Over the past months we've heard only negative things about the 3DS version of Snake Eater. Some of it is justified while some is not. While the game might seam a rip-off when you think everybody else gets it in the HD collection, one must also acknowledge the fact that this game was announced long before the HD collection and that development on the 3DS version began possibly even before the HD collection.

With all that said we all have to agree that MGS3 is possibly one of the best games ever made and 3DS owners (myself included) should consider themselves lucky to have the chance to experience this one-of-a-kind game. And with the new features like the PhotoCamo and Tilt-Controls being added this could become the definitive version of MGS3.

Now let's talk about the game's graphics; the main argument of this blog entry.

This game has been heavily criticized for its graphics and for how it "looks worse than the original PS2 version". This WAS true before the TGS trailer was released which featured improved textures, effects and a much more stable framerate than what we saw in the E3 trailer. This is where the "graphical criticism" was in theory supposed to stop, but sadly it didn't, mostly because the trailer was never released outside Japan, so many people never had a chance to watch it.

It would seam the 3DS version is possibly getting a complete graphical overhaul as some effects seam to be much more improved when compared to the HD version. That's not to say the HD collection doesn't look good. Actually, it looks very good but in the end it's just MGS3 with HD textures and resolution with some (now unnecessary) blur effects removed.

But at the same time I must admit the 3DS version still looks graphically inferior compared to the original Naked Sample Demo. The Naked Sample still looks superior to both 3DS and HD versions which is disappointing when you think the that the final product could have looked like this:





Bellow I'll include links to both E3 and TGS trailer of Snake Eater 3D and comparison pictures between the HD, 3DS-E3 and 3DS-TGS versions to show how it's graphics have improved over time. The pictures have been scaled to match the 3DS' 400 width resolution for a better comparison.

E3 2011 Trailer
TGS 2011 Trailer

As you can see the game has significantly evolved graphically between the 2 trailers. Now let's see some pictures:

EVA HD Version:


EVA 3DS Version:


Snake HD Version, pic 1:


Snake 3DS E3 Version, pic 1:


Snake 3DS TGS Version, pic1:


Snake HD Version, pic2:


Snake 3DS E3 Version, pic2:


Snake 3DS TGS Version, pic2:


I don't know what you might think but in my opinion the 3DS version is looking better than the HD version. The game still has time to improve till its march 2012 release date and I personally can't wait to get my hands on this Kojima Masterpiece.