by Anthony O'Connor
Worth: $16.50
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Intro:
… a slick and engaging presentation of a game that continues to be strikingly original and utterly compelling two decades later …
There are so many video game remakes out lately. Hell, this week alone, your humble scribe is reviewing two high profile examples (the other one being Gears of War: Reloaded). It makes you wonder, what exactly is the purpose of a video game remake? Is it just to bring the graphics and animation up to modern standards? Or is it something deeper, an attempt to ensure that the game’s themes and story are ever present in the cultural zeitgeist? It’s an interesting idea to ponder and ponder it you will, if you choose to boot up Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, a brand spanking new remake of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, the timeless classic from 2004.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is a prequel entry in the series, which puts you in the sneaky boots of one Naked Snake (David Hayter), the character who goes on to become Big Boss in later entries. Ol’ mate Snake is tasked with taking down electricity-manipulating Russian lunatic, Colonel Volgin, and ending the life of his former mentor, The Boss, who has defected to those damn Russkies. Or has she? Get ready for an absolute boatload of weird exposition, numerous twists (many of which make little sense), camp horniness and some elaborate boss fights that blew absolutely everyone’s mind 21 years ago. Therein, however, lies the rub. Because time has very much moved on from Snake Eater and not everything has aged well.
Despite the name change, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is a pretty reverent remake. The graphics are better, the animation slicker, the sound beefed up and the controls are revamped for modern consoles and sensibilities. You can also play with the old controls, if you’re a sweaty-palmed masochist, but after grinding through the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection, it’s nice to have a version of the game that actually feels good to play.
Snake Eater’s story remains the same giddy nonsense from Hideo Kojima and there is a certain glee to be had in revisiting some of his more baffling impulses. The endless monologues, the way you have to listen to a nerd bang on about genre films every time you save, and EVA boobing boobily through every interaction with Snake remains oddly charming. The gameplay, however, is the real draw here. Snake Eater’s relatively spare stealth toolbox, involving camouflage and a silenced tranquiliser pistol, felt gripping in a way you might not expect from a game of this vintage. Crawling through the forest, choking out guards, subsisting on the food you can catch – it’s heady stuff, and extremely immersive.
On the downside, the boss fights don’t feel quite as revolutionary as they did all that time ago (although the battle with The End remains a slow, methodical highlight) and some of the clunkier weapon swapping systems feel very of their time. There are also jarring frame rate issues at launch, which will no doubt be patched, but that was certainly not a problem anyone expected from a game old enough to start necking Lipitor with dinner and complaining about lower back pain.
Your enjoyment of Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater depends largely on a number of factors. Did you love the original? Did you find the Master Collection a bit of a rude shock because it didn’t play like you remembered? If you answered yes to both of these questions, then Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake is Eater is custom designed for you. Because in the case of this remake, the point is to make the game feel like the version from your memory, not the clunky, sepia-toned one that exists in reality.
Newcomers will probably balk at the game’s more outré elements and fiddly controls, but long-term fans of the Metal Gear series, especially those who believe Snake Eater is the best of the bunch, will likely slip into the warm glow of nostalgia and forgive any shortcomings. This is a slick and engaging presentation of a game that continues to be strikingly original and utterly compelling two decades later and that feels like a solid (Snake) reason to strap on the bandana once more.
