Did you find MGS3 a bit too light-hearted and comical?

[Wolf Kanno]

Brawl is canon, btw. They're totally going to have flashbacks of Snake getting Volt Tackled in 4.

Totally, don't forget Snake's steamy romance with Samus Aran and Falco

[Dreddz]

Compared to MGS2 I wouldnt say MGS3 is nearly as light hearted or comical. And those characteristics arent a bad thing anyway, MGS2 is my favourite in the series.

[Cz]

Like others have said before, these little absurdities are a staple of the series, and its occasional goofiness is one of the things that sets it apart from the majority of other action/adventure titles. I guess you could argue that Snake Eater was a little more quirky than its predecessors, particularly as a lot of the oddities appeared in the main storyline rather than as bonus or hidden scenes. But I'd say that's in part a nod to the setting. Sixties TV shows and movies were full of eccentricity, even outright weirdness. James Bond, The Avengers, The Prisoner...it's easy to see how story elements like The Pain or Major Raikov fit in. And of course, none of this stops the central storyline being incredibly poignant. There's no doubt that it's canon, especially since it introduces a couple of plot elements that have made the wait for MGS4 even more unbearable.

Anyway, I can see why you might not care for some aspects of the game, but those same aspects are things that a lot of us appreciate. Somehow I can't see MGS4 having quite as much of an irreverent side, so maybe you'll be more satisfied with that.

[Big D]

The arm breaking thing is quite absurd

I felt that kind of thing was actually among the more realistic and serious stuff in MGS3. Getting a fractured elbow like that, and having to treat it on the scene, was a real character-building moment for Big Boss, as far as the audience is concerned. Especially when he's back in business after only two weeks of recuperation.

[SpendGil]

I think Kojima must smoke a lot to make any of this stuff.

MGS2 wasn't exactly "normal"
And frankly, I couldn't follow the story at all for the last few hours of the game.

LOVED IT THOUGH!
And I loved 3 too.

Anyone ever played Snatcher?
Its an awesome Kojima title.

[Forsaken Lover]

MGS2 is actually probably the most "supernatural" of the games.
It's entire purpose was to be a mindscrew with "what is reality?" subtext that became clearer as the game progressed.
You don't have to look any farther than the ending phonecall in MGS2.
"They're already dead."
"When did it happen?"
"Well about a hundred years ago...."

WTF moment there for me.

Though we know those 12 men weren't actually The Patriots now but back then I was totally lost.

[Roto13]

The arm breaking thing is quite absurd

I felt that kind of thing was actually among the more realistic and serious stuff in MGS3. Getting a fractured elbow like that, and having to treat it on the scene, was a real character-building moment for Big Boss, as far as the audience is concerned. Especially when he's back in business after only two weeks of recuperation.

I think the complaint there is that he can treat himself at all when both of his arms are out of commission.

Not the most valid complaint, though. Before everything else, Metal Gear Solid is a video game. Snake recovers his stamina in less than a second by eating, and he seems to be able to eat as much as much food as he can find. That stuff is forgivable because it's a gameplay mechanic and not a plot device.

[Wolf Kanno]

Roto beat me to explaining the arm breaking point. Sorry I didn't explain fully I was commenting on Reload's take on it not the basics of the game. Personally, I loved the self medication and I'm quite sad it seems to be removed in MGS4. Despite a few logical errors (six gunshot wounds to the head!!!) I found it added a great level of realism to the game.

I also agree with Cz, having grown up on 60s Cold War spy shows, it was a real treat going through this game. In fact, I felt the historical setting added a level of greater tension and drama to the background of the story.

[Psychotic]

I do wish the bosses had more backstory than just they're guys fighting alongside The Boss. Take The Fear. I don't know anything about that guy, or what motivated him to fight. Their freaky abilities I can accept, that's just what makes them cool. But I would've liked to have known more about them.

[Roto13]

Yeah, they definitely could have used more backstory. The Sorrow was really the only one with anything resembling a motive there.

[Wolf Kanno]

I agree, outside of the The End and the Sorrow, I didn't feel many of them had decent back stories either, its quite different from MGS2 where they had decent backgrounds but their battles were rather underwhelming.