Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes - PS1/GCN Changes List
Version 1.0
Last updated: August 25, 2006
By Andrea Robinson, with Critical_Hit7
Part 1 - Introduction
Part 2 - Inconsequential Changes
Part 3 - Cosmetic Changes
Part 4 - Mechanics Changes
4.1 - General Mechanics Changes
4.2 - Additions from MGS2
4.3 - FPV Changes
4.4 - Changes to Specific Items and Weapons
4.5 - Sneaking Changes
4.6 - Changes to Specific Battles
Part 5 - Changes to Specific Areas
5.1 - Cargo Dock
5.2 - Heliport
5.3 - Armory
5.4 - Canyon
5.5 - Otacon's Lab
5.6 - Nuclear Storage Building B1
5.7 - Warehouse North
5.8 - Underground Maintenance Bay
Part 6 - Miscellaneous
6.1 - Disclaimer
6.2 - Acknowledgements
6.3 - Version History
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NOTICE: This guide contains both plot spoilers and gameplay spoilers.
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Part 1 - Introduction
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On the Twin Snakes message board on GameFAQs, we're often asked about the
differences between the Playstation version and the Gamecube remake of Metal
Gear Solid 1. The short answer is "better graphics, redone voice acting,
different music, and MGS2-style mechanics," but there's considerably more to it
than that. I have a pre-written answer for the question, which I copy and paste
as needed, and it covers a lot of changes, but even it's missing some things.
As I looked over the changes I knew about the changes that were being pointed
out to me, I realized there was enough information on the subject for a full
FAQ. This guide is organized as follows:
Part 2, Inconsequential Changes, addresses those changes that have no impact on
the gameplay experience whatsoever.
Part 3, Cosmetic Changes, addresses those changes that affect the way the game
looks and sounds but do not have any impact on actual gameplay.
Part 4, Mechanics Changes, addresses those changes that DO affect gameplay,
ranging from minor details (such as the snow getting in Snake's eyes in first-
person view) to major changes that alter the entire gameplay experience (such
as the different controller layout and the addition of FPV shooting). This is
by far the largest section of the FAQ.
Part 5, Changes to Specific Areas, is exactly what it says it is - specific
rooms and areas within the game that have undergone either major cosmetic
changes or changes that affect gameplay.
All listed items followed by [CH7] are items that were pointed out to me by a
fellow GameFAQs user, Critical_Hit7. [ALR] is used to denotes details within a
[CH7] item that I added on my own. Any items with neither denotation can be
assumed to be either common knowledge or details I came up with alone.
This game has become one of my all-time favorites since I first played it in
January 2006, and I really enjoyed putting this together and learning more
about it. I'm pleased to have been able to contribute to the Metal Gear Solid
community in some small way, and I hope you find this guide useful.
-- Andrea 'AquaHaute' Robinson
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Part 2 - Inconsequential Changes
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- No changes were made to the plot. There are minor dialogue changes in some
scenes, and two cutscenes were added with the Ninja [CH7], but the story and
meaning are the same. The last scene with Liquid Snake plays out a bit
differently, but the dialogue is the same and the change in action has no
significant effects on theme, plot, or characterization.
- The text at the end is changed to reflect 2003 nuclear status instead of 1997
nuclear status.
- The point where you swap to Disc 2 is now at the bottom of Communications
Tower A instead of outside the Blast Furnace.
- Dog tags can now be collected, as in MGS2, but there are no bonuses for doing
so.
- A boss rush mode has been added.
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Part 3 - Cosmetic Changes
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- Graphics are improved.
- All cutscenes were re-rendered, which ought to be obvious considering the
improved graphics. Some were entirely re-directed, resulting in some use of
martial-arts-film-style "wire-fu" and, for lack of a better descriptor,
Matrix-esque "bullet time." Some players like these directorial changes; some
don't.
- As mentioned in Part 2, two new cutscenes were added with the Ninja, but they
do not affect the story in any meaningful way. [CH7]
- All the voice acting was re-done, using all the same actors except for one
role. For the most part these changes are insignificant.
- Snake's voice is closer to the way it sounds in MGS2 and MGS3. [CH7]
- Nastasha's accent is less prominent. [CH7]
- Naomi and Mei Ling have lost their accents altogether.
- The Ninja has a new voice actor altogether (in the original, he and the
DARPA chief had the same voice actor). He sounds considerably less
anguished and unstable in Twin Snakes than in the original, but he also has
his own voice that he doesn't share with another character. Most players
dislike this change, but some don't mind.
- In the scene where Sniper Wolf dies, several of her wild wolf-dogs enter the
area to howl and mourn her passing. They did not appear in the PS1 version.
- Music has been changed, except for the ending theme.
- Game Over screen looks different. [CH7]
- Rations are yellow circles instead of brown boxes. [CH7]
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Part 4 - Mechanics Changes
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4.1 - General Mechanics Changes
- Controls were reconfigured to work with the Gamecube controller.
- Very Easy mode added to Twin Snakes. [CH7]
- The original version had a set of VR training missions, selectable from the
main menu, like the sneaking mode in Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions. There
are no VR training missions in Twin Snakes.
- In the original, ammo capacity and size of life bar are increased after boss
fights; in Twin Snakes they are at maximum from the beginning [CH7]. In
addition, the life bar is refilled after every boss fight in Twin Snakes (as
well as after several other events); in the original it is refilled only after
a few selected events [ALR].
- Codec calls handle skipping differently; in the original, pressing the button
once skips a single screen of the conversation, but in Twin Snakes it causes
the conversation to fast-forward to its end. [CH7]
- The Twin Snakes environment has extra items added to the scenery for
atmosphere - lockers, fire extinguishers, bags of flour, etc. The
environment in general is more destructible; for example, computer monitors
can be broken, flour bags leak if shot, fire extinguishers temporarily fill
the room with white spray if shot (which has gameplay applications in at
least two instances). [CH7]
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4.2 - Additions from MGS2
- Handguns and assault rifles can now be fired from first-person view. Punching
can be done from FPV as well.
- Tranquilizer weapons have been added, making a no-kills run possible.
- All bosses (except for Rex and the Hind) have stun bars along with their
life bars, thanks to the addition of tranquilizer weapons.
- Snake now has the ability to hang and drop from railings, and the ability to
increase hang time by raising grip gauge level.
- Lockers can now be opened, useful for hiding and for finding items.
- The pornographic magazine item for distracting guards has been added.
- Improved sniper rifle aiming - the scope no longer auto-zooms, making
scrolling and aiming easier, and you are no longer forced to snipe from a
prone position (you can kneel or stand if desired)
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4.3 - FPV Changes
- As mentioned, regular weapons (and punching) can now be used in FPV.
- As a result of FPV shooting, cameras can now be shot out.
- In Twin Snakes you can choose from two settings for First-Person View,
"Toggle" and "Hold Down." The latter is standard throughout the series for
first-person viewing, but the Toggle option is unique to Twin Snakes - not
only is it not in the original, it also doesn't appear in MGS2 or MGS3.
- Detail changes have been made to first-person view in Twin Snakes. For
example, Snake can get snow in his eyes if you go into FPV outside, and while
wearing the scuba mask or gas mask, FPV is tinted and the nosepiece of the
mask is visible (in the original, first-person view while wearing masks looks
the same as if you are not wearing a mask). [CH7]
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4.4 - Changes to Specific Items and Weapons
- The thermal goggles in the original show everything in red and black, with
warm objects shown as bright red. The thermal goggles in Twin Snakes use a
wider spectrum of colors, showing relative warmth and coolness more
accurately than before. [CH7]
- Key cards work automatically and do not need to be equipped to use. In the
original, the key card must be selected in the item menu when you wish to
open a door. [CH7]
- Addition of M9 (tranquilizer handgun) and PSG1-T (tranquilizer sniper rifle),
which mean it is now possible to clear the entire game with no kills.
- Because of the location of the newly-added PSG1-T (Nuclear Storage Building
B1), it is not necessary to backtrack to the Armory in order to retrieve a
sniper rifle before fighting Sniper Wolf. [CH7]
- In the original, claymores cannot be seen once they are laid down. They
remain visible after being set in Twin Snakes. [CH7]
- In Twin Snakes, the first-person-view control scheme for Nikita missiles is
forced [CH7]; in the original, they could be controlled from your choice of
bird's-eye view or first-person view [ALR].
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4.5 - Sneaking Changes
- The optional AP Sensor, which makes the controller vibrate when enemies are
near, was added to Twin Snakes and is not in the original. [CH7]
- Caution mode (as part of the Alert/Evasion/Caution/Normal cycle) was added to
Twin Snakes. [CH7]
- The "Game Over if Spotted" option (available only in Extreme and Hard) is new
to Twin Snakes and is not in the original. [CH7]
- New to Twin Snakes is a small window that replaces the radar and shows what
the guards are seeing when they, for example, see footprints, specifically
search for Snake, or conduct a clearing of an area. [CH7]
- In the original, dead guards disappear. In Twin Snakes, their bodies remain,
at least until they're spotted by another guard. [CH7]
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4.6 - Changes to Specific Battles
- The battle with the Ninja has one fewer phase in Twin Snakes: the original
ends with an extra portion in which he's surrounded by a glowing energy ball
dispelled only by bullets. [CH7]
- Metal Gear Rex's missiles have a limited lock-on feature in the original,
allowing their trajectory to change in mid-air. This feature is gone in Twin
Snakes. [CH7]
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Part 5 - Changes to Specific Areas
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5.1 - Cargo Dock
In the original, you can move freely behind the forklift in the northeast; in
Twin Snakes, getting behind the forklift requires sliding along the wall. The
Twin Snakes cargo dock also has no rail-free area where you can jump into the
water [CH7]. However, the existence of the railing is more or less moot,
because Twin Snakes allows you to jump over the rail and drop into the water
anyway. [ALR]
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5.2 - Heliport
The search lights at the heliport sweep horizontally in Twin Snakes, but sweep
vertically in the original. [CH7]
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5.3 - Armory
The door in the south, connecting to the room where you fight Ocelot, was a
level 4 door in the original. In Twin Snakes it is a level 2 door.
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5.4 - Canyon
The area is no longer littered with claymores when you come through the area on
your way to and from the armory to get the PSG-1 or on your way back to the
comm tower after the torture sequence [CH7]. It is, however, patrolled by
several guards [ALR].
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5.5 - Otacon's Lab
The following additions and changes were made to the physical environment:
- Mario and Yoshi figures added to the top of a computer
- Whiteboard with equations on it was added to the south wall of the room
- Different posters on the walls
- Metal Gear: Ghost Babel book added (bookshelf in southeast corner)
- In the original, a counter in the center of the room held a PSX, a Sony
controller, and a monitor with a PS1 startup screen. In Twin Snakes, that
area now holds a Gamecube, a Wavebird controller, and a monitor with a
Gamecube startup screen.
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5.6 - Nuclear Storage Building B1
In Twin Snakes, you can no longer explore the women's bathroom after the
cutscene with Meryl, but the only thing you could find there to begin with was
a ration.
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5.7 - Warehouse North
The walls of the small room in Warehouse North are no longer lined with several
dozen security cameras.
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5.8 - Underground Maintenance Bay
All the ladders that are in this area in the original, some of which lead you
right over the top of Rex, are replaced in Twin Snakes by stairs and extra
catwalks, leading you around the back of Rex. [CH7]
In Twin Snakes, there is a small catwalk on the east side of the room that can
be accessed only by hang-dropping. It has two exposed pipes, one of steam, one
of liquid nitrogen. These pipes can be shot out for instant heating and cooling
of the PAL key, eliminating the need to backtrack to the Blast Furnace and the
Warehouse.
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Part 6 - Miscellaneous
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6.1 - Disclaimer
I am not affiliated with Nintendo, Konami, Kojima Productions, Silicon Knights,
or any publishers of guides or walkthroughs, and I do not claim their work as
my own, nor am I profiting from this guide, monetarily or otherwise. This guide
was written out of love for the Metal Gear franchise, the need for a definitive
list of changes, and a desire to help other players.
However, the design and contents of this guide are copyright 2006 Andrea
Robinson. Please do not copy or plagiarize this guide or claim it as your own
work.
The only site that may host this guide is
http://www.gamefaqs.com.
If you have questions, please reread the guide and make sure your question
has not already been answered. If it isn't there, or if it is outside the realm
of differences between the PS1 and Gamecube versions of this game, check with
other FAQs, and if that doesn't help, direct your question to the Twin Snakes
message board on GameFAQs, located at:
http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs/gentopic.php?board=589712
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6.2 - Acknowledgements
I came up with a great deal of this information on my own as I played the two
versions of the game. That said, I'd like to extend special thanks to...
- My cousin Vaughn, who sold me the used Gamecube I played this on in January
2006 and threw in Twin Snakes as a freebie - he has no idea what rabid
fangirling he wrought by giving me this and starting me on the series.
Without him, I'd never have become THIS much of a fangirl, and I'd
definitely never have had reason to write this FAQ.
- Critical_Hit7 on the GameFAQs message boards, for providing a number of
detail changes I wouldn't have thought of.
- Hideo Kojima and all the minds behind the Metal Gear franchise - I'm having
a fabulous time with these games.
- The guys on FFT General, for their overall kindness and constant pimping of
my FFT guides.
- And, as always, thanks to Aaron, who piqued my interest in the series and
encouraged me to play them, shares my love for and interest in the
franchise, nd without whom I would never have become a serious gamer. I love
you, Aaron. Thanks for everything.
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6.3 - Version History
* Version 0.8 - August 22, 2006
Began compiling the information from my "Gamecube version changes"
boilerplate text and an old topic on the subject from the Twin Snakes message
board.
* Version 0.9 - August 24, 2006
Added some information I hadn't already used, and
confirmed some things I wasn't sure about. E-mailed Critical_Hit7 to get
confirmation of some things I couldn't check on my own due to lack of a PS1
copy of the game.
* Version 1.0 - August 25, 2006
Heard back from Critical_Hit7, added the last bits of informations, and
finished the introduction, then rearranged some information. First version
submitted to GameFAQs.
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