The Metal Gear series has brought ever-improving fun of stealth combat and intricate plot lines. With Subsistence, you've pretty much maxed out your PS2!

You don't have to have played the previous Metal Gear entries to enjoy this game. It's a stealth shooter much like Splinter Cell. You have a vast array of weapons, are sneaking through jungle scenery and taking out your enemies as stealthily as you can.

The graphics are really quite impressive for the PS2 - perhaps the best they could be. The sun dapples down across the jungle floor. Beams of light shine down through gaps in the trees. Waterfalls splash, leaves wave as you sneak through the canopy.

The character movements are of equal quality. When your character runs, crawls, presses against walls and performs other movements, it really is uncannily like there's an actual person following your directions.

The sound is very immersive. There aren't blaring rock music soundtracks in the background. When you creep through the jungle, listening intently to figure out where the sniper is hiding, you haer your footsteps, the stream gurgling near you, the birds occasionally singing overhead. The smallest sounds can really help you track down your enemy.

It's cool how the game tries to keep things "real". When you find forest animals, you can kill them for their meat. If you get injured, you have to patch it up properly - use serum if there's a poison, dig out any darts, bandage the wound, and so on.

That being said, I do find it really funny that your enemies sit around and patiently wait for you to do these things. I realize why they have to do that for gameplay reasons. Still, when you're facing an arch enemy who is about to pounce on you, it's vastly amusing for you to sit down for 5 minutes and do intricate surgery on yourself - and then use your radio to call in to your friends and chat about strategy options. When you're done, there your enemy is, being a gentleman and letting you get prepared before the assault.

There is a SUPER funny sequence in here when you are talking to a scientist, and he explains the concept of a "metal gear". It is completely nonsensical, which of course makes it so funny. It's one of those classic dialogue sequences that you record to your computer and forward around on the web.

The game really shines in many ways. You have a lot of cool technology at your disposal so you have numerous ways to achieve each goal. You can use your heat sensors ... or motion sensors ... or just watch very carefully with your naked eyes. You can experiment with a variety of camo and paint options to see what helps you best blend into your environment. You can go for a frontal assault or sneak around the back way. You always know what your objective is - but how you choose to achieve it is completely up to you.

As if this wasn't all great enough, there are a TON of extras in this set. There are hilarious extra videos. There are a bunch of online games as well as additional mini-games and older games included for free in the set.

Highly recommended!

Buy Metal Gear Solid 3 - Subsistence from Amazon.com