As a huge fan of the first MGS and someone who found MGS2 disappointing, I was unsure of MSG3 but knew I owed it to myself to give it a go. I came away completely astounded and rank it right up with MGS1, except for one fatal flaw which thankfully the Subsistence edition completely rectifies.
Please, if you want to enjoy this game, get the Subsistence version. I personally played through the regular version and loved the game, but found the camera system just ridiculous. It's the same as MGS2's, which isn't terrible for that game, but in the larger outdoor environments of MGS3 the top down perspective will drive you crazy. You no longer have the convenience of a radar, and so you'll simply have to deal with looking around to detect guards and other dangers (along with some other for the most part useless recon devices you'll pick up along the way).
Sure, you can look at what's ahead with the R1 button, but you can't move in the first person perspective and so you'll find yourself constantly switching between the two perspectives, feeling clunky as you look, move, look, and move again, going back and forth, instead of naturally looking and moving simultaneously. Guards have a definite advantage over you. Subsistence provides both the regular setup and a very nice third person, completely controllable floating camera that you control with the Right Analog stick that allows you to easily observe what's ahead and around you. It really lowers the frustration you'll encounter with the regular game's camera, which will get you killed unfairly. Plus, the Subsistence version has plenty of extras, like the retro Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2 games, which are moderately fun.
Aside from the camera issues, the game is a blast. Great story with awesome scenes, great set pieces of action, many nervously fun sneaking around moments, beautiful outdoor environments in steady 30fps, challenging and inventive bosses (the sniping battle with one boss in particular is unlike any experience in a game I've come across, but oddly pretty much all the bosses' stories or connection to the story are a throwaway), and a great overall experience from beginning to end. The beginning is a bit slow but the game really picks up towards the end and the final hours are a blast, save for one terrible ICO (one of my favorite games by the way) like part that is a pain, and the very end rocks. The story is much better and far less convoluted than MGS2s, making it much easier to follow. Playing through the game a couple of times helps of course.
The survival mechanics are kind of cool but sort of distracting. Hunting for food is sort of fun, although a bit of a chore than anything else after a while, and utilizing camouflage to better sneak around is compelling. However, having to constantly go to the menu screen, which takes a bit to load into and out of (which is tiresome after a while) gets to be a chore. You use it to eat so to maintain stamina, to put equipment or weapons into your backpack or not, to address injuries (which could have been more streamlined), and to change your camouflage, and so as a result you'll be using it somewhat frequently. I wish they could have implemented the menu better, making it faster to use, perhaps making making it a pop up on the screen instead or something.
Overall though, this is a memorable game with a cinematic quality that makes it stand apart from other similar games. If you're an MGS fan, you really should play it, it's a no-brainer. Just please get the Subsistence version. You'll be doing yourself a great favor, as it will take away from the inevitable and regular frustration the camera in the regular version will cause you.Get more detail about Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater.
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