Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence review (PlayStation 2)

One of the PlayStation 2's most memorable games becomes an even richer, more rewarding experience--and a better game--in Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence. This reissue of the original version adds one very significant new feature to the 2004 game, along with a brand-new online mode and loads of other great extras, including emulated versions of the old 2D Metal Gear games. The result provides more than enough good reason for series fans as well as new players to take the plunge. After all, one of the amazing things about Metal Gear Solid 3 is, even if you've spent a lot of time playing it since the game first debuted, it can continue to impress and surprise you the more you play.

At the core of MGS3: Subsistence is the 2004 game, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. It's the same game as before, a roughly 15-hour single-player action adventure that has you, as top-secret operative Snake, stalking through jungles in search of a weapons scientist and his diabolical creation. Complex stealth mechanics, intense one-on-one showdowns against powerful boss opponents, a uniquely absorbing storyline, and a remarkably cinematic presentation are among the highlights. This is still among the most visually stunning, most thought-provoking games on the PS2. It's slow going at first, thanks to some forced, long-winded dialogue and ham-fisted voice acting, but the game just keeps getting better as it progresses, culminating in a truly spectacular last several hours.

The only new addition to the core game is the third-person camera perspective, which lets you freely rotate your viewpoint around Snake using the right analog stick, or snap to a behind-the-back view at the touch of a button. Countless other action games have used this same setup, but this is the first time it's been applied to the Metal Gear Solid series, which has always used fixed overhead camera angles in the past. In the original MGS3, the camera made it so that you could often be spotted by enemies lurking offscreen, forcing you to constantly switch to a first-person view to see what was coming up ahead. In Subsistence, the gameplay just feels less restrictive and more natural. On top of that, the new camera angle even does a better job showing off the game's outstandingly detailed characters and environments. Tellingly, the developers made this new camera angle the default. You can revert back to the old camera by clicking down on the right stick, but you'll probably find it's very hard to go back.

As strange as it sounds, even if you've played through the original MGS3, the new camera angle can be reason enough to make the game worth playing through again. Key action sequences, such as the battle against the Ocelot commandos or the tense and methodical sniper duel against The End, are reinvigorated thanks to this simple, arguably long-overdue addition. But then there's Metal Gear Online, which is like a whole separate game and could easily justify the price of admission by itself. Metal Gear Online is generally an excellent spin on the conventions of multiplayer shooters, combining the sort of action you'd expect from other online shooters with some distinctive Metal Gear twists.