MGS: Twin Snakes

[infoghost]

Ok er litt seint ute men fy **** hvor bra den 27 min trailern til MGS: Twin snakes er! Filmen kan du finne Her (gamespot)

 

Andre som venter på dette spillet?

[BigWhig]

Ska definitivt ha dette spillet. Kjøpte PSX utelukkende for å spille MGS. MGS2 fikk jeg omsider til PC, og disse spillene kombinert kommer til å bli en stor suksess. Et av de bedre spillene på Gamecube vil jeg tro.

 

Ser frem til å kunne ta i bruk mulighetene fra MGS2 i MGS, som uten tvil har den beste historien av de to.

Endret 30. januar 2004 av Kjellinge

[CutMeOwnThroatDibbler]

Måååå haaaa! (BRAAAAAAAAAIIIINS) Skal ha dette spillet om jeg så må høvle av huden under føttene og vasse i syre!

[Niskivara]

Ser utrolig bra ut. Gleder meg til å se hvilken nye ting Silicon Knights har funnet på i tillegg til dem fra MGS 2.

 

PS! Kitamuras filmsekvenser er de tøffeste i noe spill noensinne. De er jo helt sinnsyke!

[iler]

Akkurat, film sekvensene er jo bare helt rå, men det er veldig lite om selve spillet som vi får vite i løpet av filmen. Noe som er meget dårlig, men de vil jo ikke røpe så mye av spillet heller.

[Döden]

Det er faktisk en fordel å ikke vite hele handlingen heller da.

Noe de nesten har offentliggjort ved den 27 min. trailer'n.

OT har lyst på det ja .

[Jipopi]

Hmm, vet hele handlingen alerede, det er jo bare en ny produksjon av det som kom til PS.

[beeed]

Jeg ivesterer i en GC for dette spillet. Gleder meg sinnnnnsykt!

[Niskivara]

Noen nye previews:

IGN

 

Tech TV

 

Gamespot

[Hamsterino]

Jeg skal kjøpe meg en ny Gamecube for dette spillet her. Det er jo helt utrolig!

[Niskivara]

Denis Dyack har akkurat svart på en haug med spørsmål fra fansen på IGN's forum. Det er vel vært å lese. Her er linken.

 

Og her er noen høydepunkter:

 

16) gtaobsessors asks - "I'd like to know what there will be in terms of extras (even little things like Casting Theater or Boss Battle mode like in Substance)?"

 

Both the casting theatre and Boss Battle mode are in the game. All of the secrets that players have come to expect from MGS will be there. Ghost pictures, dog tags, as well as an array of other neat surprises.

 

26) Grayfox02 asks - "Will there be more *gameplay* extras than in the original MGS? EX: Tuxedo,Stealth,Bandanna"

 

The things listed are all in TS plus more so I would say yes.

 

32) TwinSnakes asks - "Seeing as how the previous MGS games were the sole creations of Konami/Hideo Kojima, what kind of personality or specific aspects do you feel are the sole contributions of Silicon Knights?"

 

Well, the game was completely remade and enhanced. From that aspect you will see many SK features through out the game. Also look for a few sanity effects as well as other Nintendo/SK touches throughout.

 

 

Det er absolutt verdt å lese hele Q&A'en.

[CutMeOwnThroatDibbler]

Tar bare noen flere svar.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2) legolas9876 asks - "Will there be any improvements in making the characters' mouths match their dialogue over what we saw in the 27 minute trailer?"

 

I am not sure when that trailer was cut. I think it was done before the cinemas were finalized. So it is possible that some polish may have been added to them since this trailer was edited. I know that Kojima-sans group along with Kitamora-san were polishing these as much as possible until we had to put them in the game as final.

 

8) Brianrlove asks - "Is the Final Build of Twin Snakes going to be running at a constant 60 frames per second?"

 

No, there are a few rare occasions where it may drop below 60fps. However, these are rare and I have never seen it ever detract from game play. As an example, the frame rate of TS is much more stable then most games. IMHO, if you compare it to something like Halo, TS is substantially better. If frame rate was not an issue for you other MGS games it will definitely not be problem with TS as I think we have the best frame rate of the series.

 

And although the frame rate has been improved from the press review build (it is was made a few months ago), I was bit surprised to see frame rate ever mentioned as a criticism. I definitely think it is not a even worth mentioning. It is hard to recall exactly what the frame rate was like in the press build, so the final build is better. As far as the curent build goes, if you look hard you may see a momentary drop occasionally from 60fps. However, these instances are few and far between and you have to be looking for them to notice them. Frame rate is not an issue in my mind.

 

22) Reneval asks - "Do you believe Twin Snakes will have a high replay value? If so, why?"

 

 

Yes, very high. The testing groups felt this way because of all of the extras and fun secrets in the game. We believe gamers will definitely get longevity out of TS. Replay value is something MGS fans expect and we did not want to let them down in this area.

 

23) sfried asks - ""Denis, is TTS gonna have more guards and better AI in the rooms with goodies, for a better reason to go out exploring the levels?"

 

Yes, yes and yes.

[Niskivara]

Nytt Dyack intervju fra Planet Gamecube:

 

INTERVIEWS: Final Twin Snakes Interview

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.

Written: 02/11/2004

 

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.

 

Planet Gamecube

 

Dette blir sinnsykt bra!!!!!

[Niskivara]

GCA Interviews Denis Dyack February 11, 2004

 

by: Rob Sanz

 

GCAdvanced.com's Sean O'Neill

First off Denis, let me say it's truly an honor to have the opportunity to interview you today. The GCA Staff and I are huge fans of Eternal Darkness. When we got wind of Silicon Knights working on a Metal Gear Solid game...well, we wet ourselves! So first off, I would just like to say thanks for joining us.

 

Silicon Knight's Denis Dyack

Hi Sean! Thank you for your kind words and it is great to be here!

 

Sean O'Neill

When word came out about the game, many gamers wondered, "why do a remake instead of an original title?" Why did Konami, Nintendo and Silicon Knights feel that a remake was needed for GameCube gamers?

 

Denis Dyack

Good question. Well, it started with Miyamato-san and Kojima-san wanting to work on a project together. One of the problems was that Kojima-san's group was already developing MGS 3. So a completely original project from the start would be difficult because he was already pretty busy. That's when we were asked to join in. After some discussion, everyone quickly came to the conclusion that that many Nintendo fans had not gotten a chance to experience the original MGS because it did not appear on a Nintendo system, so this was a good starting point. Furthermore, the collaboration between Eastern and Western development groups on this scale had never really been done before. It was a complete unknown and we wanted to take a careful first step because no one wanted to let gamers down as both Nintendo and MGS fans have notoriously high standards. So, in a sense, the project choice was a very strategic one to examine the results of such collaboration with the intention of doing more in the future if it is successful.

 

Sean O'Neill

In Eternal Darkness, the first title that you did since signing on with Nintendo, you mentioned Mr. Miyamoto was a big influence to you. Now that you have been working closely with Hideo Kojima as well as studying his work and story telling process, how has he influenced you in your game creation? How do you feel you influenced them?

 

Denis Dyack

Kojima-san, like Miyamoto-san, is a master game creator. However, his style is very difference from Miyamoto-sans. We have learned much through the collaboration with Kojima-san's group. Comparing Twin Snakes to Eternal Darkness is like comparing a Hollywood movie to Independent film. Although Eternal Darkness was very critically acclaimed it required the player to be patient to see its true quality. In comparison, both MGS 1 and MGS 2 capture the attention of the player immediately. The ways in which Kojima-san's group creates such high production level in games is truly impressive. For example, I still remember the satisfying sensation of thinking; gamers are going to love this when seeing some of the cinematics running in Twin Snakes the first time. Silicon Knights really has been given a unique and rare opportunity to work some of the most influential creators in the gaming industry. These experiences have changed us dramatically. I think we have influenced them in some way as well but that question is best answered by Kojima-san and his group.

 

Sean O'Neill

You mentioned many times that you wanted to improve the A.I. What steps have you taken to do this and what kinds of wacky and intelligent things will we see our enemies doing as we maneuver around?

 

Denis Dyack

When we first started working on this project, we were very interested to see how Kojima-san's group had such great A.I. in MGS 2. It was very impressive to us. After looking at it we really just tried to adapt it to work within the environments of MGS1. Things such as clearing in outdoor areas were added as well as other specific things for levels. One example I like to talk about is in the heliport. In the original game, if I was ever detected, I would just run and hide in the truck. This was always a safe spot and eventually the alert mode would go away with no harm to me ever. In Twin Snakes if you try this trick you'll be eating some pineapples as the guards will look into the truck and start throwing grenades.

 

Sean O'Neill

Snake is now more maneuverable then his first outing in this mission. What are his new abilities and how have those abilities freed him up as he moves forward in the game?

 

Denis Dyack

Well, everything that you could do in MGS2 you can now do in Twin Snakes. This includes hiding in lockers, moving and hiding guards, shooting in first person, hanging for rail etc. This amount of enhancements significantly changes the game play experience as there are now many more ways to solve puzzles and progress through the game. We can also finish the game without killing anyone (no kill clear) which you could not do in the original MGS. We are confident that players will have good time trying these things out, both the hardcore MGS fans and the new players who have never experienced MGS before.

 

Sean O'Neill

This game is full of Easter eggs that display trinkets from the three companies involved. How did the idea come about and can you highlight some of your favorites?

 

Denis Dyack

Well, it would not be an MGS game if we didn't do these things. There was never a question of whether we would do them. It was just a matter of how many could we do. Here are a few that I personally like: The Psycho Mantis Boss fight has many trinkets like pictures of Kojima-san, Kitamura-san and myself on the wall. The Mantis cinematic does some amusing things with the pictures. The boss fight itself has a few Eternal Darkness tricks in it. If you take a close look at the magazines within the game you will see Alexander Rovias in them. Also, the ghost pictures in the game are really fun too.

 

Sean O'Neill

Early reports, I even think an E3 document stated that MGS: TTS would have some form of connectivity, but I haven't heard anything since. Has that aspect been axed, and if so, what was planned? If not, can you please explain to us how connectivity will come into play?

 

Denis Dyack

We had some plans for connectivity but we decided to drop this extra functionality and spend as much development time on the regular play experience for the player. This time was utilized to put as much secrets and polish in the game as possible.

 

Sean O'Neill

Denis, many gamers out there are asking themselves, "why would I want to pick up a remake of a game I already played?" What would you say to those folks? How is MGS:TTS a different experience?

 

Denis Dyack

Well, I compare the remake of TTS with the remake of the movie "The Thing" by John Carpenter. I have seen the original movie and when I watched John Carpenter's version it was a completely new experience for me. I believe players will feel the same way about TTS. Although you may know the story and remember parts of the original MGS game, it has been so dramatically changed and enhanced that it will be a new experience, even for the hard core MGS 1 fan.

 

Sean O'Neill

MGS: TTS was set to ship in 2003. Why was the title pushed back? We have been hearing a March 2004 release. Any updates on the specific day so I will know when I need to take off of work?

 

Denis Dyack

Yes, March is the date. March 9th specifically for North America. The Twin Snakes was pushed back because everyone felt that the game was not ready to ship in 2003. We want the experience to be the best possible so everyone decided it would be best to work on it more.

 

Sean O'Niell

We have to ask: You have stated many times now that you loved working with Konami and that you feel SK, Nintendo and Konami working together on an original title is something you desire. be honest...is there any plans for a future MGS title, or any direct plans with Konami? And aside from MGS: TTS, I can remember some amazing videos I saw of Space World. The people in them almost looked a bit Too Human if you know what I mean. At least tell us if we will be seeing anything by Silicon Knights at E3 this year?

 

Denis Dyack

I am always honest. There is definitely some potential for future collaborations with Konami although we have not worked out specific plans yet. This will probably be more concrete once the the Twins Snakes is actually finished and everyone has a chance to sit back and look at the results. We have already briefly talked about it and it seems like everyone would like to do something again for sure. It will all depend on the timing and the groups can start working together again. When this happens we have already agreed that it would be an original title. As far as specific plans and other future titles, it is not the right time to talk about these now. Sorry. When the time is right you will be sure that you will hear about them.

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Big thanks to Denis and all the guys at Silicon Knights. Also, we want to thank Peter from Konami Digital Entertainment - America for all his help. Expect a lot more information on Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes right here at GCA. 

Gamecube Advanced

 

Og et preview som jeg ikke så tidligere:

 

Computer and Videogames

Endret 12. februar 2004 av Niskivara

[Stig_W]

Dette spilet kommer nok til å bli en kultklassiker. Tipper også, til tross for at GameCube er blitt meget billig, at dette spillet kommer til å selge en del maskiner til hardcore folket som har sittet og ruget på Xboxen sin de siste par årene.

Forhåpentlig blir dette spillet like bra som det det første på PSX.

[Hamsterino]

Dette spilet kommer nok til å bli en kultklassiker. Tipper også, til tross for at GameCube er blitt meget billig, at dette spillet kommer til å selge en del maskiner til hardcore folket som har sittet og ruget på Xboxen sin de siste par årene.

Forhåpentlig blir dette spillet like bra som det det første på PSX.

Du vet vel at "kult-klassiker" betyr at det er en liten men trofast gjeng med folk som liker det? Jeg tror det blir en megahit!