Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater  Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is an action-adventure stealth video game produced by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan for the PlayStation 2. It was released in late 2004 in North America and Japan, then in early 2005 in Europe and Australia. It was the fifth "Metal Gear" game written and directed by Hideo Kojima and serves as a prequel to the entire "Metal Gear" series. An expanded edition, titled Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, was released in Japan in late 2005, then in North America, Europe and Australia in 2006. Set in 1964 (thirty one years before the events of the original "Metal Gear"), the story centers on the FOX operative codenamed Naked Snake as he attempts to rescue a Russian rocket scientist by the name of Nikolai Stepanovich Sokolov, sabotage an experimental superweapon, and assassinate his defected former boss. While previous games were set in a primarily urban environment, "Snake Eater" adopts a 1960s Soviet jungle setting with the high tech, near-future trappings of previous "Metal Gear Solid" games being replaced with the wilderness. While the environment has changed, the game's focus remains on stealth and infiltration, while retaining the series' self-referential, fourth-wall-breaking sense of humor. The story of "Snake Eater" is told through numerous cutscenes and radio conversations. Considered one of the greatest video games of all time, "Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater" received praise for its story, gameplay, graphics, setting, characters, and ending, as well as departing from the series' conventions. "Snake Eater" was a commercial success, having sold 3.6 million copies worldwide by August 2005. The gameplay of "Snake Eater" is similar to that of previous games in the "Metal Gear Solid" series. Snake, controlled by the player, must move undetected through a hostile, enemy-filled environment. Although Snake acquires various weapons (ranging from handguns to rocket-propelled grenades), the emphasis is on using stealth to avoid confrontations. Many objects and gadgets can be found along the way to aid in this, including motion detectors to track hostile soldiers, and the "Metal Gear" series' trademark cardboard box, which Snake can hide under to avoid visual detection. Despite the fundamental similarities, "Snake Eater" introduces many new aspects of gameplay not present in previous "Metal Gear" games, including camouflage, a new hand-to-hand combat system called "close quarters combat" or "CQC", a stamina gauge, and an injury-and-treatment system.