Pros: Great stealth action, awesome visuals, fun gameplay.
Cons: Mediocre story, more movie than game
The bottom line: A keeper for any Gamecube owner, though you may want to have a bag of popcorn nearby.
I've stuck mainly to my action/adventure and RPGs, but I decided it would be a good time to pick up a few shooters- after all, what's not to love about blowing holes in digital opponents? Included in the games I chose was Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes.

The Metal Gear (Solid) series has always been much hyped on the PS and PS2, and the remake of the original MGS for the Gamecube garnered rave reviews from critics. I've never had the opportunity to play the game on the original Playstation, so I get to dive into this feet first with no expectations. I have the added bonus of making this the first stealth-heavy game that I've ever played, so I have an extra treat.

Story
The story in Twin Snakes is fleshed out rather well, though it could be considered cliché. Soldier of war is called back from retirement to help fight a black ops mission against a bunch of terrorist- and our own guys. Throughout the story, said soldier keeps to his cold army training, but allow his heart to soften upon meeting the girl of his dreams.

Plot twists and turns are, thankfully, not completely transparent, but you do expect something before it's ever revealed. Konami takes effort to include real world drama (going so far as to include real world video), which can sometimes drag out and just complicate the story.

The game also takes time to add depth to each character; why people are soldiers, why they betrayed someone, or even just their personal interests. Even the person you use to save your game, Mei Ling, has short phrases of philosophy and proverbs that she will dish out after saving, and apply them to your mission.

Gameplay
Twin Snakes allows for fighting and shooting in both first person and third person mode. Third person often takes place with either a top-down or above-and-behind-the-shoulder view. This is useful for allowing you a wider sight of the area than you normally would. First-person mode comes in handy when you want to target a small target, a body part, or something far off.

Where this game really shines, though, is the stealth action. The main intention of the game, you must try to sneak around the captured terrorist base without being spotted. At various times this is quite hard to do, in which case you rely on your guns instead of your wits. Trying to maneuver through each section without being spotted, figuring out how to take one guard out without alerting the other, and peering around corners to see if anyone is coming add great depth to the game, and will keep you on the edge of your seat as you run from corner to corner when your radar is useless.

The range of guns and other items you use is varied and interesting. Multiple types of grenades, boxes to hide in, and sniping guns give you a couple different options for getting through various areas. However, the actual useful gun count is limited (only three of the weapons are useful all around), and some of the items just appear out of no where if you aren't watching the screen carefully.

There are various times when the controls will frustrate you. For instance, if you try to quickly approach a wall to face and peer around it, often times Snake will turn around and press his back against the wall- not the best position to peer around the corner and shoot someone in the head from behind. Shooting in third person can also be a pain, as a slight twitch can completely turn Snake around. As far as fist-a-cuffs go, you are able to run right through opposing forces, meaning that knock-out punch you were trying to deliver doesn't even contact, while they use the opportunity to turn around and shoot you in the neck. Snake takes care not to step on downed enemies, though.

The worst part of the Gameplay is how short the game is- when you get to the end, you just kind of sit there and think "that's all?". Despite being a two-disc game, the very easy setting nets you only ten hours or so of gameplay, if you don't count the FMVs. Higher levels certainly give you more, but it's still a disappointment.

Graphics
The graphics are beautiful in the game. Each character has a high polygon count with shifting eyes and flowing hair. Not individual strands, but a good effect none-the-less. Areas are illuminated nicely; real time shadows are cast by yours and other characters, a vital element in the stealth gameplay (if they see your shadow, you better run.)

Graphics are quite important in this game, because often times that's all you get to experience. This game is chock full of FMVs, often times making you wait 10 or 20 minutes before continuing gameplay. The ending alone must be an hour of FMVs, with a 5 might fist fight somewhere in the middle. This is not to say that the FMVs are bad- while the character's mouths don't always match the words (an eerie thing, considering how realistic they were made to be), they have beautiful and detailed surroundings; in fact, there's not much difference between the graphics in FMVs and gameplay.

Conclusion
In the end, great stealth action and beautiful environments make this a must-have for any Gamecube owners. The long FMVs and sometimes-frustrating controls are a set back, but no reason to pass this up.

If you enjoy the FMVs, you're in luck: After beating the game, you can watch the FMVs in order with no interruption. It's like a free movie!