Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker hands-on preivew
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker hands-on preivew
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker for the PSP certainly deserves any hype it gets. It could be considered the Star Wars Episode 3 of the
Metal Gear saga, linking the Big Boss canon (Snake Eater, Portable Ops) with the Solid Snake canon, showing Big Boss going from the legendary soldier to the villain of the original
Metal Gear games. From the demo version, it seems like a very promising addition to the
Metal Gear franchise, and certainly a much needed non-gimmicky home console style
Metal Gear game for the PSP.
Story
The game starts off with Naked Snake's mercenary army, Militaires Sans Frontières (Soldiers without Borders; Outer Heaven's predecessor) having a training session on a rainy Colombian beach. Snake, the humble dog of war that he is, joins in and that serves as the game's first tutorial, showcasing the slightly updated CQC (Close Quarters Combat), but more on that later. Kazuhira Miller, Snake's subordinate involved in the management of the MSF, brings 2 representatives from Costa Rica's University of Peace (weird name, but who cares right?) who want to hire the MSF to drive the allegedly CIA-backed armed groups that started springing up in their country. After realizing that a political solution is impossible, Snake reluctantly agrees and goes on yet another epic choking spree.
New Features
-Emphasis on co-op play, with up to 2 players for regular missions and up to 4 players for boss battles. Players can support each other by holding closing doors open, performing CPR on fallen comrades, sharing items and more.
-Updated CQC that allows Snake to throw enemies while having them in a choke hold, which can knock down other enemies.
-Fulton Recovery, which allows Snake to strap a balloon to an unconsious enemy's lifeless body, lifting them into the air and letting Miller pick them up. It appears they'll be recruitable to aid Snake in the full game.
-Camouflage with various properties. For example, Jungle Camo is more geared for stealth, while the Rambo-style outfit is more for the FPS crowd, allowing faster movement speed and more weapons.
-Camo index similar to the one in
Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater. Not affected by surroundings, but only by the player's stance.
-Love Box: A cardboard box big enough for 2 players to hide in.
Camo isn't just for hiding in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
Removed Features
-Codec: No more being interrupted by a 5 minute call in the middle of a boss battle. All transmissions will take place in real time
-Pause: The only way to pause the game is to put the PSP into standby mode
-Crawling: Snake is unable to move in the prone position. Instead he plays dead
Up, up and away. Snake uses the Fulton Recovery to get new recruits. Real world recruiters, take note.
Overall,
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker promises to be a solid addition (pun intended) to the
Metal Gear franchise, as well as the PSP library. May 25th (or March 18th for you lucky Japanese) is a date to look forward to for any
Metal Gear fan.
