85
It's been a while since the last installment of the Metal Gear Solid series, which was Snake Eater on the PS2 on November 17, 2004 (Not counting Subsistence), but we finally have a true sequel to the game, and it's on the PSP.
However, Portable Ops is different. Very different. But its a GOOD different. Sort of. Instead of the typical "straight" missions (immediate jump to the next level) you encounter in the previous MGS series, you have a map in which you choose your location, so you can jump to which ever place you wish to go, very similar to Metal Gear Acid.
Also, your not the only one on a mission anymore, you'll be helped by your comrades on a mission, which you recruit yourself by managing to get the enemy into your truck to convince them to "Join your side". These guys can help in many ways from producing medial supplies, working on new technical equipment, gathering Intel from a certain location, and helping you on your mission. Each one of these members have their own skills, so its up to you to place them where they appropriately belong.
When you bring your recruits to the battle field, it's not like you can have them all moving at once, while the current player is on the move, everyone else hides in cardboard boxes (ahh.. The good ol' box), and when your ready to bring another member out, you must first find a place to hide, then you can start playing the other member.
The levels are pretty short, so I tshould usually no longer take no more than 10 minutes, unless your stuck, which can happen quite often. But they're fun, and the levels look great on the PSP. The effects are also fantastic, but rarely you may experience a drop in frame rate in heavy battles, which can be sometimes bad, especially since Portable Ops doesn't seem to get beyond 20 fps. Play Portable Ops for about 5 days straight, then go play Snake Eater, you'll be surprised how smooth Snake Eater runs compared to Portable Ops, but its not fare to compare frame rates to the PSP's bigger brother, so the PSP frame rates are perfectly acceptable.
Konami did a pretty good job of fitting the same style gameplay into the tiny PSP, but because of the absence of the 2nd analog nub and L2 R2 shoulder buttons, some cuts had to be made, and unfortunately, keeps this game from getting a perfect score. Because the game utilizes the 3D camera found only in MGS 3: Subsistence, it can be very annoying trying to control it while playing. You use the analog nub to move, and the directional buttons to move the camera, and although this is a much better idea rather then holding down a separate button and using the nub to move the camera, which stops you dead in your tracks, you still have to find some magical way to get the angle you want while your still moving.
In Portable Ops, you can only carry 4 weapons/items with you at a time. Yes, you heard right, weapons AND items. A drastic cut from the 16.. Or was it 14... You could carry in Snake Eater. And you cant just take out your backpack and replace those items, you have to go back to the level select screen and change it from there.
The story is, of course, fantastic, and the boss battles get the adrenaline pumping. The cut-scenes feature animated art by Ashley Wood but unfortunately, it doesn't please me too much, but I should be grateful there is actual dialog by the original voice actors. It just would be nice to have the original cut-scenes we've been used to. It would also be nice to have dialog in the codec and when Campbell is talking to you in the level select menu. But thats asking too much, is it? The music is also fantastic and fits the levels perfectly and sound effects sound clean and crisp.
Overall, this game is damn fantastic, and should not disappoint the Metal Gear Solid fan. Its a definite buy, but if you just want to try the game out, you can also rent it. I finished the game in about 20 hours total (not all in one day, mind you), but it was worth every minute I spent on it.
85/100
Pros:
Fantastic story
Unique gameplay
Great detail in levels
Good frame rates
Adrenaline pumping action
Cons:
Controls can be problematic
May not please those looking for a shooter
97
Playability=95
Load times=100
Graphics=90
Sound=90
Overall Value=97
Again must buy game
Fun Infrastructure and Ad Hoc Mode
Single Player Mode never gets boring
I beat 10 times =)
If you wanna play me my name is - [GRU]wtf1tstue
95
This year has been bumpy for PSP's line up og games but here we are at it's very end. I'm back to review one of my favorite games for the Playstation Portable and I'm happy that it's MPO or Metal Gear Portable Ops.
MPO is a sequel to the PS2 game Metal Gear Solid 3 : Snake Eater, and it plays quite the same. Naked Snake, or *SPOILERS!* Big Boss *END SPOILERS* returns with an improved sneaking suit and a set mind to stop the a Metal Gear.
The controls are very "solid" if you will. You move around with the nub, the face buttons allow you to shoot, switch stances+ weapons, and perform actions. THe L and are buttons are used to go into strafe mode while using a weapon and a first person mode where you shoot with your current weapon (in this mode you can strafe using the d-pad) My only gripe with the game is that the PSP's lack of a second nub, that you can't control movement and the camera at the same time. This will prove frustrating to play the game if you like manipulating the camera.
The gameplay itslef is very entertaining. Missions are usually short and sweet, lasting from 5 mins to 15 mins depending on the mission and on your skill level as a gamer. The missions usually comprise of you taking a team of 4 and retrieving a weapon, rescuing a prisoner, blow up a building or something along those lines. But where does the team come from?
MPO features an innovative way to play. Like Pokemon you can capture enemies. Snake realizes that he needs help to stop Metal Gear. In every mission you start by a truck, if you knock somebody out you can drag them back to the truck and after interrrogation they will be part of your team. Another way to recruit new soldiers is to find wifi hot spots and you can download a recruit from that area unique to each game. You can also trade with other MPO'ers by simply trading or putting a soldier into sleep trade and it'll trade with another person in the same mode automactically.
Your new recruits can be enlisted into several squads: Sneaking, Spies, Medics, Tech. Spies will gather information on where you palce them providing you with information on where weapons are, Medics will provide rations and med kits, and Tech provide explosives,and ammo. In between missions, you can chose to wait a period of 3 half hours depending on whether you like to play the mission in day or night. During these waiting periods your squads will provide you on what they produce.
Sadly I haven't touch online yet, as I wanted to finish Story Mode first and the Story is so full of twists and turns that I didn't want to put the PSP down. The cut scenes are told in a stylistic moving comic style. It is fully voiced by the original cast of Snake Eater and is quite epic to a point. The story progresses at a quick pace and is thrilling full of interesting cast of baddies you know you'll eventually have to tangle with.
In short, MPO is a fantastic entry to the Metal Gear Solid series full of plot twists, excellent game play, an innovative recruitment feature (I took my PSP everywhere with me just to find wifi points so I could start recruiting) and will justify your purchase. The only dowfall is the controls but the blame would go to the PSP.
Do yourself a favor and throw down the cash for this game, it's a sure hit!
98
I've had my PSP approximately a month or so, but I made one of my top game purchase priorities for Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. You won't regret owning this game. I can't put it down, for lack of a better, straight-forward thing to say. The graphics are smooth and great, the gameplay and controls are superb (despite the missing second nub) and the storyline submerges you. I would expect nothing short of amazing from Kojima and the MGS series. The idea of having classes to divide your team members into is a great idea. I think it gave the game a sort of RPG/strategy element to the overall experience and it really shows in the gameplay. Your team is only as good as its weakest link, so it takes time and effort to put together a group that will work. It give it a challenge that I grew to enjoy.
I think the only gripe I had with the game were some of the levels. I can't explain it though. I guess I wanted them to be more interactive and detailed. Every other spectacular aspect of the game makes up for this in spades though. This is by far my favorite PSP game so far.
It's not just a port by any means! You can tell that Kojima and Konami took their time with this one and they were extremely successful. They put together an addition to the Metal Gear series that they should be proud of, and it was perfectly tailored to the PSP.
Buy this game! Immediately!
95
metal gear solid po is great for the PSP I got this game a week ago and stil playing it.the sound is great it sounds ilke if I was playing it on the ps2.the graphics are good it's ilke mgs3 but geting close to objects gets lagy and pixy ilke a ps1 game. control the control is good at some times but the cam is the main problem.gameplay very fun there is a lot to do between the online play and the gameplay it self will last for a week. so I give the sound a 99. The graphics a 85. The control a 85. And the gameplay a 99
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