Metal Gear Solid vs Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Metal Gear Solid is an action-adventure game from Konami (1998) while Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is an action-adventure game from Konami (2004).
Quick answer: Metal Gear Solid has the higher Metacritic, 94 to 91.
Metal Gear Solid
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
What each one is
Metal Gear Solid is filed under Action-Adventure. In contrast, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater under Action-Adventure.
Metal Gear Solid is a 1998 action-adventure stealth game developed and published by Konami for the PlayStation. Directed, produced, and written by Hideo Kojima, the game is the third mainline installment in the Metal Gear series, the seventh chronologically, and serves as a sequel to the MSX2 game Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (1990). The game's story follows Solid Snake, a former Special Forces operative who is pulled out of retirement by the U.S. government to infiltrate Shadow Moses, a nuclear weapons facility that has been taken over by rogue unit FOXHOUND, led by Liquid Snake. Solid Snake must liberate hostages and prevent FOXHOUND from using Metal Gear REX, a mecha capable of delivering a nuclear warhead anywhere in the world, while confronting his own origins.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is a 2004 action-adventure stealth game developed and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2. It was released in late 2004 in North America and Japan, and in early 2005 in Europe and Australia. Written, produced and directed by Hideo Kojima, the game is the fifth mainline installment in the Metal Gear series and the first chronologically, serving as a prequel to the entire series. Set in 1964, 31 years before the events of the original Metal Gear, the story centers on the FOX operative codenamed Naked Snake as he attempts to rescue Russian rocket scientist Nikolai Stepanovich Sokolov, sabotage an experimental superweapon, and assassinate his defected former boss.
Story, characters and reception
Plot
Setting Metal Gear Solid takes place in an alternate history in which the Cold War continued into the 1990s, ending at some point near the end of the 20th century. The game takes place in 2005, six years after the events of Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake , and form the third chapter in an overarching plot concerning the character of Solid Snake. Characters Main article: List of Metal Gear characters § Introduced in Metal Gear Solid The protagonist is Solid… (Wikipedia)
Characters
Main article: List of Metal Gear characters § Introduced in Metal Gear Solid The protagonist is Solid Snake ( Akio Otsuka / David Hayter ), a legendary infiltrator and saboteur. During the mission, Snake receives support and advice via codec radio. Colonel Roy Campbell , Solid Snake's former commanding officer , supports Snake with information and tactics. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Prior to release, the game's demonstrations at several trade shows between 1996 and 1998 had received a positive response. This had generated significant worldwide interest in the game prior to its release in 1998. Critical reception Metal Gear Solid received "universal acclaim", according to review aggregator website Metacritic . (Wikipedia)
Plot
Setting Snake Eater takes place in an alternate history of events, set within the Cold War during the 1960s. The game's story acts as a prequel to the entire Metal Gear series, exploring the origins of several events covered by previous games, as well as being the first chronological chapter in an overarching story following Big Boss. Characters Main article: List of characters in the Metal Gear series The protagonist of Snake Eater , Naked Snake ( David… (Wikipedia)
Characters
Main article: List of characters in the Metal Gear series The protagonist of Snake Eater , Naked Snake ( David Hayter / Akio Ōtsuka ), known as Big Boss in subsequent games, is a young former Green Beret assigned to the CIA unit FOX . During his mission, Snake is assisted by fellow FOX members over his radio: Major Zero ( Jim Piddock / Banjō Ginga ), commander of FOX and a former member of the British Special Air Service (SAS), who provides Snake with… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Snake Eater was a commercial success, selling 2. 38 million units in Asia and America by December 2004, and 3. 6 million copies worldwide by August 2005. (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Metal Gear Solid | Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | — | — |
| Steam rating | — | — |
| Critic aggregate | 94/100 | 91/100 |
| Price | Unknown | Unknown |
| Install size | — | — |
| Steam Deck | Untested | Untested |
| Released | 1998 | 2004 |
| Developer | Konami | Konami |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Metal Gear Solid vs Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Metal Gear SolidAction-adventure gameMetal Gear Solid 3: Snake EaterAction-adventure gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Metal Gear SolidNo descriptive tagsMetal Gear Solid 3: Snake EaterNo descriptive tagsThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Metal Gear Solid ✓Metacritic 94Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake EaterMetacritic 91Metacritic's critic aggregate, from the game's Wikipedia reception where it was never on Steam.
Price
Metal Gear SolidUnknownMetal Gear Solid 3: Snake EaterUnknownRead live from Steam and subject to change.
Metal Gear Solid takes 1 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The better reviewed of the two: Metal Gear Solid (Metacritic 94)
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Metal Gear Solid is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
Common questions
How different are Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater in scope?
Metal Gear Solid lists little scope data. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater lists little scope data.
Is Metal Gear Solid or Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater better?
Neither carries enough reviews for us to score it reliably, so we do not call a winner. The table above shows what each does have.
Which is cheaper, Metal Gear Solid or Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater?
One or both do not have a current listed price, so a straight comparison is not possible. See the table above.
Should I get Metal Gear Solid or Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater?
Metal Gear Solid has the higher Metacritic, 94 to 91. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
All comparisonsHow we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.