It seems like in the year 2010 gamers have seen plenty of epic games that have hit the market, and there are still plenty more that will be released. Easily one of my most anticipated games of 2010 comes from my favorite franchise of all time, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. I’ve had my eye on a Sony PsP for some time now, and albeit there has already been Metal Gear releases for the system I could never justify taking the plunge into a somewhat expensive handheld unit. Needless to say, I could no longer resist the call to war and purchased the Limited Edition Big Boss pack which is a quality packaged deal, that comes with Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker among other things (for more info on the Big Boss pack, check out Kurt L’s unboxing video). It was worth every penny, as now I had the privilege to play one of the best games to grace the little powerhouse of a system, and quite possible the best Metal Gear plot ever produced by the famed director Hideo Kojima.

     Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker brings back the tragic hero who eventually turned villain known as Naked Snake, aka Big Boss. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker continues on with the plot from Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, and Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. In the year 1974, Costa Rica has been invaded by the CIA. Having no where to turn do to Costa Rica’s constitution banning all permanent armies, they try to enlist the help of MSF, Militaires Sans Frontieres (Soldiers without Borders), which is headed by none other than the legendary Big Boss. Being unwilling to help at first, Snake is convinced aid Costa Rica after being given an audiotape which seems to have the voice of Snake’s mentor, The Boss, contained on it. With Snake needing to know if the Boss is still alive, he suits up and once again enters the battlefield. The story only gets more involving from there. Unlike previous installments of the Metal Gear Solid franchise, Peace Walker is a much easier story to follow and understand. Although there are tie-ins to the events that will take place in the games that chronologically follow Peace Walker like the formation of Outer Heaven that veteran MGS fans will get a kick out of, new players to Metal Gear Solid will have no problem enjoying this game. To put it simply, Peace Walker’s plot will draw in anyone who plays it. I highly doubt anyone will want to stop playing once they start it.

     When it comes to game play itself, Peace Walker is possibly the largest and most expansive installment to the Metal Gear Solid series yet which really is shocking being it is on a portable gaming platform. Peace Walker is a perfect marriage of the stealth action genre, which has some RPG style elements. To some, this may be a bit of a curve ball because this combination of game styles will effect how difficult your game play will be. Like many RPGs, as players get farther into the game the challenge will undoubtedly increase. If you have been following news about Peace Walker online, many different sites criticize Peace Walker for this increase in difficulty stating it is too difficult for the player to beat the game solo. Do not believe this for one second. Albeit it is true that Peace Walker does have its degree of difficulty, players can tame it easily by taking advantage of everything that the game has to offer. Remember, there are RPG elements here. Your weapons, equipment, even uniforms play an important role. To keep Snake in peak battle condition players are going to have to spend some time upgrading, and obtaining new gear. This is done several different ways.

     To begin with, Peace Walker is a level based game. After beginning a new game, players will be introduced to “Mother Base”. Mother Base is the home of MSF, and will be your main hub throughout the game. It is here you will select missions such as “Main Ops” which progress the story, “Extra Ops” which are the side missions, “Outer Ops” which allows you to send squads of some of your 350 recruited MSF members out on special operations, and assign members of your army specific jobs (combat, R&D, Mess Hall, Medic, and Intel) that effect Mother Base’s overall productivity. To gain full access to all the gear you will need, you will have to spend some time balancing out all of these features. By doing this, you will increase you’re overall GMP which are points accumulated so your Mother Base can thrive. This can be a time consuming process and does distract from story progression, but is also highly addictive and entertaining at the same time. A slight downside is the tutorials explaining all of this really aren’t very effective. To really figure out how things work, players kind of have to just jump on in and do a little trail and error. With a little patience, you won’t have any problem figuring out all the ins and outs of making MSF all it can be.

     With the gear situation taken care of, Peace Walker plays out exactly how you would expect a Metal Gear game should. Stealth is highly emphasized, and alerting to your presence will even cause a hardened soldier like Big Boss feel the heat. Stabled features such as the Camo index return from previous titles like Metal Gear Solid 3 and 4, although this time really doesn’t seem to play a factor in your stealth. No matter what uniform I used during my play, I was able to remain hidden and choke out enemies without a hitch. For the most part, the variance in camouflage seems to be cosmetic. Certain camouflage like the stealth uniform will allow you to run full speed without making a sound but you can carry less gear, while the battle uniform is clunky but you can carry extra weapons. You’ll be able to choose what you feel is necessary for the mission at hand, and just add another layer of depth to the game. CQC is also back in Peace Walker, but that too has changed. CQC attacks can now be strung together for some really impressive, cinematic quality take downs. I suspect players are going to be using this new CQC system to take out any roaming patrols more than any other tool in their arsenal. There are a few drawbacks compared to other Metal Gear games however. One of the earliest stealth techniques, crawling, has been completely removed from the game. Snake can now only lay flat, nor can he use weapons while in that position. Peace Walker’s game play has been designed around this so for the most part you will not miss it, however it does seem odd that such a simple thing that was even in the original Metal Gear Solid for Ps1 isn’t there. The Enemy AI is on par with that of Metal Gear Solid 1. Considering the advancements made to the series in terms of the AI, Peace Walker is a bit of a step back in that department.

     There is also co-op play in Peace Walker, and is one of the weaker points of the game. For anyone who wants to play Peace Walker with a friend, the game only uses Ad Hoc. This means you’ll have to be within close proximity to anyone you care to play with…or does it….! As it turns out, no. There is another option if you own a Playstation 3. If you have access to a Ps3, you can download a free app called Ad Hoc Party. Ad Hoc Party will allow you use your PsP’s ad hoc over longer distances, making your Ps3’s internet a jumping point if you will. This is a bit of a complicated process however, as if you rely on Wifi for your Ps3’s connection Ad Hoc Party will not work. You must use a wired connection to run this app, because your PsP will connect through your Ps3’s wifi. If you don’t have access to a wired connection and have a PC or lap top that is running off of a wifi connection, you use an Ethernet cable to bride that connection to your Ps3. That will work, as it tricks the system into thinking you are using a wired connection, but if you ask me this is a lot of work just to play a game online.

     Graphically, Peace Walker is one of the best looking games I’ve seen for the Sony PSP. Character animations are fluent, especially during CQC, and level designs are outstanding. Some of the jungle levels are comparable to that of MGS3, and really help to suck the player into the game. The thing that stands out the most about Peace Walker’s graphics however are the cut scenes. Cut Scenes use the same hand drawn style that was utilized in Portable ops, but are much crisper this time around. These cut scenes are truly stunning, and are works of art. After unlocking a cut scene, players can watch them over and over by selecting them in the mission selection area. With the outstanding voice acting which Metal Gear Solid is known for, like David Hayter as Snake/Big Boss, watching these cut scenes in order is truly like a movie. Peace Walker makes use of everything the PsP has to offer, and the results are a portable game that is amazing to look at.

     Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is a game I could continue to write about for days, and there is still plenty more things that could be covered. In the end, it is a game that has to be experienced first hand. It is a truly legendary installment, to an already legendary franchise that gives even more insight on how Naked Snake transformed into Big Boss and formed Outer Heaven. So find a friend or go in alone, the fight for peace has begun, you won’t regret it.

Written by RB

Over and Out

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