“Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops”
Konami Corporation
PSP
When your name’s Snake and you wear an eyepatch,
megalomaniacal foes are never in short supply.
After two forays into strategy card games and a “digital
graphic novel,” “Metal Gear Solid” has returned
to its roots on the PSP with “Metal Gear Solid: Portable
Ops.” However, it sports some key differences from previous
Metal Gear Solid games.
Set in 1970, six years after the events of the wildly successful
“Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater,” protagonist Snake
finds himself framed, accused of treason, and forced to prevent a
nuclear catastrophe and clear his name. The unfolding story is as
engaging as any previously seen in the series.
With the exception of some difficulty in controlling the camera,
it’s as fun as ever to infiltrate enemy compounds and take on
overwhelming odds with little more than your wits and a rifle.
Rather than wandering about in an open-ended environment,
“Portable Ops” has players choosing single missions
from a main menu.
By choking enemies unconscious and dragging them back to a truck
for some “persuasion,” gamers can strengthen their
armies. Strategically assigning these recruits as medics,
technicians and spies, players uncover weapons, medical supplies
and new missions.
More importantly, though, it’s possible to accomplish
objectives more swiftly by utilizing the game’s new Chameleon
system.
By playing as an average soldier converted to the side of good
in lieu of the grizzled, eyepatch-touting (and more conspicuous)
Snake, players can easily wander with impunity ““ provided
they don’t act conspicuously (say, by discharging a firearm
wildly in public).
The advent of the Chameleon gameplay mechanic, in addition to
organizing one’s army, adds a solid layer of strategy that
rewards thoughtful gameplay beyond the sneaking and shooting for
which Metal Gear is known.
Furthermore, “Portable Ops” takes advantage of the
PSP’s portability with the ability to recruit even more
soldiers via Wi-Fi or the currently unreleased GPS accessory.
Once players finish the single-player campaign, there’s
still a fully featured multiplayer mode to be enjoyed, in which you
can even gamble your hard-earned recruits in life-or-death
battles.
“Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops” is by far the best
reason so far to get a PSP. Aside from some nagging camera control
issues, it embraces the full potential of a mobile platform while
delivering a full- fledged experience to rival that of its home
console brethren.