There are two types of
Metal Gear players: those who like the buzz of rushing through guarded levels, being spotted time after time and running for cover under a barrage of gunfire, and those who play things safe, sneaking as Snake intended and trying to avoid raising even one single alarm.
The controversy that surrounds
Metal Gear's acidic sub-plot is due to the fact that, as a series, it appeals almost exclusively to that latter group.
For some,
Metal Gear Acid 2 is the perfect fit, taking the slow and methodical sneaking action that is stealth's signature and applying it to a turn-based tussle played out in grid-based levels. Slow and methodical meets slow and methodical, in other words.
Problem is, while it's just as possible here to run into trouble and get away with it, it doesn't come with quite the same rush. No,
Metal Gear Acid 2 has been designed with the prudent thinkers in mind. Those who only feel the burn when they're blasting through each level with gay abandon may not be compelled to play.
The rest of us, however, will find
Acid 2 surprisingly familiar. Taking Snake's movement and applying it to a grid,
Acid plays like a turn-based boardgame, with added abilities and weapons awarded through a card system.
With each turn, you have the option of either using one of the six random cards you're assigned to move a set number of squares, or using one of the abilities it temporarily gives you.
Just which you choose depends on your situation, though the main aim usually involves getting to an exit in one piece, picking up the odd item along the way that coincidentally throws you into the path of danger.
Where and when you make use of your cards is the key to success, with the cards themselves offering ways to attack your foes (guards patrol the levels, often aided by security cameras and other techno-wizardry), replenishing Snake's health, or restricting the actions and awareness of your enemies.
Success comes from combining all these elements and tailoring your tactics so they fit your surroundings. Whether that means distracting a guard by banging on a wall (causing them to leave their post and investigate), playing a card that blocks their movement, or by taking them on directly (combat is handled like a turn-based RPG, with each character taking turns to use the weapons in the cards, taking off a slice of each other's health in the process), there is a certain amount of trial and error involved.
When you consider that there are numerous hazards to overcome in each of the fairly expansive (and graphically impressive) levels, it's clear that
Acid 2 represents a serious tactical challenge - one that many will relish.
Hardcore fans are especially well catered for, as the same problems you're like to find in
Metal Gear Solid titles of old are here, the only difference being the need to analyse every move and every action under the microscope.
Others will plod through (believe me, if you don't take to the game early on, you never will) and find each mistake and each wrong move a painful setback. It doesn't help that
Metal Gear Acid 2 is hardly the friendliest of titles, either.
Some of the language used in the tutorial actually clouds the issue, sometimes using phrasing only the Babelfish understands. If you happen to miss said text, it's impossible to simply check what your goals are mid-mission. If you overlook them in the introduction, then your only recap comes via a restart.
Your enemy's stats are also awkwardly displayed above their heads in a wee box no bigger than a few pinheads.
None of these elements are ideal for newcomers. They are, however, perfect examples of how
Metal Gear Acid 2 is unashamedly trudging down its own path, making little allowance for any fans of the series that don't fuse with its cautious card play.
This is no great turnaround from its predecessor, but rather an attempt at a refined return trip. If you tried the original
Acid, whether in
mobile form or
on PSP, and didn't gel with it, then this sequel won't change your mind.
But, in the same way, it's unlikely to disappoint those who already subscribe to
Acid's take on the
Metal Gear universe
.It has the 'codec moments', the plot, the scenarios, and it's likely to split players right down the middle. What could be more
Metal Gear than that?
