Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes Players: 1 Best Price: £29.99 brand new Amazon Overall rating: 8/10
I was a massive fan of the original Playstation version when it was released, so much so I paid £60 for an American version and had it six months before the UK release. The PS version was not only a graphical marvel of its time but just sheer class in its originality. All aspects sound, music, graphics and game play were all faultless and the game is worthy of being the best title on the PS.
I was playing the original game only three months prior to The Twin Snakes release when I heard on hearsay of the remake on the Gamecube. Having originally owning a GC when they first come out and then selling it when the games died down I had to make sure I had good reason to get one back and the prospect of Twin Snakes was certainly oiling me up. After visiting my local HMV for some Xbox and PS2 games I was finding the titles pretty flat and then I peered into the GC section and was bewildered by the surge of new titles, Metal Gear Solid, Mario Kart Double Dash, Viewtiful Joe, Sonic Adventure DX, Sonic Mega Collection, Zelda collection, as well as the original classics I had owned. My temptation swayed and a quick flash of the plastic and I was reliving the intro (albeit slightly reworked) to Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes.
So what’s been done??
Well Konami licensed Silicon Knights to rebuild the original MGS classic from the PS one for the Gamecube. Changes include graphics now as good as Sons Of Liberty, as well as integrating the control system and game system from MGS2. But it goes beyond that, although the game looks absolutely amazing it has now enabled Silicon Knights to put in new scenes as well as rework previous scenes, including some new dramatic fight scenes between Gray Fox (Ninja) and Snake and loads of new animations. The only minor is that they have re-recorded and re-written all the voices and now they just don’t seem as dramatic as the original PS version.
Initial Opinion
If it wasn’t for the fact that this was MGS it may have been quite hard for me to take this game ultimately as seriously. I mean don’t get me wrong the graphics are great and the game play is immersive but it does show its age.
Game Play 8/10
The game play hasn’t dramatically changed, in some ways it’s easier. The control system makes the character easier to move around now since you can sneak around by walking, look better around corners and shoot more accurately in first person mode. Also some camera angles have changed like when fighting Ocelot the angle has been lowered and more isometric. Some items have been changed around as well as introduced ie: when looking for the sniper rifle you don’t have to mission all the way back to the hangar, there is a new type T PSG in the nuke building now. The wolves will now follow you under the wall when you are in the caves. I also got caught out when fighting Psycho Mantis, on the Playstation One you had to use the second controller port, but I got caught out on the Game cube version but I will reveal no more. However despite all these changes the IA has been upgraded and the guards are harder to sneak by. As well as it being easier to slip up ie: leaving footprints etc. The best new feature by far is you do not need to equip your security card to open doors, making it much easier to move between rooms. Overall if you have played the game before then really there is nothing new in its structure it’s the same game with the same objectives but now there is a pretty pink bow wrapped round the package.
Graphics 7/10
Graphically the game is very smart, it all runs at super smooth 50 fps (no 60hz mode) with no buffering or slow down. It looks the same as Sons Of Liberty but with the layout of MGS from the classic PS One. All the lighting effects are well presented and the finish is good, but as well presented as it is the texture quality on the characters is medium, hence the 7 mark. It’s a breath of fresh air to look at and the new graphics gives it a more photo realistic movie style look, just like what Hideo Kojima wanted with the original. You can take it far more seriously looking like this.
Sound 8/10
The music has been remixed and modernised and most of the original sound effects are still present with some new ones. This keeps the game cinematic and gives an immersive feeling.
Overall 8/10
A good remake of a timeless classic, the game play and story is still present and unscathed. Its Metal Gear Solid you either love it or hate, I love it. The new graphics and control enables an enhanced experience over the original PS One release. Not quite a classic on the Game Cube but a worthy purchase all the same. If you loved the original then you will love this, it’s a good experience to play through again, even if it is to see the new stuff and play with new graphics and control.
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