This is a game that has been slated, smashed to peices, hated the world over and - most importantly - practically no-one has played it because it has been slated. This game is massivelly mis-understood - it really is a gem in every respect. First things first, the graphics are amazing. Really, they are mind-blowing. The cel-shading graphics, while keeping a cartoony OTT feel to the procedings, accurately map all the details of every character. Adding the 3-D goggles makes you feel like you a veiwing these characters for real, they really are amazing. Don't even get me started on the enhanced MGS3 unlockable cut-scenes...remember when Snake jumps out the back of the plane? How about the same thing with the clouds rushing at you and snake plunging through your screen? Then there's the painstakingly crafted comic book style pages with each character perfectly inked in. And it's one hell of a riveting story I'm not going to ruin - fair enough, the text heavy presentation may bog you… more »

This is a game that has been slated, smashed to peices, hated the world over and - most importantly - practically no-one has played it because it has been slated. This game is massivelly mis-understood - it really is a gem in every respect. First things first, the graphics are amazing. Really, they are mind-blowing. The cel-shading graphics, while keeping a cartoony OTT feel to the procedings, accurately map all the details of every character. Adding the 3-D goggles makes you feel like you a veiwing these characters for real, they really are amazing. Don't even get me started on the enhanced MGS3 unlockable cut-scenes...remember when Snake jumps out the back of the plane? How about the same thing with the clouds rushing at you and snake plunging through your screen? Then there's the painstakingly crafted comic book style pages with each character perfectly inked in. And it's one hell of a riveting story I'm not going to ruin - fair enough, the text heavy presentation may bog you down, but stick with it and a brilliantly crafted peice of Kojima writing on the scale of MGS2 comes into play. That's a good thing BTW, in case you didn't know.

And then there's the gameplay. Remember Pokemon on the Game Boy? Multiply the addictivness by 4 and your close...MGA2 has 565 radically different cards to collect. As you should know by know, you have a deck of cards totalling 40 and a hand of 6 cards to play, things like movement, guns , CQC attacks and traps. Each card has it's own purpose, and play into the game perfectly for different situations, and (most importantly) different personalities and playing styles. I am a very attack-orientated gamer, so having 300-ish gun/special attack cards to fight with is a little handy. That's without upgrading every last one of them. Each card is really well implemented into the game, and keeps the game at your pace - want to go slow and sneaky? Set a deck full of spikey traps. Want to go gun crazy? Lock and load with kick ass guns. Want to utterly destroy everything? Load up with special cards, from Metal Gears to choppers to swords. The turn based strategy works brilliantly for pick up and play and is really easy to grasp while hard to master. Most importantly, however, is the normal ramifications of playing PSP games are removed - battery life on this game is roughly 6 hours, it loads quick as hell and can be played in 1 minute bursts, playing a single round, reading opponent movements and knocking it into sleep for a couple of mins.

In conclusion, this game is great. It has very well balanced gameplay and a great length with a riveting story. But look back at the title...some avid Metal Gear fans hate even the idea of it. Some love it. Some casual gamers find it too complex for PSP burst gameplay. Some get it straight away. I am a Metal Gear fan, I have played every Metal Gear game including Portable ops...but this is the one that always drags me back in to play it over and over. If I could say anything bad about it, it may be that the difficulity of the game spikes ridiculiously high at the end of the game, but it's all part of the experience. If approached by a dogmatic Metal Gear preacher, it will be trashed. But approach it with an open mind and a little patience, and you will discover a gem. I guarantee it. Multiplayer does exist, but the chances of you finding someone else with the game are slim (it is good though, so if you have a friend with it try it). So, based on solo experience, this game is great and I would really reccomend it to the casual and hardcore (extreme difficulity is a psp shatteringly difficult as expected for you MGS vets out there).