E3 2003: Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes

Finally the Gamecube recieves some Konami love in the form of a beautifully remade version of the original Metal Gear Solid. Impressions and first screens.

No, it's not a 'Metal Gear Solid Kids' with deformed characters running around a playground sniping away at each other with super soakers. Instead of a simple port of the original, the project turned into a labor of love as the game's visuals were re-crafted using the Metal Gear Solid II engine, the results are simply amazing. I can only hope more GameCube remakes turn out like this and the Resident Evil remake.

More than just a mere port, Solid Snake sneaks his way over to the Gamecube in what looks to be quite an exercise in covert operations by thrusting players into a world of stealth action and espionage. As Solid Snake, gamers will infiltrate a nuclear missile disposal facility in Alaska occupied by FOXHOUND, a terrorist organization. The mission objective consists of infiltrating the base, subduing the terrorist cell and neutralizing Metal Gear, the ultimate weapon of mass destruction.

Using a specially designed engine based on Metal Gear Solid 2's advanced engine, this Silicon Knights effort, under the expert guidance of Hideo Kojima and Shigeru Miyamoto, was looking and playing quite superb indeed.

Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes combines some of the major elements of Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2 into one unforgettable experience. Elements from Metal Gear Solid 2 such as aiming and shooting in first person view, opening lockers and hanging from ledges are just a few of the new additions that will enrich this beefy remake. There will also be all new CG sequences led by Japanese writer and film director Ryuhei Kitamura as well as new character voiceovers.

As in the original, the storyline and gameplay are quite memorable with captivating cinematic storytelling and plenty of stealth action. Graphically, this game is a thing of beauty. I honestly kept mistaking it for Metal Gear Solid II: Sons of Liberty, that's how solid it looks(pun intended). The graphics and cinematic cut scenes are fabulous! Near Metal Gear Solid II quality and the overall quality of this game has eliminated the original Playstation version from my purchase list and made this game a must have purchase for me.

The game controlled quite well with the Gamecube controller, but I initially had issues with the button setup which seemed more tailored towards the Dual Shock controllers more than anything else. Activating the radio communicator took some getting used to with the two button (Start + A) set-up on the Gamecube controller, I don't know why they didn't simplify things by making it accessible with just the Start button alone. But regardless of that tiny issue, I loved everything about this Gamecube remake.

Unfortunately the E3 version was so ultra short that a game of this magnitude with such a rich storyline, high quality graphics and refined gameplay just couldn't be reviewed thoroughly going by just the E3 demo alone. Stay tuned for more.

Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes is slated for a November 2003 release - definitely one to keep a look out for, whether you've played the original or not.

Joseph Jackson
Staff Writer, Kikizo Games