Metal Gear Acid, as you may all know, is not like the Metal Gear games for other systems-even the name is different; the game is an ‘Acid,' not a ‘Solid.' I remember seeing a video about why the name was Acid, and the answer was plain and simple: Acids dissolve solids, and Metal Gear Acid is different from what people expect(ed). While core elements remain, there is a drastic change. You use cards for movement and for action. Yes, you heard me. Cards … in a Metal Gear game? How does that work?

When I first played this game during the summer of 2005, I hated it. I hated the card system, I hated the game worked, I hated everything. Well, it is now February 2006 (I started playing in January), and things have changed. I am eagerly awaiting Metal Gear Acid 2 (which looks very promising, fixing the mistakes of this game, and changed many things for the better), Metal Gear Solid 3: Substance and obviously Metal Gear Solid 4 for the PS3. In anticipation of these three orgasmic titles, I decided to pick up Metal Gear Acid, with the limited-edition leaflet of all the cards, found in the European version. I got back into the game, and this time around, it felt much differently.

You quickly learn how to use your cards and deck. Before each mission, you get to set your own deck, as well as for your partner (I won't reveal that person's name, for the sake of avoiding spoilers). Just a word of caution: when looking at cards, use the Numbers menu, because if you use the default, the same thing might happen to you as to me … where you can't find a card, and you panic because you think you lost a crucial card (like a rare or expensive one). Anyways, each card has a certain cost. If you use a high cost card, then you will have to wait longer which might cause your death, so be careful. There are a number of decks, such as the MGS1-3 and Chronicles pack, which are cards from the old MSX games. These decks will continuously be available for purchase. You can also purchase cards separately, but they are, of course, very expensive.

I don't really want to get into to the story too much, besides the basics (since I don't want to spoil anything). You are Solid Snake, and you have been pulled out of retirement to go on a top-secret mission. Terrorists have taken over a lab, and terrorists have hijacked an airplane with a U.S. presidential candidate aboard. Obviously, things get more complicated, and like all Metal Gear games, Acid provides the player with intense storytelling, with great plot twists. However, you should be aware, that Acid is not really part of the Metal Gear canon. This is evident with the fact that Snake is in retirement and not chasing down Revolver Ocelot as in the end of Metal Gear Solid 2. This is not for sure, and perhaps Acid 2 and Solid 4 will have the answers for us.

About sound: the game does not have voice acting. When there is dialogue, a screen with a drawn image of the person speaking pop ups with a dialogue box. I think this is the most ideal for a handheld game. The music is great-although the PS2 games' are better, Acid's is still excellent.

The graphics are all right. To me, they seem sort of colorless, like Killzone. This is not a bad thing because (obviously other than Metal Gear Solid 3), Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2 were not in the colors of the rainbow. This may put some people off, but I think it is not a bad thing. However, if people have seen pictures of Metal Gear Acid 2, they will notice the total opposite, since that game will be, almost literally, in all the colors of the rainbow.

Despite the awesomeness of the game, there were a few bits that annoyed me. There could be only one in-game save, and with longer levels, this was quite a pain, as Metal Gear Acid can often be of trial and error. Also, when you save during the game, it quits to the main menu. Why? I don't know, but I think it's unnecessary.

Be prepared that once you get into the game, it works like all Metal Gear games. Metal Gear Acid will keep you hooked until the finish, and you will DEFINITELY come back for more. The game is also very long (to my surprise)-it is nearly 20 hours first time around … minimum! It's a very underappreciated game, but if you play for more than just 10 minutes, you will begin to appreciate the beauty of this game.

This is a strongly recommended purchase for all Metal Gear fans, but for those who aren't and you want something new, give this game a try.

Feb 26, 2006 | 0 comments
Mate Bors