Metal Gear Acid

"Lacks Polish But Packs Fun"

The PSP needed a big-name action franchise at launch, and Konami obliged with the latest entry in their durable Metal Gear series. Fans got something different than they might have expected, however: a card-based strategy game, as opposed to the usual real-time infiltration goodness. While some folks might not be fond of that decision, it remains a bold and interesting design choice, and it's implemented surprisingly well. Add in strong production values and tons of Metal Gear nostalgia, and you've got a solid (sorry) game that most people should be happy with.

The game's story branches off from the 'main' Metal Gear plot line, but it should still seem quite familiar to fans of the series. Solid Snake is once again called out of retirement to do the infiltration thing, leaving one to wonder why the military hasn't trained a decent agent in the last 30 years, so Snake can finally get some rest. Needless to say, Snake will get wrapped up in a bunch of wild conspiracies, Metal Gear will rear its metallic head, and the ending will attempt to completely turn the rest of the game upside down. The story is rather bizarre and the translation is punchless and mediocre, making it one of the less compelling narratives in the series. But you can skip most of the cinema scenes, so there's no real harm done.

In the end, it's gameplay that counts, and Metal Gear Acid's card-based system is quite fun. Each level takes place in a certain area (a minefield, a warehouse, etc.), and you move around on it like a game board, using your cards to travel a certain number of spaces, fire a weapon, or do whatever. As you might expect, staying undetected by enemy troops and cameras is still the order of the day. Should you manage to beat a level without being spotted or having to use violence, you'll gain a lot more bonus points, which you can use to buy more cards from the shop. Of course, there are tons of different weapons to find and use, so if you want to go Rambo on everyone, you can do that too. You'll get cards representing all of the weapons and characters from previous Metal Gear games, so collecting them will be fun for longtime fans.

The intricacies of the gameplay might confuse you at first, thanks to the game's brief and occassionally inaccurate manual. The most-publicized blunder of the manual is its mention of needing ammunition cards to fire equipped weapons. Since no such cards exist, you might be waiting a while to find one. What you actually do is use a weapon of the same ammo type to fire the one you have equipped. It's not exactly the most logical or natural system, but you get used to it. Some cards (especially ones based on Metal Gear characters) have more exotic effects, which can't fully be listed on the front of the card. BE SURE to go into your deck editor and read the card's full description before using it - otherwise, you'll be one of many who keeps suffering the Quick Death effect from their Liquid Snake card, and not understanding why.

The other important gameplay element to learn is 'cost.' Every card has a cost to use, and once your turn is over, you won't be able to go again until your cost counts down to zero. Therefore, using high-cost cards in a firefight can be a very bad idea, as your foes will get multiple turns to take you out before you can move again. There are cards you can use to reduce or eliminate spent cost, and advanced players will learn to use them relentlessly.

The ability to either sneak or shoot your way through most levels goes a long way to keeping the game fresh. While sneaking is faster and more profitable, you can replay old stages as many times as you like to get more points, so there's no real need to maximize your score every time you go out. There are also a couple of 'boss battles' in the game, although they're not especially memorable.

Metal Gear Acid looks terrific, which is no surprise, as Konami never skimps on their beloved franchise. The metallic hallways and hooded goons will be quite familiar to Snake enthusiasts, as is the legendary 'exclamation-point-over-the-head' of a guard who has spotted you. My only complaint is that every main character seems to have filthy hair... which I guess makes sense, since there's not much time for shampooing when you're on a mission. But still.

The sound package is equally excellent, with some terrific music and high-quality effects. Nothing is quite as good as the music in Metal Gear Solid, but it sets the mood well. Some voice samples from the character cards would've been nice, but it's no biggie.

Those who give the card-based gameplay a chance will find a lot to like here. While the mediocre manual and brief tutorial might leave some confused, you'll get the hang of things eventually. Most of the missions are well-paced and fun, and collecting the cards is surprisingly engaging, thanks to the terrific card art and rich Metal Gear history. And with 200 cards or so, there are tons of deck ideas you can create, ranging from hand-to-hand combat to pure stealth. Pure stealth/action junkies might find the card system too tedious, but for everyone else, this is a fun dose of portable Metal Gear that will last you quite a while.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/27/05