Snake's Revenge
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
| Snake's Revenge | |
| |
| Developer(s) | Konami |
| Publisher(s) | Konami (EU) Ultra Games (NA) |
| Release date(s) | April, 1990 (NA) March, 1992 (EU) |
| Genre | Stealth-based game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | |
| Platform(s) | NES |
| Media | Cartridge |
| Input | Controller |
Snake's Revenge is a Japanese-made stealth-based game developed by Konami for the NES. It was released in North America in April 1990 and in Europe in March 1992.
Originally made as a direct sequel to the original Metal Gear, Snake's Revenge was the first game in the Metal Gear series made without the involvement of creator Hideo Kojima (or any of the previous game's staff). It was subsequently removed from the series' canon and is now considered part of a parallel universe.
| Contents |
Development history
After the surprise success the NES version of Metal Gear had in the western market (especially in North America, where Metal Gear reportedly sold over a million copies), Konami issued the development of a sequel for the NES made specifically with the western market in mind.
Kojima, who wasn't planning on making a sequel to Metal Gear due to the low sales of the MSX2 version in Japan, ran into one of the game's developers (from Konami's Famicom division) at a train station in Tokyo. The developer told Kojima that he knew Snake's Revenge wasn't an"authentic Snake (game)," so he made a request to Kojima for the development of a true Metal Gear sequel. Soon after the encounter, Kojima drew up plans for what would become Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake.
As a result, the actual Metal Gear 2 was released exclusively in Japan for the MSX2, while Snake's Revenge became the Metal Gear sequel for the North American and European market. A Japanese version of Snake's Revenge was never released (it is unknown whether one was never planned or simply cancelled as a result of Metal Gear 2.)
Despite the fact that Snake's Revenge is generally disliked by Metal Gear fans, its importance to the series is quite essential: one could argue that without it, Metal Gear 2 and the following Metal Gear Solid series may have never been created. Kojima has also stated that he enjoys Snake's Revenge and thought it was faithful to the "Metal Gear concept" he had initially envisioned. [1] (http://www.gamerstoday.com/world_tours/tour9a.html)
The game's title is simply "Snake's Revenge" on the title screen and packaging. However, around the time of its release, many magazines (including Nintendo Power) used the title Snake's Revenge: Metal Gear II (or some variation of it) due to its connection to the original Metal Gear, unaware that there was an actual game titled Metal Gear 2 in Japan. Moreover, the Metal Gear mecha that appears in Snake's Revenge is known as the "Metal Gear 2." As a result, many people who are not well acquainted with the series often confuse Snake's Revenge as a genuine sequel to Metal Gear.
Storyline
Set three years after the events of the original game, the United States government discovers that an undisclosed hostile nation is secretly developing mass-produced versions of the original Metal Gear tank from Outer Heaven. Solid Snake, the FOXHOUND operative responsible for the downfall of Outer Heaven, is recruited to lead a team consisting of himself and fellow operatives John Turner and Nick Myer, on a mission to infiltrate the enemy's base.
Misconception about the Storyline
One aspect of the game which has affected people's perception of Snake's Revenge is the storyline as depicted by the game's instruction manual. At the time of its release, Konami of America (the game's publisher) had a habit of not taking their games seriously. This was reflected by the humorous tone of their instruction manuals, which made several jokes and puns at the expense of the game and paid little or no respect at the game designers' original intentions. Snake's Revenge was no exception. In the manual, the main villain's name (which is actually kept a secret in the game until the end) is given as Higharolla Kockamamie, a play on Ayatollah Khomeini, and one of the main characters (Jennifer) is described as possibly being related to "Ginger from Gilligan's Island." None of these terms or jokes are actually used in the game itself, and while it's evident that they contradict the designers' original intentions, many Snake's Revenge detractors justify their dislike for the game with them.
Cast of characters
- Solid Snake - The main character. In this game, Snake is still working for FOXHOUND, instead of quitting like in later installments. Rather than infiltrating the enemy's complex alone, he leads his own FOXHOUND team and starts the mission with a knife and handgun already in his equipment. He is given the title of Lieutenant and is often called "Lt. Snake" by his peers in the game.
- John Turner - Former Navy Intelligence officer working for FOXHOUND. He serves as an infiltration professional in Snake's mission.
- Nick Myer - African-American member of FOXHOUND. A former Marine. Nick serves as the team's weapons and explosive expert.
- Jennifer - The only returning character from the previous game (excluding Snake and the final boss). Jennifer once again assumes the role of a double agent. This time, she poses as an intelligence officer within the enemy's ranks.
Gameplay
Snake's Revenge plays essentially like an updated version of the original Metal Gear. Aspects from the MSX Metal Gear that were missing from the first NES game (such as the ability to take food and ammo by punching enemies or the double exclamation mark alert) were restored in Snake's Revenge. The actual Metal Gear mecha (which was missing in the first NES game) makes an appearance along with a new prototype. The game also has more varied locations than the first Metal Gear, such as a jungle, a warehouse, a transport train and a cargo ship filled with mass-produced Metal Gear units (a situation similar to the Tanker Chapter in Metal Gear Solid 2).
The player can now choose between punching or using a knife for a quick kill (in doing so, the player won't get food or ammo from enemies in Infiltration Mode). Many of the weapons from the original game are carried over to Snake's Revenge, as well as new weapons such as a shotgun and a flare gun for visibility in the dark. Promotions are now made by injecting enemy superiors with truth serums in addition to saving hostages.
One of the most critically-panned aspects of Snake's Revenge is the addition of side-scrolling areas. At various points of the game, the action switches from the main overhead view to a side view. In the side-scrolling areas, the player can jump over booby traps or crouch and crawl to avoid being seen by the enemy. In these areas, the player can only use the knife or handgun and place plastic explosives (which cannot be heard by the enemy in side-scrolling mode). Many fans dislike these portions of the game due to the strictly linear design of them, making it hard for a player to avoid an enemy without killing him and easy to be discovered without the player being in the crawling position.
The transceiver mode was greatly simplified. Whereas the original Metal Gear required the player to memorize each character's frequency, Snake's Revenge has all of Snake's contacts availble from the start via a menu. The radio is also equipped with a radar which detects any signal transmitted by an ally. However, the transceiver is jammed when the game enters Alert Mode and isn't used much as a result. Snake's Revenge was the first Metal Gear game in which the faces of Snake's allies are displayed when they speak.fr:Metal Gear: Snake's Revenge
| Metal Gear Series |
| Primary titles |
| Metal Gear | Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake |
Metal Gear Solid | Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty | Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater | Metal Gear Solid 4 |
| Updated versions and supplemental titles |
| Metal Gear Solid: Integral (Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions) | The Document of Metal Gear Solid 2 | Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance | Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes | Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence |
| Portable titles |
| Metal Gear: Ghost Babel |Metal Gear Acid | Metal Gear Acid 2 |
| Related titles |
| Snake's Revenge |
