8 Things Metal Gear Solid Delta Snake Eater Does Better than MGS 3

Konami’s highly anticipated title Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, a remake of the popular 2004 classic Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, was finally released today for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. This stealth-action epic set in 1964 follows Naked Snake’s mission to save a Soviet scientist and stop the Shagohod superweapon, all while confronting his defecting mentor, The Boss.

Delta, built on Unreal Engine 5, features breathtaking graphics overhauls and modernized gameplay, featuring a new over-the-shoulder camera option in addition to the conventional top-down view. Fan reaction has been divided, as many praise the improved visuals and faithful plot, while others cite performance concerns like frame drops.

Regardless, in every way, Delta tries to be bold and elevates the iconic title with its own twists and quality of life changes. Here are 8 things Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater does better that elevate it higher than the 2004 classic MGS 3.

8 Ways Metal Gear Solid Delta Snake Eater Improves Upon The Original

1) A Newer Perspective on Snake’s Journey

MGS Delta introduces a choice for players to choose between two modes: New Style or Legacy Style. The latter, Legacy Style, gives you the classic top-down camera as you might’ve seen in the original title and is signature to pre-Phantom Pain titles in the Metal Gear franchise.

However, the latest New Style mode brings an over-the-shoulder third-person camera, which is kept in the same vein as modern titles and is a fresher take on the Metal Gear games. The camera works somewhat similarly to MGS V Phantom Pain, but is even better when you shoot weapons using hipfire, or for more precision, seamlessly enter first-person mode.

The latest style enhances immersion, makes boss fights easier, and allows you to go closer into Snake’s perspective and POV, where UE5’s graphical prowess truly shines. The only downfall; the bullets you fire using the third-person mode have a massive projectile drop that you don’t see in legacy style, since weapons there operate with a hitscan.

While you can’t change camera views on the fly, you’ll need to save your current checkpoint and then switch the mode from settings. This will then reload your checkpoint and immerse you in the selected view. In our opinion, it’s best to play with the New Style, but with a Legacy Filter enabled in picture settings to have a better gameplay experience.

2) Improved Movement and CQC Animations

The original title’s clumsy navigation and combat, which were limited by PS2-era hardware, often felt stiff. Delta modernizes these features, improving Naked Snake’s jungle stealth mission while retaining the tactical core.

The movement mechanics are considerably improved here as Delta introduces fluid crouch-walking, sprinting, and seamless stance transitions, allowing players to navigate Tselinoyarsk’s crowded areas with ease. Players can now move while crouched or prone, making it easier to avoid patrols and hide in the bushes. This responsiveness, combined with UE5’s physics, lends Snake’s movements a genuine weight.

Snake Eater’s signature CQC animations are more lively in Delta. The original’s grapples and takedowns lacked polish as Snake only slammed enemies to the ground. Delta improves these with improved animations – throat grabs, slams, and disarms move smoothly, and enemies react genuinely to each hit. The improved motion capture makes every encounter feel theatrical.

3) Quick Radio Dial and Hot Swap Camos

In the 2004 game, accessing the radio required pausing and browsing the Survival Viewer, which disrupted the gameplay flow. Delta’s quick dial radio, which is mapped to the D-pad (up on Xbox/PlayStation), launches a streamlined codec interface during gameplay, allowing players to call the Fox Squad, such as Major Zero or Para-Medic, without interrupting the action.

Players can skip specific voice lines or fast-forward conversations, unlike in the original, where skipping removed all audio. Secret frequencies from interrogated enemies are now displayed right on the radio dial, making access easier.

The rapid camo feature further improves the original’s complex camouflage method. In 2004, changing camouflage required pausing to visit the Survival Viewer and change uniforms and face paint, which interrupted stealth gameplay.

Delta assigns camo presets to the D-pad (right on Xbox/PlayStation), allowing players to cycle among pre-set combinations on the fly to match the terrain, such as jungle or rock, thereby increasing the camo index.

While innovative combinations still require the Survival Viewer, this shortcut reduces downtime. This retains the original’s strategic depth, blending into the environment, while making adaptation faster.

4) Navigate the Jungle Better With a Compass

In the original, traversing Tselinoyarsk’s dense jungles and bases was dependent on player intuition and codec guidance, which frequently led to disorientation in complex locations. Delta’s compass, which can be accessed via the equipment menu, shows a HUD element in the bottom corner of the screen that points to the next objective.

You can enable the compass by selecting this as an item on your backpack menu. Then, hold down your left D-pad button to scroll along the equipment menu and make the compass active. Unlike the original, which relied on pausing for map checks or codec calls, this speeds movement while maintaining immersion.

The compass does not replace exploration as players must still find surprises like hidden objects or Tsuchinoko, but it helps reduce aimless wandering, making the experience more approachable to newbies while still assisting veterans during speedruns. Unlike Metal Gear Solid V’s minimap, Delta’s compass does not clutter the HUD, allowing for a more focused stealth experience.

5) Faster Saves and Loading

MGS Delta dramatically reduces saving and loading times over Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, improving gameplay flow on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. The original PS2 version included lengthy save methods that required players to pause, enter the codec menu, and contact Para-Medic to save, as well as loading windows between divided portions that broke immersion.

Delta streamlines this with a quick-save option that can be accessed using the D-pad (up on Xbox/PlayStation), allowing for speedy saves without the need for menu navigation. Reloading saves is also faster because it bypasses the original’s main menu reload procedure.

A quick-load autosave option takes players back to the beginning of the previous area they entered, making it perfect for retrying stealth parts or non-lethal missions. While Delta keeps the 2004 game’s divided maps with brief loading screens, the transitions are much shorter due to current hardware.

6) New Mini Games

Delta revitalizes the quirky mini-games Snake vs. Monkey and Guy Savage from MGS 3, giving them a modern polish while retaining their charm. These diversions, which are reminiscent of Hideo Kojima’s whimsical design, provide a break from Naked Snake’s covert goal, and Delta improves their presentation and accessibility.

Snake vs. Monkey, a crossover with Sony’s Ape Escape, originally required players to use non-lethal weapons to capture runaway Pipo Monkeys in jungle stages. It was exclusive to the PS2 and not available in later ports due to licensing concerns.

Delta updates it for PS5 and PC, with improved Unreal Engine 5 visuals, better animations, and updated controls (D-pad for Xbox/PlayStation devices). The Xbox version replaces it with Snake vs. Astro, featuring Astro Bot characters, ensuring platform exclusivity.

7) Secret Theater

Delta revitalizes the Secret Theatre feature from the MGS 3’s Subsistence version, making it more accessible and adding additional content. Secret Theatre was originally a bonus disc feature that opened after completing the game and included funny alternate sequences such as Snake’s comedic antics.

MGS Delta incorporates Secret Theatre into the main menu, which unlocks after completing the campaign; however, players must gather 8mm film reels in-game to access specific reels, as opposed to the original’s easy unlock.

To get reels, players must use stealth CQC to hold up specific NPCs, which are recognized by visible film canisters on their bodies. Pointing a weapon at their face causes them to drop the reel, but physical takedowns or bumping destroy it, increasing the challenge.

Delta features new reels, such as a shirtless Snake receiving medals pinned to his chest, as well as classics, but several Subsistence reels are missing. In contrast to the static unlocks in the 2004 version, these collectibles are spread around Tselinoyarsk and encourage exploration and replayability.

8) Hello Photo Mode!

Finally, MGS Delta adds a photo mode, which was missing from the original, allowing players on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC to express themselves more creatively. The original relied on in-game screenshots taken using external capture devices, which limited users’ ability to personalize or save certain events. Delta’s photo mode, accessible via the pause menu, allows players to pause gameplay and capture Tselinoyarsk’s amazing Unreal Engine 5 visuals.

Players can change the depth of field, apply filters (sepia, monochrome), adjust lighting, and toggle characters or HUD items to create cinematic shots of Snake sneaking through jungles or confronting The Boss.

Have you tried MGS Delta yet and tried these new features? Let us know in the comments below!