Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Preview (ign.com)
- ign.com -
November 22, 2006 - How do you fill in the gaps of a legendary story with a tale that's been eagerly awaited as long as a system has been released? If you're Kojima Productions, you proceed very carefully, especially with your trademark character. Ever since the PSP was released, Metal Gear Solid fans have been clamoring for an action title with the scope of the console titles. Although the turn based strategy of the Metal Gear Acid titles was a temporary solution, the desire for a true action title has never actually been fulfilled until now. In less than two weeks, Konami and Kojima Productions will raise the curtain on Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, the latest chapter in the Metal Gear saga.
The story of Portable Ops is designed to answer a number of questions from Snake Eater and lay the groundwork for later Metal Gear titles. While we won't go into a lot of details, we'll highlight some of the basic plot details that are well known. Portable Ops starts on November 10, 1970, which is six years after the events of Snake Eater. Mysteriously, Snake is kidnapped, drugged and thrown into a South American jail cell, where he finds himself interrogated by Lieutenant Cunningham, a former CIA agent. Cunningham is searching for information related to the Philosopher's Legacy, the much sought after secret from Snake Eater. Cunningham isn't particularly easy on Snake, and leaves his cell after torturing him for a while.
November 22, 2006 - How do you fill in the gaps of a legendary story with a tale that's been eagerly awaited as long as a system has been released? If you're Kojima Productions, you proceed very carefully, especially with your trademark character. Ever since the PSP was released, Metal Gear Solid fans have been clamoring for an action title with the scope of the console titles. Although the turn based strategy of the Metal Gear Acid titles was a temporary solution, the desire for a true action title has never actually been fulfilled until now. In less than two weeks, Konami and Kojima Productions will raise the curtain on Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, the latest chapter in the Metal Gear saga.
The story of Portable Ops is designed to answer a number of questions from Snake Eater and lay the groundwork for later Metal Gear titles. While we won't go into a lot of details, we'll highlight some of the basic plot details that are well known. Portable Ops starts on November 10, 1970, which is six years after the events of Snake Eater. Mysteriously, Snake is kidnapped, drugged and thrown into a South American jail cell, where he finds himself interrogated by Lieutenant Cunningham, a former CIA agent. Cunningham is searching for information related to the Philosopher's Legacy, the much sought after secret from Snake Eater. Cunningham isn't particularly easy on Snake, and leaves his cell after torturing him for a while.
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Fortunately, Snake is held near a fellow detainee named Roy Campbell who helps him escape his cell and gain some equipment, as well as fill him in on his situation. Fans of the Metal Gear series will take comfort in seeing how Campbell becomes such a trusted associate in later games. Unbeknownst to Snake, he's found himself in the middle of a hornet's nest in South America, with his location invariably tied to the Cuban Missile crisis and the standoff between the United States and Russia. The jail, part of a forgotten and rejected Soviet era military base, is run by a Russian military commander known as Gene. His existence, and his plans for revenge at his betrayal by his homeland is a threat to the West. Along the way, other twists and turns to the plot force Snake to question his loyalty to his own unit, as well as his country, laying down the groundwork for the formation of Outer Heaven and the turning of Snake from hero to the leader of Outer Heaven.
Unlike previous Metal Gear titles where Snake would venture alone against an army of enemy soldiers, Portable Ops lets you field a force of your own. In fact, the recruitment of new troops to your side is a key part of the game, because you'll need to use these grunts for various tasks, ranging from spying on the enemy to researching new weapons and equipment for you to use on missions. Up to 100 different soldiers can be turned to Snake's cause, which will easily make your army a force to be reckoned with. There are a few methods of swelling your ranks and forming a formidable rebel army in Portable Ops. The first one is via outright force, via tranquilizer dart or fists. Once incapacitated, Snake can drag the unconscious soldiers to Campbell's truck, which serves as a mobile base for the player. Another way is via wi-fi hotspots. Players can take their PSP to various wi-fi hotspots around the country and use the signals to recruit newer troops. Similarly, players will be able to use the soon to be released PSP GPS receiver, traveling to various locations in the world to unlock unique fighters. While you'll never actually know which warrior you'll find until you've recruited them, you may find unique characters or even familiar faces from previous Metal Gear titles based on the signal or the location.
Unlike previous Metal Gear titles where Snake would venture alone against an army of enemy soldiers, Portable Ops lets you field a force of your own. In fact, the recruitment of new troops to your side is a key part of the game, because you'll need to use these grunts for various tasks, ranging from spying on the enemy to researching new weapons and equipment for you to use on missions. Up to 100 different soldiers can be turned to Snake's cause, which will easily make your army a force to be reckoned with. There are a few methods of swelling your ranks and forming a formidable rebel army in Portable Ops. The first one is via outright force, via tranquilizer dart or fists. Once incapacitated, Snake can drag the unconscious soldiers to Campbell's truck, which serves as a mobile base for the player. Another way is via wi-fi hotspots. Players can take their PSP to various wi-fi hotspots around the country and use the signals to recruit newer troops. Similarly, players will be able to use the soon to be released PSP GPS receiver, traveling to various locations in the world to unlock unique fighters. While you'll never actually know which warrior you'll find until you've recruited them, you may find unique characters or even familiar faces from previous Metal Gear titles based on the signal or the location.
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Regardless of who you recruit or the methods that you use to get your troops, you'll need to manage your forces. Every soldier has a number of attributes and 11 different skills that affects how they function in the game. For instance, some soldiers are better with handguns or assault rifles, while others are better at close quarters combat and thrown weapons. Most soldiers also have a primary classification that may influence their actions in the field, such as being particularly skilled with technology, spying or medicine. Players can assign these characters to specialized squads, which can then provide an additional advantage once you get into the field. For instance, medical squads will produce extra rations and medical kits to heal wounds that you may receive in battle, while spies can give intel on upcoming missions.
Another significant change to the Metal Gear formula is that players won't be forced to adhere to the primary plot of the game itself. At any point in time, players can choose to take up to three other recruits on one of the various side missions that are scattered throughout Portable Ops. Successfully completing these tasks can make progressing through the primary plot much easier. For example, it's possible to eliminate obstacles, reduce reinforcements or launch diversionary attacks, which will affect how the enemy responds to you in future missions. It's also possible to choose the best time to infiltrate an area, thanks to the newly included day/night settings, which can affect your strategy. Nighttime is a bit easier for stealth missions, although it's possible to use certain soldiers with enemy uniforms (Portable Ops' version of the camouflage system) to succeed during Day missions.
There are some disadvantages to both times of the day that you'll need to be aware of: obviously, being seen sneaking around at night will immediately raise a red flag with enemies, while it might not be so obvious during the day with enemy uniforms. However, while it can fool the eyes of other guards and troops, it won't actually fool the nose of guard dogs, which can easily blow your cover. That's right, now you'll have to contend with animals as well as enemy soldiers. You'll also have to be aware much more of your aural presence within each stage, thanks to a new sound radar that gauges your proximity to danger with color codes: Blue for far away, Red for close by. Depending on how much noise you or an enemy guard are making, you'll be able to determine if you're in danger. Unfortunately, you won't be able to direct your characters at the same time during a mission, but if you're concerned about possibly being detected, you can always switch characters in the field and hide away a potentially compromised character in a conveniently placed cardboard box...
Another significant change to the Metal Gear formula is that players won't be forced to adhere to the primary plot of the game itself. At any point in time, players can choose to take up to three other recruits on one of the various side missions that are scattered throughout Portable Ops. Successfully completing these tasks can make progressing through the primary plot much easier. For example, it's possible to eliminate obstacles, reduce reinforcements or launch diversionary attacks, which will affect how the enemy responds to you in future missions. It's also possible to choose the best time to infiltrate an area, thanks to the newly included day/night settings, which can affect your strategy. Nighttime is a bit easier for stealth missions, although it's possible to use certain soldiers with enemy uniforms (Portable Ops' version of the camouflage system) to succeed during Day missions.
There are some disadvantages to both times of the day that you'll need to be aware of: obviously, being seen sneaking around at night will immediately raise a red flag with enemies, while it might not be so obvious during the day with enemy uniforms. However, while it can fool the eyes of other guards and troops, it won't actually fool the nose of guard dogs, which can easily blow your cover. That's right, now you'll have to contend with animals as well as enemy soldiers. You'll also have to be aware much more of your aural presence within each stage, thanks to a new sound radar that gauges your proximity to danger with color codes: Blue for far away, Red for close by. Depending on how much noise you or an enemy guard are making, you'll be able to determine if you're in danger. Unfortunately, you won't be able to direct your characters at the same time during a mission, but if you're concerned about possibly being detected, you can always switch characters in the field and hide away a potentially compromised character in a conveniently placed cardboard box...
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Apart from the extensive single player game, Portable Ops will feature a large and fleshed out multiplayer experience as well, including deathmatch, team deathmatch, capture and team capture modes. While we've already covered some of the details in previous articles, we also found out that multiplayer matches, either via Ad Hoc or Infrastructure play, could have a significant impact on your single player game thanks to the real or virtual designation. Virtual matches are relatively inconsequential to your squads; you'll field a group just as you would during a standard single player mission and engage in battle, with killed characters respawning after a while. Real matches, however, are much more dangerous, because anyone killed in this battle is lost from your single player roster list as well.
Players that are accustomed to the control scheme from the PS2 version of the game will find that Portable Ops is extremely easy to jump into and control. To make up for the lack of a second analog stick, the direction buttons have been pressed into service to control the camera, and it's possible to strafe with the camera centered behind you by pulling the L Button. (The R button, by comparison, lets you enter first person mode.) Many of the moves that you've become accustomed to in other games, like knocking on walls or CQC, return in this game. There have been a few adjustments that have been included to make the game run a bit smoother than its console counterparts. For one, players can hold the X button to transition from a crawling position to fully standing in place. Players can also hold down the circle button to immediately bring up an equipment window. For some reason, there doesn't seem to be the option to slit an opponent's throat, but every other move for CQC, such as interrogation, holding up guards and using them as human shields returns.
Players that are accustomed to the control scheme from the PS2 version of the game will find that Portable Ops is extremely easy to jump into and control. To make up for the lack of a second analog stick, the direction buttons have been pressed into service to control the camera, and it's possible to strafe with the camera centered behind you by pulling the L Button. (The R button, by comparison, lets you enter first person mode.) Many of the moves that you've become accustomed to in other games, like knocking on walls or CQC, return in this game. There have been a few adjustments that have been included to make the game run a bit smoother than its console counterparts. For one, players can hold the X button to transition from a crawling position to fully standing in place. Players can also hold down the circle button to immediately bring up an equipment window. For some reason, there doesn't seem to be the option to slit an opponent's throat, but every other move for CQC, such as interrogation, holding up guards and using them as human shields returns.
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Portable Ops doesn't have the same kind of cutscenes available to the console versions of the Metal Gear series thanks to the limitations of the UMD. In their place, Portable Ops take a page from the Digital Graphic Novel with scenes drawn by Ashley Wood. What's more, all of these scenes will be fully voiced, with David Hayter reprising the role of Snake. We've barely scratched the surface of Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, but make sure that you come back next week as we kick off our week long coverage on the game. For now, check out some new movies and screens of the title.
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