What Metal Gear Solid 3 Remake Can Learn From Resident Evil 4

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is making waves through the fandom, and there are things Konami's remake can learn from Resident Evil 4.

The recent PlayStation Showcase dropped a lot of exciting news for gamers. One of the most exciting announcements is the remake of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, one of the most beloved entries in the series. There hasn't been any movement for the franchise since 2018 with the ill-fated Metal Gear Survive, so this particular announcement is being met with a ton of goodwill but also with some skepticism.

Konami is no stranger to announcing remakes that have gamers a little skeptical, the announcement of Silent Hill 2's remake being the canary in the coal mine for many. Capcom, on the other hand, had a rousing success in Resident Evil 4. Despite being mostly faithful to the original, the remake did make some significant improvements that Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater could also benefit from.

Related: Resident Evil 4 The Mercenaries: Tips, Tricks & Strategies for New Players

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater was originally released in 2004 and is set during the Cold War. It follows the mission of Naked Snake and begins his journey to become Big Boss. It is considered one of the best games of the series for a reason. From the fun melodrama that comes with this franchise to revealing the history of one of the major overarching antagonists, it's easy to see why Metal Gear Solid 3 has an important place in gamers' hearts. There is a lot to love about the original game, but there is also something to be said about the game being 20 years old. The same is true of some pieces of the overall gameplay.

There are, however, games that the Metal Gear Solid 3 remake can learn from. For example, the Resident Evil 4 remake handled its changes in brilliant ways. Despite being roughly the same age as Metal Gear Solid 3, the remake for Resident Evil 4 manages to make the game feel incredibly modern. One of the easiest ways this is achieved is through the existence of auto-save, which was not a thing in the PlayStation 2 era of games. While it has become ubiquitous now, it's a very easy thing that gamers will find themselves missing if it is gone. One of the mechanics introduced to the series by the original was the use of "CQC" for close combat. While it was incredibly interesting, the combat could often be a bit clunky.

Before the remake, it was always preferable to sneak around and use the incredible in-depth camouflage system to avoid conflict. But there were places where it became inevitable. The Resident Evil 4 remake already makes improvements when it comes to its own melee combat. Leon Kennedy also uses a knife as a part of close combat and the knife is changed heavily for the remake in order to add in a parry mechanic while doing away with a majority of quick-time events.

Related: How Resident Evil 4's Post-credits Scene Teases the Series' Future

By tightening up the hand-to-hand combat, Metal Gear Solid 3's remake can make said combat more viable for players who either run through their ammo or prefer that style of play. By smoothing out "CQC", the new version of Metal Gear Solid 3 could very easily benefit in the same ways that Resident Evil 4 did.

At the heart of the Metal Gear franchise is stealth. Metal Gear Solid 3 reflects this with its incredible camouflage system and the many meters that affect Snake's ability to sneak around without being detected. While the stealth mechanics in Resident Evil 4 are very situational, they also show how far improved lighting and better graphics go when it comes to stealth in general.

Metal Gear Solid is a series with a lot of history and love from its fan base even with its incredibly dense plot and extremely distinct identity. There are many ways in which a remake could go very wrong. Capcom has been knocking it out of the park so far with its work on the Resident Evil franchise, which has paved the way for more exciting, wonderful remakes of its properties. Learning from the success of Capcom and its work in the Resident Evil games could be key for Konami to claw back the goodwill of the gaming community that it has lost over the years.

Alyx is a long time gamer who has spent way too much time perfecting her use of the Souls Series Character Creator and replays Baldur's Gate 2 at least once per year.