Metal Gear Acid 2

"Metal Gear Acid 2 is a very enjoyable game in its own right, just don't compare it to the "real" Metal Gear games."

Metal Gear Acid 2 is the second Metal Gear game to appear on the PSP handheld system. I honestly have never played the first Metal Gear Acid game, but I was certainly pleasantly surprised with this one. A card-based, tactical strategy game? Yep, and it works.

Gameplay 8/10
All of the gameplay in Acid 2 revolves around a deep card-based system that granted, takes a bit of time to learn. However, once you get past the learning curve, which is in my opinion this game's greatest downfall, you have on your hands a really enjoyable tactical strategy game.

Acid 2 offers two main modes for players, consisting of the story mode, and arena mode. There is also a Multiplayer mode, but I have yet to find someone else with the game to try it with. The meat of the game is obviously in the story mode, whereas Arena mode allows you to battle bosses from past Metal Gear games, which is cool.

In story mode, you'll combat through over a dozen stages as the usual crazy Metal Gear plot unfolds. There is unfortunately no voice acting, but the story is still presented pretty well, and quite a lot of fun. There a number of bosses to combat, and after every mission you'll earn points to buy cards or further upgrade your deck. There are over 500 cards to collect, though you can only bring a limited number of cards into battle. As a result, you'll often have to customize your deck specifically for the mission (on the harder difficulties).

Definitely the funnest part of the game is the card collecting and customizing. The game really offers you an almost limitless number of options, as the cards are very well balanced. Certain cards are obviously stronger than others, but they would be balanced by forcing you to wait longer for your turn to come back. It's also just crazy as to how just about everything Snake can do in a real Metal Gear game can be done here with these cards. Crawl, Knife, Grenade, Hang, etc.

Graphics 8/10
The cel-shaded graphics are a change of pace for Metal Gear games, but I personally thought that they do just fine on the PSP. The characters all look great and go well with the Metal Gear art style, while the menus and user interface are excellent. My biggest complaint is the camera, which should have been a lot less restrictive. It is sometimes needlessly difficult to get a really good view of the battlefield.

There is also the option to go 3d with what they call the "Solid Eye." This gave me headaches though, and is really just a gimmick. The best part about it is watching the Metal Gear Solid 3 movie, and Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer in 3d. Other than that, I really don't recommend playing through the game with it.

Sound 8/10
I love the music, but I was really disappointed that there was no voice acting. The sound effects are all well done however, and I felt like they were ripped straight out of previous Metal Gear games.

Final Verdict 8/10
All in all, Metal Gear Acid 2 is a fun card-based, tactical strategy game that I highly recommend to players who don't mind a more methodical and slower-paced game. The card collecting aspect will easily keep you busy for hours on end and give the game some good lasting value. Don't expect too much out of the "3d Solid Eye" stuff, but I guess it's still better than nothing.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/03/06