Metal Gear Solid vs Metal Gear Solid?
Remake versus the original? Is it possible the original provides the better experience?
The Metal Gear series defined and continues to push tactical stealth espionage games into realms that are astounding. With the upcoming release of the next imminent masterpiece in the series, Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain, let’s celebrate by turning back the clock to the humble beginnings of the MGS series with its first entry.
When MGS1 was released, it was a groundbreaking and unparalleled gaming experience. No other games came close to what it had going for it. High quality voice acting, an immersive 3D world, glorious soundtrack, compelling and complex story, and diverse characters, all within a stealth game. It really was monumental in the impact it made. It has not aged well though.
Even speaking with respect to the MGS series alone, every facet of the game has been significantly improved upon. I can’t think of a single reason why you would play MGS1 instead of MGS4 for example. Everything is just better in MGS4. Way better. MGS1 is very important to experience in order to appreciate the progression of the series and gaming as a whole, as well as understand the complex storyline, but it shouldn’t win any contests for best game (unless nostalgia clouds your judgement). This is why a remake would make life so much better.
Lo and behold there was a remake done on the GameCube. MGS The Twin Snakes takes all of the aforementioned qualities that made the original so great and made them better. Armed with more powerful hardware along with a more comprehensive understanding of 3D gaming, MGSTTS is a vastly improved game. Even just being able to see facial features as opposed to clunky polygons is very welcomed. I know graphics aren’t everything. They should be used as a means to appropriately convey story and gameplay. But really, why not? So if everything is better, what is there to compare?
The controls. The controls are where the argument lies. The controls are much better in TTS, I am not disputing that. It was very welcomed to be able to use the well received upgrade to the controls from MGS2 applied to MGS1. But my problem lies not in the quality and responsiveness of the controls, but in how they are applied to the gameplay.
MGS1 was programmed not with MGS2s controls in mind, but MGS1s (obviously). So the bosses, sneaking sequences, or anything else, everything was designed to work within the limits of the original controls. Nothing was updated to fit the new control scheme. Any time I tried to use mechanics from MGS2 I found the game to be much more difficult to maneuvre. I would regress and go back to the old way of playing the game. The only time I found life to be much better was when fighting Sniper Wolf. I felt like I could finally have a sniper battle with her. This was annoyingly contrasted by how awful it was to try and fight Vulcan Raven with the new controls. It was nice to still be able to play the old way though. Life was made much easier because of it.
So while everything is better in TTS, I can’t help but feel like the fundamental integrity of the original gameplay being tampered with hindered the experience. While the game basically gives you two ways to play now, it only felt like it was designed for one way, and it is the superior way to experience the game. I appreciate the options and love TTS much more because of it, but was it really necessary? Is it possible that just slapping on a coat of paint would have been a better way to remake MGS1? What are your thoughts?
PS. Thanks to my friend Alex for letting me borrow this game. If it weren’t for him, I probably wouldn’t have been able to play it.