Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Preview - How to Raise an Army
With the next chapter in the Metal Gear Solid saga just days away, we got an up-close look at the new missions, storyline, and gameplay, and how they all tie together.
Metal Gear?
Find out what to expect from Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops in our video preview, featuring new footage from the game.
The PlayStation 3 and the Wii may have finally landed, but the year ain't over yet. One of the last major new releases slated to ship in 2006 is Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, a sequel to 2004's memorable Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Exclusive to the PlayStation Portable, this new MGS title is a direct continuation of Snake Eater's story, picking up six years after the events depicted in that game. You'll reprise the role of Snake, now known as Big Boss, as he musters a mercenary army to overthrow a plot that could result in mutually assured destruction between Russia and the United States. As a result, Portable Ops will be key to filling in some of the blanks of the Metal Gear series' elaborate yet increasingly cohesive storyline. But even if you're not so hardcore into MGS to care about these types of plot details, Portable Ops should still be an impressive game, featuring an open-ended mission system, remarkable visuals, an engaging story, and lots of lasting value. We recently got an exclusive look at a near-finished version of the game and are here with the details.
Two aspects of Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops immediately stand out. One is that the in-game visuals look comparably as good as those of Snake Eater for the PS2, which was hailed as one of the best-looking PS2 games at the time. While you'll see a lot of familiar graphics and animations, some of the visuals are definitely new, such as Snake's updated sneaking suit (it's made of aromatic polyamide, observes Snake). The other is the cinematic cutscenes, which are presented as animated comic book panels, reminiscent of the work seen in Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel. In fact, Ashley Wood, the artist who worked on the Digital Graphic Novel, also supervised the cutscenes of Portable Ops. While his pen-and-ink artwork is starkly different from the relatively realistic look of the in-game 3D graphics, it's highly reminiscent of the original design work by Metal Gear Solid series illustrator Yoji Shinkawa. The comic book cutscenes in Portable Ops don't have quite the same big-budget feel as the incredible 3D cutscenes of Snake Eater, but they're impressive in their own right. Most importantly, though, the story in Portable Ops seems consistent with the tone and quality of its predecessor.
Please note that minor spoilers will follow, though it's nothing that publisher Konami wasn't prepared to divulge leading up to the game's release. Portable Ops takes place around 1970, and the story begins with Snake getting assaulted somewhere in South America. He's thrown in the slammer, and soon he comes face-to-face with one Lt. Cunningham, an ex-CIA interrogator who appears to have an electric cattle prod for a leg. He's bad news for sure, but Snake doesn't give in to Cunningham's first line of questioning about something called the Philosophers' Legacy--something that Metal Gear Solid 3 players will know a thing or two about. Cunningham promises he'll be back, and leaves Snake to rot. But it turns out Snake isn't all alone. A nearby cell mate is a resourceful young man who helps him break free; he recognizes Snake as the legendary Big Boss, a patriot and a hero. Snake, freed from his prison, is left to wonder what heavily armed members of the FOX Special Forces unit are doing in a Soviet base in Colombia. The answers may shed new light on the Cuban Missile Crisis of the '60s. Used to working alone, Snake reluctantly agrees to collaborate with his new friend to find some answers. His new friend is Roy Campbell.
Snake and Campbell discover a dangerous plan unfolding in this base, apparently perpetrated by a Russian expatriate named Gene. Viewed as a great leader by his comrades, Gene is seeking to retaliate against his former commanders in Russia for leaving him and his team for dead in that South American base. So it appears there's a complicated situation afoot, with tensions running very high between these Russian militants as well as the FOX unit that's ostensibly there to take them out. Snake and Campbell are the wild cards in all of this, and amid all the chaos, Snake finds a cause--something worth fighting for. And apparently the cause is inspiring enough to make others willing to join him.
It appears that much of Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops will revolve around Snake recruiting new forces to his side. This means you won't be limited to playing as Snake in this game, but will in fact have dozens of unique characters at your disposal, so long as you're able to capture and recruit them. Each character, including Snake, is rated differently across more than 10 different attributes, which may naturally predispose them to certain types of tasks--for instance, sniping or close-quarters combat. Not all tasks are violent in nature, as you'll need to employ medics for healing the injuries of your wounded troops as well as spies for investigating different territories and retrieving valuable supplies. You recruit new forces literally by kidnapping and interrogating them, at least at first. You may knock enemies unconscious during your missions, then drag them back to your makeshift mobile command center, basically a truck outfitted with radio equipment. There, ostensibly Snake and Campbell give the would-be victim a good talking to and a coercive choice: Join or die.
We got a chance to see a great cutscene surrounding the first of these capture attempts. Snake kidnaps a soldier named Jonathan, a grunt in the service of Gene. It's here that we learn that Gene isn't just a villain--he's a freedom fighter as far as his comrades are concerned, and he's out for justice. Snake has another perspective; it's not a soldier's responsibility to decide what's just. It's a soldier's responsibility to be loyal to the mission. This is his past talking, and it's an affecting moment, thanks partly to an unmistakably familiar delivery by voice actor David Hayter, reprising his role as Snake. During the course of the discussion, somehow, Jonathan turns, realizing that Gene is in the wrong and must be stopped. Leave it to the Metal Gear Solid series to present such a conversation with all due complexity, resulting in a plausible change of tune coming from a man who seemed unshakable in his convictions.
145 comments
does anybody know how to get better weapons in this game. send me an email at newyorkpimp102@aol.com. thanks for the help
I'm playing it now and it is AWESOME!!! I've never played a Metal Gear game before and I'm loving it. I'll look into more Metal Gear games in the future.
OMG!!!! If MGS:PO lives up to expectations, i'll be dropping my jaws once again at how much of a genius Kojima is. i dont know how he can make each MGS better than the one before and live up to its expectations!! But I bet this will lead up to how Big Boss was able to recruit a huge army of soldiers in Zanzibar Island!!
There is multiplayer. That was the big deal about this MGS. You should really read more often maybe it will make you pay attention to details better.
navysealsman1, there us multiplayer u idiot, watch the video, he clearly says theres multiplayer
I cant wait i pre ordered the day the pre ordered slips came out at ebgames I only thing I can see thats bad or kind dumb (is the fact that you have to put the enemy solders in the back of your truck But other than that I know its going to be one kick ass game
tight i've been waitin for somethin decent on the psp...not to say that games like force commander and lumines arent decent but...i've really been waiting for a killer app
looks pretty good, I am not a big fan of Metal Gear Solid and definitly Metal Gear Acid! but i am planning to look onto this one.
lets see how good will this game be, i think that this game whould be a great piece to the psp. Loooking at the pictures and the news this game will shine for the psp.
im getting a PSP in a few weeks and i pre ordered this game. it looks like a great game. too bad there wont be online multiplayer, that would give the game a lot of replay value after you're done with the single player, im thinking like 6 or 8 player wouldve been good. aw well, mabe they'll make another MGS for PSP and give that multi plyr.
MGS PO is going to be a great game. I Love MGS and I have played all of them even the nes one. I have to get a PSP just to play this game I hope I don't have a problem with long load times.
this game is going to be a GREAT HIT! on the ps3. thats the only reason why i want to get it. but the PSP version is going to be great too!
MGSMANIAC: yes i had that same exact problem with eb and gamestop since they are both the same people now anyways, but this was before they merged. i was supposed to get metal gear saga too and thats the reason why i preordered it and they "only had 10" of which the employees probably took. EVERYTIME I PREORDER FROM THEM WHEN THEY PROMISED A SPECIAL PREORDER ITEM I NEVER GET IT! x2x3x2: its a good looking game for a handheld, so why do i hear (read) some complaining? if you dont want it dont get it then nobody is holding a gun to your head.
reviewer says hard to tell where they cut corners? immediately from the videos u can tell that the frame rate isnt stable and effects like shadows and transluscent fog arent present
Anyone else think that "Johnathan" is part of the Sasaki tribe? It could be one reason why he sympathizes with Snake, since Snake knew his father.
To thejoey4: Dont get ur hopes upabout ebgames. totally cheap mofo's. eveytime it says that a special item will come with a preordered game, every other store except for Ebgames will have that deal. when i got MGS3: Subsistence, it was supposed to come woth the MGS Saga, never got it. I preordered it last September and it came out in March!!!! i also didnt get the 3-D goggles with MGA2. Just warning you thejoey4 and everyone else who preordered from Ebgames........BTW MGS: PORTABLE OPS KICKS A$$ AND LOOKS FRIGIN AWSOME!! CANT WAIT TO GET IT!!!!DECEMBER 5TH BABY!!!! WOOHH!! also btw Fuk Ebgames :)
Wow look at the Nintendo fanboys posting in a comment for a PSP GAME... That just shows how low-life they are....
BTW Jasongm, u may be a little lost because the MG made for the NES wasnt made by Kojima it was made by an american group who simply adopted the name, it doesnt really link to Kojima's story line but like others have said enough is explained during the course of the game so that u have an idea of whats going on and what has happened thus far, really the only game u would really havee to play to know everything needed is MGS3, thats the only thing that comes before this in the timeline everything else is after.
Just Practice... Practice... Practice... if you're stuck... ask for help... then keep practicing... Trial and error my friend... just persevere
to jasongm. Mgs has always been good at helping "newbies/n00bs" with the game. There are plenty of references to other games always and the game style feels very natural. I dont think you'll be lost unless you go online immediately.
I already preorder it at ebgames. Also, i got the free bonus that comes with it. It is going to be sweet!!!!
I guess this game is not "newbie" friendly then.... The only Metal Gear game i ever played was waaayyy back on the NES. Will i be lost with this game?
A you said:cant wait to play this game, cant wait to play this game, cant wait to play this game!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well unfortunately i have never played a Metal Gear Solid game in my life, but i have seen all the videos at my friends house. To tell you the truth the game seriously kicks butt and is definitely on the top of my most kicked butt game of the year. LONG LIVE SNAKE!!! After watching MGS-3 snake eater or subsitenene whatever it is called i definitely wanted to know what happened to Eva and it seems that aspect of the game will be followed up here. Maybe the kick butt dude i am so really impressed how the kojima studio happened to use the psp to it's full potential and this game might actually convince me to buy a freaggin psp and Guns of The Patriots is my only leverage towards the ps3, i think most of MGS games are awesome and the new recruit system is definitely a nice addition to the series. After a long time a system liked psp could definitely use some good name game such as the MGS.
Why i don't have a PSP!!!... I love MGS, and i don't wanna miss a MGS game... I'm sure, this game is superb like other MGS games...
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Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
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- Publisher(s): Konami
- Developer(s): Kojima Productions
- Genre: Action
- Release:
- ESRB: M
MGS: Portable Ops Navigation
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