Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is a stealth action game directed by Hideo Kojima. It was developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan and published by Konami. It is both the last canonical game and last Metal Gear game overall to be developed by KCEJ prior to the formation of Kojima Productions a year later. It was released for the PlayStation 2 on November 17, 2004 in North America; December 16, 2004 in Japan; March 4, 2005 in Europe; and March 17, 2005 in Australia. The game, which serves as a prequel to the Metal Gear series, was followed by a direct sequel titled Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, which was released for the PlayStation Portable in North America and Japan in 2006 and Europe and Australasia in 2007. Set in the Cold War-era Soviet Union, the story centers on FOX operative Naked Snake as he attempts to rescue a weapons designer and sabotage an experimental super-weapon known as the Shagohod. While previous games were set in a primarily urban environment, Metal Gear Solid 3 adopts a 1960s Soviet jungle setting. While the setting has changed, the game's focus remains on stealth and infiltration, while still retaining the series' self-referential, fourth wall-breaking sense of humor. New gameplay elements are also introduced, such as CQC and camouflage. Metal Gear Solid 3 was well received critically and commercially, selling more than 3.96 million copies worldwide and scoring a metascore of 91 on Metacritic and an average of 91.77% on GameRankings.