Since November 2021, the critically acclaimed Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater 3D for Nintendo 3DS has been unavailable to download on the eShop after Konami removed it, along with multiple other digital titles, from sale to renew licenses.
Now, in a post celebrating the 35th anniversary of the original Metal Gear on MSX2, Konami has indicated that it is making preparations to resume sales of the titles that were temporarily suspended.
Fully translated, the post reads:
"The "METAL GEAR" series released on July 13, 1987 celebrated its 35th anniversary today.
We are preparing to resume sales of titles that have been temporarily suspended."
Of course, this indicates that Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater 3D will likely return to the eShop in the near future, which is great news if you're thinking about picking it up, as retail copies of the game shot up in price after its digital suspension.
Given that the eShop will be closing for good in March 2023, however, there is a chance, however small, that Konami might not bother with Snake Eater at all. Hopefully, it'll just be a case of flipping a switch and it'll be back online, in which case we'd recommend you all download it ASAP.
Chronologically the first story in the Metal Gear timeline, Snake Eater tells the story of Naked Snake, a member of CIA unit FOX who infiltrates the dense jungles of Tselinoyarsk to destroy an IRBM-armed tank known at the Shagohod. Characters and story elements from the game would go on to impact the entire series, culminating in the PlayStation exclusive Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. We gave Snake Eater an excellent 9/10 in our review for 3DS.
Are you hoping to see Snake Eater return to the 3DS eShop? Will you be downloading it if it does? Let us know!
[source twitter.com, via gematsu.com]
Comments 36
That’d be nice if I could buy it for a reasonable price even if it’s just digital, fricking scalpers ruin everything.
Awesome…..get ready for more 10fps action!
That’s great news, I wish they brought this updated version to the Switch! Since on 3DS it still has some frame rate issues. Otherwise this was the best version of Snake Eater( except the slightly worse foliage and resolution. Please bring this to Switch!!!!!!
just in time for them to shut it down!
Just bring this to Switch
Surely the 35th anniversary would be a good excuse to start a Metal Gear anniversary collection? I already own them all, but it would be great for people who have never heard of the series (there's more than you'd think) to have a compilation to dig into.
They haven't actually aged well, but there's alot of elements that form the basis of alot of newer gaming mechanics.
A Switch and a Steam compilation would be great (currently replaying MGS V on Steam Deck), like one of Psycho Mantis' Hints.
Only ever played 3 and five, am I missing out on the rest?
😂And they say Digital is better.
I have my Game Card with no worries of it being taken away, preventing me from playing.
This would be incredible. It's my favorite game. My wallet is ready, Kojima-san.
I enjoyed it on the 3DS but sold my physical to help fund my Switch purchase at launch. May consider buying and playing again on 3DS eShop but I also would rather a Switch version be released.
Ha! Been replaying it on PS3 these past couple days. Had only played the 3DS version before. We need the HD collection on Switch, i dare not wish for Twin Snakes to be added to it due to Silicon Knights not existing anymore, but if we could get what PS360 and even the Vita got, I'd be happy!
@SJW Yes! Sons of Liberty in particular is a masterpiece in game design and storytelling.
@BlueGBAMicro ??
People who purchased the game digitally should still have access to it, so I genuinely don't see your point.
@SJW The first two games are some of the best in the entire series.
Just bring them all to Switch....or as many of them as they can.
@dkxcalibur
At the very least, Twin Snakes deserves life outside of the GameCube.
People are going to poo poo all over this version of the game, but this was my entry point into the series, and if I could enjoy this game despite the awful frame rate, then that speaks volumes of the quality of the game itself! I still think the whole series should be made available on all modern consoles, instead of just Xbox... The whole series except Survive. That one can stay in its grave where it belongs.
I hope so, I’d definitely give it a shot if it ever came back
I remember being shown metal gear solid 1 on the playstation for the first time, there was a scene where you identify the masked infiltrator by their walk.. they had a female walk. this little detail was incredible, for the time.
@Ralizah The whole point is that if they can still take away your digital games after you've purchase them, it's a terrible potential precedent, whereas they can't do that with one's physical games.
We need a Metal Gear Collection please for Switch and PC.
@EVIL-C Maybe I'm misunderstanding. Was it not just delisted, making it where people couldn't go on to the eshop and buy it, or did they go full P.T. and actually restrict people who purchased it digitally from redownloading it after it was delisted?
@Ralizah The game was delisted from the eShop and all other digital shops selling it because of the licensing expiring to historical archive footage in MGS 2 and 3. If you owned the game digitally, you could redownload it, they didn't go full P.T.
@Ralizah The ability to take the Game away by the Developer/Publisher should NEVER have been a thing in the first place.
I don't get the "frame rate is crap" on this game, I played it several times and didn't notice any frame rate issues. Best version of Snake Eater, and the best 3DS game for me.
@SJW If you enjoyed MGS3 and 5 I would highly recommend checking out the rest of the series. The storyline is a bit wacky, but in a good way.
@BlueGBAMicro If you can redownload the game, it's not being taken away, lol.
@Knuckles Alright, thanks for confirming that for me. I couldn't imagine, but I wanted to have my facts straight before I went any further.
@Ralizah The ability to take the Game away by the Developer/Publisher should NEVER have been a thing in the first place.
L😂L
@BlueGBAMicro Repeating the same silly phrase doesn't make it any truer the second time.
Any and every company has the right to stop selling a product, which is all that delisting entails.
@Ralizah Repeating for emphasis makes it truer than the first time you read it.
@BlueGBAMicro No, an untrue statement is equally as untrue the second time as it was initially.
@Ralizah Which is why I'll say it a third time for double emphasis: The ability to take the Game away by the Developer/Publisher should NEVER have been a thing in the first place.
@SJW Yes. Yes, you are.
Laughs in physical cartridge I got off Ebay for $40. In all seriousness it's not a bad version of the game, but I recommend playing it only if you have a New 3DS or a 2DS XL. If you have a PS Vita I suggest that version instead as it allows you to cross save to the PS3 version.
Wouldn't mind this for Switch. Make it happen.
@SJW 4 is my personal favorite
sad this didn't happen before the eshop shutdown in a few days
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