For all of their genetic similarities, Big Boss and Solid Snake are not identical. Snake is a solitary soldier, single-handedly taking down nuclear threats. Big Boss is a commander, fighting for a cause with an army at his side. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops is the first game to really explore this distinction, and the result mirrors the relationship between the two legendary soldiers. Even though Portable Ops has some key differences from the console entries, it shares the most important qualities; from the cast of characters to the twisting story, this is unmistakably Metal Gear.
The game begins as Big Boss – who continues to use the codename Snake – wakes up in a South American prison to find that he needs to stop an uprising caused by members of FOX. You accomplish this by amassing your own militia, FOXHOUND, accepting volunteer defectors and “persuading” (i.e. knocking unconscious and throwing in prison) others. These recruits do far more than accompany you into battle; most of the game’s real depth comes from allocating your troops into different non-combat units for a variety of benefits. It is incredibly addictive. Of the 20 hours it took me to beat Portable Ops, at least three were spent collecting new troops (see sidebar) and optimizing their deployment.
It’s possible to grow your ranks by dragging soldiers back to Roy Campbell’s truck within each level, but that can be a slow and tedious process. The most efficient way to build an army is by downloading volunteers from Wi-Fi hotspots. Since the game generates a new character for each unique IP, a quick stroll through a neighborhood, mall, or business park should give you a stable of good recruits. As a bonus, there are certain unique and rare characters that can only be obtained via this method. Don’t worry if you don’t live in a Wi-Fi heavy area – there are still plenty of great soldiers to be obtained in-game.
Not all of your support is behind-the-scenes. You’ll utilize skilled warriors in your sneaking unit to help you complete missions, which are generally short affairs lasting around five to 10 minutes each. The goals range from simple “get here without being seen” stuff to more elaborate sabotage and kidnapping tasks. These are made more interesting by the addition of a new stealth mechanic: hiding in plain sight. Even though Portable Ops still has you wearing cardboard boxes and crawling in air ducts, infiltration is easiest when you select soldiers that blend in with the enemy. So long as you don’t act peculiar, you can often stroll right through heavily patrolled areas. The danger of encountering more astute guards is always present though, so the experience remains tense. It works so well, I have to wonder if this isn’t a test-run for concepts being implemented in Metal Gear Solid 4.
The episodic nature of the missions is a great strength of Portable Ops, making it easy to play on a handheld system. Unfortunately, from the story angle, it is the game’s biggest weakness. The conspiracy surrounding Big Boss just doesn’t unfold with the same impact; it’s hard to feel like you’re falling further down the rabbit hole when each victory sends you back to a central menu screen. The events are still cool, with awesome boss fights present in full force, but there’s just no sense of urgency.
The problems with pacing don’t change the fact that Portable Ops is one of the best games ever made for the PSP. The single-player ties flawlessly into the multiplayer, where you can test your loyal soldiers against up to five other people via ad hoc, infrastructure, and even game sharing. Whether online or off, the content in Portable Ops just keeps coming in more impressive ways, proving that handheld games can stack up against even the biggest triple-A console titles.
-JOE JUBA
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