The C-E staff give their views on gaming's most important issues.

We round off our Metal Gear weekend with a dicussion on whether 40 quid is too much to pay for the game. Because for all its touched-up graphics and redirection, it's still a port of a six-year old game most gamers have played.

It's a port of a 6 year old Playstation game, with touched up graphics. Will you be buying it?

Jayseven:

I was a non-Playstation owner back then... Heck, I still am a non-PS owner. But! 90% of my mates ownded a PS at some point, and so at one point I traded my N64 and 15 games for their PS and 5 games.

'Course, one of the games happened to be some game called "Metal Gear Solid" or something... I don't know, I wasn't really paying attention. So yeah, I pretty much completed this game twice through to unlock the special thingies which I won't mention as not to spoil it for any newcomers.

I really did enjoy the game. My mum wasn't too impressed with one of the codec scenes where Meryl mentioned something about women having more hiding places than men, but I was impressed, and that's all that matters.

The one thing I really really really loved about MGS on the PS was the VR missions; They had me hooked. I kept playing them until I had beaten the best times, then playing more and more until I beat my own scores... But I have heard that The Twin Snakes is devoid of VR missions! WHY! I feel like a chunk of the game is missing, and that I'm going to be overpaying for the game now...

And, of course, I kind of am already 'overpaying' for the game. Sure, the game is now a hybrid of MGS1 and 2, but having played the game to death before is it worth �40?

For some reason my brain is telling me that it's totally worth it. The game was one of THE best games on the PS1 so having the game on the GC's games roster can only be a good thing. The novelty of playing the game on the NGC is also another reason for buying it, too. As is the fact that the cut scenes have all been re-worked, which means that the already thrilling story should be even more gripping to play. The fresh lick of paint is strangely another reason why I am eager to get my hands on it, as is the new added snake-moves including first-person views. I'm intrigued to see how the places now look with the updated visuals and the first person thingies.

So yeah, I'll be getting this around midday on friday, and will no doubt have completed it by the monday, but I think I will glow inside with the knowledge that my games shelf has another of the best games on the 'Cube on it alongside Wind Waker, Metroid, F-Zero GX and Resident Evil Zero.

Dominic:

I loved the original Metal Gear Solid game that was on the Sony Playstation. It had one fantastic story and at the time it had great graphics for the Playstation system.

For the past few months now I've been awaiting this remake of the game.

When I first saw the 20 + min trailer I was really taken in by the cinematic cut scenes. It really does now look like a top class production movie in those cut scenes.

I am some what disappointed that they didn't add new story plots and extra areas like what Capcom did with the Resident Evil Remake (Which in my opinion set standards which have yet to be beaten in the remake world), but apart from that problem I'm happy that they have added all the Metal Gear Solid 2 moves and made the areas fit with the moves so at least they will feel some what refreshed than what I can remember from the original.

So the answer is yes I will be getting it, mainly for the superb directed cut scenes and the reworked graphics and moves of one of the best games that hit the Playstation and been a fan of the series I can't help but want this game.

And as someone said:

"Everybody feels sick the first time they kill someone. Unfortunately, killing is one of those things that gets easier the more you do it." :)

Jayseven:

Oh, there was one thing I forgot to mention earlier; sure, MGS:TTS is a remake of a great game and, as I said before, there are good reasons to get the game.. But looking across at the Xbox and PS2 who currently share MGS2, a game which I still haven't played, and with PS2 getting MGS3 all of a sudden this remake doesn't seem fair at all. If Konami (with some help from Silicon Knights and Nintendo) could be bothered to bring this 6 year old game back from beyond the grave, surely they could give a port of MGS2 a chance?

I bet Xbox will get MGS: Snake Eater a few months after PS2 too... hmph!

Matt:

Although I've played through parts of it this still remains a game I completed years ago and right now my mind is filled with thoughts about another spy game; Splinter Cell 2.

MGS:TTS is well worth the money, I think that the original even on Playstation was better than the sequel, and so it being vamped up in lush 3D graphics can't be a bad thing by any means.

If you've played through this before, you'll need to ask yourself if you could enjoy the game without the suspense of the twisting storyline. If the answer is yes, then go buy it.

If however you never played the first MGS then now you've got no excuse. Go grab a copy now, just make sure you leave the shop undetected.

Iun:

Not being a big fan of stealth in games, I'm going to have to reserve judgement on this one. People far too often use stealth in games to hide gameplay deficiencies, and although I'm not saying that I'd not play this game simply because I think it might not be great, doesn't mean that it isn't great.

I find a lot of stealth sections in games to be frustrating and a hindrance to actually playing the game proper - take Beyond Good and Evil. Some of the hardest and most unpleasant bits of that game were the stealth sections for me. Essentially it just became an exercise in judging movement patterns and just exploiting weaknesses in the enemy AI to get around them. That's something I really hate doing, when you're playing a game you want to be immersed in the game and not step outside of it and just use bug in the way the game plays to get around it. That's not what gaming is about.

I played a PS2 demo of Metal Gear Solid 2, I found the controls to be restrictive and the constant interruptions from that snivelly little geek really cheesed me off. Maybe if a friend has it, I'll play it and see if it's worth it; if not, I won't be buying it at full price, I'll maybe check it out when it goes down.

Edge:

If you are thinking about buying this remake you should get it clear in your mind that this is, in fact more of a reissue. Sure, the graphics have been upped to hold their own with current software, and Ryuhei Kitamura now artfully directs the cut-scenes, but this is not a far cry from the original. Of course that was the game's purpose, allowing this generation of gamers to experience a gaming milestone without having to book an appointment down the local opticians.

Having said that, there is a noticeable increase in sideline activities - whether it be spotting all the Eternal Darkness references, or making away with every guard's dog tag - which will keep you occupied long after you've completed the main adventure. And whilst, sadly, the latter wont take you too long, the vast array of difficulties will keep stealth aficionados happy.

Not owning a PlayStation, I hadn't played MGS since its original release back in the day. So, whilst I'm not experiencing the conspiratorial story from scratch, the forgotten moments and the undercurrent of nostalgia almost make up for that. Almost.

Something that I had forgotten was one of the original title's most distinct features; to my knowledge it was the first game to ever push an anti-violence ethos. This is somewhat ironic given the remake's choice of movie director, but all the information given on nuclear weapons is truly eye opening. Present day Japan has been hugely affected by the destruction of Hiroshima, but, to my knowledge, this is the first videogame to ever do more than hint at the repercussions. In that respect, this could be considered one of the most adult pieces of software ever created, and certainly one we should all experience.

Basically, if you never had the chance to go through the original, or simply haven't played it for years, I'd suggest you go and fuel both your mind and Konami's wallets. Who knows, if this sells well enough maybe next visit Snake'll be flaunting his talents in a brand new title.

Jayseven:

I have no doubt that come the end of this week we shall be seeing MGS atop the GCN charts; nearly all the stores I have been to have sold out of the game and I actually managed to pinch someone else's reserve copy.

But when it comes to multiformat charts I fear that Snake will be beaten off the top spot by 'newcomer' Mr Sam Fisher...

Sure, MGS:TTS is one of THE best games on our pretty little console, with some of the best cut scenes I have quite possibly EVER seen. But Splinter Cell 2 is a WHOLE NEW adventure, it looks damn pretty and it just so happens to have that lifespan-stretching joy that is multiplayer. It will be interesting to see the multiformat charts this week, it could well show which console holds the upper hand out of the Xbox and GC, or at least the upper hand regarding stealth games.

Conor:

For anyone who already owns MGS, they would have to be pretty dedicated to purchase Twin Snakes. I've played it for a few hours and can't see any discernable difference between the two, no matter how much people drill on about the "brand...new ...CUTSCENES!" (oh, give me a break, they're only cutscenes people). I only got play the original for a short time so am glad for the remake. Between this, Capcom's Resident Evil and the purchase of a PS2 recently I'm not able to catch up on the good games I missed. I really don't think Silicon Knights' time should be tied up any further, but I am glad for this opportunity to experience the much-hyped classic Playstation game. I do prefer Splinter Cell, but that's a different matter entirely...

So, will CE's readership be shelling out for essentially the same game again?