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Right now there are thousands of PlayStation fans cursing Sony for the constant
delays and waiting with baited breath for the inevitable onslaught in the handheld market.
With fantastic launch titles such as Untold
Legends: Brotherhood Of The Blade, Ridge Racers and Metal Gear Ac!d who
could blame them? Certainly not any of the writers here at the Electronic Articles.
Having now had a fair amount of time to get to grips with the system, it is an incredibly
impressive machine, but there is a small question mark hanging over one of the launch
titles – Metal Gear Ac!d.
The question that’s constantly buzzing around my head is simply, why
wasn’t Metal gear Ac!d a NintendoDS title? Now don’t get me wrong – Metal
Gear Ac!d on the PSP is far from bad, it’s more of a case of where it fits.
I’m sure that many of those eager PlayStation fans will either have turned away in
disgust or shall continue reading with gritted teeth, but the point of this article
isn’t to dog the PSP – it’s simply questioning Konami’s approach to
the two systems.
 From early in the NintendoDS market-cycle (way
before launch) Hideo Kojima went on record to state that no Metal Gear title would
appear on the NintendoDS due to the system attracting the wrong market. Eight months ago,
ashamedly I agreed with him, but since seeing the NintendoDS launch on two continents with
two launch line-ups (although many titles crossed the US/Euro border for both of course) I
have seen that, yes, the kids are there, but I have found far more adult opponents
for the likes of the Metroid Prime: Hunters demo and Ridge RacerDS. This
isn’t necessarily because of the circles I move in, seeing as my occupation in the
gaming industry simply attracts people of all ages and creed. While the European
NintendoDS launch was littered almost entirely with “kiddie” games, there’s
still the hardcore that have bought the system intent on making the best of the new
technology the system boasts, regardless of whether it’s grabbing pink rabbits or
hunting down interstellar demons.
So with the adult NintendoDS market firmly insulted, Konami ventured forth in
upsetting many-a-Metal Gear fan by moving the franchise into not only the
turn-based strategy genre, but even worse – card-based battling. Of course, Konami
can rely on the Metal Gear faithful to make Metal Gear Ac!d a success, regardless of the new approach - the model
which allows them to experiment with the franchise in itself is clearly kindred with the
model that guarantees that experimentation a success. So with the latest rendition, some,
as with myself, will be pleasantly surprised by the enthralling totally-tactical espionage
on offer, others may lead Metal Gear Ac!d straight to the “Trade-in”
counter.
Regardless of the consumer view,  Metal Gear Ac!d as it stands
isn’t without innovation. Playing similar to Final Fantasy Tactics (presumably
the influence for such a drastic remodelling), Metal Gear Ac!d retains the
traditions of the series, including the Alert Meter, Comm. Talk, Ration packs and trying
to remain as elusive as possible. Every action in the game plays out by using cards. You
construct a Deck of 30 cards (increasing later) to take into battle with you, and are
dealt a hand to begin with. From this hand, you must choose your actions. Most cards can
be used to move in addition to their regular action, whilst Genome Soldier cards
are specifically for movement and so allow you to move further. The game is set as levels,
and each level is divided into a grid for movement. Enemies have the same limitations as
yourself, but it also seems they are hindered by generally being short-sighted. Attacks
take place by first selecting the card representing the weapon you wish to use, followed
by the target. A brief cut-scene then ensues depicting the action and the amount of damage
either inflicted or received. While this may sound rather limited, the new elements
combined with the usual Metal Gear “rules” make for some of the most
intriguingly-tactical gameplay I’ve seen in some time.
So why would this work better on the NintendoDS? In my mind – Metal Gear
Ac!d is the pinnacle of gaming that the NintendoDS was designed for. Some months prior
to launch, Satoru Iwata stated that the NintendoDS was a unique console which offered
brand new gaming experiences, and so Nintendo didn’t want the kind of games that
you’d get elsewhere appearing on the system… “bang” goes PSP ports
then. Metal Gear Ac!d does this – it’s a new gameplay experience  within a series of familiar gaming traditions.
Utilising the Touch Screen as a top-down view for card selection, moving around the grid
and general play whilst the top screen depicts a fully 3D rendition of the action is a
missed opportunity. The selection process within the game isn’t particularly flawed,
but it’s easy to see how dragging that big arrow to the square you wish to move to,
followed by watching Snake run down the corridor with high-resolution and detail
would’ve been a way to get the concept recognised much easier. The Touch Screen
could’ve been assigned for every control in the game, while the graphics demonstrated
in the PSP version I’m sure could easily be mimicked by the NintendoDS.
It’s unlikely that you’ll be agreeing with me right now, but an extensive
play on both the NintendoDS and Metal Gear Ac!d on the PSP will inevitably draw you
to the same conclusion. It’s almost as if the title was originally intended to be the
NintendoDS’s Metal Gear before shunted to the PSP to ease the pain of the
hungry fan-base. Of course, there’s very little chance that anyone outside Konami
will ever be able to confirm either way, but unless Hideo Kojima is able to recoil in his
words Nintendo’s ideal for the NintendoDS may be without the ideal Metal Gear. |
