Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater underwent a few localization changes between its release in North America and its release in Europe. For players curious about the differences, the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol 1 allows players to choose between the North American and European versions of the game. It even allows save data to be used across both versions, should players want to switch between playthroughs or even during a playthrough.
In this Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater guide, players can learn about the major changes between the two versions. This should help new players to decide which version to play while also helping veterans identify the main changes in case they want to check them out themselves.
Differences Between the North American Version and the European Version in the Master Collection
One of the more obvious differences between the two versions of Metal Gear Solid 3 is the censorship of certain elements. This includes the reduction of, or elimination of, blood from many scenes to lessen the gore. Many scenes featuring blood use different blood patterns on the ground in the European version. It also means a reduction of the number of hornets in scenes showing The Pain at work. In particular, it seems to eliminate instances of the hornets breaking the fourth wall by crawling across the camera.
Many instances of Volgin emitting electricity to hurt EVA have been toned down or eliminated entirely, and other scenes involving him electrocuting people have had the intensity of the lightning reduced considerably. Explosions that lit soldiers on fire in the American Version have been toned down to “merely” throw soldiers a great distance.
On the more technical side, the North American version displays at a refresh rate of 60Hz while the European version displays at 50Hz, reflecting the standard refresh rates of televisions at the time of the game’s original release in those countries.
Differences Between the North American Version and the European Version in the Original Release
The Original Release of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater had several more changes between the two versions, though these are included regardless of the version selected in the Master Collection. This is due to the Master Collection using a direct conversion of the HD Rerelease of Metal Gear Solid 3 that was developed by Bluepoint Games for the PS3, PS Vita, and Xbox 360.
The original European release included additional Snake Vs Monkey Bonus levels, the ability to refight bosses in the “Special” Menu, National Flag face camo, and “European Extreme” as a new difficulty setting. Of these, only the National Flag face camo and newly renamed “Extreme” difficulty are present in the HD rerelease and, as a result, in the Master Collection.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
- Franchise
- Metal Gear
- Platform(s)
- PS2, PS3, PS Vita, Xbox 360, 3DS
- Released
- November 17, 2004
- Developer(s)
- Konami
- Publisher(s)
- Konami
- Genre(s)
- Stealth
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, Sexual Themes
- How Long To Beat
- 16 Hours