Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is the third game in the Metal Gear Solid series. Set during the Cold War, it introduced CQC and camouflage, and served as a prologue to the series. It was later followed by a direct sequel, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, for the PSP.

Story Overview
At the height of the Cold War, America's greatest agent, a woman known only as The Boss, defects to the Soviet Union. At the same time, an extremist named Colonel Volgin fires an American-made missile at the Soviet design bureau OKB-754, sparking an international incident. In order for America to clear its name and avoid a third world war, The Boss' last apprentice, a man named John, aka "Naked Snake", is dispatched by special forces unit FOX to assassinate the woman who taught him everything.

For a full summary of the Virtuous Mission, see here

For a full summary of Operation Snake Eater, see here "Operation Snake Eater" overview

Theme
The major theme in MGS3 is "Scene" - The climate in which events occur and the impact it has upon them. This contrasts with the "Gene" and "Meme" themes of Metal Gear Solid and Sons of Liberty, respectively. Scene deals heavily with Relativism, the idea that concepts such as right and wrong or allies and enemies are not absolute or eternal; but instead are personal and transitive, shaped by our cultures and the 'times' we live in.

The Boss is the major illustrator of the "Scene" theme. Her speech before the last battle of MGS3 poses the dramatically ironic point that in the Twenty First Century, America and Russia may no longer be enemies. The Boss is a victim of circumstance. Her "scene", Cold War Era America, forces her to, ultimately, give her life. Naked Snake is forced to kill his former mentor due to a "Scene" he not only has no control over, but has no knowledge of.

It is worth comparing Big Boss and Solid Snake. We know that Big Boss is a major villain from previous games. However in this game we see he is as much of a good guy as Solid Snake is. Because they are genetically the same they should have turned out the same but their Scene was different resulting in Big Boss becoming a villain from Solid Snake's perspective.

All the major characters of MGS3 are affected by the scene. EVA is forced into a deadly game of espionage in which she falls in love, ultimately causing heartbreak. Sokolov is forced to build weapons as a result of the climate of fear and deterrence, which nearly led to his death. Volgin becomes consumed by power due to the legacy he inherits. The "Scene" of the Cold War consumes him, turning him into a madman consumed by the desire to 'win' the Cold War - by deposing Khrushchev and creating the perfect weapon. He also suffers death from the "Scene".

The Sorrow is a foil through which the tragic scene of The Boss is shown. The Cold War, the "Scene" that splits the Cobra Unit apart, causes The Boss to kill her former lover. The Sorrow refuses to let go, clinging to the place - the "Scene" - where he was killed.

Re-release
In 2006 Konami released Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence. This release was the 'Directors Cut', in which the game had the 3D movable camera similar to Portable Ops. The package also had Metal Gear Online add-on as well as the first release of Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake outside of Japan. In the limited edition, there was also a 3 hour cut of the game sequenced as a film edited for the purpose of being viewed by those who were unable to finish the game, but still wanted to know the story. If pre-orders were made, then it was bundled with the Metal Gear Saga Vol. 1 documentary set.

The Japanese received the 20th Anniversary edition, which includes all games from Metal Gear to Metal Gear Solid 3 and Portable Ops.

On March 18, 2008 Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence was released for Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection but left out the second disc, Persistence.