02:06:48] can use to escape.

[02:06:50] However, as Eva heads

[02:06:52] towards it, Snake stops