Publisher - Konami
Platform - PSP
Solid Snake, the central figure in the Metal Gear Solid series has been appearing on our consoles for a decade now. Since 1998 we have seen the series become a benchmark for graphically superior, inventive, stealth based gameplay. This latest addition to the series follows on from last years Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops but to call it a sequel would not be entirely correct. It is more of an expansion or an upgrade with the focus more on online gameplay. It is a similar release to the Substance or Subsistence expansions on the PS2.
Last years original was another fine accomplishment by creator/designer/living legend Hideo Kojima that fleshed out the Solid Snake saga even further. It concentrated on the single player experience and was very well received by the massive Metal Gear fan base. As well as the fully realised single player game there was an excellent multiplayer angle too where you would choose a squad and use them to challenge others online. Unfortunately this latest release removes the single player adventure altogether and replaces it with a new mode called "Infinity Mission". Infinity Mission is merely a succession of randomly chosen maps in which the player must locate an advance point so they can move on to the next. It is squad based so before a mission a squad must be selected and prepared for battle. Then during the mission the player can switch between squad members and also gain new squad members by kidnapping enemy soldiers.
The typical Metal Gear Solid gameplay is intact but without any story to drive it it becomes boring and repetitive almost instantly. If you have played the first game and are expecting another chapter in the story you will be extremely disappointed. If you did not play the first game you will be confused and disappointed. So it's disappointment all round. The menu system is more complicated than it needs to be and even the simplest of actions require many button presses. The look of the game has not changed but as the levels are not part of a developing story they remain very similar to each other and have a basic box-like finish.
The online experience is as enjoyable as it was before with the usual deathmatch and target shooting modes. But all in all this seems to be a cynical cash in on last years Portable Ops. It's a shame to see a series that was once a standard bearer for originality releasing something so bland and hopefully this is not a sign of things to come. I guess we will find out with the next instalment in the series.
In the meantime if you were a fan of last years release there is nothing new here. If you do not own either game then the original Portable Ops is the one to buy and as a result of this new release it will probably be cheaper now too. Maybe some good has come of Portable Ops Plus after all!
....If anyone would like a promo copy of Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops Plus on the PSP drop me an email with your name and address at denehan@gmail.com. First one gets it!....
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