Just as development wrapped up on Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, we talked with Denis Dyack, outspoken President of Silicon Knights, about the game’s features and his thoughts on the final product.
Planet GameCube: We know you are remaking the game, but have you drawn on any new inspiration for Twin Snakes? If so, what inspired any changes?
Denis Dyack: There are always new inspirations and changes with every game we develop. In the case with Twin Snakes we wanted to keep the spirit of the original so these inspirations were generally more localized to specific areas. One example is clearing for guards in outside areas. It was a fun thing to add because it has not been done in an MGS game before and it seemed like a natural extension to the game.
PGC: What did you learn from Eternal Darkness that could be applied to the development of Twin Snakes? Are there any elements from ED that you were able to incorporate into Twin Snakes?
DD: Yes, in fact we were able to incorporate much of the knowledge from the development of ED into MGS:TTS. As an example, we were able to incorporate some of the technology ideas (such as lighting techniques, shadowing etc…) into the game as well as through a few insanity effects here and there. Overall, our general principle is to utilize our past experiences to make the current projects better, and TTS was not an exception to this.
PGC: The original Metal Gear Solid had a quite lengthy briefing that you could watch before starting the game. Did that make it in Twin Snakes, and if so, what changes were made to it?
DD: Yes, it is there and now it has been completely redone as a cinematic instead of 2D stills. You can move the camera around in it as its playing as well – it is quite fun to play with.
PGC: Obviously Twin Snakes is a big step up from the original MGS, but in what ways is it superior to MGS2/Substance?
DD: Well, I would say it is enhanced over MGS2/Substance in many ways. The game play and the A.I. has been customized for the MGS1 and enhanced over MGS2. The polygon counts, texture layers, effects and frame rates are better then MGS2. The cinematics, thanks to Kitamura-san, have been breathtakingly redone. The music has all been redone. The story is MGS has remained the same as MGS1 which in general has been the favorite of the MGS titles to date. So I think this collaboration has allowed us to incorporate the best of all worlds into TTS.
PGC: How did you adapt the game to the GameCube's controller? Specifically, Metal Gear Solid 2 makes use of the analog face buttons on the Dual Shock 2. However, the GameCube lacks analog face buttons. How did you work around this mechanic?
DD: Although the GameCube’s controller is substantially different from the Dual Shock 2, we were able to transfer all of the functionality and still maintain the same feel. In fact, after a few minutes it is likely that any hardcore MGS player will soon forget the controller is different at all because the feel is so much the same. The analog issue was not really a big problem. Specifically for the analog use in MGS 2 we added a no shoot button. In MGS 2 you would gently release the buttons in order to not to shoot a guard and with the GameCube controller you simply hit the Y Button while the fire button (A Button) is pressed. Because the Y Button is so close to the fire button it is a natural extension and the game play remains intact. In fact many people at SK prefer this control over the analog control.
PGC: Are those instant-kill pitfalls still in the game?
DD: Yes.
PGC: MGS fans are known for their love of playing the game on the most extreme difficulty levels. Does Twin Snakes offer anything specifically tailored for these masochistic players?
DD: Yes, there is the extreme difficulty mode - no radar and discovery game over mode for those who are up for a challenge. This means basically you can play the game on very difficult setting with no radar and if you are even discovered once by the guards then it is game over. Completing the game this way is extremely difficult to do.
PGC: Twin Snakes was originally supposed to have considerable GBA connectivity features. Have any elements from those features been implemented in other ways?
DD: No, not really, but instead we put the time in extra features and polish for the game.
PGC: As the project comes to completion, what are the nagging things that you wish you could have done, but didn’t have time to include?
DD: You always wish you had more time. However, if I were to pick one thing, I wish we really could have added the V.R. missions but there just was not enough time.
PGC: What game order would you recommend for gamers new to the series? Can Twin Snakes totally replace the original MGS for new players?
DD: Yes, we think so. That was the intention of the project, to enhance and bring the original MGS up to date with MGS 2 and MGS 3 as well as expose the game to Nintendo fans that may have not played the first game.
PGC: Do you think Sons of Liberty and Snake Eater will be released on GameCube if Twin Snakes is a success? Would you want to be involved in those conversions?
DD: I am not sure really if these games will come to the GameCube or not. However, it is unlikely that we would be involved with the conversion if they did. We have talked several times about further collaborations and we have all agreed that the next collaboration would be to create something completely original.
PGC: Will we be hearing about any other games from Silicon Knights this year?
DD: This is not the time for us to talk about future projects. Sorry. When the time is right you can be sure that you will hear about them. (Editor’s note: Hey, we tried.)
Planet GameCube would like to thank Mr. Dyack for taking the time to answer our questions. Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes ships worldwide this March.
