Some improvements over the original make this a must buy for any MGA fan.(Full Review Inside)
My Score system does not work like GS, this is how i mark it:
1 - So bad you want to remove your eyes, ears and other facial features from your body using some sort of kitchen utensil
2 - Abysmal
3 - terrible
4 - Bad
5 - Below average
6 - Average
7 - Good
8 - Really good
9 - Great
10 - Total Perfection (varies, if a package such as Orange Box, 10 may go for value of money for example) This grade has never, and most likely never been awarded to a game iv reviewed.
GRAPHICS
The first thing you will notice is the HUGE change in graphical style. Instead of being in the style of MGS3 or MGS Portable Ops, its completely Cell Shaded, and even more detailed than MGA1. To say the least, the graphics are simply stunning for a Handheld game, and on top of that you have full motion cutscenes instead of the strange still using gameplay mechanics cutscenes making everything flow much smoother. On top of that Animation has been improved so things just seem to move more fluently than MGA1, which was impressive in Animation anyway. Physics have been implemented better as well in MGA2 with Boobs bouncing around everywhere and bodies flying in the direction you hit them. And to top all this off you get motion lines whenever you fire which just adds to the new look of the series. Despites all these minor changes, there are some bad points. Such as, on a whole the character models are great. But unfortunately Snake looks like a total retard. Its a shame he didnt keep his MGA suit. And there are a few shadow issues that only ever appear in certain cutscenes but are really minor and doesnt ruin the overall look of the game.
8.5/10
SOUND
The sound in MGA2 is just as good as in the original. You have a great sound track with the same great sound effects. And just like the prequel you have NO VOICE ACTING. Again, i prefer that sort of thing in a game of this sort, however some people will be a bit annoyed with it. Not much else to say.
8/10
CONTROLS
The controls have changed quiet a bit since MGA1. Instead of having a long list of actions when you stop, you get everything mapped to the action buttons. This way you can just hit square when you stop to crawl, or Press Triangle to rotate the Circle to melee. Its very intuitive since you can erase all the things you do UNLESS you get engaged in a confrontation. Overall however, it is MUCH better because you can Move, Crawl, then stand and move more with 1 move card instead of using 2 or 3 making maneuvering so much easier. Still have the X button as cancel and O button as enter though, which may confuse some people. On top of this you get a very informative tutorial early on(about 10 seconds in) that is short, but explains EVERYTHING about the game.
9/10
GAMEPLAY
I was a bit annoyed with MGA2 when it came to gameplay. Yes, its the same great Turn based Strategy Tactical Espionage Action Card Collecting Game that we all no and love(unless you don't...)and that is good. However, i swear they just Ctrl+C Ctrl+V'ed some of the missions. For example you get to a bridge with sentry drone things and need a sniper in a different area then require ammo for it after that. That is straight from MGA1. Apart from that though, it is a whole new story that has you doing some morally wrong things. Your working to stop a Metal Gear(AGAIN!) but this time your working with someone who might as well be your enemy...a bit strange but VERY compelling. That wasn't a Spoiler, it gets reveled in the first 10 mins or so :P
The good thing about MGA2 is that it rewards you with 100th of your points from MGA1 and 1 card from your stack. So if you want bring your fav weapon, you can. Be warned, some weapons have been altered...a lot, so don't expect the exact same weapon.On top of this you also get 300 more cards or so, increasing from 200 to 500 cards you can collect making deck building even better.
9/10
OVERALL
With a whole new graphical style, some awesome new controls and more great gameplay, if a bit copied and Pasted in a VERY small amount of missions, makes this a great game for fans of the Turn based Strategy Tactical Espionage Action Card Collecting Game genre...or those who enjoyed MGA1. Improved in everyway, the difinitive version in the MGA series...but dont forget to check out MGA1 :)
SCORE: 8.5/10