Metal Gear Acid

Title: Metal Gear Acid
Platform Played On: PSP
Release Date: March 22, 2005
Date Played: 2008
Time Played: 15 hours
Completed (Y/N): Yes
Score: 4/5





Opinion:
Metal Gear Acid is nothing like the Metal Gear Solid games we are used to. Nonetheless since I love all things Metal Gear I wanted to play this game.

To be perfectly honest mechanically Metal Gear Acid to Metal Gear franchise is as Mario is to Call of Duty. This game could have been called anything, and be set in any universe. The only thing that the Metal Gear name gives it is theme and setting, which is a great thing because if it werent for it being set in the Metal Gear universe I would have probably never played it.

MGA is a turn based strategy game where everything is dictated by a deck of cards. You can use each card to make Snake physically move on the battlefield to get a better angle (line of sight) at the enemy (or hide from the said enemy), or you can use these cards as the item portrayed (described) on them. These can be anything from special movement cards, to grenades, weapons and gadgets. The game is broken up in levels, goal of each is to get to the end and kill everything that stands in the way. These levels are tied together by an over the top overarching story.

Every Metal Gear story is for lack of a better word "insane" and Metal Gear Acid is no different. You encounter equally insane bosses and equally bizarre characters. All of these things are in no way negatives, if fact they simply reassure you that you are still in that same Metal Gear universe.

Overall Metal Gear Acid is a fairly unique game. It's turn by turn gameplay makes it a perfect candidate for PSP (portable platform). It does become fairly repetitive and level design is really basic and most of the time boring. But as long as you do not try to play through the whole thing in a couple of sittings, but instead come to it for 15-30 minute sessions you will have a lot of fun with Metal Gear Acid.

The story is not nearly as interesting as those in the main series, and is not what I would play Metal Gear Acid for, instead I would play it for it's unique, and fun strategic combat. It is almost like a mix of a shooter and a puzzle game. Sure, the story could have been a bit better, and the levels could have been designed better; however when everything is said and done I enjoyed MGA so much that the minute I finished it, I started playing the sequel Metal Gear Acid 2. In my opinion this is one of very few PSP games worth playing.

Some Of The Many Cards In The Game