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Developer: Kojima Productions
Publisher: Konami
Genre: Strategy
Region: NTSC
Format:
Release Date: 28 Mar 06
User Rating
2 (1 vote) -
- The second installment improves upon the original with more cards, deeper gameplay and smoother pace. It's not the MGS as you know it, but it's a solid choice nonetheless.
Overview
Well Konami has been very busy at the start of 2006 with a lot of big releases, two of which came from the highly acclaimed Metal Gear series. Today we are going to check out one of the second game in the Metal Gear Acid series, which premiered on the PSP at its launch as a very engaging strategy experience in the Metal Gear universe. Now Kojima Productions are back on the saddle again in the second game in the series, which tries to take what they did right in the first game and add some new ideas. So how does Metal Gear Acid 2 end up fairing on the PSP? Read our full review to find out!
Gameplay
For those who did not get the chance to play the original Metal Gear Acid game, you missed a very deep, rich strategy title that combined the great series of Metal Gear, a very solid card-based strategy experience. Now the one thing that the first game didn't manage to do was bring in an interesting story, and unfortunately that problem is once again apparent in Metal Gear Acid 2. The story never really goes anywhere interesting, especially when compared to what the Metal Gear Solid games.
And although the story actually isn't all that great the main mode in Metal Gear Acid 2 is the story mode, which takes you on a not so interesting storyline through a very deep and memorable card based strategy game. For those who haven't played the original game, then there is going to be a much steeper learning curve. And the thing about Metal Gear Acid 2 is that although the story doesn't require previous experience in the series, the gameplay doesn't take much time to introduce you to how the card based system works.
You can see that the developers have learned quite a bit from the first outing, and this comes in the form of a much smoother experience. For example, navigating the game is a lot more intuitive and requires a lot less of the micromanagement that kind of plagued the first experience. The gameplay on the other hand requires even more strategy, and a lot more thought will be put into every move just because the AI just seems a lot more varied and difficult.
Although card-based games aren't exactly my forte, the strategy elements works rather well in Metal Gear Acid 2. You will have to be very careful of the cards that you put on the deck, and of course the ones that you play. The developers did hear the cry for more cards, and managed to bring in a lot of new dynamics and an overall deeper experience.
In the end, there are some definite improvements from the original to the sequel, and while these improvements may not be groundbreaking, they sure do get the job done. I can't say that the experience is perfect, as there are still areas in the gameplay that are not as polished as I would have hoped. But then again this is by far a much stronger playing game than the original Metal Gear Acid game in terms of strategy, controls, and enjoyment. Now if they could only bring in a more interesting storyline like we have seen in the console games, this could really be another very popular and successful series.
Graphics
Visually Metal Gear Acid was a good looking game, but the final product wasn't one that fully took advantage of the PSP hardware. Metal Gear Acid 2 takes the series a step further with just a lot more variety in the experience. First of all the environments have a lot more variety to them, with more detail and better use of colors. The game also just flows a lot better on screen; things don't seem as forced as they did in the original. In the end, Metal Gear Acid 2 improves the visuals in the right direction, giving a much more pleasing to the eye visual look.
Fun Factor
Although I may not be the biggest strategy buff in the world, I have to admit that Metal Gear Acid was still an enjoyable game. Now that I have Metal Gear Acid 2 I can see that this series has a lot of depth and a lot of room to grow in the future years. I have to say that Metal Gear Acid 2 is a much better game than the original, not only in the way it plays but also in the way it looks. If you had enjoyed the original game or enjoy this sort of strategy experience, then Metal Gear Acid 2 will be a fun experience.
Overall
For those wondering whether Metal Gear Acid 2 is a better game than the original, the simple answer is that it is. The game flows at a much smoother pace, and is a much deeper experience. The game still has room to improve, but if you enjoy the series or strategy games in general, Metal Gear Acid 2 for the PSP would be a good game to pick up.
- Gameplay
8.0 - Graphics
8.0 - Fun Factor
8.0 - Overall
8.0
