Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes

Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes (often abbreviated TTS) is a stealth action game developed by Silicon Knights and Konami that was published in 2004 for the Nintendo GameCube. The Twin Snakes is a remake of Metal Gear Solid.

The Twin Snakes features graphical improvements over the original, new cutscenes written and directed by Ryuhei Kitamura, and gameplay functions originally introduced in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. The game also includes a revised translation with re-recorded voice acting using most of the original English voice cast. Hideo Kojima and Shigeru Miyamoto oversaw development of the game.

Development
The Twin Snakes is interesting as a collaboration between Nintendo's then second-party developer Silicon Knights, Konami, and film director Ryuhei Kitamura.

In 2002, Nintendo invited Konami to create a Metal Gear game for the GameCube. Hideo Kojima agreed, but decided that it should be a remake instead of an all-new game, and it was also decided that a new developer should work on it. Kojima claimed there was no point in having the staff repeat their earlier work, while his team at Konami Computer Entertainment Japan had little experience working with the GameCube, and was already busy developing Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.

On May 1, 2003, Nintendo officially announced that a remake of the original Metal Gear Solid would be released on the Nintendo GameCube, titled Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes. The game will not be made by Konami, but by Silicon Knights. Silicon Knights had been working on the game for a few months before the announcement and were working to make the graphics resemble Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. Hideo Kojima and Shigeru Miyamoto would be overseeing development, though Denis Dyack, president of Silicon Knights, would be directing the game. The game was to be released in late 2003 for North America and Europe and early 2004 for Japan. At E3 2003 in mid-May, a demo of the game was playable, where it was revealed the game will feature gameplay from Metal Gear Solid 2 such as first-person aiming and being able to move bodies around.

On May 15, 2003, Nintendo stated that they would like to include a Game Boy Advance connection feature in the game, though Kojima and Miyamoto did not say how this would work. This was later dropped as development on the game continued. On August 21, 2003 the North American boxart was released, featuring Solid Snake and Liquid Snake on the cover. Shortly after this, Silicon Knights stated that the game will be pushed back to a 2004 release for North American and Europe.

On September 5, 2003, Dyack revealed more about the game. He stated that the game will be on two discs, players can use the first-person view to shoot at enemies and bosses, the game will feature the same voice actors from the original and will be re-recorded, and that the game will not include VR missions due to there being not enough time to include them. On December 12, 2003 Dyack stated that the game is nearly complete. He also stated that the game will run at 60 frames-per-second, the original Metal Gear Solid would not be included with the game, and that the game will not feature a behind-the-scenes feature. He also stated that the game will be playable in progressive scan and will support Dolby Pro Logic II.

On January 9, 2004, Dyack stated that players whatever players could do in Metal Gear Solid 2 they can do in The Twin Snakes such as rolling, peeking around corners, hanging off ledges, and AI that reacts to noises, missing guards, and sightings of intruders. He also stated that the AI is an improvement over the AI in Metal Gear Solid 2, with guards being more sensitive to sounds and missing patrols and will maintain a higher level of caution when they are alerted. Guards will also strategically clear outside areas; in Metal Gear Solid 2, this was only done indoors.

Japanese film director and writer Ryuhei Kitamura had directed the game's cutscenes in-house at Konami. The cutscenes reflect his dynamic signature style, utilizing bullet-time photography and choreographed gunplay extensively. Kitamura created many of the game's cinematics to look identical to those in the original Metal Gear Solid, but upon inspection, Kojima had him redo them.

Release
The Twin Snakes was released on March 9, 2004, in North America. It was originally to be released in November 2003, but was pushed back, along with the other versions. The European date was pushed back several weeks, released on March 26, 2004, and was repackaged with artwork to make up for the delay.

In Japan, the game was released on March 11 alongside an exclusive Premium Package. The box includes the game itself; a platinum-colored GameCube adorned with the FOXHOUND logo; a 44-page book titled Memorandum containing production notes, sketches and photos; and a GameCube disc called the "Special Disc" containing an emulated version of the Nintendo Entertainment System version of the original Metal Gear and a trailer of The Twin Snakes.

Plot
During a training mission on Shadow Moses in February 2005, at a nuclear weapons facility on a remote island off the coast of Alaska, the Next-Generation Special Forces unit FOXHOUND rebelled against the United States government, under the command of Liquid Snake. Their target was the advanced weapon system Metal Gear REX, a gigantic robotic weapons platform able to independently launch a nuclear warhead at any target on the face of the planet. Their demand was the body of the greatest soldier who ever lived, Big Boss, which, through gene therapy, they could use to create an army of ultimate soldiers.

With the safety of the entire world at stake, at the request of the Secretary of Defense, Colonel Roy Campbell, the former commander of FOXHOUND, summoned Solid Snake out of retirement for one last solo covert operation.


 * For a full summary of the game, see here.

Music
The game's composition duties were split: some of the in-game music was handled by Steve Henifin and Silicon Knights' music staff, while the rest of the music featured in-game, in menus, and in cut scenes was handled by Konami's music staff, including GMS co-composer Norihiko Hibino.

As with previous games in the series, the cutscene music has a more orchestral/choral basis than the in-game music, which is more electronic with an emphasis on strong beats during action sequences. As the game is a remake, many of the themes recall the music in the original game. Hibino composed a military-themed take on the "Metal Gear Solid Main Theme" for the game's trailer; "Mantis' Hymn" was transformed into a driving battle theme. The main theme itself was largely excised from the game, and replaced by a slightly modified version of Sniper Wolf's theme. While many fans of the original were unhappy with the changes, most were pleased with the new interpretations, leading to frustration as Konami failed to release a soundtrack album.

Voice acting
The voice acting was re-recorded, with most of the original voice cast from Metal Gear Solid returning in their original roles, with the notable exception of the voice actor for Gray Fox. In the original game, Gray Fox and Donald Anderson were both voiced by Greg Eagles. In the remake, Eagles reprised his role as Anderson, but Gray Fox was voiced by Rob Paulsen. Unlike previous Metal Gear Solid titles, no Japanese voiceovers were recorded for The Twin Snakes. Instead, the Japanese release used the same English voice acting as the North American and European versions.

Cast

 * This credit only appears in early demo versions of the game and in the back of some versions of the user manual under Cast and Credits in the European version. David Hayter did not have a pseudonym in the game credits.

Reception
Much like the original Metal Gear Solid, which received excellent reviews from critics, The Twin Snakes also received an and 85% from Game Rankings and a 85 out of 100 metascore on Metacritic. IGN gave the game a 8.5 out of 10, praising its superior graphics and likening the presentation to epic movies. GameSpot gave it an 8.2 out of 10, Eurogamer rated the game as 8/10, and Gaming Age gave it a A- rating. Game Informer gave The Twin Snakes a 9.25/10, citing its improved gameplay and graphics, and also its faithful retelling of the original Metal Gear Solid story.

Despite receiving favorable reviews, The Twin Snakes has also drawn criticism. According to GamePro, the game has a "flagging framerate and bouts of slowdown that occur when too much activity crowds the screen." The new gameplay elements from Metal Gear Solid 2 have also been criticized as unneccessary, as the level design is virtually unchanged from Metal Gear Solid, and, according to Electronic Gaming Monthly, even "spoil the challenge ... and completely ruin at least one boss battle" (the battle with Revolver Ocelot is made much easier with first-person aiming).

Also, many were disappointed with the direction of the new cutscenes, despite the fact that Ryuhei Kitamura was hand-picked by Hideo Kojima to direct the cinematics. One criticism is that they are more extreme, featuring The Matrix-inspired fights that are a stark contrast from the first game's gritty realism, Psycho Mantis notwithstanding. In the original, for instance, there are no scenes where Solid Snake backflips off of a missile or dives in the air, uppercuts a enemy higher than a normal human or dodging a rather large section of the roof that Gray Fox has cut off and kicked at Snake. One particularly controversial cutscene involves Snake and Meryl standing for ten seconds watching what is obviously a sniper's laser sight dancing over Meryl's body.

Another criticism is that the Codec support team's voice acting is weaker. Those who had foreign accents in the original (Naomi Hunter, Mei Ling, and Nastasha Romanenko) now sport more American accents. However, while some of these changes were disliked by some fans, most of them were intentional. Mei Ling, for example, has a less distinguished Chinese accent, but since it is later found out that she was born and raised in America, the change makes sense.

A few lines were altered from the game's script as well. While having most that were from the original, some phrases that were in the Japanese version were added into this new English dub. One such case was the following line as Snake talks to Campbell and Naomi about Liquid surviving his helicopter crash:


 * Original: "...He'd be sliced up faster than an onion on an infomercial as soon as he ejected."
 * Remake: "...He'd be torn to ribbons by the rotor blades as soon as he ejected."

Differences
Apart from the obvious upgrade in graphics, The Twin Snakes has a number of alterations compared to the PlayStation version.
 * In the original, the player had to return to the first building to find the PSG1 in order to defeat Sniper Wolf. In The Twin Snakes, the PSG1-T is available much closer, in the nuke building.
 * Minor dialogue changes were made to some bits of dialog. These dialog changes were more closely related to the original Japanese text and then implemented in the reminiscing sequences of the Shadow Moses level in Metal Gear Solid 4.
 * Many features from Metal Gear Solid 2 were implemented, including First Person Aiming and the hanging feature.
 * All cutscenes were re-rendered, most undergoing major reworking under guest director Kitamura, including controversial changes such as Solid Snake springboarding off a missile that Liquid fires from his Hind D, launching him into the air where he fires the coup de grace at Liquid.
 * Right after entering the Comm Tower, Snake was originally spotted by a camera. In The Twin Snakes, he trips the sensors on laser beams (introduced in Metal Gear Solid 2).
 * The ending text was rewritten to reflect the year 2003, as opposed to 1998 when the original was released.
 * When the player is spotted by an enemy, the game doesn't automatically go into the Alert Phase. The enemy has to call for back-up before the game goes into the Alert Phase.
 * There is no longer a timer during the Alert Phase. It simply disappears when the enemy loses sight of Snake.
 * Lockers have been included, as seen in Metal Gear Solid 2. Snake can hide in them, or hide bodies in them. This also applies to bathroom doors.
 * The disk change location is now at the bottom of Communications Tower A. The PlayStation version's disk swap occurred before entering the Blast Furnace.
 * Like Metal Gear Solid 2, dog tags can be collected from enemies. However, unlike Metal Gear Solid 2, there is no reward for doing so.
 * Boss Survival mode was added to the Special mode.
 * Psycho Mantis' dialog regarding saved games was altered to mention GameCube games, specifically Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Mario Sunshine, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and wikipedia:Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem.
 * The entire musical score with the exception of "The Best Is Yet to Come" was rewritten.
 * Like Metal Gear Solid 2, the pause screen has a map of the base, the original version just had the name of the area Snake was in.
 * The Game Over screen was replaced.
 * The part of the gameplay when Snake has to look in the different bathroom stalls looking for Meryl is now an entire cutscene.
 * The Very Easy difficulty setting was added.
 * No VR Missions were included. In an interview, Dennis Dyack commented that VR training was to be included, but time ran out before the feature could be implemented.
 * In the PlayStation version of Metal Gear Solid, the player's life and maximum ammunition are gradually increased as the game progresses. In TTS, both are at maximum from the beginning (as in Metal Gear Solid 2). In addition the life bar is refilled after every boss battle, whereas in the PlayStation version it was only refilled partially after boss battles, and only completely after certain events.
 * Codec call skipping was added in, again mirroring Metal Gear Solid 2. Originally, pressing a button during a Codec call would result in the voice over stopping and the screens progressing manually. In the remake there are two choices for call skipping. Pressing the B button mirrors the original game's manual progression, while pressing the A button will fast forward the call straight to the end.
 * Many environmental elements from Metal Gear Solid 2 were introduced into the remake, such as lockers, fire extinguishers, and others. In addition, many objects in the background can now be destroyed or broken, such as mirrors.
 * The spotlights on the Helipad sweep vertically, in the original, they swept horizontally.
 * The M9 and PSG1-T were added, as well as boss Stamina bars, allowing for Stamina kills on some bosses.
 * The books for distracting guards were introduced, featuring a picture of Alex Roivas, the main character of Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem rather than a real-life cover model.
 * Sniper rifle controls were changed, making it possible to shoot while standing or kneeling. In the original, Snake automatically went into a prone position when the PSG1 was equipped while the scope automatically zoomed in.
 * The effects of snow were added in, a feature first seen here for the Metal Gear Solid saga. While outside, snow will fall on the camera, fogging it up or frosting it slightly. Snow will also stick to Snake when he stands still and will come off all at once when he moves.
 * The thermal goggles were updated to show a more realistic representation of heat, as introduced in Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance. In the original, the thermal goggles tinted the screen red and significant objects such as enemies were a solid red, which was also shown in the first release of Metal Gear Solid 2.
 * Claymores placed by the player are visible. In the original game they disappeared after placement.
 * The Nikita missiles must be controlled from First Person. Originally the player could guide them in either First or Third Person view.
 * The AP Sensor was added for players who might play without the radar.
 * The PAL key icon changes color according to what temperature it is, rather than the player having to check its information screen as in the original game.
 * The radar mode "Caution" was added. Heavily armed attack squads also patrol the vicinity, as in Metal Gear Solid 2.
 * A "Game Over if Spotted" option was added to the Hard and Extreme difficulties.
 * The radar is replaced by an enemy's field of vision window if they spot footprints or something equally suspicious, as in Metal Gear Solid 2.
 * Bodies do not disappear unless they are discovered or after a certain amount of time has passed.
 * The final section of the battle with Gray Fox, in which Fox generated an electromagnetic field for the player to avoid, was removed.
 * Many small modifications were made to level layout and design. For example, figurines of Mario and Yoshi are now found in Otacon's office, along with a GameCube and a wireless Wavebird controller. Shooting Mario will also slightly restore life.
 * There is now a drainage duct running along the width of the canyon, which Snake can crawl into and hide in.
 * In the original version, there is a PlayStation on one of the desks in Otacon's office. In The Twin Snakes, there is a GameCube.
 * Diazapam is now called Pentazamin.
 * The music is now different in every area, even during Alert and Caution phases.
 * The footage of Policenauts that was shown during Otacon's explanation of anime in the original has been replaced with footage of Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner. An interesting note is that the cutscene is a seamless transition that bridges two cutscenes that were separate in the original.
 * As with Metal Gear Solid 2, The Twin Snakes had a web site where players could submit Clear Codes that are displayed upon the completion of the game, and compare the results with other players. The website was open between March 9, 2004, and March 31, 2005, with a total of 20,405 codes submitted.
 * Disposal hatches were added near the cliff of the Heliport.
 * During the torture sequence, Ocelot will now only electrocute the player 3 times, regardless of the difficulty level they are playing on.
 * The top of REX's head (where the player fights Liquid) is noticeably bigger as compared to the original, making it so that the rail gun protrudes out so much that it actually hits the wall located beneath the control room.
 * Sentries patrolling the Warhead Storage Facility are armed with shotguns fitted with knock-out rounds, which makes more sense from an in-universe point of view (Snake cannot use weapons in this area so as not to damage the warheads).
 * The player can now "hold their breath" in areas where they can't breathe. The player can do this by repeatedly pressing the Y button. This was first introduced in Metal Gear Solid 2.
 * When Snake has to escape from the Hind D at the top of Comm Tower A, the player may choose to hang-drop all the way down if they did not grab the rope item.
 * An extra cutscene was added if Snake tripped one of the beam sensors in the Tank Hangar airlock.
 * The Briefing Files segment was updated from 2D animations of Snake to a fully 3D demo with Snake and now-visible Campbell and Naomi. Both Campbell and Naomi are slightly fleshed out more as they can both be seen interacting with Snake.
 * Lights can now be shot and destroyed. For example, the Heliport Spotlights can be shot out.
 * In the Psycho Mantis fight, Snake now has more time to look around in first-person before the view switches to Mantis' POV.
 * To beat Psycho Mantis, the player must periodically go through all four controller ports as Mantis begins to recover the ability to read Snake's mind, as opposed to the original two.
 * PAN Cards no longer have to be selected to get through a security door.
 * Some of the hidden cutscenes that the player had to activate (ie, looking through vents to activate the cutscenes), are now default cutscenes.
 * The layout of the catwalks in REX's hangar was revised, with overhangs being removed or rearranged, such as the PAL key temperature shortcut, and ladders being replaced with stairwells. Also, loading times between levels have been removed. Also the player is no longer able to climb over REX's head, in fact, the ladders were removed.
 * At some points, the camera will go to a side-on view of Snake which it didn't do in the original (ie. the Underground Passage, REX's hanger catwalks, and the hallway outside the prision cells.
 * At the cliff of the heliport, a railing has been added, making more sense (the original did not have the railing at the cliff, and Snake would be blocked by an invisible wall).
 * The camera is now looking down upon Snake during the rappel section, where the original looked up at Snake.
 * Wires are now strung in certain areas for hanging (the wires were introduced in Metal Gear Solid 2). A noticeable example is in the Blast Furnace, where Snake has to crawl upon an outcrop from the wall. The player can choose to take the outcrop, or hang from the wire.
 * When Snake is pressed against a wall, he can move while crouched, whereas originally he would be unable to move (this feature was also introduced in Metal Gear Solid 2). This was criticized for making the Blast Furnace section easier. Originally, Snake had to crouch against the outcrop and remain there until the robotic arm overhead would stop, and move again, the player had to time this section perfectly to avoid getting knocked into the molten metal below.
 * The ALERT, EVASION, and the CAUTION symbol that appears in the corner during these phases have been redesigned to look identical to how they looked in Metal Gear Solid 2.
 * The lasers in the Tank Hangar can now be destroyed by shooting at the boxes next to the lasers (the boxes were introduced in Metal Gear Solid 2).
 * The Stinger's lock on system was changed to look identical to Metal Gear Solid 2.
 * The M1 Tank stays in the Canyon after Snake destroys it, where it was originally gone after Snake went back out to it to get the Nikita.
 * Guards now patrol areas they didn't patrol originally (ie. the Canyon, and the section before REX's storage hangar).
 * The amount of Gun Cameras in the area before the REX's hangar went from 12 to just 2 on the wall above the door.
 * The design of the elevator controls was changed to look like how they did in Metal Gear Solid 2.
 * Gun Cameras have been put in some areas where normal cameras were originally.
 * Some glass windows can now be destroyed.
 * The styling of the Codec's HUD is made to look identical to the Codec HUD in Metal Gear Solid 2, but the character images were kept the same from the original version.
 * The zoom feature has been implemented into the cutscenes. The player can press the right trigger to zoom in on the cutscenes, and move around using the C Stick.
 * Trap doors in the floor will collapse in and fall down, where in the original, they were on hinges, and sprung back up.
 * Snake's punch-punch-kick combo is changed to the combo he and Raiden used in Metal Gear Solid 2.
 * Snake's walking animation has changed to look more smooth and realistic.
 * Snake's health can now go red, and slowly decrease as Snake bleeds. Snake can cure this by kneeling down to let the blood clot, or using the bandage item. All of this was first seen in Metal Gear Solid 2.
 * The Bandage item was included.
 * Due to the better graphics, the GUI is now clearly visible on the many computers found around the game. One computer even has a Silicon Knights website on it.
 * Some items (ie, cardboard boxes, suppressors, goggles) have been moved to completely different locations than in the original.
 * The layout of some of the rooms in the armory, heliport, and tank hangar have been slightly altered. A good example is the room where the player gets the FAMAS in the armory. Originally, the room was mainly empty except for the lasers and the FAMAS, but now there are crates in the room.
 * There are now only 4 cubicles (instead of 5) in the office on B1 of the Warhead Storage Building. The missing 5th office has been replaced with a row of lockers.
 * Gun camera turrets can no longer be destroyed by the Nikitas in the Gas Hallway.
 * Pipes can now be shot at, creating a cloud of steam that temporarily blinds enemies, and can cause enemies to be distracted.
 * Some parts that were originally gameplay are now in cutscenes, or in the "mini-cutscenes" before a specific event (ie, a boss battle).
 * The location and actions (physically) of the characters are completely different in cutscenes than in the original.
 * A whole new cutscene has been added of the Ninja killing all of the soldiers in the hallway outside of Otacon's office (in the original, most were not seen getting killed, only heard, and most were dead by the time Snake arrived in the hallway).
 * The player can now peek out over corners when pressed up against a wall, as seen in Metal Gear Solid 2.
 * Certain names and grammar have been slightly changed, i.e. the FA-MAS is now spelled FAMAS and FOX-HOUND is now FOXHOUND.
 * Small choreography changes were made. A good example is when Sniper Wolf is dying, in the original she gestures in Otacon's direction and asks for her gun. The gesture was removed in The Twin Snakes, possibly because it appeared ironic and anti-climactic that she cared more about her gun than Otacon.
 * The ending was also somewhat different in the game as well. In the original, Solid Snake and Meryl/Otacon (depending on the ending) are hiding under the Jeep when Liquid approaches them to kill them, when FOXDIE kicks in. In The Twin Snakes, Snake and Meryl/Otacon (depending on the ending) get out of the overturned Jeep, and it was only after a firing line originating from a FAMAS that they realized that Liquid was still alive. Liquid also succumbs to FOXDIE much slower than in the original, as the original had him dying of it almost instantaneously, whileas Liquid initially collapses, but then gets up to his knees and attempts to grab Snake twice, but then gets up and they have a final staredown before Liquid finally passes away from FOXDIE. The environment was also slightly different, as the original was at daybreak, while The Twin Snakes, has it still being nighttime.
 * At least some of the real-time cutscenes (cutscenes that have real-life footage to go along with the characters speaking) have been altered. This is most notable with Kenneth Baker's description of how a nuclear threat is much more prevalent than during the Cold War, as the original game had used footage of nuclear warheads being loaded and launched as well as overhead shots of a nuclear missile silo as part of Baker's description, whileas The Twin Snakes used footage of plutonium barrels in a nuclear disposal warehouse, the outside shot of a real life nuclear storage warehouse, nuclear barrels being stacked to great heights, as well as fumes imminating from the grated floor and a caution barrier in front of one of the nuclear waste areas, a brief look at some nuclear warheads in storage, a NBC unit uncovering a plutonium cache from a hole with a radiation detector, and a scientist looking through a generator plant all by himself.