DanJW

Nope, that's what all the reviews said and why so many people were disappointed in the game. I guess their vaunted "social stealth" was just a marketing buzzword

Awesome Arena mode sounds a lot like the default Counter-Strike mode. I wonder if stealth and ambush will end up being important, or whether fast Quake-style gameplay will still be the order of the day. I like the sound of Ravine too.

The awesomeness ring does sound awesome. Am I right in thinking it represents Snake's instincts? Similar to the 'feeling of being watched'? More stuff on MGS3, because I could basically write a thesis on this thing: Because of the lack of SOLITON, combined with the larger environments, more guards with more complex patrol routes and better AI (and who are themselves somewhat camouflaged) this game requires a lot more patience than the others. Thinking back to when I first played it I think I got the hang of it when I forced my self to lie still and watch the enemy through binoculars for ages, until I had their patrol pattern confirmed. Another thing; Toblix, the intro movie is ace! I love it. Of course it smacks of Bond movie - a lot of Snake Eater is about lampooning Bond (I like trying to get through as much of the game as I can while wearing the tuxedo you earn on first completion. And the lecture that The Boss gives you as a result, pointing out how useless evening wear is for any kind of mission). Indeed, I would go as far to say that MGS3 is the best James Bond game ever. I hope the devs of the next movie tie-in are paying attention. Also the intro movie is interactive (try playing with the analogue sticks and shoulder buttons while watching it), as is the title screen

OK, so my epic MGS replay marathon has reached Snake Eater again, and it is indeed more difficult than the previous two (especially the first encounter with guards - 3 or 4 of them in 1 'room'! Harsh for what could be your first try). At least now I'm in a better position to say why. Primarily it's because of the lack of the SOLITON radar. I was surprised in MGS2 how much it still resembled that from the first game - which was itself of course a cut-down version of the original Metal Gear games. It's far too easy in those games to rely on the radar to play the game - you barely have to look at the main screen at all except for shooting and interacting with the environment. The guards visibility cones were an especially indulgent device. So in MGS3 they've taken it away, meaning you have to be in the world a whole lot more. There's the sonar and the movement detector but those have limited battery and only show faint blips. I think this might be the major stumbling block for people playing through the series in order. Partly because of this, combined with the outdoor setting that makes the bulk of the game, tactics change. Like The Boss tells you right at the beginning: "Snake, you excel at urban warfare and infiltrating buildings, but the jungle is completely different". The game instantly took me back to my cadet days, so I instinctively dropped down into the prone position as I was taught to do. If you stand up anywhere but in the most secure areas you will be seen. You ought to spend most of this game on your belly. I knew that this is how you should navigate dangerous forrested because I had been taught it elsewhere, but it is the other major thing that Metal Gear veterans might not think of - and it doesn't tell you outright. Maybe this would have helped you if I'd thought of it earlier Toblix. Sorry. Anyway, it was a nice evolution in the Metal Gear series exploration of the theme of warfare, and one of the things that really chimed with me was its use of real-life tactics (now I just need to earn the DPM camo to really completel the nostalgia trip). What I've seen of the fourth game seems to build on it.... *drool*

Things to try: Polishing the DVD with a microfibre cloth (ie something very soft, for instance the cloth that comes with a pair of sunglasses or spectacles. Under no circumstances use a paper-based cloth such as tissue paper, which will only scratch it more). Doing the same as above with a non-caustic cleaner, eg rubbing alchahol Running a lens-cleaner CD through the console Get yourself a Skip Doctor (these things are actually great, and pretty cheap) Or if you are really desperate you can try number 2 above but with toothpaste. Sounds insane but the microcrystals in toothpaste act in a similar way to the special fluid that comes with the Skip Dr, filling in scratches. Make sure the DVD is flat by looking at it side-on. If it is is warped then very gently bend it back, erring on the side of extreme caution. Finally, find the receipt and get a replacement from the shop, safe in the knowledge that any damage caused by the above methods is no longer your problem.

Ahahahaaha I want to read the other books listed at the bottom of the page

I so want to play this now. I've just reached number 3 in my epic MGS replay marathon, and once that's done I'll have nothing left. Ahhhg somebody lend me a PS3 please!

Or the sandwich could be an alternate taunt. They played with the haduken taunt remember. Heh, I just remembered the sandwich animation appears in the Meet the Scout video.

Heh, yeah everything said about Dead Rising generally centres around the crazy save system. It seems the game assumes you are going to play through multiple times (someone here said that you aren't a high enough level to do some things the first time through!)

Hooray! 1 out of 3. How is Geiger doing? I got a replacement disc and finished MGS2. The gameplay was great, almost as good as the third game - the oil spill facility was a lot more interesting than the previews I'd read made it sound. The plot was pretty good too... up until the end where it disappeared up its own arse (in the stage that is apparently named Arsenal Rectum... how appropriate!) The games are huge, I don't think any normal sized review or analysis could do them justice. Just one tiny thing at the top of my mind - why do the bosses have stamina bars? I went to all the trouble of defeating using tranqs, hoping that I would be rewarded (like the extra camouflage you get by doing this in MGS3) but no... it just makes it harder on youself. Also what happened to Vamp? After refusing to die so may times, he just goes away. Is he back in MGS4 I wonder? I hope so, I'd like to kill the fucker properly. Also also, I hope we finally find out what the patriots are in the final game. Also things got very melodramatic towards the end (with the discovery of Emma I think). Everyone bawling their eyes out a bit too much (Otacon I'm looking at you especially). Both the conspiracy stuff and the emotional stuff felt much more grounded and subtle in MGS3... which is why it's still my favourite.

Easy?! You should try it some time. It's not easy. I've been trying to improve my spy game, but I must suck because I have to be pretty lucky to take out a canny engie post. They can easily kill me and then remove the sappers before any damage is done. Which is why I end up defaulting to Soldier or Heavy (also because so many random teams seem to be filled with support classes with no frontal attack. Someone has to do it )

Yay! There's also going to be a special episode of 'Meet the Team'. Dunno if it will 'Meet the Heavy Again' or what. But finally my beloved Heavy will be able to stand up to all those nasty imba pyros (I hope)

That's a really cool idea. I'll check it out when my PC is fixed.

It should be. I haven't seen it yet though. It could conceivably be Soul Blade (from the PS1). Soul Blade was cool, but a lot more like all the other fighters. Soul Calibur on the Dreamcast introduced the tradmark fluid gameplay.

The video made me giggle. Sadly the Dev Studio is based in Japan, by all accounts. But with the IT explosion in India and other parts of Asia, this dream may one day be a reality. Hell, someone here could even migrate over there and set one up...

Well I'm nearly there. Fixed the partitions and the login loop. All this has had an inevitable toll on the data though. Windows is a bit damaged and explorer is having trouble starting up, and some dll's are missing. Even System Restore doesn't want to work. Going to have to do a windows repair from CD I think. And it's only taken me all night. Oh look the sun is up. Later today I think I'll head down to the shops and get a replacement for my annoying MGS2 disc. Only halfway through the week and things are sinking less slowly! edit: oh I forgot to mention: :crazy::\ :eek:

Yes it shows up in the lower part of the list, with all the space unallocated ie no partitions I'm finding some stuff that says I can partition without losing data, but now you've made me scared to try... I suppose I might have to resign myself to getting hold of some data recovery software to see what can be scavanged edit: ooooh.... please be my saviour

Ah! seems I can repartition a hard rive without losing data. I just need to select some software to do it.

Do you mean the Device Manager? (I'm using XP). I have a horrid suspicion that the disk is no longer partitioned. Will partitioning it destroy any existing data? What is the best way to recover said data? I can't believe I may have trashed my main HD

cheers, I'll give that a go, once I'm sorted. I installed the troublesome Hard Disk into this PC what I am surfing from. More weirdness: the disk shows up in device manager and checks out OK there, but it still doesn't show up in My Computer or anything like that. Thoughts?

Yeah I have ubuntu live disc, but I've found that Bart PE is more useful for fixing windows installations. OK so the full deal with the PC was this: I ran Spy Search & Destroy, and was pleased at the nasties it removed. However on the next startup Windows started automatically logging out on login (apparently this is a known problem with certain Spy S&D fixes). A quick internet search revealed the problem and the recommended fix - which requires accessing the registry on the windows drive (this is the plugin I didn't have). Now, the windows hard drive WAS showing up in Bart PE live disk explorer. But now it's not. As I said, BIOS recognises the HD when I do an auto detect, but Bart PE and Ubuntu don't find it, and neither will Windows start a bootup now. I think I might have screwed it when I accidentally started and then cancelled checkdisk from within Bart PE. So... yeah. Basically all I can do is import the affected HD into a different machine as a secondary drive and see if it shows up there (or I'll try Vimes' suggestion - thanks for that). If it doesn't... well then I'm going to be in a bad mood for a very long time. PS2 update: no luck. I'm fairly certain it's the disc and not the PS2, despite the fact that the disc is only very lightly scratched. Anyone got any puppies they need kicking?

Hmm, if it's where I'm thinking then you are nearly done. Who are you fighting? I'm playing through MGS2 now. It's better than I expected, but still not as good as 1 or 3 (which is pretty much impossible). I'm more confused about your comment on the 3rd game's controls though, since the controls in 2 seem almost exactly the same to me.

I'd love to. Playing with random people stresses me out - playing with friends is much more fun. My PC is on the fritz right now though I will try and fix it tonight.

The 'jump to last post in the thread' button no longer works

I can! Like I've said before, there came a point for me where the controls suddenly became a tool, allowing me to do whatever I wanted with style and aplomb. Compare it to a fighter game like DOA perhaps - a beginner just button mashes and feels clumsy, but a pro can use all the blocks and parries and can chain moves into something that is not only deadly but looks awesome too. That's what the MGS3 controls are like, both the sneaking and fighting. I've never played Splinter Cell, so I can't comment on that. But as for 'what else is there'... I've come across few other games that are so jammed with stuff to discover! Not to mention the epic storyline. Did you try the training missions? Oh well. Tastes may vary.