Gaming Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops

[silpheedpilot]

[COLOR=DarkSlateGray][SIZE=1]To clear up any pre-conceptions of this game; It is NOT a card-based game. It IS a stealth-action game like all other Metal Gears, sans for AC!D of course.

The game takes place 6 years after the events of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater with Snake finding himself on yet another mission but not with the CIA. Then who? Well, thats for me to know and you to find out.

The gameplay is where this game is at. I honestly didn't think it could be done on such a limited system but Konami sure told me. Everything that is Metal Gear is in this game. You name it, its there. First-person shooting? Yes. Cardboard box? Yes. Grapples? Yes. Multitude of weaponry? Yes. Trust me. If you've played Metal Gear in the last decade this installment will make you feel right as rain.

Another new, though welcome, addition is the recruiting aspect. Knocking soldiers out and dragging them back to your truck to recruit them to your cause, or going to Access points around the world and downloading new soldiers via Wi-Fi, trading back and forth with a friend. Its amazing. Make all the Pokemon cracks you want, but this is alot better. Trust me. Even special characters make an appearance like Para-Medic, Sigint, and the ever so popular Raikov. You can even recruit boss characters to your cause by fullfilling special conditions in battle or throughout the game. Keep an eye open.

The graphics, while not as good as Tekken, are good in their own Metal Gear right. I mean, there isn't much to say about the graphics really. They're clean, with nice textures and great character models. If you've played Metal Gear Solid 3 then you'll know what I'm talking about. Its' nearly identical in look just on a smaller screen. The gorgeous cut-scenes have been replaced by gorgeous comic-book style cut-scenes that convey the same message and impact that a digitally rendered cast would. Trust me. It seems dumb on paper, but when you see it at work you realize it's like watching a regular ol' Metal Gear cut-scene.

If there is one game that you gotta have this Christmas for the PSP then look no further than Metal Gear: Portable Ops. Honestly. [/SIZE][/COLOR]