Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops | |
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| Developer(s) | Konami Computer Entertainment Japan / Kojima Productions |
| Publisher(s) | Konami |
| Designer(s) | Masahiro Yamamoto (director) Noriaki Okamura (producer) |
| Series | Metal Gear |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation Portable |
| Release date | JP December 21, 2006 NA December 5, 2006 EU May 4, 2007 AUS May 15, 2007 UK May 25, 2007 |
| Genre(s) | Stealth-action |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, online multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | BBFC: 12 CERO: C ESRB: Mature OFLC: M PEGI: 16 |
| Media | UMD |
| System requirements | North America, Japan: PSP firmware 2.81 Europe: PSP firmware 3.03 |
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (commonly abbreviated to MPO) is a stealth game directed by Masahiro Yamamoto, with series creator Hideo Kojima acting as a producer.[1] Portable Ops was developed by Kojima Productions and published by Konami in 2006 for the PlayStation Portable.[2] It is the third Metal Gear title for the PlayStation Portable and the first one to retain the series' action-based gameplay.[3] It is also the first canonical outing of the series for a portable platform, being a direct sequel to Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.[4]
Set in 1970 in South America, six years after the events of Snake Eater, the game follows the exploits of Naked Snake (Big Boss) after his former unit, FOX, goes renegade. [3] The game also chronicles the eventual founding of FOXHOUND, as well as the inspiration of the military state Outer Heaven.[5][3]
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[edit] Gameplay
Unlike Metal Gear Ac!d and its sequel, which were turn-based strategy games with stealth elements, MPO retains the action-based gameplay from the console iterations, drawing heavily from Snake Eater and utilizing the camera system from Subsistence.[6]
The main addition to MPO is the "Comrade System."[7] Instead of the solo-based missions that the series is known for, MPO goes for a squad-based approach, with Snake having to recruit his own allies and form his own team of trained specialists.[8][9] Before each mission, the player must compose a four-man squad, which, at the player's option, includes Snake himself. The desired squad is then sent into the battlefield.[10][9] Each member of Snake's squad has their own strengths and weaknesses.[11][9] While some units are best utilized on the battlefield, others may specialize in producing items, healing allies, or providing intel for each of the game's maps.[11][10]
During gameplay, the player controls only one squad member at a time.[11] The squad members not in use hide themselves inside a cardboard box, and can be swapped into play when the player-controlled character finds a "hiding spot", where they can hide in their own cardboard box.[6]
Characters who are killed in combat are eliminated from the player's squad permanently, unless they are special characters, such as Snake.[9][10] Special characters also include team mates that are bosses or supporting characters in the story.[9] If a special character's health is reduced to zero, they are sent to the infirmary, in order to recover.[9] The player can also abort the mission whenever it is felt necessary.[12]
A variety of methods can be employed to expand one's squad.[13] If an enemy character is tranquilized or stunned, they can be dragged to a waiting pick-up truck and captured.[13][5] After a period of game time, the captured soldier will become a member of Snake's team.[13] Also, enemy characters can be dragged to an ally waiting in a cardboard box, where, through the use of a transceiver frequency, they will be ordered to transport the enemy for the player, saving stamina.[13] Alternatively, by accessing the PSP in certain hotspots using the system's Wi-Fi feature, soldiers and even special bonus characters can be recruited.[8][13] The PSP GPS Receiver can also be used to similar effect.[13][9] Because some of the player's recruits include former enemy soldiers or personnel, they can walk among the enemy undetected as long as the player avoids suspicious actions.[13]
Another new feature is the surround indicator added to the game's HUD.[14][11] Similar to the radar in previous titles, the surround indicator allows players to determine the relative proximity of enemy soldiers by the noises they make.[14] The surround indicator is composed of two circles; the outer circle displays the noises made by enemies and inner circle displays noises made by the player himself.[15][14]
The game also contains a Wi-Fi-enabled multiplayer mode, which is an expansion of the "Metal Gear Online" mode previously featured in Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence.[16][8] One's performance in the Online Mode may affect their performance in the single player campaign; the player can recruit and trade soldiers from beaten opponents, or vice-versa.[6][9] Additionally, certain multiplayer options result in recruits being removed from the one's single player roster permanently.[10] In contrast to the console games in the series, the cutscenes that drive the story are not rendered using the usual in-game engine. Instead, they are presented using an animated comic style comprised of hand-drawn artwork by artist Ashley Wood.[8] This style was previously utilized in Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel.[3][5] The game also features voice acting, consisting of returning cast members from Snake Eater and new actors.[17][1] However, the number of cutscenes and in-game voiced sections are minimal, due to the PSP's UMD storage capacity constraints.[9]
[edit] Plot
[edit] Characters
- Further information: List of Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops characters
Naked Snake (voiced by Akio Ōtsuka in Japanese and David Hayter in English) reprises his role as the protagonist from Snake Eater. While already awarded with the title of Big Boss, he refuses to use that title himself and still goes by his old codename. Snake is forced to fight off his former unit, FOX, after they instigate a revolt in a South American base. Snake's primary ally is Roy Campbell (v.b. Toshio Furukawa and David Agranov), a surviving member of the Green Berets team that was sent to investigate the affair.[18]
The main antagonist is Gene (v.b. Norio Wakamoto and Steve Blum), who became the central member of the FOX unit after Snake's departure and seeks to establish his own military nation.[19] Gene is a product of the Successor Project that aimed to artificially create the perfect commander.[20] The other members of the FOX unit consist of Cunningham (v.b. Daisuke Gōri and Noah Nelson), an expert in the arts of interrogation;[21] Null (v.b. Jun Fukuyama and Larc Spies), a teenage assassin trained to be the perfect soldier;[22] Python (v.b. Yusaku Yara and Dwight Schultz), a former war buddy of Snake who was previously presumed dead during the Vietnam War;[23] and Ursula and Elisa (v.b. Saori Goto and Tara Strong), twin sisters gifted with extraordinary ESP abilities.[24][1]
In addition to the above characters, several supporting characters from Metal Gear Solid 3 return in the game as well.[8] Some of them contribute to the main plot, while others are just guest characters who only appear after completing certain side-missions. Virtually every major character in the game can be added to the player's squad either by fulfilling certain requirements or by inputting passwords. Hidden characters can also be recruited, including Teliko Friedman and Venus, the respective heroines from Metal Gear Acid and its sequel.
[edit] Story
| Metal Gear series fictional chronology |
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| Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Metal Gear Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake Metal Gear Solid (The Twin Snakes) Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots |
Six years after the events of "Operation: Snake Eater", portrayed in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Naked Snake's former team, FOX Unit, has broken their allegiance with the CIA and gone renegade. Snake himself is also targeted by the FOX Unit, which sent renegade FOX Unit soldiers to attack and capture him. The game begins with Snake being tortured and interrogated by one of the members of FOX, Lieutenant Cunningham, who's trying to locate the whereabouts of the missing half of the Philosopher's Legacy, with the United States Government having already acquired the other half of the Legacy from the Soviet Union at the conclusion of Snake Eater. Snake is imprisoned in a cell next to Roy Campbell, the sole survivor of an American Green Beret team sent in to investigate the base. Snake learns through Roy that they're on the San Hieronymo Peninsula, the site of an abandoned Soviet missile silo in Colombia.
The two escape and Snake makes his way to a communications base, where he attempts to contact his old CO, Major Zero. Instead, he is greeted by his old FOX comrades Para-Medic and Sigint, who reveal that Snake and Zero are being accused of instigating the revolt and that the only way for Snake to clear their name is to find and apprehend the leader of the rebellion, Gene. To complicate matters, Gene has also convinced most of the Russian soldiers stationed on the base to join their side by simply taking over the chain of command of a former Red Army unit, that was secretly stationed inside the Colombian territory. In order to complete his mission, Snake must persuade enemy soldiers to join his ranks because of the scale of his mission.
Snake and his squad defeat the top members of the FOX unit (if defeated by reducing their stamina to zero instead of their HP, some of the FOX members will join Snake's squad, this includes Null and Python) and eventually they make their way into Gene's guesthouse. Snake learns many things on his way. Cunningham was working for the Pentagon and wanted Snake to push Gene into launching a nuke to Russia to prolong the Cold War (so the Pentagon could keep their importance). Gene was actually aware of this plan the whole time from information from Ocelot. Gene really wanted to launch a nuke at America to destroy the Philosophers and to make his nation of soldiers, "Army's Heaven". Snake destroys an experimental model of Metal Gear codenamed RAXA and eventually defeats Gene, destroying the real Metal Gear itself afterwards. After Gene is defeated he gives Big Boss the funds, equipment, personnel, and all other information regarding Army's Heaven, telling him that one day, he will need to use them. On his return home, Snake is awarded for his actions and establishes FOXHOUND afterwards. In the end it is revealed Ocelot kills the DCI and takes the Philosophers documents to "end them". After the credits, Ocelot speaks with an unknown man on the phone. Ocelot speaks of using the Legacy to form the Patriots in place of the Philosophers. Ocelot actually wanted the trajectory data of the nuke to point to the DCI so he would bring the documents right to him. Ocelot requests Big Boss be able to 'join' them (he and the man on the phone) in their new endeavor - becoming the Patriots.
[edit] Versions and re-releases
The game was first released in North America on December 5, 2006.[25] In Japan, it was released two weeks later, on December 21, in two limited edition packages, with both of them sharing most of its unique bonus content, such as a special camouflage for the PlayStation Portable, as well as a set of three original lapel pins.[26]
In Europe, the game was set to be released in April, yet it was delayed for another whole month.[27] In the United Kingdom, the game could only be released on May 25, 2007, after it was revealed that the required BBFC rating was missing, thus forcing retailers to send back their stocks.[28] The added features for the European release included new maps for the single-player campaign and multiplayer mode, characters, missions, player careers, as well as a new "Boss Rush" mode.[29][30]
[edit] Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus
On July 17, 2007, Konami announced Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus, a stand-alone expansion of the original game, focused on online play.[31] Among its new features, the expansion includes new characters such as Genome and Gurlukovich Soldiers from MGS and MGS2 respectively. There are also new missions, tutorials for beginners, as well as a new single-player mode called "Infinity Mission."[32][31]
In Japan, Portable Ops Plus was released on September 20, 2007 in two formats: the expansion on its own and as a deluxe package that includes the original game and the expansion.[31] The North American version was released on November 13, 2007.[33] The European version was released on March 28, 2008.[34]
The story mode within Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus has been removed, and a new single player mode has been added called Infinity Mission, where the player must go through randomly chosen maps, looking for the advance point within the level, using the surround indicator to help them. This adds some extra difficulty, because the surround indicator could show an enemy, or the advance point.
Within this mode, there are also kerotan, which make a small croak sound, as well as briefly showing on the surround indicator with every croak. Hidden items can be obtained using this.
The game makes much more of an emphasis on online gameplay, with the modes from the original being used with their + counterparts, such as "Cyber-Survival+" and "Infrastructure+". During online gameplay, rookie players will have a rookie mark, reducing the damage they get, and increasing the damage they give, making online gameplay easier for less skilled players.
[edit] Audio
Portable Ops' musical score was composed by Norihiko Hibino, Takahiro Izutani, Yoshitaka Suzuki, Kazuma Hinnouchi, Nobuko Toda and Akihiro Honda. The ending theme ("Calling To The Night") was composed by Akihiro Honda and arranged by Norihiko Hibino and Akihiro Honda, with vocals by Natasha Farrow and lyrics by Nobuko Toda.
The soundtrack was first released in Japan on December 20, 2006.
[edit] Reception
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[edit] Awards
- Received IGN's awards for:
- Received GameSpot's award for best PlayStation Portable game of 2006 [46]
- Received Game Informer's award for Handheld Game of the Month for February 2007[40]
[edit] Sequel
Prior to the release of Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, IGN conducted an interview asking if there would be a sequel if the game proved to be popular. The response was:
| “ | Absolutely. If the response to MPO is as good as we're expecting, you can look forward to new chapters in the Big Boss legacy on PSP. We still have many stories to tell about the early years of Metal Gear Solid — I hope we can continue to do that on PSP.[47] | ” |
Kojima Productions' assistant producer Ryan Payton co-hosted an episode of the PSM audio podcast and said that if the sales of MPO were high enough, a follow-up would be made. [48]
On September 20, 2007, IGN reported that Kojima Productions had already begun working on a sequel, with more information available on Ashley Wood's blog.[49] Wood would reprise his role as illustrator of the game's cutscenes after stating that his work on the two Metal Gear Solid graphic novels was over. Later on, reports of the sequel were discredited by current assistant producer at Kojima Productions, Ryan Payton.[50]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c GameSpot site staff. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Tech Info/Credits. GameSpot. Retrieved on 3 July, 2007.
- ^ Anoop Gantayat. New Metal Gear Solid For PSP. IGN. Retrieved on 3 July, 2007.
- ^ a b c d Brad Shoemaker. E3 06: Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops First Look. GameSpot. Retrieved on 3 July, 2007.
- ^ IGN site staff. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops First Look Game Profile. IGN. Retrieved on 3 July, 2007.
- ^ a b c Jeff Haynes. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Preview. IGN. Retrieved on 3 July, 2007.
- ^ a b c d Greg Kasavin. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Review for the PSP. GameSpot. Retrieved on 3 July, 2007.
- ^ James Mielke. MGS: Portable Ops Preview. 1UP. Retrieved on 3 July, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e GameSpot site staff. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Company Line. GameSpot. Retrieved on 3 July, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Jeff Haynes. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Review. IGN. Retrieved on 3 July, 2007.
- ^ a b c d Jeff Haynes. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops -- Recruiting An Army, Part 2. IGN. Retrieved on 4 July, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e Thierry Nguyen. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Review. 1UP. Retrieved on 3 July, 2007.
- ^ Daniel Dawkins. PSP Review - Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. CVG. Retrieved on 4 July, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g Jeff Haynes. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops -- Recruiting An Army, Part 1. IGN. Retrieved on 4 July, 2007.
- ^ a b c Kristine S.. Post-TGS analysis: Why Portable Ops won Best in Show. PSP Updates. Retrieved on 4 July, 2007.
- ^ Deaf Gamers site staff. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops PSP. Deaf Gamers. Retrieved on 4 July, 2007.
- ^ Greg Kasavin. E3 06: Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Multiplayer Hands-On. GameSpot. Retrieved on 5 July, 2007.
- ^ Daemon Hatfield. GC 2006: Portable Ops Reconnaissance Info. IGN. Retrieved on 4 July, 2007.
- ^ Campbell: Right. But as you can see, they had already completed part of the facility. We were sent in to investigate what was going on. Before we could do that, they ambushed us. // Snake: "They?" // Campbell: The FOX Unit. My team was wiped out in the blink of an eye. I fear I'm the only survivor. (Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops) Konami Computer Entertainment Japan, 2006
- ^ Gene: (...) My goal of building a new nation of mercenaries with only the most capable soldiers is real. (...) (Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops) Konami Computer Entertainment Japan, 2006
- ^ Gene: (...) I was created for that purpose. // Snake: Created? // Gene: Have you heard of the Successor Project? // Snake: ... No. // Gene: It was a top-secret experiment conducted by the U.S. government. It's goal: To create the ultimate battlefield commander. (...) (Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops) Konami Computer Entertainment Japan, 2006
- ^ Cunningham: My name is Lt. Cunningham. Until four weeks ago, I was with the CIA. // Snake: Cunningham? FOX Unit's interrogation specialist? // Cunningham: Ah, so you have heard of me. I'm honored, Snake. (Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops) Konami Computer Entertainment Japan, 2006
- ^ Snake: So this is what you were calling the Perfect Soldier? Does he have ESP too? // Elisa: No, he's just an ordinary human being. That is, he used to be... He was raised in a special way, under very special conditions: To be a great warrior. He's incapable of emotions or doubts. He's the ultimate combatant, created with one purpose only: To accomplish the mission. He has no human memories. The only things he has left are his skills in battle. (Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops) Konami Computer Entertainment Japan, 2006
- ^ Snake: Python... So you were alive all this time. (...) // Python: (...) How long has it been since our last mission together? Nearly ten years? We were both so very young back then. // Snake: Yeah... When The Boss vanished... and I didn't know what the hell I was doing... you were there to save me. (...) But I thought you were dead. You were wounded on that top-secret mission in Vietnam. (Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops) Konami Computer Entertainment Japan, 2006
- ^ Snake: It's... it's not like that... When I saw you at the heliport with Cunningham and the others... // Elisa: That... was my sister. // Snake: Sister? // Elisa: Her name is Ursula. She's the one who's a member of FOX. I'm just a medic. (...) Ursula and I were raised in an East German lab. They sent all the kids with ESP potential there to study them. My powers are pretty weak. But Ursula is different. She's one of the most powerful psychics in all the Communist world. (...) (Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops) Konami Computer Entertainment Japan, 2006
- ^ IGN site staff. Game Details Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. IGN. Retrieved on 11 July, 2007.
- ^ PSP site staff. Konami Announces Limited Edition. PSP-Vault. Retrieved on 11 July, 2007.
- ^ Emma Boyes. MGS: Portable Ops Held Up In UK. GameSpot. Retrieved on 11 July, 2007.
- ^ Rob Purchese. MGS: Portable Ops Dated. EuroGamer. Retrieved on 11 July, 2007.
- ^ Bennett Ring. MGS: Portable Ops Exclusive PAL Content. IGN. Retrieved on 11 July, 2007.
- ^ Emma Boyes. Euro MGS: Portable Ops Getting Exclusive Content. GameSpot. Retrieved on 11 July, 2007.
- ^ a b c Anoop Gantayat. PlayStation Premiere: Metal Gear Expansion Announced. IGN. Retrieved on 18 July, 2007.
- ^ Hirohiko Niizumi. PS3 MGS Online In Works, Portable Ops Expanded. GameSpot. Retrieved on 18 July, 2007.
- ^ Alexis Dunham (2007-10-16). MGS: Portable Ops Plus Goes Gold. Retrieved on 2007-10-16.
- ^ Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops + - Konami. Retrieved on 2008-03-18.
- ^ VGRC's review of Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. URL retrieved 17th February 2007.
- ^ GamePro's review of Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. URL retrieved 17th February 2007.
- ^ GameSpy's review of Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. URL retrieved 17th February 2007.
- ^ Eurogamer's review of Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. URL retrieved 17th February 2007.
- ^ GameZone's review of Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. URL retrieved 17th February 2007.
- ^ a b Game Informer, Issue 166, February 2007. Page 109.
- ^ CrackshotGames review of Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. URL retrieved 22nd April 2008.
- ^ GameRankings.com page for Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. URL retrieved 17th February 2007.
- ^ IGN Best Story. Retrieved on 1 January 2007.
- ^ IGN Best Downloadable Content. Retrieved on 1 January 2007.
- ^ IGN.com presents The Best of 2006
- ^ Gamespot Best PSP Game. Retrieved on 1 January 2007.
- ^ IGN Ryan Payton Interview. Retrieved on 1 January 2007.
- ^ Gamesradar MPO sequel Info. Retrieved on 1 January 2007.
- ^ Ryan Clements. TGS 2007: Portable Ops 2 Coming. IGN. Retrieved on 23 September, 2007.
- ^ novery. MGS Portable Ops 2 CONFIRMED?. NeoGAF. Retrieved on 23 September, 2007.
[edit] External links
- Official MPO website
- Official MPO+ website
- Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops at the Open Directory Project
- Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus at the Open Directory Project
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