Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes

A forgotten game?

Not many people know the existence of Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes; and that is normal; because of how it was released exclusively for the GameCube. Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes is basically a good, forgotten game. If you do have a GameCube (or Wii) and play this game; you will experience the first Metal Gear Solid game ever created–except with much better graphics.

Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes is created by the Silicon Knights company, whom created this game a few years before they released Too Human for XBOX 360 platform. Of course, this game is still with directions from KONAMI, but being not a full Konami game, this game has differences from the main series; which is going to be reviewed and explained in this article.

Graphics (4 out of 5)

The graphics are remade from the original Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes. The scenes are overhauled and completely remade, with the graphics engine used for Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty–except without Raiden as your main character. If you played the original Metal Gear Solid, you will notice that for once, you are not having an eyeless Snake, but Snake as he appeared on Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, albeit slightly younger.

The graphics overhaul made the experience better. You will see much better scenes while playing this game; and see Shadow Moses in its glory. Some characters in this game are given minor details for graphics, especially some characters whose face are unseeable on the original Metal Gear Solid because of the limited graphics capability.

Scene Additions (3 out of 5)

The first scene after you press Start on your controller will feel just like the original Metal Gear Solid. From then, you will be playing throughout the game as Solid Snake, while hiding and killing enemy soldiers. The first time you will take control of Snake is same. You have to wait for the elevator to arrive, and getting inside by first paralyzing the guards or sneaking so that the guards won’t notice you. The next scene you will going to see is slightly different; and longer.

Silicon Knights decides to add little tidbits in the scenes, although most of them aren’t needed; and just increasing the time we have to wait before playing as Snake. The scenes added are mostly action scenes. From time to time on scenes, you will experience a king of a “bullet time” while watching the scenes. Silicon Knights might think that this gives the scenes a more dramatic approach, but for some gamers; this might be a ridiculous thing to add. Just unneeded and a waste of time.

AI Improvement (5 out of 5)

The AI has definitely improved compared to the original Metal Gear Solid. Now, when you are seen by the guards, like in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, the guards can call for backup using its radio, which is a disadvantage for us. But if you don’t want any backup to come, you can either paralyze/kill/tranquils the soldiers before they even call for backup.

One of the added things to the AI is a different way of how the AI thinks. In this game, the soldiers will never come at you alone. When you were seen, they will search for you and come at you with groups, much to your disadvantage. Even in the Normal difficulty, the AI will immediately shoot at you; and unlike the first game, when you do approach them, they will try to disable you by attacking using hand-to-hand combat.

Camera Angles (1 out of 5)

One of the problems of this game; that is also a problem for Metal Gear Solid series up to Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence is the camera problem. Most of the time, you will be given an overhead view of Snake; at your disadvantage, because by this, the only way you can see your enemies is that if you peek behind a wall or go into a first-person view. Most of the times, you will walk unknowingly to an enemy and be startled from the enemy noticing you. Before you notice it, they will already be swarming at you and trying to kill you; and you will have to escape or find a safe place–in the same overhead view. For some players, doing this will be much annoying.

Thankfully, the camera problem was gone in the recent Metal Gear Solid release, starting from Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence that gives you an option of using third-person view.