Product Description

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops boasts ground-breaking online play that lets gamers recruit comrades to form a unique fighting force. The game follows the events of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, as Naked Snake establishes FOXHOUND in an attempt to hunt down the treacherous FOX unit, which has started a bloody revolt in South America. Set in 1970, the game will be the missing link in the ongoing Metal Gear saga, as players will learn more about returning characters such as Para-Medic, Major Zero and Sigint and also witness Naked Snake`s greatest tragedy -- a loss that sets into motion the events of later games in the Metal Gear Solid timeline. Full voiceovers for cinematics, performed by returning cast from MGS3 - Snake Eater

• Extensive single-player storyline, unveiling a lost chapter in the Metal Gear Solid saga
• New MGS gameplay elements such as the Surround Radar system
• Online multiplayer mayhem - Team Death Match, Death Match, and Capture Mission
• Acquire new squad members for use in single and multiplayer modes by connecting to Wi-Fi access points
• Animated cinematic scenes illustrated by world-renown artist Ashley Wood

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1846 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Konami
• Released on: 2007-05-25
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• ESRB Rating: Mature
• Platform: Sony PSP

Games Master
Snake creeps onto handhelds in some style - recruit this onto your PSP as fast as possible

Manufacturer's Description:
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops is an all-new instalment in Hideo Kojima’s legendary Metal Gear Solid series. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops features a full stealth-action single player story mode and key wireless features allowing players to recruit and play as a unique squadron of battle-hardened mercenaries. The European versions of the game include a series of exclusive elements, including new game maps, characters and missions.

Set in 1970, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops follows directly on from the events of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, with the player assuming the role of series hero Snake (aka Big Boss), as he puts together the elite FOXHOUND unit made famous in earlier Metal Gear titles, and is instigating a bloody revolt with his treacherous FOX unit. Heralding the return of many notable characters from the Metal Gear series, Portable Ops acts as the climax to a major portion of the ongoing Metal Gear timeline, as players participate in the events that directly lead into later games in the series, including the great tragedy that determines Big Boss’ future path.

Featuring a full-fledged story mode, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops introduces a new team-building mechanic that brings additional depth and gameplay. Players can now capture and recruit characters they encounter and assign them to different units that will perform different functions, such as healing teammates, gathering intelligence and creating new items. Players can also recruit rare and unique non-playable characters with special abilities throughout the game. Each character is rated on a series of more than ten attributes, giving players incredible variety in building the ideal squad and creating different teams that are best suited to different types of combat situations.

European users can enjoy 12 more characters than existing Japanese and US users, while the careers of the available characters have been expanded to highlight their key attributes including athleticism or physical strength, for instance.

The recruiting element is unique to Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, with various possibilities to increase your number of team-mates. Making superb use of the wireless functionality of the PSP, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops lets players scan access points (AP) by using the game’s AP SCAN function. Depending on the unique MAC address provided by the access point, players can access a specific wireless AP character and recruit them as a new team-mate. Certain rare and unique characters will be available only via access point scanning, giving users further incentives to play in different locations and add new members to their squads.

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops also features support for massive online battles in ten areas specifically designed for multiplayer encounters - two more than the US and Japanese version of the game - letting up to six players take their custom squads online and battle in stealthy encounters across several different modes of play. Using a unique White Flag mechanic, players can choose to surrender and fight again or risk permanently losing one of their valuable comrades. Players can also wirelessly trade characters with others, building a squadron that is best suited to dominate the online competition.

With the Metal Gear series famed for its incredible aesthetics, Portable Ops continues the trend with cinematic interludes and fully-voiced cut scenes. The PSP game also features the original artwork of acclaimed graphic artist Ashley Wood, with the many animations, sound effects, and cut scenes merging with the comic book elements to create an entirely original form of storytelling. The voice cast of Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops features veterans from previous Metal Gear Solid titles, including David Hayter and others.

In Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, Kojima Productions has produced a stunning addition to the Metal Gear story, and European users are set to enjoy a game with a number of major additions over the US and Japanese versions. In addition to the new elements, characters and online facets, the game also includes a new ‘Boss Battle’ mode wherein players are rewarded with new recruitable characters on offing one of the game’s larger adversaries.

Customer Reviews

Spectacular...
Now, I got a PSP in Christmas 2006. At that time, Portable Ops had been released in the US and so on and being the huge MGS fan I am, I had to import a copy. I have managed to get through the game near on 4 times within the time period in which I have owned it and I must say, this game really is a must have.

Not like AC!D, where the gameplay was completely different, no. This plays like an MGS game should, you move around the map area you're in how you like, and do as you like. The controls take some getting used to, however. The game seems like a literal translation from MGS3 for some controls, only most have been tweaked for the PSP system.

The graphics on this are in a word, amazing. The detail on the characters and surroundings are great, to be fair, it just looks like a sized down PS2 game.

The story in the game too, is part of the saga, and is well written. Without spoiling anything, let's just say that it fills in a few gaps from where MGS3 left off and where Metal Gear begins. The story in parts is told mostly in a Graphic novel design, with great voice acting and terrific sound.

The idea of gameplay is rather simple, the game is played through a choice of different areas to enter at different times, instead of the normal MGS style, you must choose which area you wish to enter and choose which squad you would like to use. To build a squad you must capture enemy soldiers in the area by sedating them in the maps, then brining them to your truck which drops you off at the start of a map.

The mission based way of progression in this game shouldn't put an MGS fan off, it's a change to the normal system but it does work well as you have to use your mind and choose the best soldiers for the job.

The only small downsides to this game is the occasional slowdown, however this only usually occurs when far too much is happening onscreen at once and that the story is short if you only run through the story missions and ignore the non-essential ones, to counter that point however, the side missions often mean unlocking new squad members (including some old faces from MGS3) and weapons that otherwise may be hard to come across.

The game also has multiplayer content. This means you can play a friend with the game through ad-hoc local play on the PSP or connect to the internet and play hundreds of rival players over the internet.

As I said, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this game and I got it as soon as possible through importing it elsewhere. The PAL version is to have extra multiplayer content, such as maps and new characters.

Brilliant!
As a fairly long time Metal Gear fan I was skeptical about picking this title up for my PSP since the last 2 games had been only card based so I totally ignored them. But this game is awesome. It takes the best bits of MGS3 and puts them into this awesome PSP game. This game is well up there in the ranks with the rest of the games as it is literally the same engine as PS2.

Some things have changed though. As you run around as Snake (Big Boss) not only is your goal to complete the objective of each mission but also to capture enemy soldiers and get them on your team! This adds a WHOLE lot more depth to the game which used to get fairly tedious in past titles. Also the addition of Short missions and variety of Locations for each mission makes this game completely worthwhile.

This cinematics have been removed and replaced with (if anyone has purchased it) MGS Digital Graphic Novel style cuts, with full voice acting by original cast members where necessary - David Hayter is especially top notch as always!

The controls were hard to get used to at first and for those of you who haven't played Subsistence with the new camera angle that can also be a bit difficult to get used to.

Overall defintely worth 5 out of 5. Kojima strikes again with his brilliance fully in tact. Also with possibility of sequels and rumoured interactivity with the PS3 and the Godly MGS4...theres no reason NOT to get this if you own a PSP.

P.S. Review based on US version, only changes being made to EU version are apparently 12 EXTRA characters to acheive in some way or other, and more missions!

Where do I begin???
For any avid MGS fan this is a must buy and for anyone else it is still an amazing PSP game. Firstly it expands on the story line and you find out how key players fall into the series. Also for the PSP the graphics are seriously good.

For anyone who has not palyed this series before it is still an engrossing game that drags you in from the start.

This is actually a key addition to the MGS story line so anyone thinking it is a stand alone game (like Metal Gear Acid 1 & 2) think again, In truth a couple of key characters pop up in this.

The levels are short enough to do on the shortest journey, (Maybe too short) but it adds to the fun. Also the team management sytem is unique and definately adds to the gameplay and makes for replay value.

I got this game on US import and the only thing ou cannot do is the multiplayer online option. I will be getting this on EU release for that reason alone.

Final verdict..... It is a must biy for the PSP.