It's a remake of one of the best games ever made, can't go wrong with that!
User Rating: 9.2 | Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes GC
In 1998 Hideo Kojima - world renowned game developer - made his first sequel to the Metal Gear franchise in what had been years. To many peoples surprise when it released it quickly became what was considered by many to be one of the best, if not the single best action game ever made. Later, in 2001 Konami released the follow up to the highly acclaimed Metal Gear Solid, called Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty. Upon Sons of Liberty's release, it had immediately been recieved with the most welcome arms and anticipation that you could ever dream of. When reviews started pouring out for the game, people soon came to realize that the Metal Gear franchise was one to be remembered, perhaps as the best ever. It wasn't untill early 2002 that there were rumors circulating around about a possible Nintendo Gamecube, Metal Gear Solid game. This seemed odd to most people, Metal Gear Solid since 1998 had virtually been a Sony exclusive franchise though both games appeared on other systems, they were known for the Playstation console counterparts. Obviously, a Gamecube Metal Gear Solid seemed out of sight, and not realistic at all, but to everyones surprise Konami confirmed it. The best thing about it was that it wasn't just any Metal Gear Solid sequel, it was to be remake of the first game which is considered to be the best in the series as of yet. This was to be called, Metal Gear Solid The Twin Snakes. Featuring a dream production team with the highly acclaimed developer of Eternal Darkness, Silicon Knights, Hideo Kojima, and Shigeru Miyamoto from Nintendo. There hasn't in recent time been such a momentous collaboration on this scale with such amazing talent in game development, so this instantly perked gamers up and gave them something to get their hopes up. Gladly, it's safe to say after all is said and done, Metal Gear Solid The Twin Snakes does not dissapoint, in fact, it's so far from that. The Twin Snakes could quite possibly be the very best Gamecube game to date, it's just that good. There are two kinds of people who will be playing The Twin Snakes; those who've played the original, and those who are completely new to the game. If you've played the game before, let it be known that this is a remake. If you are looking for an entirely new game with a new story and new settings, look elsewhere. If you are new to the game, or want to experience what is one of the best games ever made redone with a next generation feel, this is the game for you. The Twin Snakes is an amazing game, with an incredible amount of polish and care that has gone in to making the final product. The game stays true to the original for the most part, but it's gotten a makeover and added cutscenes and some new story elements. If you've played Metal Gear Solid in the past, it's still as fun now as it was back then, actually it could be even better. The gameplay of The Twin Snakes is interesting, it's a hybrid of Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty and the first one. Most of the stuff you can do in this game couldn't be done in the original. You can hang off wall railings, shoot in first person mode, shake guards down for items, steal dog tags, and the like. These are all added additions to the game that you couldn't do in the original Metal Gear Solid. It's very welcome to see some of the major improvements from Sons of Liberty be incorperated into The Twin Snakes to make of one the most satisfying game experiences of this generation. The control set up works fine for the most part, it has a relatively steep learning curve as opposed to the Playstation's Dual Shock controller. It takes time to get used to it with the lack of buttons. Silicon Knights - the core developer of the game - set it up so combining buttons would work as certain actions. Such as start and A will bring up the codec so you can contact your partners throughout the game. The core story of the game is almost exactly the same as the original. If you've played it before don't expect any major surprises throughout the game besides a few minor changes with character placement or dialogue and such. It follows the main character, super spy extraordinaire Solid Snake through his quest of rescuing DARPA chief Kenneth Baker and DARPA Chief of Defense Donald Anderson. To Snakes surprise things get out of hand and some major turn of events leave Snake in the event of his life in the bleeding heart of the baren, cold Alaska. The story is phenomenal on all fronts, and is as memorable and incredible today as it was in 1998. Also, it features a much more prominant role of the haunting Cyborg Ninja, which to many Metal Gear Solid fans is a very good thing. Everything about it just flows well together with great cutscenes and dialogue, that enhance the gameplay and story so much. The Twin Snakes graphics are just leagues ahead of the Playstation game that it was based off of. Obviously it should be, considering it's roughly 6 years later, but it's still a noticeable difference and truly enhances the epic state of the game. The cutscenes and dialogue have all been reworked to fit the tone of the game, and are just flat out amazing. The cutscenes were being developed by the auspicious Japanese film director Ryuhei Kitamura. The whole game takes a very cinematic approach to it and just feels like an interactive movie with intense battles and gameplay. The overall look of the game is great, it looks on par or maybe even better than Sons of Liberty - which is still considered to be one of the best looking games this generation - so obviously The Twin Snakes is just a great looking game. The framerate is solid, and the character models are great. Also, the environments match up to the original perfectly, but look so much better. It's a great looking game. In the Twin Snakes, there has been some switch ups in dialogue. Konami and Silicon Knights got all of the original voice talent to do all the reworkings for the voice overs of the Twin Snakes, but some of them sound different. It's not bad by any means, just a little different for those of you who had likely played the original extensively. Not to say that it's really any problem, because it's still just an amazing sounding game with a motion picture worthy script. The soundtrack is also still phenomenal, with the intense yet memorable main theme of Solid Snake. The Twin Snakes has an enchanting soundtrack, just like the original did. Without a soundtrack like the Metal Gear games have, it's likely they wouldn't be as good as they are. All of the Metal Gear games in the past have been pretty short, like the original Metal Gear Solid this is no exception. If you're a newcomer to the series it will take you around 10 hours to complete it, but if you're a seasoned veteran expect somewhere between 6 and 8 hours. It's not long, but it doesn't really matter when the actual game is this incredible. When you look at the actual value of the game, it is retailing for nearly $40 United States dollars, which is roughly $10 cheaper than a typical game. But it's still pretty short. If you've played the game before, this is where you need to decide whether it's a purchase or a rental. First off, if you love the series, it's a must-buy. Simple as that. You're going to play this game for plenty of time to come, and come to cherish it as one of the pinnacle games in the Gamecube library. If you're new to the series, it isn't even in question, if this is the type of game that might interest you it's a must-buy. For those of you who have played it before and don't care to do so again, it is worth a rental at least to experience the new look and gameplay elements, but it might not be worth buying when you really think about it. There are some unlockables, and bonuses however. There are two different endings to the game, as well as a multitude of bonus unlockables and such that will keep you coming back to this game for quite a long time. Also, on Konami's website you can upload your game stats to see if you have what it takes to become the ultimate stealth espionage super spy. This will keep you busy, it just depends on how much you like the game that will determine how long. All in all, The Twin Snakes is just a testament to a good story, good gameplay mechanics, and an incredible team of developers. It should be applauded as it's one of the best Gamecube games to this very day, and can hang with the best of the best out there, despite being a remake of a game that came out in 1998. If you're looking for an amazing action game that you will remember for all of your days as one of the best, this game is for you. The slogan says it all, "Classic Metal. New Gear!". That's really what it is, a remake of one of the coolest, most satisfying action games ever made. Look at it this way, one of the greatest games of all time just got better.
