There are few games that have survived the test of time to stand tall among the elitist franchises, to transcend the generations and reign among the most respected series in the history of gaming. Some of these come to mind right away; such classics as Tetris, Pac-Man, Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and Sonic the Hedgehog. Equally famous are the names behind these games, from Shigeru Miyamoto to Yuji Naka. Among these names are Hideo Kojima, and Metal Gear.
Originally released in 1987 for the MSX and eventually Nintendo Entertainment System, Metal Gear was revolutionary. It was the first in a long line of stealth-action games, encouraging the player to use his or her wits rather than weapons. Later came Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake and Metal Gear: Snake's Revenge in 1990. For eight years after, though, the series lay dormant, nearly forgotten. In 1998, that all changed, though. Mr. Kojima decided to resurrect his lost classic, and give Playstation gamers Metal Gear Solid, a game as groundbreaking as the series whose name it bears. This game brought Snake into the 3D world in what many will tell you is the top game of its kind, ever. Becoming an instant classic, Solid redefined the stealth series just as much as its ancestor Metal Gear defined it. One more sequel later, in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, the series that many hardcore fans had thought dead was officially back.
Even as MGS graced Sony systems across the world, Nintendo gamers could only look on and watch Hideo Kojima say that the little Box that Yamauchi Built was too childish for his game. The company that had made Kojima famous was now being snubbed, in favor of an archrival. Many felt betrayed, others felt disappointed, and still others confused... most didn't care.
Now, five years after Metal Gear Solid's initial Playstation release, and five years of Nintendo rebuilding themselves and their image, Kojima is back. He is giving us Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, a remake of his 1998 classic. The developer? None other than Denis Dyack and Silicon Knights, the men who brought us Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem, another instant classic. Now, not only are Nintendo and Kojima working together, they're sharing a bed. Hideo's most prized game in the hands of a Nintendo-owned company, home to some of the best young developers out there.
Herein lies my gripe. Some of the best young developers out there. And they're stuck working on a five-year-old game for some other guy. These are the people who gave us Eternal Darkness, one of the greatest games of this or any generation. Why, oh why, are they working on a remake? These guys should be working on their OWN time, with their OWN project. Remember a little game called Too Human? Allow me to enlighten you. Too Human is SK's crowning project. Remember how Eternal Darkness blew you away? Well, TH is the real Eternal Darkness. ED used a stripped down version of the Human engine. What does that mean? Everything that Eternal Darkness was, Too Human will be more. This game, from the story to the concept, to the development, has been in the works for nearly eight years now, dating back to its days on the PSone, PS2, and Nintendo 64. Now slated for a "TBD" date on GameCube, this supposed masterpiece might yet again be delayed, for (hopefully) a release on the N5.
I'm just going to come out and say this. Metal Gear, especially a remake, is not worthy of a team as talented as Denis Dyack's. Yes, the series is a generation-transcending classic, but, in my humblest of opinions, it sucks. Plain and simple. I just don't like it. The series doesn't appeal to me. Too Human, on the other hand, remains one of my most highly anticipated games, along with a rumored sequel to Eternal Darkness.
Nintendo needs to take the same route with the Knights as they have with Retro Studios. Just allow the developers to do what they do best, and what they're proven to be able to do. Retro gave us Metroid Prime, which many people would call 2002's game of the year. So, what do they do? Start work on Prime 2, exactly what they should be doing. Silicon Knights gives us Eternal Darkness, another game of the year contender. And what does Nintendo have them do? An overdue, under-whelming remake of a mediocre game for an overrated third party which hasn't given two craps about Nintendo for the last nine or so years. Wasted talent.
Sure, I know there are legions of MGS fans out there clamoring over the prospect of playing the game over again with revamped graphics and controls, and I know Nintendo is trying their damnedest to rebuild some of their lost partnerships with some of the larger third parties out there. But seriously, why Silicon Knights? If they have to make a Konami franchise game, at least let them do something original. Metal Gear Solid 3, or a side-story to the Metal Gear series, as Snake's Revenge was. Not a remake. Here's an idea: let SK make their own games which have been in development since the stone age, and Konami can do its own remakes, and let Nintendo publish. Or, give it to a company like NDCube; they're not doing much right now, are they?
In short, a team as amazingly gifted as Denis Dyack and Silicon Knights deserve a little more respect and freedom from Nintendo. This is a company that, if utilized properly, could be the next HudsonSoft, Camelot, or even Rareware.
Carl DeNovio
