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> Results: Metal Gear Ac!d 2
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Fans of the stealth-action Metal Gear series were skeptical when Metal Gear AC!D debuted on PlayStation Portable last year. How could Konami replace action with turn-based strategy? Throw in a card game to boot? Some were turned off but plenty of people loved it, myself included, and Konami has rewarded us with a sequel that cranks up every knob that the original provided.
This time around, youﾗas Snakeﾗfind yourself sneaking back into the US after a mission, but are captured by an FBI agent named Dalton. He wants your help infiltrating a secret weapons research facility, and is threatening incarceration for you and your associates if you don't comply. Thus begins a typical Metal Gear tale of conspiracy, betrayal, and revelation, as you try to piece together your lost memory along the way. The plot isn't as lively as the first game and its psychic doll terrorists, but this does have its own surprises. Core gameplay remains the same. Each turn, every player (including non-player characters) is dealt a series of cards used to perform actions such as moving, shooting, special abilities, etc. There is no direct control of your character, every action is executed with cards. The GamerDad review of the first title covers the system in some depth, so you can refer to that if you want more information.  This iteration adds several new features including more freedom of movement. While still not giving you direct control, AC!D 2 allows you to switch directions, switch between crawling or standing, hang and drop down, lean against walls, and perform hand-to-hand combat at any point in a movement action, not just at the end of movement like the first game. You find an increased number of trap cards rather than the basic mines and explosives you had access to before, and new Linkage card effects that are automatically played when they are in your hand. There are also plenty of new cards, bringing the total to over 500 little representations of characters and items from the Metal Gear universe. In addition, you start out with the MGS3 pack this time, giving you immediate access to the more advanced weapons and Close Quarters Combat moves. Many cards can be upgraded now, allowing you to spend points in return for beefed up versions of weapons, items, and characters. You're not actually shown what the upgraded card will be, so it takes a lot of trial and error when deciding how to use your points wisely. The visuals are overhauled tooﾗsomething that hits you immediately. Gone are the grays and browns of the first game. They are replaced by a retina-piercing color scheme of yellows, greens, reds, and blues. It's a more stylized comic book look, enhanced by black "ink" outlines for everything and "speed lines" for explosions and the like. It's not preferable to the more traditional style, but it does make it easier to see what's going on, something that was occasionally a problem in the original. Other issues from the first game have been addressed, too. There is no graphic slowdown, even during big oil barrel explosions. Missions are designed so you're not waiting around for one particular card to be drawn. The somewhat tedious "one character has to stand in front of a terminal to unlock the door while the other goes through" missions are gone. For newcomers, the game is more accessible because it avoids the 15 minutes of gameplay-free introduction in the first game, and adds a help guide available at any time to explain the finer points of gameplay. For veterans, longevity is ensured with the addition of Arena Mode, where you can battle bosses from previous Metal Gear games, the return of the unlockable multiplayer mode, and multiple extra missions for each stage outside of the story. Trial missions are particularly good, where you are given a specific deck and have to complete a task. I've since read that the development team scoured every review they could find of the first game and vowed to fix every complaint, so job well done, guys! I still have a couple of complaints. There is no online multiplayer and I think it would be a perfect addition. The first game had an option to display every character's (both player controlled and NPC) statistics onscreen at the same time, which really helped see at a glance who was going to have the next turn and how much Cost they had remaining. This has been removed, forcing you to scroll around the level to look at each enemy in turn. There are also areas in the game where your default view is obscured, and while it happens far less frequently than the first game and I haven't seen a spot where I couldn't fix it with a quick view rotation, it's still an annoyance. I was surprised to note a few spelling or grammatical errors in some of the cards, which is odd considering the generally excellent dialog. You may have heard that this game comes with a "Solid Eye" 3D viewer and are wondering why I haven't mentioned it. Well, my last complaint is that this is just a gimmick. Don't get me wrong, the 3D effect really does look good, but the stereo view means halving the available screen display, and it's just not playable like this for very long. I've spent more time checking out the unlockable 3D movies and even creating my own 3D images for PSP viewing than I have playing AC!D 2 with the Solid Eye. The ability to connect to the in-game camera in the PS2 Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence title to create 3D views on the PSP is a nice touch, however. Complaints aside, Metal Gear AC!D 2 is a very good game that improves upon the first in every way. If you couldn't get into the first game or were put off by mixed reviews, give this a try. Improved accessibility seems to be a high priority. Fans of the first game should pick this one up immediately. It's going to stay in my PSP even longer than the original.  
Compared to the first game, violence is down, but the sex is up. As with every Metal Gear game, you're rewarded for avoiding confrontation, and are awarded a "no kill" bonus on many missions. The ESRB rating notes "Blood", but it's not really visible in gameplayﾗwhen enemies die, a simple red circle is left, not a detailed blood spatter. The stylized graphics also reduce the impact of the violence, though of course there's lots and lots of gunplay, and everyone emits a death cry when vanquished.
The first time a female character joins the action, you immediately notice her ridiculously giant, bouncing chest. That's right, this is a card game with breast physics. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the fact that they jump around every time the viewpoint changes to show an adult woman, even if she's just standing there. I'll spare you the technical details of why I think this happens and just tell you that it looks juvenile and silly. Image aside, the female characters are shown to be just as capable as the males. Language shouldn't be an issue, although hacker character "B.B." utters "WTF?" a couple of times in keeping with his internet-savvy persona. What really complicates the Kid Factor is the presence of the unlockable Solid Eye 3D movies, because they are a mixture of cutscenes from the very adult Metal Gear Solid 3, and cheesecake scenes of pretty Japanese girls in bikinis or hotpants, lying around looking cute and/or playing with guns. I find their antics quite innocent (and far less obvious than the inflated chests of the game itself), but whether you find them appropriate is another question. As for 3D cutscenes, I didn't see any of the more intense moments from Metal Gear Solid 3 such as the torture scene, but I haven't unlocked every single one of the 47 Solid Eye movies. Finally, a health warningﾗwearing the Solid Eye for long periods to check out the women can lead to terrible headaches, as will crossing your eyes to get the same 3D effect. Perhaps grandma was rightﾗyou really will go blind. This review edited by Dave Long Comments? Chat about it in our forums! Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us | Buy This Game Browse Amazon.com's selection of "metal gear" themed games Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: Metal Gear Ac!d 2 |
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