Review: Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes

With just about every major third-party release you can feel the earth shake with the GameCube owners running to see if they get a version. If you had a GC but no Xbox, you were thrilled when <i>Splinter Cell</i> was released on the Cube. If you had a GC but no PS2, you gratefully bought the <i>Resident Evil</i> remake (or you should have). When a <i>Metal Gear</i> game was announced for Nintendo's wonder box, fingers were crossed all over the map that Cube owners would get an original. Instead, <i>Twin Snakes</i> is an enhanced version of the PlayStation classic. But such is the fate of a GC-only or GC-and-no-PS2 owner: graphically spectacular and obscenely delayed table scraps.

But <i>MGS</i> is a special game and <i>Twin Snakes</i> promised to make it even more impressive.

<a href="http://www.the-nextlevel.com/reviews/gamecube/mgs-twin-snakes/">So impressive, in fact, that it warrants two reviews (but not by genetically enhanced twins).</a> Well, not identical twins anyway.

Good job to both of you. I really enjoyed both perspectives that these reviews offered.

Bahn, I identified greatly with your minor chagrin about the lack of extras in the game. It seems silly that with the VR missions already in existence, and most of the work already done, they wouldn't have included them. I would go as far as to say that I at least expected the Ninja to be playable.

I am interested to know what you thought about the remixed music, as I don't remember you saying much about that...

MechDeus, I played this game the second time through in one sitting, to watch it in a movie format, and I have to say, even though it all seemed cool and over the top the first time, the second time through, the cinematics came off as somewhat corny and out of place. I just found it funny. It seemed like they were just aiming to entertain the 'lol XTREME generation' of new players.

It frightens me though, because I can easily see them making this game into a movie and casting The Rock or someone as Snake and Vin Diesel as Vulcan Raven or something :||| Jeff Goldblum as Otakon >:\\\\\

Beware everyone. You know it could happen.

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.

Re: remixed music highlights

Originally, during one of the drafts, I actually touched upon the music. But since this was going to be a joint-editorial coverage and wanted to avoid having points repeated between Mech and I, I removed it.

Basically it's like this. I like the music, but it's no substitute for the OST. I identify with the classic soundtrack a LOT more than the new tracks composed for Twin Snakes. They felt more appropriate, but now with this dynamic atmosphere depicted in Ryuhei's sequences, the original music in my opinion would've seemed out of place. However, that doesn't explain why the game's finale theme "The Best is Yet to Come" was more or less removed entirely. I loved that theme a great deal and was disappointed that they didn't leave retain it.

This is one of those things that only a true fan would care about, much like the voices that I brought up in the review. And I suppose for that, it's still worth holding onto the original PlayStation version just to fall back on whenever you get those nostalgic cravings.

Oh, and I am definitely in support of a Metal Gear feature film. It just needs a really solid writer and the proper funding. Yeah, make it so!

Heck, we can write the film. No problem.

Good job, Bahn and Mech.

Good reviews guys. A couple of things, tho... Am I the only one who thinks that Metal Gear has ALWAYS been hokey? Sure, it walks a fine line between realistic and over-the-top I guess, moreso in Solid than anywhere, but jeez, we're four games into the series and it's been corny from the beginning.

I mean, I think about the original Solid on PS1, you know, stuff that didn't change for the GC, like, I dunno, a Cyber Ninja, a guy who can read minds and float in the air, stealth camouflage that makes you invisible, the improbable love link between Otacon and Sniper Wolf, the cheesiness of every line Liquid ever let ooze forth from his mouth, the stupid way that guard runs when the diarrhea hits, the fact that you can collect cardboard boxes to hide in and even let a wolf pee on you in one, OMG!!!!11 Master is Liquid!!!?! … those stupid bar pick up lines Snake uses on Mei Ling… This is like, what, a 5 hour game? That’s a lot of cheese for just 5 hours. The new cut scenes don’t detract from an already cornball game. That said, please, powers that be, NEVER, NEVER, EVER make a movie out of Metal Gear! That would be really, really stupid if they did it “right” and kept the heart of this series hokiness in tact for a live action film. It totally works for the game tho, and I love it!

I saw no reason to completely revamp the soundtrack. I totally think the OST for the PS1 game was much, much more memorable. At the very least, they should have left the opening theme and “The Best Is Yet To Come” completely alone. You know, it would have been incredibly cool to be able to pick at the beginning of the game if wanted to use the “Classic” Metal Gear Solid soundtrack or the “New” MGS ST.

And yeah, c’mon guys, let the player customize the control options so I can put actions where they are most comfortable for me. Most games, this doesn’t bother, and frankly it’s not the GameCube controller’s fault (this time) as I think it’s the best controller out there. It’s entirely the fault of whoever chose that control layout. I think they were trying to make it kinetically ‘technical’ to make the player feel they were more part of the game. What they ended up doing was making it just way, way too overly complex.

I like Mei Ling’s accent a lot from the original, but if someone is going to complain that you can’t throw a grenade down the barrel of any tanks made after WWI, then they should at least acknowledge that if you are born and raised in the US, regardless of where your parents are born, you’re probably not going to have much of an accent by the time you are 20.

I would have loved for this edition of MGS to be the definitive version without question. But in my eyes, the only way to do that would be to have all the VR missions from the Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions disc released in 2000. And to open up the original Metal Gear game, if not MG and MG: Solid Snake. And to let you customize the control set-up. And to let you pick which soundtrack you wanted to use. It’s still a kick ass game though, and quite beautiful to look at. If there’s a Twin Snakes Integral or Substance, I think I’d pick that up too.

I agree with everything this man said. Had I reviewed this game, I would have said almost the exact same thing.

Metal Gear is, by its very nature, over the top. The FOXDIE virus is ridiculous and the whole "Solid and Liquid are identical but have different genes" is genetically wrong.

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Originally Posted by Scourge

At the very least, they should have left the opening theme

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Honestly, that little jingle from Policenauts is just about the best thing ever. Why did they change that??

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Originally Posted by Scourge

Good reviews guys. A couple of things, tho... Am I the only one who thinks that Metal Gear has ALWAYS been hokey? Sure, it walks a fine line between realistic and over-the-top I guess, moreso in Solid than anywhere, but jeez, we're four games into the series and it's been corny from the beginning.

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I agree it's over-the-top, but overall, it's been entertaining for me. Just like your typical action film. The guys at 1up.com basically said the same thing, so you're not alone on this thought!

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Originally Posted by Scourge

If there’s a Twin Snakes Integral or Substance, I think I’d pick that up too.

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I doubt that, and I seriously hope they don't pull some stunt like that, because then I'll be upset they didn't just do that in the first place. (See: last paragraph in review).

In other news, <a href="http://pgnx.net/reviews.php?page=full&id=4442">seems this editor feels that many of us are missing the point</a>.

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Maybe it doesn't have all the bells and whistles that you would expect from a remake in the extras department, but did Twin Snakes need it? No, of course not.

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Uh. For fans of the series, yes it definitely had every right to throw some more extras in there. Ninja Gaiden for Xbox didn't have to throw the extra games in there, but they did.

Anyway, what do the rest of you think?

If you told me like, in late '02 or early '03 that there'd be a MGS game for the Cube I'd have called you a liar. Telling me it was a remake of the original MGS would make it more convincing, but I'd still be skeptical. For what it is, a remake, I think Twin Snakes gives us what it promised; a faithful remake that blends the first MGS's story and setting with SoL's advanced controls and 1st person antics.

Most of the negative thoughts directed toward this game have been heavily tainted by fanboyism (I mean, come on, does it really matter that Mei Ling doesn't sound like some off-the-boat Chinese anymore instead what she is, a naturalized immigrant?), and that's a very good thing. It shows that Silicon Knights made the worthwhile decision to ship the game when it was finished, not after they'd spent another two or three months adding the same VR scenarios you've played twice before (if you played Substance and VR Missions).

If you want a load of repetitive VR missions and nifty extras you need to be playing Substance. Or, if you're really lucky, maybe they'll remake VR Missions? I wouldn't hold my breath though.

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Originally Posted by g0zen

Most of the negative thoughts directed toward this game have been heavily tainted by fanboyism (I mean, come on, does it really matter that Mei Ling doesn't sound like some off-the-boat Chinese anymore instead what she is, a naturalized immigrant?), and that's a very good thing. It shows that Silicon Knights made the worthwhile decision to ship the game when it was finished, not after they'd spent another two or three months adding the same VR scenarios you've played twice before (if you played Substance and VR Missions).

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I was disappointed at first and it wasn't until after my review was completed that I eventually just didn't care (and liked it). I haven't seen how harsh the negative remarks have been, but I can imagine they reek of true fanboyism.

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If you want a shitload of repetitive VR missions and nifty extras you need to be playing Substance. Or, if you're really lucky, maybe they'll remake VR Missions? I wouldn't hold my breath though.

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I actually don't want a bunch like they threw us in Substance. 40 solid, quality missions at best would've been great. Stuff like Boss modes and crap I don't care about. I really was hoping for some retro versions of Metal Gear. Like I said in the review, it's been years since Metal Gear hit the Nintendo. I would've liked to see just a little bit more. I think the Cube edition deserved that much, but hey, new sequences and MGS2-style graphics/gameplay still gets the thumbs up from me.

Keep the thoughts coming.

I do agree that not throwing in an emulated US version of the original MG and MG2 was a mistake on Nintendo's part. Their entire marketing strategy focuses on the nostalgia factor of their clientel. I mean, come on, people were spending upwards of a hundred bucks for the Zelda compiliation on eBay when they could have just got it (and a year's subscription to Nintendo Power) for like twenty or thirty.

Nintendo sells us back our geeky childhoods and we buy it up like crack, so why the sudden change in sales ideology for the American Twin Snakes release? I just don't get it.

This simple gesture would have, like you said in your review, elevated this game from really good to a 'must own' easily.

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Originally Posted by g0zen

Nintendo sells us back our geeky childhoods and we buy it up like crack, so why the sudden change in sales ideology for the American Twin Snakes release? I just don't get it.

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KONAMI.

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Maybe it doesn't have all the bells and whistles that you would expect from a remake in the extras department, but did Twin Snakes need it? No, of course not.

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The guy is right. Sure, I'd love to play the MSX Metal Gears, but they were never part of the original MGS nor ever offered here.

http://www.411mania.com/games/review...eviews_id=3006

That's my review of it. Feel free to comment.

Do you guys have to break your review up into categories like that? What are "balance" and "appeal?"

I don't disagree with your points, but the way you break them down just doesn't make sense.

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Originally Posted by burgundy

Do you guys have to break your review up into categories like that? What are "balance" and "appeal?"

I don't disagree with your points, but the way you break them down just doesn't make sense.

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That's the format they ask us to write in. Personally I'd prefer to stick to Story, Graphics, Sound, Control and Overall, but they want things fleshed out more. Balance is basically do you get your moneys worth from what they give you, from "how long is it" to "does the story suck you in". Appeal is basically will this game be something people want to play or is it something to avoid?

And could you clarify that comment please? Is it my review that doesn't make sense or the review template? I'm always interested in hearing about my work, so feel free to let me know what you think.

Error: I like the style of your other reviews, I don't like the way your thoughts are broken up like that.

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Originally Posted by Error

http://www.411mania.com/games/review...eviews_id=3006

That's my review of it. Feel free to comment.

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Here's my review of your review:


Review: Error's Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes Review
Posted By Scourge on 03.26.04

Laaaaaaaaaame!

Error's Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes Review
By Michael O'Reilly
1 Writer
English
Rating: E For Everybody

On March 23 Michael posted a review and it was lame.

Story:

Apparently, 411 makes you break your review up into tiny little sections, some of which are really retarded, like balance, originality and appeal. While these types of things might be touched upon in a review, requiring seperate sections for everything really, really breaks up the flow and continuity for the writer and reader.

Story Rating: 3

Gameplay:

Reading a review in this format is, um, hmmm.... lessee, cliches, cliches, cliches... paint drying, grass growing... errrm, uh. Okay, fine. It's just plain boring.

Gameplay Rating: 2


Graphics:

Michael seems to know English and can type. It's too bad that what he's typed makes my head hurt.

Graphics Rating: 4

Sound:

I audibly said "WTF!?" while reading his review. And then there was silence.

Sound Rating: 1

Control:

411 has shitty pop ups.

Control Rating: 1

Replayability

I've tried to think of a way that would make me want to read the review over and over again and I've come to the conclusion that if Michael moved it off of 411, stopped using their format and had someone else write it, it would be improved enough to see if it still sucks.

Replayability Rating: 1

Originality:

Well, it is a formatted review.

Originality Rating: 0

Appeal:

If Michael's review was first posted in 1998, it would be the industry standard. This is not 1998 anymore. We like more explosions in our reviews. Get with the program.

Appeal Rating: 2



Balance:

When judging Error's Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes Review, you have to look at the amount of entertainment you will receive compared to the amount of time it will take you to finish reading it.

I’m going to score this assuming most of you have seen reviews like this plenty and never liked them before, so hey, why start now...

Balance Rating: 1

Miscellaneous

There was virtually no hype for this review before it was posted. It lived up to it.

Miscellaneous Ranking: 2

Story Rating: 3
Gameplay Rating: 2
Graphics Rating: 4
Sound Rating: 1
Control Rating: 1
Replayability Rating: 1
Originality Rating: 0
Appeal Rating: 2
Balance Rating: 1
Miscellaneous Rating: 2

Overall Rating: 2

Thank you Bahn. And thank you too Scourge. I do appreciate good critiques.

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Originally Posted by Error

And thank you too Scourge. I do appreciate good critiques.

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Well, I was kidding a bit. But that format! That's horrible.

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Originally Posted by Error's Review

There is a tiny amount of slowdown in some areas of the game, and the level design, which is almost entirely the same as the old game, lends itself to camera angles that are either too far away for detail or overhead.

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Small note: The levels aren't almost entirely the same, they are entirely the same.

Also, who cares if the camera is too far away for detail, if it was any closer the screen would be useless for anything besides melee combat and the overhead view works perfectly with the 2D control. Gameplay > graphics.

Error: We've beaten this around in our own private discussions, but I detest reviews that are broken up into categories, and your review (and probably others at 411, I'd imagine) takes categorization to a whole new level of ridiculousness. When I consider purchasing or playing a game, I don't ask "How are the graphics?" or "What's the replayability like?" or "How's the balance or appeal?" I ask "Is this game worth my time and/or money?" And when I write a review, that's what I try to answer. Sure, graphics and replay and all that other stuff comes up, but only indirectly - people don't buy games for high replay value, they buy good games, and one thing that helps make a game good is high replay value.

Also, how did you come up with 6/10? I can understand (but disagree) if you think Twin Snakes is just a bit better than the average game, but if you just averaged out your category scores, that's a pretty bad way to come up with a final score.

Again, this is more a critique of 411's review guidelines than anything you decided, I think.

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Originally Posted by MechDeus

Small note: The levels aren't almost entirely the same, they are entirely the same.

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There are *tiny* differences. For instance, in the REX hangar......apparently there are a few valves you can shoot in first-person view that release steam or coolant, which you can use to transform your keycard without backtracking.

Hadn't heard of/encountered that, pretty nifty.

I haven't checked it out for myself, so it could just be GameFAQs BS, but it seemed pretty credible.

Well Burgundy, as I stated in my first response, I'd rather not break my reviews down quite as much, but thats the way they are done at 411. Wasn't always that way, in fact things used to be just the way i liked, with maybe 4 or 5 areas to cover.

As for the score, thats a bit from column a and column b. I usually do go by the average of my scores in the individual categories, but we are afforded the option of giving a reviewers slant, allowing, in case the game scores lower than we think it should. I could have used it here, but there was no need. I simply don't think a game that is essentially the same and 6 years older deserves a higher score than that.

Take another remake for example. LucasArts re-released the old X-Wing and Tie Fighter games with an entirely new 3D engine a few years after it was released. Same game, just prettier. While I happen to think the game was awesome in it's day, new graphics alone don't allow it to stand on it's own in todays market place.

Oh and Mech, I agree with you on most occasions in regards to gameplay vs graphics, but in case of a remake, if all that has changed is the graphics, then the graphics are what will sell the game to those who have already played. In my mind anyway.

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Originally Posted by Error

Oh and Mech, I agree with you on most occasions in regards to gameplay vs graphics, but in case of a remake, if all that has changed is the graphics, then the graphics are what will sell the game to those who have already played. In my mind anyway.

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That doesn't make any sense because the graphics weren't the only thing that changed. The only time in MGS:TS that the updated graphics even matter are in the cutscenes, they did a lot to the gameplay as well.

Nevertheless, none of that has any affect on the camera, which was all I mentioned. So your point still has no bearing on anything.

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Originally Posted by burgundy

I haven't checked it out for myself, so it could just be GameFAQs BS, but it seemed pretty credible.

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i'd be surprised/impressed if that's true. remember, after you heat the 3rd key, as you're heading back down the elevator, you get a very important story-related codec message.

it's possible that the conversation is triggered as soon as you heat the key in the hangar, but i doubt it, considering that up until that point, there were very few (if any,) changes made to the the story progression.

SUPER SECRET TRICK - If you don't want to make trips to the Warehouse and
Blast Furnace just sitting around, then you should take a look at the
southeast corner of the middle floor. See that railing area that it looks
like you can't get to at all? You can get to it, but it requires a Hang-
Drop-Catch. For those of you who didn't read the basics section, first
hang from the railing above that one, then press X to let go, then press Y
again just as you hit the next railing. Once you're in this secret area,
you may notice the two pipes on the wall. One's liquid nitrogen, the other's
steam. Shoot them while holding the KEY, and it will automatically change
color. You have to Hang-Drop-Catch again to leave, by grabbing onto the
wire at the bottom, so be careful. However, if you prefer the simpler
method, just head out to the Warehouse.

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Originally Posted by burgundy

SUPER SECRET TRICK - If you don't want to make trips to the Warehouse and
Blast Furnace just sitting around, then you should take a look at the
southeast corner of the middle floor. See that railing area that it looks
like you can't get to at all? You can get to it, but it requires a Hang-
Drop-Catch. For those of you who didn't read the basics section, first
hang from the railing above that one, then press X to let go, then press Y
again just as you hit the next railing. Once you're in this secret area,
you may notice the two pipes on the wall. One's liquid nitrogen, the other's
steam. Shoot them while holding the KEY, and it will automatically change
color. You have to Hang-Drop-Catch again to leave, by grabbing onto the
wire at the bottom, so be careful. However, if you prefer the simpler
method, just head out to the Warehouse.

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You did this just using experimentation? I read that you can change the card key form in this month's EGM interview with Denis Dyack but I didn't know it was this way. Pretty cool nonetheless.

I found it at GameFAQs. Someone else found it through experimentation.

You ousted us again GameFAQ's......CURSE YOU GAMEFAQ's!!