‘Even after 20 years, I still cry’: the enduring brilliance of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

Two decades after its release and with a remake about to land, the cast of Hideo Kojima's stealth blockbuster reflect on what made this cold war caper a gaming classic

You never forget your first Metal Gear - yet there's one title in Konami's legendary stealth series that is universally heralded as its pinnacle: 2004's Snake Eater. This prequel-cum-threequel was something of a reset. Originally intended as a PS3 game thanks to its sheer technological ambition, but then released on PS2, writer and director Hideo Kojima yearned to take gravelly voiced protagonist Solid Snake away from dimly lit military bases and have him slither outdoors. Featuring hunting for food and snapping broken bones back into place, Snake Eater felt more grounded and immersive than any of its 2000s PlayStation peers.

Yet for all Snake Eater's sweeping changes, one classic element remained intact - the stellar voice acting. It's telling that as Konami releases its remake, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, every wonderfully absurd line of the original script remains untouched. Boasting modernised controls and lavish new visuals, Delta feels closer to a 4K restoration of a cherished film than a maximalist Resident Evil-style remake.