Editor's Say - "Decent" "Series Review Part VII" Find out what i thought...
Metal Gear Ac!d review by Simon a.k.a. [TheDevilDweller]
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*****Introduction*****
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The Good:
Interesting use of game-play - Many cards to collect - Great sound design - Not relevant to the main Metal Gear Solid timeline
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The Bad:
Can get boring after awhile - Trying to get a specific card you want can be time consuming - No voice acting - Not relevant to the main Metal Gear Solid timeline
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Part VII of my Metal Gear Solid series review.
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*****Review*****
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When you say Metal Gear Solid, you naturally think Hideo Kojima, or… Konami. Whilst Hideo Kojima is the father of the Metal Gear franchise, Metal Gear Acid is a side game created by the "New Generation of Games" as Mr Kojima likes to call them at Kojima Productions. Metal Gear Acid was directed by Shinta Nojiri who has worked with other Metal Gear games in the past, and created by the new generation of staff at Kojima Productions with of course, the blessing of Mr Hideo Kojima himself. Metal Gear Acid is a side game, which means it's not relevant to the main timeline of the original story. You can think of Metal Gear Acid as kind of a fan based game, but made by the same company that gave us the original Metal Gear games. Metal Gear Acid keeps in tones with the style quite well as the originals and you take control of the legendary, Solid Snake. Nevertheless, Metal Gear Acid hold no real keys in the Metal Gear timeline. Metal Gear Acid features a new story, but with the same old hero… Solid Snake. New characters and enemies are also featured in the game. What make Metal Gear Acid stand different from the originals is the game-play. Metal Gear Acid is the first Metal Gear game on the PSP and if your expecting something similar to any of the previous Metal Gear Solid games, then you may be disappointed. However, Metal Gear Acid was never intended in being the next Metal Gear. It is just a side game for the fans to play whilst waiting for the next Metal Gear instalment in the series, and or even for people who want to take a break from the original game-play… even though I can't see why anyone would?
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The story hold no valuable key in the Metal Gear Solid timeline and is not relivent in the main story. It's a side story.
Metal Gear Acid is set in 2016 and starts of with a cut scene in a jumbo jet carrying Senator Hach, an important politician and likely future presidential candidate, where the jet gets hijacked by terrorists. In exchange for the senator, the terrorists demand Pythagoras, a research project being conducted in the Moloni Republic in southern Africa, from the United States government. Due to the Moloni government refusing to cooperate with the United States, they send in a covert special forces team to investigate. The team is obliterated by armed resistance, and loses all communications. With no other options and time running out, the US government calls in Solid Snake. His mission is to infiltrate the laboratory, discover the nature of Pythagoras and to rescue Senator Hach.
While the story is not as complex (or perhaps as memorable) as previous Metal Gear Solid instalments, Metal Gear Acid does have a story that is in a way interesting enough to fallow as you play through the game.
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Metal Gear Acid is a turn-based card strategy game, which is a big difference from the game-play concept of the original Metal gear's. Now even though mixing card elements with Metal Gear Solid can sound a little strange, it does work quite well… to a certain extent. You start the game with a deck of cards and as you progress through the game, you'll collect and unlock more. The cards are varied from attack cards, healing cards, verity of cards you can equip to do more damage or to reduce damage as well as increase abilities. There are verities of special cards as well. Each special card indicates pictures of classic characters and items from the franchise and when used will activate a special even, whether it's an attack, or to aid yourself. There are over 200 cards to use to your advantage and collect and each card represents a classic image from the Metal Gear Solid franchise, whether it's a ration or weapons and so on. As you play you are limited to 30 cards in your deck and you can customise you deck however you wish after and before every mission.
You move Snake by using cards. Almost every card can be used in two ways, ether to move or to active the card (except for the Genome Solider Movement Cards because you can only use them to move and they allow you to move further), and some cards can only be used by activating them. Now lets talk about the movement. Metal Gear Acid is a turn-based game, which means if your close enough to a guard, enemies or whatever, you and the computer each take turns. Metal Gear Acid is still set as a stealth game. The computer usually sticks to a set path pretty much like the original Metal Gear Games. When you use a card to move, you're shown a blue set grid path indicating where you can navigate to. Select a grid and Snake will automatically move to that grid. As you move you can crawl and flatten yourself against a wall when near. If you have the card, you can also hide under the classic cardboard box. The game-play is pretty good but you'll need some patients. Sometimes you'll find yourself discarding cards in hope of getting the card(s) you want, or need. As you play each card has a cost count, which means the more the cost count, the most time the enemy has to move (or simply put, the more time you have to wait). You probably want notice this at first but as you get further in the game, you will. Your main goal in each mission is basically going from A to B ether by moving in stealth or (if you have the cards) attacking your way through the enemy.
The game-play is fun and challenging, but it does tend to get a wee bit boring after awhile. Nevertheless, it is fun.
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The sound design is pretty great. Great use of recycled Metal Gear Solid sound effects, but without the terrific voice talent, the sound design just doesn't strike a punch.
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The visuals for a PSP game is pretty great as well. Nicely modelled characters and background level design.
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Overall Metal Gear Acid is a good strategy game that I would say is worth the play. I myself am a massive Metal Gear Solid fan, and I did find Meat Gear Acid a worthy and interesting play-through… but with no memorable moments like the previous games.
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*****FINAL OVERALL SCORE*****
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Story - 7/10
Life Value - 5/10
Presentation - 6.5/10
Graphics - 7/10
Atmosphere - 7/10
Game-Play - 7/10
Controls - 7.5/10
Sound Effects - 7/10
Concept - 7/10
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FINAL OVERALL SCORE - 7/10
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Metal Gear Ac!d review by Simon a.k.a. [TheDevilDweller]
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