Metal Gear Acid 2

"Lacking some basic Metal Gear elements but still a good game overall"

Metal Gear Acid 2 or Squared is the second Acid game to hit the PSP. Snake starts out the story with a weird amnesia with no knowledge of his past. Right after they land, they are arrested by a agent named Dalton. Snake is once again lured into another mission. Of course, like the other Metal Gears, there are certain twists to the story that makes the game more complicated.

Graphics: 8
The graphics in Metal Gear Acid 2 is biggest change from the first Metal Gear Acid. Instead of getting the Metal Gear Solid 2 type art, the game loses it traditional feel and is presented by using cel-shaded type art. Whether you like the new design or the old design is your call, I personally hated the look on Snake. One good thing about the new graphics is that it makes the game run much more smoothly. In MGA1, there were some unstable FPS around the bigger maps, but in MGA2 there was barely any slow downs which was pleasant.

Sound: 7
Music had a big impact in the first Metal Gear Acid, but in MGA2, at some missions the music is pretty silent. They have also changed the soundtrack for Metal Gear Acid 2. They have switched the traditional Metal Gear type music to a more techno like type of music. Again, it's really your call if you like the change of music. There is still missing voice acting in the game.

Gameplay: 8
This is what made Metal Gear Acid how it is. The gameplay in MGA2 is similar to how the first MGA was played with a few minor additions and adjustments. The game works like this, the first turn you will draw six cards into your hand and the turns after that you will draw six. Each card has its own specialties; there are weapon cards, healing cards, newly added trap cards etc. There are many types of cards, including two types of weapon cards. They are USE cards and EQUIP cards. The use cards, you can just select it and use it to attack the enemy while for EQUIP cards; you will have to equip it and load it with another card with the same type of weapon or ammo. Each card will allow you to move 3 spaces, but some cards will not allow you to move and some cards may allow you to move more than 3 spaces. Within each card, there is a COST. The cost will determine how quickly your next turn will be. Obviously, the higher cost, the longer your next turn will be and vice versa. MGA2 has made it more accessible for players. You can now crawl/standup, climb ladders and open doors without wasting an extra turn. You can now open doors and move past them in the same movement while in MGA you would have to use a card to move to a door to have it open then use another card to move past it. Same goes for ladders where you could continue moving after you climb or descent a ladder if you still have the movement to do so. It may take awhile for new players to the Metal Gear Acid series, but once you get the hang of it, it can get pretty addicting. It may also take a little bit for returning MGA players to get the hang of the new adjustments. There is more variety of missions instead of just reaching the goal or eliminating all enemies. In MGA2 you will get missions like protecting a researcher, dodging trains and others. The downfall to the gameplay is that you may have to spend a huge amount of time burning through your deck before you get the card you want, but then again it is a card game. Another is that some of the battles are just not intense. You may lose some of the intensity by constantly trying to burn through your deck. There are other modes included in the game such as the arena mode. . With the new Arena mode, you can fight against bosses from other Metal Gears. You can fight against people like Liquid Snake, Revolver Ocelot, Vamp, Fortune, The End, and The Boss and each character has their own type of specialty. You will play randomly selected bosses in three different environments. This is also a way you can farm for points and extra cards. The game is also packaged with the “Solid Eye” where you can view the game and included scenes in 3D. Some may feel that it is a nice feature, but some may find it pointless since it would strain your eyes if you watch it in 3D for too long, plus it looks a little stupid.

Replay Value: 9
The game is jam packed with over 500 cards and it will take a huge amount of time before you could obtain all the cards. You can replay missions and unlike in the first game, you can choose the type of mission that you want to play through. The situation can vary from completing the mission without getting detected, eliminating all enemies and more. You can keep yourself entertained in the arena or watching cut scenes from Metal Gear Solid 3 and for some reason the developers also added some other various clips. There are plenty to do in Metal Gear Acid 2.

Last Comments
MGA2 retains the same type of element as MGA1. If you enjoyed playing MGA1 then there is no reason why you shouldn't pick up this game unless you are a very hardcore Metal Gear fan where the lack of the Metal Gear looks and music can throw you off the game, but it shouldn't throw you off too much since its already out of the basic Metal Gear game tradition by it being a card game. Even if you haven't played the original MGA you should defiantly check this one out.

Overall Rating
8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/27/06