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> Results: Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
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The ESRB says:
Violence:GamerDad spent lots of time shooting at the bad guys as well as getting down with some hand-to-hand combat Suggestive Themes:There's some flirtation between male and female characters Animated Blood:We're honestly not sure what the ESRB saw here, as there is no blood in regular gameplay Portable Ops marks the third Metal Gear game on the PSP, but as the first two were strategic card games, many people discounted them and are looking to this as the first "real" portable addition to the series, finally delivering full control of Snake in a regular third-person action game. The quick review is that Portable Ops manages to take all of the tense sneaking missions and frenetic firefights from the last Metal Gear game (Metal Gear Solid 3 on the PS2), and shrink the experience down to the PSP, losing very little in the translation. It's a direct continuation of that Cold War story (itself a prequel chapter in the vast Metal Gear tome), so you'll be on familiar ground, with the usual government cover-ups, double-crossings, mysterious enemy bosses, and multiple twists. This chapter finds Snake imprisoned in a hidden Soviet base in South America, pitting you against a rogue Soviet military force as you try and stop another world war from breaking out. You won't be undertaking missions by yourself, as one of your first tasks is to recruit enemy soldiers, convincing them to join your cause. This introduces a novel dynamic to the game. You'll be spending a significant amount of time in the team management screens between missions, sending spies into locations to gather intelligence, picking the soldiers with the right abilities for the job and outfitting them with the weapons and other items that you pick up as you go along. The game is a technical marvel, looking and sounding very close to its console game brethren. Fans will be delighted to know that David Hayter returns as the voice of Snake in most cutscenes, which are presented in an animated comic-book style. These cutscenes don't have the same impact as the cinematic masterpieces in the console games, but they get the job done, advancing the story in dramatic fashion. The controls and camera take some getting used to, but they are about as good as can be expected from the PSP, and the other main concern for PSP owners ﾖ load time ﾖ is minimal. Once you're finished with the main game, you still have plenty to do, as you can take your soldiers into multiplayer battle, either locally or via the internet, with game modes that mirror those found in Subsistence. The stakes can be high, as any soldiers you lose in multiplayer will no longer be available for use in your single player game. If you don't have time to devote to playing online, there's a novel mode that has you sending your squad out to battle virtually, without any interaction needed. As a longtime fan of the series, I came into this with high expectations, and am happy to say they have been met. There is room for improvement, however. My main gripe is that the free form method of choosing missions from the tactical map interface introduces a lack of cohesion into the story, and some elements of team-building are not really fleshed out, such as your medical and tech squads. The difficulty level felt a tad uneven, forcing me to replay some missions over and over again until I succeeded and artificially lengthening the game. And while it's a must-have for fans as it fills in a large gap in the larger Metal Gear story, there might not be enough explanation and character development to satisfy as a standalone title. Still, it's one of the better PSP games available, and easy to recommend.  
The first thing to bear in mind is that the game revolves around combat. All the characters are armed to the gills with real weapons such as Uzis and AK-47s, and they're not afraid to use them ﾖ large gunfights are a hallmark of the series. However, Portable Ops retains another important element of the series, and that is the idea that it's almost always better to avoid engaging the enemy. While this game doesn't have such explicit "no kill" bonuses as the Metal Gear AC!D games, it is in your best interest to avoid killing enemies because you're trying to recruit them to your side. The game developers gently push the player in this direction by equipping Snake with a tranquilizer gun that just so happens to be the only silenced weapon initially available, so if you want to make sure the entire enemy army doesn't come after you after hearing the first shot, you'd best avoid the deadlier weapons. Of course, there's nothing to stop you from using real bullets, and while there is no blood, it is still visually and aurally obvious that you are killing people. Unlike most other games, your own soldiers do not generally live again to fight another day if they are killed themselves, and that could help to underline the value of life for the player.
Whilst the game explores some mature themes such as loyalty and war, it does so largely without resorting to cursing or titillation. There is some light flirting going on between a couple of male and female characters, and the "girly magazines" return as an item to distract guards ﾖ you don't actually see any of the material that captures their attention. I did notice that if a soldier has the "Artist" designation they are immune to the effects of the magazines ﾖ a bit of lame homophobia to my eyes, though at least the effeminate Raikov character isn't painted as badly as he was in the last game. There is no serious imbalance between the sexes, with the female soldiers being just as capable as the men, though you won't discover many female characters until you've unlocked them. All in all, I see nothing really objectionable for a mature young teen player, with the usual caveat that online play introduces the possibility of unmoderated chat and/or potentially offensive screen names. 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 solid snake" themed games Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops |
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