Solid
Snake's first full-fledged adventure on the PSP, Metal Gear Solid:
Portable Ops, offers the challenging stealth gameplay, rich production
values and engrossing plot players have come to expect from the series.
There are also interesting twists, such as the ability to recruit other
characters and switch between them during missions that work well with
portable play. This co-operative approach fits in with the story and is
well-executed and adds a different feel to the gameplay. Portable Ops'
multiplayer modes use this feature extensively as well, making for an
exciting and challenging title that successfully translates the depth and
nuance of the console games onto a handheld platform.
While many gamers probably doubted
Sony's PSP could handle a full-fledged Metal Gear Solid title after the
release of the two Acid games, MGS: Portable Ops proves this theory wrong.
Konami has succeeded in creating a title that offers the depth, gameplay
and feel of a console title in the palm of your hand. Set after the events
of Snake Eater, Portable Ops finds Solid Snake captured on a remote South
American island where a dangerous despot is trying to establish a nation
by blackmailing the superpowers with a secret weapon that can launch a
nuclear strike from almost any location. The storyline unfolds via a
series of elaborate cut scenes that are lavishly illustrated and feature
the voice actors from the main series of games and fits in snugly with the
long-standing Metal Gear mythology. The gameplay itself is classic MGS as
players sneak around, collect information, take out enemy guards and try
and avoid detection. What's different this time around is the use of
secondary characters, which can be used to complete the mission
co-operatively. It sounds like a small change but is a big deal because
learning when to use the secondary characters is the key strategy in
completing your missions and making progress through the game's many
levels.
As you play the game, you can recruit or
kidnap extra characters by knocking them out and dragging them back to the
truck. Once you have interrogated them, they can join your team. What
really makes this system interesting is the fact that each of the
characters brings a special ability to the mission. For example, if you
convince an enemy soldier to switch over, you can then use them during the
mission. Since they have the same uniform as the other soldiers, their
presence will not cause the alarms to go off. This is indicated by a blue
chameleon which appears on the screen. Using this approach lets you get
into other areas without getting caught. There are several types of
soldiers you can command, and each one also brings in special abilities.
For example, they can drag opponents faster than Snake can. When you
capture soldiers, they'll often give you extra intelligence information as
well, which can help you complete the missions. Of course, you won't only
need soldiers for your mission, and can enlist other character types such
as scientists and doctors to aid your cause. This system plays a key role
in the missions and you need to use each character's abilities in
different situations. You can set up different unit types, including
combat, sneak and medical and use each one for different portions of the
mission. Players can also swap characters between units and release
characters from their team when they are no longer useful. Switching
between characters during the mission is fairly easy to accomplish and
this definitely adds more strategy to the gameplay.
Metal
Gear Solid Portable Ops follows the structure and conventions of the
series and players will find the interface, presentation and controls
quite familiar. Switching between the game screen and codec is fairly
simple and players should have little trouble using the in-game menus to
equip weapons and use items. The controls should also be familiar, with
movement handled by the analog nub and views changes with the d-pad. The
gameplay remains realistic in terms of tactics and military conventions.
For example, Snake (or one of his comrades) need to penetrate many areas
without being seen. In order to do this, you need to be careful and try
not to get spotted. If you do, you can still get away without causing a
full scale alert by offing one of the guards quickly. Once you have
equipped a weapon, you can use the first person mode to shoot at
opponents. After they pass out, you need to put your weapon down in order
to drag them out of site. This attention to detail makes Portable Ops feel
authentic and realistic and this approach has become one of Kojima's
trademarks and this game is no exception. Players will find a realistic
arsenal of weaponry and items including machine guns, pistols, rifles
which are authentic to the game's early 1970's era. You'll also find a
number of other useful items, such as knives for close-range combat and
more. As you play through the levels, a rich backstory and deep characters
begin to develop which makes the experience all the more enjoyable.
The single player experience is deep and
engaging, but Portable Ops includes a number of engaging multiplayer modes
as well. There are several variants to choose from including, team and
solo battles, and a cool capture mode. Setting up this game is fairly easy
and most players should have little trouble signing in. Once online, you
can choose which teams to battle and can also use the wi-fi abilities and
GPS to collect and download additional soldiers which you can then place
in your units. This mode is surprisingly elaborate and goes beyond what
most games offer. It's especially gratifying that progress you make in the
solo game can be carried over to the online battlefield, since you can use
the same soldiers you've unlocked in these versus match battles as well.
Metal Gear Solid fans will find a lot to like in the multiplayer games as
well, which do an excellent job of bringing the series' trademark pacing
and strategy online. Portable Ops mirrors the look, feel and pacing of the
bigger console titles, but the game has made some adjustments to its
portable format. The missions themselves seem to be a bit shorter and take
place in somewhat smaller levels, which reduces their length, but not the
richness of the experience. The system of trading and managing your
soldiers is also well-suited to a handheld platform and makes the game
highly playable either in short bursts and episodes on the go while
holding up well enough together to make for a satisfying experience during
longer at home sessions.
These
adjustments to the portable front haven't come at the expense of quality,
since Portable Ops is one of the best looking games in the series on the
PSP to date. From a technical standpoint, the game uses its visuals
effectively to produce a believable cohesive world. The game features
excellent production values from start to finish that really showcase the
developer's talents. The in-game graphics engine is impressive and
showcases a high level of detail throughout the many levels and
environments. From outdoor areas to closed in bases, the game shows a
variety of terrain. The camera does get in the way occasionally, but you
can manually adjust your viewpoint on the d-pad. Portable Ops' levels have
a high degree of detail with excellent light sourcing while the characters
themselves move and respond realistically to your actions. A dark, moody
score gives the game a serious tone that reflects the gravity of the
situation, underpinning your every move. As you'd expect, the cut-scenes
are impressive with hand-drawn graphics and visuals that bring the gritty
atmosphere to life vividly while not over-powering the main game.
These production values and graphics
harness the system's power and the engaging gameplay effectively brings a
console-quality title to the palm of your hand. The single player mode is
quite extensive and being able to switch characters throughout the
missions helps to keep the formula fresh without diffusing the essence of
its appeal. Managing your characters and trading them also ties in nicely
to the game's online modes, which offer extensive team and solo
multiplayer action in an accessible form. While the Metal Gear Acid titles
were a nice appetizer, MGS: Portable Ops represents the main course. The
title follows the storyline and characters from with the other games in
the series, and offers a deep, challenging and, satisfying stealth
adventure that offers solid gameplay in an engaging and entertaining
package.
Grade: B
