Metal Gear Solid The Twin Snakes

One of the best games released in 2002 was Resident Evil.  It had terrific gameplay and horrific graphics, but not a single soporific element could be found.  And it was only a remake.  There's no denying that if every great game was remade the industry would be damaged.  However, I am filled with great pleasure whenever a game developer gives me the chance to revisit their grand worlds in a new and unique way.  I am overjoyed whenever they take me back in time to when innovation was created.  And I was mesmerized by how they've managed to take that innovation even further.  That was done in the Resident Evil remake, and now it has been done in Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes.

GameCube owners might not be too familiar with Solid Snake's adventures, so to bring you up to speed, let me just say that the game is all about stealth.  Solid Snake's missions often include things like trying to infiltrate a heavily guarded building, attempting to escape a dangerous area, or trying to assassinate someone (or prevent someone from being assassinated!).  You can't do any of those things without using an extreme amount of caution.  That's why Konami has labeled this a Tactical Espionage Action game.

For many of you, the gameplay will be entirely new.  And for those of you who have played through the original Metal Gear Solid, the gameplay will still feel very fresh, thanks to the addition of MGS2's finest gameplay elements.  Being able to peak over walls was great before, mostly due to cinematic camera angles that came along with it.  That, and the feeling it gave the player – you felt like you were actually a spy in the middle of an important mission.  Sneaking is top priority.  Get caught and you're toast.

Now you can not only sneak, but the player can also peak over walls more sensitively, pull out Snake's gun and aim the weapon for a perfect headshot.  This was impossible before due to the lack of a first-person view.  Hideo Kojima introduced this innovation in Metal Gear Solid 2 and has now made it a part of the MGS trilogy.

That's far from the end of the many updates that Konami has included in this remake.  There are a number of subtle gameplay mechanics that hardcore fans will surely notice, like the improved walking and running movements, the use of analog shoulder buttons, additional attack methods, etc.  You can sneak more professionally this time around by running, jumping into a quiet roll, and then by crouching behind whatever object you've chosen to hide behind.

Got a cadaver that's giving you a cramp in the neck?  Then pick up the body and dispose of it however you please.  Hide it in the shadows, dump it behind a large pillar, or be bold and place it right under the enemy's nose.  Whatever happens, you'll have fun messing with the bodies, as well as the game's other additions.

The Twin Snakes is using a two-year-old engine (the same one that powered Sons of Liberty), but when a game looks this good, who cares how old the technology is!  Solid Snake's character model is packed with polygonal detail.  His face is eerily realistic, complete with great skin texture and intricate facial details (mouth, eyes, ears, nose, etc.).  Even his hair looks good, though it isn't as free-flowing as in other GameCube titles.

Surrounding Solid Snake is a number of impressive backgrounds.  Each one is comprised of different environments, both indoor and outdoor.  The realism here is also quite high, and is especially convincing thanks to the stellar shadow and lighting job that Konami has done.  The interactivity is great too – try using your gun to knock out a light or to blast some useless object in the background.  Hideo Kojima is not one to overlook a realistic element just because it isn't necessary to make a game good.  And after having it in Metal Gear Solid 2, I couldn't imagine playing a remake of the first game that didn't have all of MGS2's nuances.  They definitely made the right choice to include them here.

One of the reasons for Metal Gear Solid's critical acclaim was because of its intriguing story, which was told with some of the most professional voice acting ever recorded for a video game.  The talented cast, which includes one of the writers of the X-Men movies, David Hayter, is top-notch.  Rarely do the English voice actors compare to the stars of the Japanese version, but in this case, our version is actually better!  Not to discredit the Japanese actors – they did a great job.  But the English voice actors' performance is just about perfect.  You can really feel their emotion, especially at the end of the game when things come together and the story becomes even more serious.  It boarders on emotional, and if a slightly different path had been taken, it could have probably made many a gamer cry.  Who knows -- it might have anyway.  The characters in this game have a lot of pain and suffering, but it isn't on the emotional level of Final Fantasy VII.

Gamers should liquidate their assets to get this game.  (Assuming they knew how great it was and they had no other funds available.)  Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes is the perfect game to complement your GameCube collection.  It's entirely different from anything Nintendo offers, yet still has Nintendo-quality gameplay.  The story had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end - and I already knew what was going to happen!  I was lucky to have forgotten some of it, making the revelations a bit more surprising.  There are some new elements, too, but I'm not about to give them away.

Gameplay: 9.5
Underneath all of these improvements is the original game that made Solid Snake a household name among five million PSone owners.  It was the best in the genre on PSone, and now it has become the best spy game on the 'Cube.

It's boiling over with excitement.  The gameplay is as good as it gets.  I love Splinter Cell, but when it comes to tactical espionage action, THIS is where it's at.  That alone is all Metal Gear Solid needs to be great, but Hideo Kojima, having a love of movies and wishing that he too could direct them, made Metal Gear Solid like an interactive film.  The all-new movie sequences are better than most of the over-hyped motion pictures released in theaters each year.

There are only two downsides to The Twin Snakes.  1) It's way too short.  Are you surprised?  You shouldn't be.  Games of this quality are rarely long.  But that comes with the territory.  This is an interactive movie, remember?  And movies aren't long.  My advice is that you don't let the length stop you from buying it, since it has a tremendous amount of replay value.  Enjoy it while it lasts the first time around, and have fun playing through it again.  See how quickly you can sneak past the guards on the second time around, and see if you can get through the game without dying.  That'll definitely keep you busy for a while.

2) The GameCube controller.  It wasn't designed to handle a game like this.  You'll get used to it in time, but the lack of analog face buttons makes it impossible to aim without firing.  In Sons of Liberty could depress the Square button to aim, and then slowly remove your thumb to lower your weapon.  In The Twin Snakes, the only way to avoid firing a weapon is by clicking the R button to un-equip the weapon.

Graphics: 9
Have you seen Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty?  What, you mean you haven't?  Then you must've been living under a rock for the past two years (or perhaps a giant cube?).  Either way, The Twin Snakes looks gorgeous.

Sound: 9.5
Stellar music (consisting of remixed tracks with hints of MGS2) and movie-quality voice acting make MGS: The Twin Snakes an instant classic.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Looking for a challenge?  The Twin Snakes gives GameCube owners the chance to experience the challenging masterpiece that broke sales records and won countless awards when it was released in 1998.  The guards are hilariously stupid, but the puzzles and boss battles will test your brainpower, as well as your sneak-and-attack skills.

Concept: 7.9
Remakes don't necessarily deserve a high score for concept.  However, The Twin Snakes includes more subtle additions than a diehard MGS fan could ask for.  They're the kinds of things that I can't describe without spoiling the fun; the kinds of things that will only be appreciated by gamers who played through the PSone version, as well as its PS2 sequel.

Overall: 9
The Twin Snakes is as solid as a tactical espionage action game can get.  This remake belongs next to the Resident Evil remake, which to this day stands as being one of the best GameCube releases.  Resident Evil was so much more than a remake, and so is this.  The Twin Snakes has all of the unique levels of the original and features the same intriguing storyline.  Best of all, it has all of the gameplay mechanics of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty.  It doesn't quite feel the same performing every action with the GameCube controller, but you'll get over it.  Nintendo loyalists: if you have never played through Metal Gear Solid before, now is the time to do it.  PlayStation loyalists: if you've played through MGS on the PSone, you can't miss this GameCube remake.