Metal Gear remake falls short of its promise
Very few modern games have been worthy of a complete remake, but Metal Gear Solid is one of the few for which is makes total sense.
The PlayStation classic was well ahead of its time in 1998, and even then it seemed choked by the limitations of the then-cutting-edge hardware.
Its characters’ fuzzy and inanimate faces, their jerky animations and the blocky environments were at odds with the cinematic cut-scenes, complex and engrossing plot and lofty themes.
So with The Twin Snakes, Hideo Kojima had a chance to express his vision of the Shadow Moses Island Incident with the GameCube’s technical oomph - but the result is somewhat disappointing.
All the levels and scenarios from MGS are present and correct, but the new AI and gameplay mechanics from Metal Gear Solid 2 have been transplanted wholesale into them.
Unfortunately, they do not fit together very neatly.
Enemies are now much more ‘aware’ of what’s going on around them - their hearing and vision is vastly improved over the original MGS. You can no longer dance around behind their backs while they stare blankly in the opposite direction.
But many of the playing areas are still tiny, making certain areas much more - sometimes unfairly - difficult.
Meanwhile, some of the larger areas and boss battles have been virtually stripped of all challenge by Snake’s new abilities, also inherited from MGS2.
He can now peek around corners, hang from railings, hide inside cabinets, drag enemies’ bodies around and aim in first-person view - though few of these skills, save the latter, will make themselves particularly useful, as they were not part of the blueprint.
It very quickly becomes clear that these levels were not designed for this engine - or vice-versa. The game is frustratingly imbalanced, being too difficult at some times and too easy at others.
The engrossing plot and the movie-like cutscenes are back with a vengeance, looking mostly fantastic. This is certainly one of the GameCube’s best-looking titles.
But the hours of voice recordings, though completely redone for Twin Snakes, are still cringe-worthily cheesy and overly-sincere at times.
The MGS saga is renowned for not taking itself too seriously, but some of the later scenes in Twin Snakes are eye-wateringly forced and mawkish.
Very little of the intended romance comes through when gruff Solid Snake actor David Hayter growls the saccharine words: “Alaska has never looked more beautiful. The sky, the sea, the caribou, and most of all… You.”
Don’t get me wrong, the foundations of this game are still sound. It will still keep you hooked until the end. Any game which tackles the themes of nuclear disarmament, genetic modification, cloning and the meaning of life itself deserves attention.
But fans of the original may be left thinking that this remake falls slightly short of its promise.
Those who never played the PlayStation original are urged to stick with this through the rough times, as the overall Metal Gear Solid experience is a unique and unforgettable one.
