I walked into Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater with high hopes
but also a little skepticism. After all, the much-hyped MGS2
didn't quite live up to the phenomenal expectations we all had.
But four marathon play sessions later, I emerged a changed
gamer. (Then I peed.) Players who've dialed down their
expectations are in for a pleasant surprise. Snake Eater is not
only a return to form for series creator Hideo Kojima, it's
probably the best Metal Gear Solid game yet.  In case you've
been too busy hiding in lockers to keep up on game news, Snake
Eater is a prequel, taking place in 1964. So, the Snake
character you play as here is not the one you're familiar with.
He's sent into a remote region of Russia to try to contain a
sudden nuclear menace, and things only get complicated from
there. Suffice it to say that Snake Eater fills in nice chunks
of the Metal Gear Solid backstory. While there are some good
plot twists, Kojima wisely reigns in the high-minded metababble
that tarnished MGS2. MGS3 is much more straigh