This is an amazing experience that you'll remember for years and years to come.
The Bad: Sometimes the cutscenes are way too long
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Introduction:
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1998...the year the first Metal Gear Solid was released for the original playstation, this game was considered a masterpiece and probably one of the best games of all time. Now move on to 2004...Nintendo, Konami and Silicon Knights (creators of Eternal Darkness: Sanity's requiem for the gamecube) all team up to revive this masterpiece, including new gameplay from MGS 2: Sons of liberty and wonderful new graphics, creating like that what could be the best remake of a game ever and one that probably surpasses the original.
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Presentation: 10/10
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From a presentation point, this game is practically flawless. It comes with a two disk package. For the menus they chose the human cells theme (something you'll find out about later in the game) and they are wonderfuly done and look great.
It looks way better than the original did (predictable because of the hardware) but this game includes brand new cutscenes....and there are many of them to be found here. If you're new to the series you'll probably think there are too many for it's own good, but each and every one looks incredible; though they are a little over the top using bullet time because sometimes you'll wander if you're watching MGS or The matrix and some of them make Snake look like a super human, but that's no problem due to the fact that these cutscenes always keep you to the edge of your seat because they're intense.
All the dialogue is done through voice acting, which is great because the voice actors are wonderful, the script wasn't changed a bit so it makes you wander why they had to redo all the voices with the same voice actors. Still, this games is magnificently presented.
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Story & Characters: 10/10
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MGS games have always been known for having superb storylines and great characters and since this is a remake of the first one the story remains the same in every way, and while at first is disappointing that they didn't add new story elements like they did in the Resident Evil remake, the intense storyline will make you forget about it and will make you want to watch all cutscenes and hear all the CODEC dialogue even if you've already experienced before.
The story goes like this: it's 2005, FOXHOUND lead an armed uprising in Shadow Moses island (Alaska) and get the Metal Gear REX, threatening the U.S. government with a nuclear reprisal if they don't receive the remains of the Big Boss, but soon you'll find out that their motives are much darker than that. Snake is called from retirement to neutralize the thread and save the hostages. Without risking to throw any spoilers here and there i'm just going to say that the story is incredible, with numerous plot twist at every turn, easily one of the finest story tellings in any game (or movie for that matter)
And the characters are interesting too. Snakes goes beyond the "bad ass" look he always gets from us gamers and during the story he shows that he actually has a heart and cares for people. The enemies are just about the greatest in the history of this industry, each and every single one of them is memorable in their own way and you'll get many of them: Sniper Wolf, Psycho Mantis, Revolver Ocelot, Liquid Snake, Vulcan Raven and others, they are all memorable and sometimes you'll find out that some of them have a heart and you won't want to kill them. But only some of them though, the others are despicable and hateful.
Another thing i should mention is that depending on the players actions the way the story goes will be different, one example is that if you surrender to certain enemy later in the game, someone beloved by Snake will fall...or not. And that's why the story always keeps you to the edge of your seat, it's incredible in every way and something you can't afford to miss.
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Gameplay: 9/10
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In Twin Snakes you'll play from a third person perspective, this is a stealth game so if you get caught you'll probably be shot to death. The best way to beat this game is quietly, sneaking behind walls and then breaking your enemy's neck. You can also use shadows and back up against walls to prevent cameras from seeing you.
This time the bodies of the enemies you kill won't disappear, so you'll have to hide them because if they're found the alarm will break off. There are plenty of weapons here like the SOCOM pistol, Nikita guided missiles and stinger missiles and it also includes Snake's famous cardboard box to hide from cameras. A first person mode has been included and it works fine, it could be better though, but it's useful to destroy security cameras or shoot someone's head off. There's also the ability to hang from ledges which is fairly useful sometimes.
This game has a fair share of difficulty, even in Easy mode you'll be killed a lot because the AI is extremely good, for example: if you kill a guard and his commander communicates to him with radio but he fails to respond there will immediately be a backup unit there searching for the killer. It's great because they feel like actual soldiers this time.
Now this game really shines in the boss battles, they are probably some of the best ever (especially the one with Psycho Mantis). The areas are all the same and they haven't been changed a bit, and that brings a lot of deja vú if you've played the original, but for newcomers they're all superb looking and you'll be hard pressed to find another game with a better level design than this one.
The twin snakes is one of the most challenging games ever, in fact you can play the maximum stealth mode, which basically means that if you're caught you loose. There are also various radar types for different difficulties, and if you want the maximum challenge i dare you to beat the game in Stealth mode without a radar.
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Visuals: 9/10
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This game looks a little better than MGS 2: Sons of liberty, just a little. But that doesn't mean it looks bad, in fact is one of the best on the gamecube, probably not on par with Resident Evil 4, Twilight Princess or Super Mario Sunshine, but it looks superb.
There's a high level of detail in the backgrounds and character models and everything else looks great. Though it could've used a better lighting, but since it's placed in an underground base it's forgivable.
The cinematics look incredible as i said before, they use the in game engine and are just simply amazing with all the shoot outs and fights. Almost everything animates well, but the character faces could be a little better.
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Sound: 10/10
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Amazing, just amazing. Everything sounds just like it should. Every single character has voice acting and there's a lot of dialogue in the game, in fact you'll be impressed by how much there is. All the sound effects a right, the guns sound great and you also get classic MGS sounds like the CODEC beep.
The music is wonderful and it fits the espionage theme, it's incredible honestly and intense when it needs to be.
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Performance: 9/10
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As i said before, the AI is incredibly realistic so there's no complains from me in that point. There are also little loading times but there are some framerate drops, especially when there's a lot of people on screen at once, it doesn't ruin the experience though.
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Replay Value: 8/10
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In the normal difficulty it can take about 12 to 15 hours to beat, but you can replay it (and believe me, you will) in several difficulties. Plus there's also a briefing mode where you can see how colonel Campbell recruited Snake and once you beat the game you unlock boss survival mode. A worthy purchase.
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Fun Factor: 9/10
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Really addictive game and extremely entertaining, the pacing is good and very intense at times. Plus there are not boring training missions like in most games.
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Appeal: 6/10
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Sadly this game isn't for everyone, in fact people who don't appreciate movie-like games will hate this one, the stealth gameplay will probably be boring to those who are more into fast paced FPS.
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Tilt: 10/10
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The Twin Snakes is an incredible game..hell with that, this is an experience, a movie like game with an incredible story and superb gameplay, one of the best on the good ole Cube and it's even better than the original making it the best way to play it and one of the greatest games of all time, something that you'll remember for years to come.
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Overall:
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9.0