Back in 2023, it was a surprise when Konami announced it was remaking Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. Now that the third MGS game's remake is out in early access, it's clear the game is a real delight for hardcore fans -- though others may not see much beyond a great game with beautiful graphics
Metal Gear Solid Delta remakes the 2004 classic Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater with updated visuals, modern controls and some extra content, but it's not a full revamp. From start to finish, it plays just like the original MGS3, with a graphical overhaul and a few minor script tweaks. For longtime fans or newcomers, that's more than enough to make it a great remake.
Even the guns look great. Konami/Screenshot by CNET
Snake has some new skin
As this is a remake of MGS3, the most obvious change comes with the graphical overhaul for today's game platforms. Metal Gear Solid Delta uses Unreal Engine 5, so the character models look amazing. The remake also has modern controls and includes first-person or over-the-shoulder views, as opposed to only the latter in the original.
There are also some "quality of life" changes, such as frequent auto-saves and quicker menu access. Playing through the game, there wasn't a moment when I felt that I was stuck with the aged mechanics, controls or graphics from yesteryear -- it felt modern through and through.
Aside from these updates, Metal Gear Solid Delta sticks to the same espionage story of Naked Snake -- the future Foxhound leader later known as Big Boss -- on a 1964 mission set at the height of the Cold War. The events that play out in this game lay the groundwork for the entire Metal Gear franchise, so it's a fitting entry point for newcomers.
The end is just the beginning
Where Metal Gear Solid Delta really shines is after you beat the game, which is why hardcore fans will get more out of it than casual players. A second playthrough unlocks new camos, face paints and weapons -- plus a bounty of fun (and often weird) extras.
One of the most interesting extras is the Secret Theater. In this unlockable mode, players can view 18 different cutscenes. I didn't manage to unlock them all, but the first shows Snake meeting Nikolai Sokolov, the scientist behind the Shagohad tank -- the dangerous MacGuffin players chase through most of the game -- as he tries to get him out of Russia. For some unexplained reason, in this cutscene Sokolov suddenly wields a strange power that he unleashes on a Cobra Unit helicopter.
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