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Platform: PSP

Genre: Stealth Action

Number of Players: 1, 1 -6 via AdHoc or Infrastructure

Ready for another Metal Gear card game? Well, that’s actually too bad. The lines have been drawn extremely well with the Metal Gear Acid games that have appeared on the PSP, and while some actually haven’t minded the change of pace for the series, there are some that absolutely despise the change and want the series to remain just as it has been seen on the PlayStation 2 and other consoles. If you fit into that category, Konami’s latest Metal Gear Solid is just what you’ve been waiting for.

Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops is set some six years after the end of the Snake Eater title (MGS3) and while Snake was awarded the title of Big Boss, he has since quit the organization, left everything behind, and simply wants to live a life outside of the action. However, that’s not going to be possible. Snake finds himself a prisoner and his captors believe that his has information concerning another portion of the Legacy. Snake claims to know nothing about this and soon finds a comrade in arms to help him escape; Roy Campbell (the same Campbell that you’ll find in the other MGS games.) There’s something bigger going on behind the scenes however, and Snake and Campbell are trying to find out just what it is, who is behind it, and put a stop to it. While Snake may still have some of his contacts from his previous mission, he’s also a wanted man and really only has Campbell and himself to rely on this time out . . . and maybe a few deserters as well.

Portable Ops essentially plays like the other MGS games, though it’s not entirely similar. While the other games featured either an overhead camera view or a trailing camera, this MGS follows directly behind Snake, much in the same fashion that you’ve seen with Tomb Raider and a number of other games. But, it’s still Metal Gear, and there are many aspects and controls from the standard series that make their way over into the handheld version of the game.

Stealth is a really the biggest part of the MGS series, and one that many other developers have tried to imitate, and you can expect to find the same stealth as with the home console versions found here. This means of course you can peak around corners, crawl under low openings, work your way through ventilation shafts, and try and avoid detection by the enemy. Hanging, eluding the enemy, crouching, and making noise to attract the enemy have all been seen throughout the series, and they certainly are not forgotten here. The CQC, or Close Quarter Combat, is also retained as well as the option to drag and hide enemies that you have stunned. While long time fans of the series are familiar with these moves, the game doesn’t simply assume that you’ve played, and there will be those that have never played a MGS title in their life, so you will get the chance to go through a tutorial just to familiarize yourself with the controls.

The Metal Gear games have always been about adding something new however, and Portable Ops does feature a new method of gameplay not seen in the others. Hunting and gathering food as well as extensive healing methods are not what it see (this was found in Snake Eater in case you’re not well versed in the series) but there is something quite different and that would be recruitment. Without much backup to rely on, Snake and Campbell decide that it’s a wise decision to bring in some help, and that’s done by convincing some less than pleased underlings to join your ranks.

In order to add new recruits to your ranks, you’ll need to knock enemy soldiers unconscious and then drag them back to Campbell’s truck, something that at times, can be easier said than done. Even once this is accomplished, it can be several days before they finally agree to join forces with you, and the game does operate in a time based fashion allowing you to skip a “turn” and change from day to night. It’s not a bad way to speed up the process. Once you begin to gain followers, you can put together different unit that Snake will be in charge of; Bravo, Charlie and Delta. Aside from Snake taking on leadership, you can have three other members as a part of your team.

Converting enemies and creating unit becomes a huge part of the game, and if you’re already well versed in the classic Metal Gear Solid series, than Snake’s method of gaining allies here should be one that is familiar: the tranquilizer. You can also knock them out using close quarter combat, but the gun is so much more fun. Once you’ve managed to get a new potential ally, you’ll need to take time to show them a better means of being a solider, but there’s still a bit more. They all have ranks, pre-war professions and such, and this is where conversion can take more time. However, once they’ve come over, that’s where the next part begins.

As you begin to expand the “Snake Army,” you can create units based on different skill sets. Spy units excel at being able to obtain intel that is imperative for Snake to complete his mission, and they are also one of the best collections of individuals when it comes to covert infiltration missions. Sneaking Units on the other hand operative on the principal of stealth, something that is another large key to success in the MGS series as many already know. Medical Unit meanwhile can be used for healing and increasing stamina while the Technical Unit can both create and upgrade your current technology.

The members of your new army can be equipped with weaponry, things that in most cases are going to be to their advantage. Also, since they are former members of the existing militia in the area, there are times when they can easily access areas that Snake would otherwise have a difficult time getting into, and this is all thanks to their camouflage ability. An enemy solider is going to think nothing of one of their own simply walking into a compound, and at any point you can exchange members of the team, another thing that can make missions more successful.

This new features really gives Portable Ops a few different styles of gameplay aside from simply moving from point A to B. The recruitment and unit creation adds more of a strategy element into the game. The levels themselves have the familiar feel of the MGS games on the home consoles, though this new unit portion does tend to change the gameplay just a little. Also, you’re not relegated to simply moving from area to area, but instead you can actually select where you’d like to approach next. The missions do tend to have more of an advantageous aspect in certain locations opposed to others, and while Campbell will advise you on what section might provide the best results, you don’t necessarily have to listen to him, though there are some parts of the blossoming story that do in fact have locations that MUST be tackled.

Portable Ops is very comparable in terms of graphics to what is seen in the regular games in the series, though there’s not quite as much detail with the level designs, but we’re also looking at a bit difference between UMD and DVD when it comes to overall space. However, if you’re a fan of the other games, you’ll find that this handheld version really does stand up quite well when it comes to the look. The cutscenes however are drastically different, and instead of featuring movie style cinemas, you will find still images that look very much like what was seen in the Metal Gear Solid Digital Graphic Novel. It’s actually not a bad change in this case, and these sequences do include voice over work, so while it might look different, the feeling is still there.

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops certainly isn’t the card game that PSP owners may have come to love or hate, and it’s definitely not the usual Metal Gear that you may have grown to love on the PS2 either. However, Portable Ops does resemble its console version quite well, but also offers some diversity that you might not have expected to find. Portable Ops is going to be just the thing to appease those who didn’t care much for playing cards with Snake but isn’t going to leave those that loved it with a bad taste in their mouth. This is just another variation on the Metal Gear series that is going to keep fans wanting more, and the perfect thing to kill a little time on the road, at work, or anywhere else that the PSP happens to be.
 

-mike-