Metal Gear Acid

Imagine if you will Hideo Kojima’s stealthy-action Metal Gear series in the palm of your hand. Oh the very thought of it filled a long-time fan like myself with joy and you better believe I couldn’t wait until March. Well Sony’s PSP is here and so is Metal Gear Acid, but this is not the Metal Gear we all know. Interested in finding out why this is still a pretty amazing PSP game? Please read on.

First of all, the game might look a lot like a Metal Gear Solid game and yes, you’ll find all of the same features that make up the series, but this is not a Metal Gear Solid game. Instead of the usual real-time stealth-action, this version opts for a strategic turn-based stealth-action card game. This departure of the familiar gameplay style of the PS2 games might turn off new fans of the series. As far as strategy games go, this new concept is not only done right but for those who stick around long enough this one not fail to hook you. 

The story revolves around the hijacking of a jumbo airliner by a terrorist group looking to get their hands on a top secret research project codenamed “Pythagoras.” Worse yet a US Presidential hopeful, Senator Hach, is aboard the plane so the situation has become critical. Brought out of retirement because he’s faced strange and unusual villains before, Solid Snake makes his way to a lab in Lobito Island where the mysterious research the terrorists are demanding is being guarded heavily. Guided by a CIA Agent named Roger and a young psychic named Alice via Codec, Solid Snake meets up with a lab worker named Gary and later a trained female Special Forces soldier named Teliko (who you will later control, along with Snake, to cause double the damage).  

Like the Metal Gear Solid games, there are enough twists and turns and the expected oddball villains (like the two freakish dolls controlled by a mysterious source that adds a nice surprise to the story), but even with the change in gameplay style, stealth still plays a very crucial part in Metal Gear Acid. The first stage will have you attempting to get past the guards to enter through the gates of the research facility, and the best course of action is still sneaking your way without being spotted by the armed guards. Naturally Snake will have familiar weapons, like the SOCOM, and items such as his trusty box or stun grenades, but confrontations should be avoided if possible. 

While you’ll want to move Snake around like the PS2 games you’ll quickly be introduced to the game’s turn-based card system. You see, you’re given a deck of cards, each with its own equitable item or action. For each stage you’re given a deck of 30 cards with pictures of the weapon or action and some even have the picture of familiar Metal Gear characters. The Naomi Hunter card, for instance, is used for healing a large percentage of wounds inflicted on you. An Otocon card increases your firepower so you can really inflict damage on enemies wearing armor. Aside from the character cards there are support cards that allows Snake to evade certain attacks. Along the way you can gain new cards (there are more than 200 cards to collect) and, during each stage’s intermission, you can pick and choose the cards you think is appropriate for the next stage thanks to a Deck Editor.

Because the game is purely turn-based, you’ll have a very limited use of each card and how many steps Snake can take. Moving our stealthy hero will seem very frustrating at first since he’ll have to move within a certain number of blocks that appear on the ground. Then he has to consider where he’ll be facing after reaching his destination and you’ll even get the option to crawl or flatten against a wall. Since the number of card usage is limited, you must end your action so the enemy can make their movements. This gives Snake a chance to refresh his deck to start anew. So you can see that this a slow moving strategy game where you really have to consider your every step.

Yet it’s impossible not to run into trouble in this game and you’ll often be spotted by the enemy (they’ll go on alert and call for backup to help hunt for you). Luckily Snake can equip his weapons and fire back or he could crawl under a truck until the caution meter disappears and the guards go back to their normal routine. Sometimes you’ll need to knock on the wall to attract a guard’s attention, but make a wrong move and you be back to moving for a hiding place. Oh yeah, this is one tough game but once you get use to the new gameplay you’ll find yourself up for the challenge. 

Here’s another reason to love your PSP - the wireless multiplayer support is amazing. You’ll be able to play this game with a friend, and that’s a very good thing. What isn’t good, though, is the fact that you have to unlock the multiplayer mode so it’s not readily available from the start. Once it becomes available, you can compete against a friend in network battles. For example, Link Battle has you controlling two characters (Snake and Teliko, for example) as you attempt to make your opponent drop his or her Pythagoras disks to claim for your own. You won’t even be able to see your enemy (huh?) until you’ve come in real close proximity. I’ve experienced a few hiccups while playing but otherwise the multiplayer experience ran decently. Overall, the multiplayer mode will probably keep you playing this long after you completed the single-player campaign. 

If you’re looking for proof that the PSP is capable of displaying PS2 quality graphics, then Metal Gear Acid will not disappoint. You’ll be surprised how much this game looks like the recent Metal Gear Solid games even when though the camera pans back to show the environments in a much smaller scale. Yet the characters during the game’s action sequences look amazing and even the character renderings during the cutscenes give the game a comic book vibe. Even the visual effects - like the explosions - look straight off the PS2 games. Overall, this is great stuff.

Unfortunately, you won’t find David Hayter voicing Solid Snake again. In fact, you won’t find any voice acting at all. Instead we’re treated to the same wonderful score that keeps the dramatic and well-written story nicely dramatic. The sound effects are also great, bring back the same cool sounds that make up the series.

Metal Gear Acid isn’t for everyone. In fact, if you’re a long-time fan of the Metal Gear Solid series you’ll feel a bit disoriented by the fact that it looks exactly like the Solid games but plays so radically differently. Yet, as a strategy game with all the elements that made us fans of the series, you’ll find it hard to dislike a card game that looks great, has an excellent story and still contains plenty of action. If you don’t mind the change of pace and difficulty, this is certainly a PSP game well worth a try.

Gameplay: 8.0
Fans of the Metal Gear Solid games are going to wish they had full control over Solid Snake and those not use to turn-based strategy games involving cards will be thrown off by the pace. Yet those who stick with the game will get used to this new style of gameplay. As far as strategy games go, this one is chock full of action and just a few of the things we love about the series.  

Graphics: 8.5
One word: stunning. The characters look simply gorgeous during cutscenes or combat, and even the environments look like they come from a PS2. Conversations are treated with nicely rendered drawings that give the game’s longer cutscenes a comic book feel. PSP, I think I love you.  

Sound: 7.5
The same amazing and wonderfully dramatic MGS score is present and accounted for, and boy does it sound great with or without earphones. Unfortunately, the game skipped out on actual voice acting so all the witty and well-written dialogue is just text. The sound effects are familiar stuff for those who are fans of the series.

Difficulty: Hard
Metal Gear Acid will have you thinking before you leap out into the open and stealth is still key to your survival so consider this one of the most challenging Metal Gear games yet. Aside from giving careful consideration to your every counted step you’ll also have to keep in mind what types of cards to carry for each stage.  

Concept: 8.0
There are over 200 battle cards you can pick and use so like Pokémon you’re going to want to catch them all. Despite its change in format, you’ll find some familiar faces and all the things that made us fans of the series in the first place. Toss in a pretty good multiplayer mode and you’ve got a game strategy gamers can sink their teeth into. 

Multiplayer: 7.0
The bad news is that the multiplayer mode isn’t available right away so you’ll need to get pretty far in the single-player game to unlock it. The good news is that, once unlocked, you and a friend can take each another on in a link-battle mode. There are problems aplenty in this mode but it is still very much well appreciated.

Overall: 8.2
Straying from its original “Solid” roots, Metal Gear Acid for the PSP is a worthwhile departure for the series and one seriously entertaining strategy game. If you enjoy a turn-based card game with a healthy dose of stealthy spy action then this is the game you’ll want among your new PSP library of games.