Masterpiece? No, but certainly a game that is worth your time.
I had already picked up Snake Eater back when it first debuted for the PS2 and I was a little underwhelmed. While it was a wildly addictive, powerful game with an intense storyline there were a few small problems that kept it from being as fantastic as it could have been. The camera angle was the most immediate and irritating disappointment. The top-down view often offered very little detail in some of the best parts of the gameplay, and always seemed to be too far away when executing some of the coolest moves with the CQC system. Instead of getting up close and seeing the fantastic mo-cap work, I was forced to see it from a generally top-down perspective that was not very flattering to the moves and provided something of an impersonal experience.
Luckilly this plagues Metal Gear fans no longer as the new third-person controlled camera makes a fantastic first appearance in the perfect Metal Gear game. Being able to control the angle of the camera gave me a much more comfortable and personal experience. While executing assaults on russian guards or taking the tail gunner of a formation out quietly with CQC or a silenced shot from the .45, everything feels much more personal and overall easier to control.
Aside from the camera, not much has changed between the two versions of the game. The sound is just as good, as are the graphics (however the controllable camera makes the animations of Snake and the other characters seem a lot more personal and in-your-face, which is a nice change and it highlights the models very well) and the general gameplay hasn't changed much either. However, none of these are bad points. The graphics, sound, and gameplay of the original were all fantastic and are presented faithfully here, aided and accentuated by a camera that puts your eyes on the deck with the action.
The story hasn't changed. Period. So I'm not going to cover it; this review is about the new changes to the gameplay and additions only. I haven't been able to get into an online game, either, so I can't cover it here.
The MSX versions of Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake are fantastic in their first foray onto American soil. To be completely honest, they're almost worth the price of admission in and of themselves. The games themselves are somewhat simplistic in comparrison to the games we are presented with today, but the story and the value of having the whole Big Boss saga/story in one package is extremely appealing. If anything, the stories will encourage you to play through these more than anything and that is hardly a bad point.
The extra levels of Snake vs. Monkey gives a bit more life to the quirky add-on and while this isn't a new dimension to explore it is fun and weird, tacking on a little extra game time to explore, though not nearly as much as the other features. The demo theater is a welcome addition to anyone that wants to see or show off the story to a small audience. One of the first things I did, personally, was call over a friend to check out the story because he never beat the game. This ability to share one of the best aspects of the game without the tedious gameplay in between is definitely a plus to anyone that really enjoyed the story. Last, but not least, the duel mode. I, for one, despised the bosses in Snake Eater. I thought that they were inventive, to a point, but not nearly as interesting to fight as the bosses in the previous games. There was no story behind them, no interesting character designs. It seemed to me that most of the Cobra bosses bassically rested on shock value. While they presented challenge, their inclusion left me with no feeling of closure at the end of the battle. It was almost like playing through an old shooter, beating a level and duking it out with the nameless boss at the end to move on. I expected more from Kojima there. Needless to say, I'm not a big fan of the duel mode, but anyone who liked the boss battles or wants to try out new tactics will feel right at home and more than happy with this feature.
And there you have it. Everything that was good about Snake Eater, with more features, more gameplay, a better camera angle, and two other games thrown in nearly for free, all at a bargain $29.99 pricetag.
Any PS2 action fan would do well to pick this up as they won't be disappointed. As for Metal Gear fans... well, be honest. You pre-ordered your copy months ago, just like me.