MGS: Portable Ops and PSP share a common problem: no-one knows what they're about. Sony's handheld is sort of a media player, and kind of a games machine, offering just short of PS2 standard graphics, but with fiddly controls - and two years on, we're not really sure if we like it. MGS: Portable Ops is sort of a full blown single-player MGS epic, and kind of a multi-player-focused curiosity, offering just short of PS2 standard graphics, but with fiddly controls - and 20 hours in we're not so much sure if we like it, as unsure if we're playing it properly, or completely missing the point in the first place. Typical of a Kojima game, it defies any kind of neat categorisation and subverts tired clichés, but sadly for MGS: PO and PSP, it disproves the wrong adage - a problem shared, isn't a problem halved. But doubled.
MGS is fiddly enough, but the PSP version requires arthritis-baiting dexterity. Given that we didn't like MGS3: Snake Eater for six hours until we mastered CQC, camouflage and fine camera control, it's really highly frustrating. With no second analogue stick to constantly adjust the camera - plus the addition of PSP's small screen makes proceedings cramped and claustrophobic. Before you even start, you need to constantly tap L1 to reset the camera behind you, lending the game a staccato feel, or - worse still - let go of the movement (on the analogue nub) entirely, so you can adjust the camera position on the D-pad.
Blind control To be fair, you do adjust after a few hours, but it only achieves the level of fluidity you might associate with, say, a practised amputee, as opposed to a natural athlete. If you've never played an MGS game before, the controls are perversely intimidating - and that's not to mention the game's unique inner-logic, recruitment system and new hub-based play that'll unsettle even the most hardened stealth operatives.
Better news? It looks almost as good as MGS3 on PS2 - at least in the interior sections - with spot-on animation, a full 3D camera and incredible character models. The only downside is that levels tend to look similar, with a Lego-block scattering of sharp edges, inclines and boxy buildings. Levels are relatively big, with multiple floors and some sweeping panoramas, but the fuzzy textures and lack of ambient effects makes them sometimes feel like crudely painted VR missions.
Still, relative to the curious MGS: AC!D series, it's a major improvement, facilitating the core MGS stealth gameplay we cherish and abhor. You can do anything you can in MGS3 - well, certainly, MGS2 - including crawling, leaping and punching; plus complex stuff such as pop-out shots from behind cover (involving an octopus-handed number of buttons), CQC, taking guards prisoner and even tapping the walls to attract attention, before sneaking up and 'holding up' guards to steal their items.
There's no camouflage system - though certain team members are 'invisible' to a point in certain situations, leading to critical selection choices - and you need to hold triangle to tip-toe and sneak past foes undetected. There's no radar (like MGS2), or sonar blip (like MGS3), but a new sound-based detection system that shows how much noise you and the enemy are making, plus its direction and intensity. With practise, it's a versatile tool, allowing you to make great use of cover to baffle foes, and sneak up from behind.
The big addition is team recruitment (See 'How To Recruit A Team'). Knock out a foe and you can drag them back to your van to be press-ganged into joining your squad. Different troops have different skills (some help stamina recovery, some help headshot accuracy, some help build weapons, etc), lending the game a tactical feel. You could rush through each level - yes, there are levels, and a hub - killing people at will, but you forfeit the chance to recruit them. A slower approach lets you build a varied team, and makes things easier. Don't be fooled - you don't order a squad around in real-time like Ghost Recon, but take it in turns (if you wish) to tackle levels while your pals hide in boxes.
One step at a time Kojima has changed MGS's structure to suit the (alleged) nature of bite-size PSP play. You don't play through the game in a linear, organic swoop like MGS3, but tackle levels one-by-one from a main hub/map. The theory is sound, but you end up visiting levels more than once, and sometimes you can't proceed until your Spy Units (who work behind the scenes once deployed) unearth new information about a location - i.e. you sometimes hit brick walls and have to wait until your team 'unlock' the next key plot-driving objective, be that a jailed informant, secret document or weapon.
As a result, the game never develops the gripping emotional flow of MGS3, with the excitement of key scenes eroded by tedious busywork. You don't need to undertake every task - e.g. blowing up three buildings causes a diversion, but four makes it much easier - but you get the nagging doubt you could be doing something else, or you've missed a key weapon. Worse, since you've only got four menu slots, you really need to know what items to take into each mission to avoid needless juggling, meaning you'll Restart or Abort missions time after time to get the right team/item balance. It is tactical, and often hugely rewarding, but the open structure means that after 20 hours of play, we'd only fought two bosses, and can't say how close we are to the end.Oddly, we get the feeling the single player game is a huge prelude to the potentially fantastic online mode - you can take your personalised squad online, or via Wi-Fi, to tackle up to 16 other human players, and steal their team members. Truth is, we've still not finished the game after 20 hours, and MGS: PO's online depth, might only be apparent over time.
Building plot All of that said, MGS: PO is easily one of PSP's best single player games. You'll delight every time you sneak past six foes to a chorus of 'Huhs?' and revel in every hard-fought boss battle. The plot is riddled with Codec chat, but the slick digital comic-style cut-scenes weave a compelling plot that links directly to MGS4.
Ultimately, MGS: PO is like eating a platter of finely crafted hors d'oeuvres - easy to digest, but compromised and repetitive. It's just less satisfying than a set menu of balanced textures and flavours - and, simply, why MGS3: Snake Eater is still Kojima's tastiest dish.
