The Observer, January 26, 2007
Volume XXXIX, Issue 14
Mission accomplished in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops for PSP
PSP owners do not have much to occupy their time these days. Only a handful of quality games were released last year, and there are very few releases planned for the immediate future. Still, the system remains a must-have for Metal Gear Solid fans. Both Acid and its fantastic sequel managed to elegantly fuse card games with the stealthy action of the traditional Solid games. While both of these strategy games provided plenty of fan service, their full 3D presentations demonstrated the potential for gameplay similar to the main MGS series. Luckily, this winter's Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops managed to surpass expectations by introducing new recruiting elements to a completely original mission.
Portable Ops begins somewhat slowly. Snake (aka "Big Boss") has been imprisoned while investigating a potential military threat in Latin America. He quickly breaks out with the help of not-yet-Colonel Roy Campbell, but the two discover yet another nuclear tank that must be dismantled before they can escape. Since this is another prequel set in the Cold War, longtime MGS fans will notice several nods to the events of later games, but the story itself seems much smaller than previous entries. While I appreciated the shorter cutscenes, I would have preferred more background information on the central villains or a more emotional finale.
While the story may stumble in places, Portable Ops delivers in the gameplay department. Controls are awkward at first since the PSP's analog "nub" is a poor substitute for dual sticks. However, with the aid of a lock-on button, Snake and company can perform all of the same moves available in the console games. Rolling and crawling remain frustrating, but the transition is still smooth.
The levels were clearly designed with portable gaming in mind. Objectives take minutes to complete instead of hours, even if the entire mission is about ten hours long. The environments are a little bland, likely due to the limitations of the PSP, but the overall atmosphere of Snake Eater has been maintained.
What makes Portable Ops stand out is the recruiting system. As you knock out guards (either through chokeholds or tranquilizer darts), you can drag them back to Campbell's truck and convince them to join Snake's growing army. After they have defected, newly enlisted soldiers can perform a number of duties. For instance, a spy can provide more detailed maps for specific regions, while technicians create new items such as body armor. You can even set these players into one of Snake's "sneaking squads," so that they become playable characters. On top of adding a layer of depth to the game, the recruiting process is just as addictive as the card collecting of the Acid games. Everyone can be collected, including bosses if special conditions are met.
In addition to earning new characters in the single player campaign, adventurous players can gamble online in multiplayer skirmishes. Under certain deathmatch settings, you can capture the defeated soldiers of your opponents while risking your own. This option manages to invigorate what would otherwise be a very dull online shooter. While the ability to lock on is crucial in single player, it just doesn't work well in multiplayer. Battles no longer require much skill. I also found it frustrating that the game does not support the PSP's USB headset. While the device has received very little publicity, the SOCOM games in particular have benefited from voice chat support. Hopefully these issues will be addressed in the inevitable sequel.
Though Portable Ops has its fair share of flaws, players have to admire the development team's ambition. The controls may be cumbersome and the multiplayer modes may be disappointing, but this game lives up to the legacy of its console predecessors, and after all, what else are you going to play?
