Silicon Knights adapts Kojima's masterpiece with solid graphics and tight gameplay, doing justice to the classic story.
No game made you feel worse about losing than Hideo Kojima's original Metal Gear Solid. Released in 1998 on the PS1, the revolutionary game lived up to the description on its box: Tactical Espionage Action. It's unique blend of stealth and action based gameplay, an engrossing story, and cinematic voice acting and cutscenes has often been emulated, but never accomplished on the original's grand scale.
Until now.
Silicon Knights has done an absolutely exceptional job of adapting the PS1 masterpiece for the Nintendo GameCube. A rather odd console to develop a remake for, but the GameCube controller works surprisingly well with the PlayStation based series' gameplay. In fact, at times, the controller actually feels more natural than the PS1's ever did with the original game. The movement and camera is fluid, the shooting is tight, and the inventory system, crouching, and FPS modes are seamlessly integrated with the more basic gameplay elements. (Speaking of the newly added FPS mode, let me just say it works wonders with how the game plays. It adds much needed depth to the original's third person combat, and makes many of the numerous boss fights much easier.) To put it simply, the game controls function pretty much flawlessly when you get the hang of them.
So, good gameplay... scratch that, GREAT gameplay. Check. How about the graphics? Well, MGS: The Twin Snakes recreates every area from the original very faithfully. Obviously, the details are considerably sharper, the mouths move much better with the dialog, and the depth of field is improved. But there have also been some subtle visual flourishes that really benefit the game. Little nods to the Nintendo brand are a blast to find, and numerous environmental reactions (many of which were also from the original) make it exciting just to experiment. Of course, that's not to say the graphics don't have their problems. The biggest one is the atmosphere (or lack thereof). Shadow Moses (the Alaskan base on which the game occurs) seems remarkably clean and sterile in stark contrast to the dark, worn, and grimy look of the original. It's the game's one major problem. All in all though, the game looks like part of the Metal Gear world, and the added clarity, sharpness, and environmental options are more than a worthy trade-off for a diminished atmosphere.
So, the game's got great gameplay and good graphics. Now, what about the meat and potatoes of any great game? The story. Silicon Knights didn't have to worry about this category, seeing as the original's story is wisely untampered with. Hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it! If you're looking for radical changes to the Metal Gear mythos, you've come to the wrong game. But for those wishing to re-experience (or experience for the first time) an ambitious, thrilling, and action packed story that hasn't aged a day, get in line. The Metal Gear aware know that my summary won't even begin to scratch the surface of this deep, deep mythology, but it will give those who don't know Snake from Raiden a general idea of what awaits them.
An elite group called FOXHOUND has taken over the Alaskan base of Shadow Moses with the intent to launch a full-scale nuclear attack if they're not given the remains of the legendary soldier "Big Boss." Ex-FOXHOUND member, Solid Snake (one of the most badass videogame characters ever) is sent to the base to stop the terrorists and rescue some hostages. Of course, all that's covered in the opening cutscene. Soon enough, the story expands to astronomical lengths and introduces us to a world of government conspiracies, high-tech weaponry, and some of the most colorful characters ever assembled in a videogame. (Characters with names like Revolver Ocelot, Decoy Octopus, Sniper Wolf, Otacon, Psycho Mantis, and Meryl) And boss fights. A LOT of boss fights.
I could continue to ramble on about the story, but at the end of the day, it's best experienced via game. Because the game will do it justice in a way words never could. To put it plainly: the story is one of the best I've ever experienced in any medium. The only con I could give such a great story is some questionably stylish cutscenes that range from incredibly awesome to laughably absurd. This isn't the game's fault however; it's just odd to see a man slow motion back flip off a helicopter rocket (I'm not kidding).
To wrap my rather lengthy review up, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes is definitely a game worth owning. Whether you've played the original before or have never played the Metal Gear series at all, I have this to say (especially to those in the second group), pick up this gem of a game. It's been lovingly created by a developer that obviously respects and admires the original, and for my money, they've done it justice. Mixing greatly improved gameplay and graphics with a story that needed no adjustments, Silicon Knights has crafted a game that adds something new for everyone and dare I say, will probably replace the original on repeat play throughs of the series.
Not even a weaker atmosphere, over-the-top cutscenes, and even louder reverberations of those three dreaded words will change that.