Score
Gameplay:	9
Graphics:	10
Sound:	10
FunFactor:	9
PlasmaFactor:	8
Overall:	9.2

Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes Review
May 31, 2004 by Scott Parrino

by Scott - May 31, 2004

You sneak carefully towards the guard. His back is to you, and he can�t see you. Your hands sweat with anticipation as you get closer. You finally get behind him and grab his neck and snap it silently. His body falls to the metal grate floor with a clang and suddenly another guard hears the noise. You ready your silenced Socom pistol and hide behind a crate and await his approach.

Intense moments like that are none other brought to you by Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes. This spy/action/adventure will engulf you and your life as you take the role of �Solid Snake� and infiltrate a base in Alaska to stop a nuclear threat. All may seem easy until you realize that a crack group of guards and cameras, as well as elite members of FOXHOUND defends it.

Stealth and Tactics

The first time I popped MGS:TTS into my cube, I was hoping for a well-done remix to the original that came out on the Playstation. Hours later I was very satisfied. Where to begin in a game like this? It�s huge levels, flowing gameplay, intriguing plot... I can go on and on. Well we�ll start off with what people love, the gameplay. Depending on your skill level (more on that later) you can approach the game in different ways. You can be aggressive, quiet, use brute force, or if you prefer, you can just put your opponents to sleep. This is what makes the game so heavily replayable. There are so many different ways you can approach a situation that each time you play it will never be the same. You might have to take on a guard in close quarters, or you might have to quietly do him in and hide him somewhere to avoid detection. These little tactics can save you or kill you if you�re sloppy. Remember, you�re a professional!

You have a host of gadgets to help you out too, from a tranquilizer pistol, to a Socom pistol, from stun grenades, chaff grenades, to even boxes you can use as a disguise. Every object you get in this game is something you can use in a different situation, so pay attention!

What is Metal Gear Solid though, you ask? Well, have you been living under a rock? Perhaps you should get out more. The plot behind Metal Gear Solid is that you are a spy/commando that has been inserted into an enemy base in Alaska. Your job is to stop them from launching a nuclear warhead and find out more information. Turns out they�re also developing a new Metal Gear. Remember those fom the original Nintendo versions? Konami has done a great job in continuing the story and fans of the classics will remember old faces like Solid Snake himself to Campbell and even�well I won�t say whom, but if you played the originals you will be shocked!

Movie-Like Graphics

Wow. Just wow. This game looks and feels incredible! Every room is detailed from the floor to the ceiling, and everything makes the appropriate sound. From running on grate floors to crawling in snow. They�re not there for show though, as troops will see your footsteps or hear them, so be careful when you�re in areas with enemy soldiers.

The cutscenes themselves are equally impressive. The amount of detail to how the acting is done and their gestures, movements, and actions make you feel like you�re watching a movie. Truth be told, there is some two hours or more of cutscenes, so it is like an actual movie!

All the characters are modeled wonderfully, from a shake of a woman�s hips, to how Snake inches along a wall to sneak a look down a hall. Mouths move with speech and eyes squint. Be prepared to be blown away just as much as everyone else was when Resident Evil was re-done.

Realistic Sounds

The voice acting in MGS: TTS is superb. There are no dry or wooden emotions in speech and, no horribly done accents. From the deep bass voice of Vulcan Cannon to the sweet girlie voice of Mei Ling. Snake�s own voice however seems to scowl too much and is quite raspy, but then again, he is bitter.

Environmental sounds range from the clatter of walking on the floor, the switching of weapons, to even different sounds of explosions depending on where the grenade landed. There are even times where you�ll hear Snake�s own heart pound as he hides from a guard that passes by him without noticing him. It�s the little details that really bring you into the game and doesn�t feel like you wasted your money.

The music of the game is very well scored and it ranges from soft ballads to adrenaline pumping beats as you enter gunfights, are discovered, or you escape from a nasty situation. When I hooked it up to my Sony sound system, the bass was a little high in the game, which caused my desk to shake as I took down elevators or launched a grenade or two, but I�m not complaining, there isn�t enough games nowadays that emphasize the bass like MGS: TTS does.

Easy To Control

Now usually a problem with some games that have been re-done and ported to another system is that they can suffer from bad control. This is usually due to the controllers the systems uses or even the person who has two systems and is used to one style and not to the other for a certain game. Not with MGS: TTS on the cube though. The easy fit controller and the sensitivity of the sticks was right on. A gentle push will make Snake sneak around. Push harder and he�ll jog, and harder to run. The shoulder buttons will make you either lean while up against a wall, or change your weapons with a click. A quick shoulder push will put your item away. The ever green A button will make you shoot or grapple an opponent, and the little red B button will make you punch and if quickly hit three times, a three hit punch kick combo. The C Stick is used for looking around while against a wall to get a better view. The only problem I had was the Z button for first person view. While it did provide a great way to see things, it would sometimes become a hassle to hold down because of its stiffness. Then again, its not a major gameplay feature and it sometimes depends on the user (I guess I need to go to the gym more often).

Skill Level Curve

Now when you are first starting the game, you have five difficulty levels. From very easy to very hard, each one is different and will affect the way you play the game. On very easy, the enemies are easy to kill and are generally dumber than a sack of rocks. However, I boosted up to a Normal level and it changed tremendously. Guards will notice sounds easier, and will spot footsteps from water or in snow. If you�re discovered they�ll call for backup and regroup. I�ve been flanked into a room while more guards came to reinforce their side. Another big surprise was that the backups had riot shields! They took a lot more shots to take down, unless you can aim and hit them in the head or legs to take them down.

While I have yet to try harder settings, Normal makes for a very slow game because you have to think harder, while easier settings allow you to know the game better and have more fun with it.

 

A Definite Title To Own

I don�t know why you�re reading this, go out and buy this game! It is a worthy addition to any cube owner�s shelf. The amount of action and detail in this game is enough to make anyone drool their shirt off, or in my case, keep the game nearly four days after it was due back (Hollywood Videro will get it back�eventually.)