March 8, 2004 - In 1998 publisher Konami Entertainment released Metal Gear Solid for PlayStation 1 and in doing so gave birth to the stealth-action sub-genre. The title, which delivered players an unparalleled story, at-the-time gorgeous graphics and movie-like production values, as well as new, sophisticated gameplay mechanics and controls, inspired a slew of me-too clones. You can spot hints of Solid Snake's influence even some six-plus years later in games such as Splinter Cell and James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing.

Though PlayStation 2's Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty improved upon the original in very recognizable ways -- better graphics, more control options -- many MGS fans felt that the storyline in the first title remained far superior.

GameCube owners now get the best of both worlds. Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, developed jointly by Canadian-based Silicon Knights (Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem) and Konami of Japan, is a full-fledged remake of the game that started Metal Gear Mania. The two studios, working closely together, have stayed true to the original's design and considerable storyline, but have surrounded both with noticeably updated visuals, new cinematic cut-scenes, and advanced play options ripped directly from the sequel. The result: a usually riveting stealth-action experience with unequaled presentation. Twin Snakes arrives as a collector's item for fans of the long-running series. But improvements noted, some disappointing indications of the game's true age still remain.

The Facts

  • The PlayStation hit Metal Gear Solid remade for GameCube owners
  • Play as Solid Snake, a deadly operative deployed to rescue hostages from an Alaskan base
  • Features a powerful, wholly cinematic storyline completely re-directed and re-choreographed by Konami
  • Use a combination of stealth and combat techniques to sneak unto and execute terrorist enemies
  • Utilize a wide variety of weapons and gadgets from automatic guns to cigarettes
  • Features play mechanics -- first-person shooting, rail-hanging, guard-dragging -- from Metal Gear Solid 2
  • Completely overhauled and enhanced graphics
  • Single-player game
  • Runs in progressive scan
  • Runs in Dolby Pro Logic II

Gameplay
What most PlayStation fans already know and few Nintendo loyalists probably realize is that Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes -- like the game it's based on -- features a truly epic storyline. It is this story, filled with plot twists and subtleties, which is the backbone for the stealth and combat elements that engulf it. It may in fact be the game's greatest achievement. So if you played and were amazed by the presentation in the original title then prepare to be completely floored here.

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Finally Solid Snake arrives on GameCube in his own exclusive title, a remake of the first 3D title within the series. We not only have a detailed video review, but also high-res movies, and even custom wallpaper for your computer desktop.

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The game features several hours of cut-scenes, which is why it comes on two discs, and though the dialogue remains the same throughout Konami has really upped the quality of the cinematics. All of the voice actors, including David Hayter, have re-acted and re-recorded their speech work for these sequences. Most of the changes are for the better, but a handful of MGS purists may complain about the differences. For instance, one of the characters who spoke with a strong Asian accent in the PS1 title talks without any accent at all in Twin Snakes. Meanwhile the action, guided by famed Japanese director Ryuhei Kitamura (Versus), has been totally re-choreographed and it now shines with bullet-time camera pans and dazzling character acrobatics. And the graphics have been enhanced so dramatically that at points the real-time scenes appear to be more detailed and more stylized than many of the more impressive fully CG rendered videos in other games.