Kinda Funny Gamescast: Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater Review

Date: August 22, 2025
Hosted by: Andy Cortez, Tim Gettys, Greg Miller, Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Episode Theme:
A deep-dive review and discussion of Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, the 2025 remake of the acclaimed 2004 classic. The hosts analyze the remake's faithfulness, new features and visuals, gameplay updates, pricing, and the broader legacy of Metal Gear.

Episode Overview

• Main Purpose:
  To review and analyze Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, focusing on how the remake honors or changes the original, its place in the current gaming landscape, and whether it's worth the price.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Nostalgia Meets Modernization

• The Group’s History:
  • All hosts are longtime Metal Gear fans. For Greg, the series is "my franchise, my IP...every one of the installments has a pillar core memory involved with." ([07:47])
• Nostalgia Lens:
  • Playing the remake evokes strong nostalgia, but the hosts examine the balance between faithfulness and the risk of being "too safe." Their core question: What justifies a faithful remake if little is changed? ([14:58])

2. Gameplay: Faithful Yet Easier

• Modern Controls & Modes:

  • The remake features both "Modern" (third-person) and "Legacy" (top-down) camera modes, but modern controls make the game much easier and faster-paced.
  • The modernizations, like crouch-walking and faster movement, "defeat a little bit of the purpose of some of those gameplay things" that made the original special. ([16:52])
  • "I blazed through them in one sitting. I was shocked...I just knocked that out," Blessing on boss fights. ([16:56])

• Puzzle-Box Design:

  • The stealth "puzzle boxes" remain a highlight: rooms/areas where approaches are flexible and improvisational.
  • Enemy AI is praised for being simple but smart, staying fun to "mess with." ([59:41], [60:45])

3. Visuals & Authenticity

• Graphical Upgrades:

  • The new visuals (Unreal Engine 5) generally look great, especially with "Legacy-style" green/yellow filters to recapture the PS2 era's look.
  • "This game nails it. The legacy filters...are incredible." — Tim ([25:58])
  • However, some character models can look "a little goofy" with realistic rendering.

• Performance Issues:

  • The game suffers from uneven framerates and varying resolutions, notably even on PS5 Pro. "Cutscenes are locked to 30 FPS...performance mode dropping from 60 to 40..." ([37:04])
  • Nevertheless, most hosts weren't significantly bothered while playing.

4. What's (Not) New: Safe to a Fault?

• Content & Additions:
  • No new story content, same voice lines and music as the original. No DualSense-exclusive features.
  • "It's the same everything...it just doesn't feel like a $70 title." — Tim ([12:58])
• Guy Savage Mini-Game:
  • The obscure, horror-themed Guy Savage mini-game is newly remastered and accessible from the menu, praised as a "super commendable" detail. ([65:22])

5. Critiques: Price and Missed Opportunities

• Pricing Debate:

  • $70 is controversial. "Biggest thing being the price. $70 for this, I think, is insulting." — Tim ([12:58])
  • Greg counters: "I would recommend buying for $70." ([12:58])

• Lack of Extras:

  • Disappointment in not bundling legacy versions/modes directly in the options. Lament for no seamless switching between modern and classic presentations. "[It] would've gone a long way." — Greg ([12:58])

• Tech Notes:

  • Developed by Virtuos, a studio known for support/ports, not original big-budget games.
  • Unreal Engine 5 is still maturing; tech issues reflect broader industry struggles. ([37:04])

6. Story & Cinematic Feel

• Strengths:

  • The story remains elite—"one of the most iconic games of all time" (Blessing, [14:58]), with the ending especially lauded.
  • The cinematic direction, James Bond-style vibe, and use of music are praised. "Feels like such a complete Metal Gear Solid package." — Tim ([64:40])

• Weaknesses:

  • The pacing now feels odd—story is frontloaded and then "here's everything" in the last half hour. ([49:37])
  • Some content hasn't aged well (treatment of women, awkward humor). ([56:14])

• Memorable Moments:

  • Boss fights, particularly "The End," aren't as challenging or drawn out as remembered, due to new controls. Bless: "Playing this version of the end felt like elderly abuse..." ([51:41])
  • Healing/wound mechanics now feel tedious rather than immersive. ([45:23])

7. Legacy & the Future

• Remake’s Place:
  • Hosts see this as a definitive introduction for new players, but not necessarily the definitive version for veterans.
  • Desire for remakes of other entries, but skepticism that future remakes will be so hands-off:
    • "My hot take: remake [the] Twin Snakes the exact same way, then remake MGS2, then port 4." — Blessing ([43:11])
    • "This is Konami trying to do right by Metal Gear fans and trying to win back goodwill..." — Greg ([43:44])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Nostalgia:
  "It's so hard for me to talk about these games and not be pulled back into that nostalgia and what Kojima means to me..." — Greg Miller ([07:47])

• On the Remake’s Approach:
  "This remake really goes out of its way to not change anything, for better and worse." — Tim Gettys ([10:38])

  "I don't know if I'll say this is the definitive way to play it. It is the most recommendable...it is the best-looking Metal Gear Solid 3 that there is." — Blessing ([14:58])

• On Modernization Making it Easier:
  "It’s a Twin Snakes scenario...this is not the way the game was designed to be played." — Blessing ([16:56])

  "You start off in a game that's not designed for that, right? So you are immediately off to the races of, I can just go." — Greg Miller ([21:48])

• On Value:
  "I think undeniably it should have been [$40]; you look at the content...it's kind of like, what are we doing?" — Tim Gettys ([12:58])

• On the Story:
  "By the time you get to the end...How did I think that there’s like no story? And then you get to the last 30 minutes and it’s just like, 'here's everything.'" — Tim Gettys ([49:37])

• On Boss Fights:
  "I clipped that so quickly, like...when I played this back in the day...that felt like an eternity. Here, I just knocked that out." — Blessing ([51:41])

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [05:31] Spoiler policy declaration
• [07:47] Greg’s top-level thoughts & nostalgia
• [09:44] Greg’s review score: 9/10
• [10:38] Tim’s impressions (8.5/10); debate over price and value
• [12:58] Pricing controversy & expectations for a remake
• [14:20] Blessing’s impressions (8/10); faithfulness vs. forward progress
• [16:56] Discussion about camera, movement, and the “Twin Snakes” problem
• [21:48] Greg: How modernization breaks intended game tension/difficulty
• [27:00] Visual fidelity, color filters, and the “feel” of authenticity
• [37:04] Technical breakdown: performance/resolution issues
• [43:11] Predictions for the future of Metal Gear remakes
• [51:41] Spoiler section begins (boss fight, story specifics)
• [56:14] Discussion of problematic content that hasn't aged well
• [59:41] Praise for stealth AI and “puzzle box” design
• [63:00] Kojima's movie homages and meta-references
• [65:22] The return/remaster of the Guy Savage mini-game

Final Thoughts & Review Scores

• Greg Miller: “A 9 out of 10. This is an amazing game.” ([09:44])

• Tim Gettys: “8.5 out of 10...not a full-price remake, but an incredible experience.” ([10:38])

• Blessing Adeoye Jr.: “I’d give it an 8 out of 10.” ([18:18])

• Consensus:
  Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is a safe, faithful, visually impressive, but “risk averse” remake. The gameplay, story, and cinematic direction remain industry-leading, but modernizations can undercut challenge, and the $70 price tag is tough to justify for some. Essential for new players; fascinating for fans after a modern revisit.

Useful for Newcomers?

• Yes:
  • Increases accessibility and recommendation for first-timers.
  • The story, environments, and mechanics still impress.
• Caveats:
  • Modern players may experience “speedruns” through once-challenging content.
  • Some dated elements (especially regarding gender representation).

Standout Moments

• Greg’s nostalgia trip reading his own IGN HD Collection review from 2011 ([18:56])
• The debate over whether “safe” is the right approach for a beloved classic ([14:58])
• Revelations about the Guy Savage Delta mini-game remake ([65:22])
• Lively discussions comparing stealth and enemy AI to other franchises, especially Hitman ([59:41])

Epilogue: The Metal Gear Future

• Hope for further remakes, calls for more daring adaptations in the future (“break open” levels, more creative risks).
• Recognition that this project is largely about restoring confidence after historic controversy around Kojima and Konami’s split.

Summary completed: All key insights, memorable moments, and major time-stamped discussion points included. Advertisements, intros/outros, and off-topic banter omitted.