Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops

Q: What Is It?

A: An actual, honest-to-God Metal Gear Solid game for the PSP. I\'ll let Gamespot, and their article over it do the talking:

Portable Ops looks like it\'ll play just like the console Metal Gear Solid titles, which is exactly what fans have been waiting for. What\'s even better is, this game is considered part of the core Metal Gear Solid timeline as defined by Hideo Kojima, so it counts as an installment in the saga of Solid Snake. The game is set in 1970, six years after Snake Eater, and rejoins Naked Snake (nee Big Boss) now that\'s split away from the FOX unit. Big Boss is now being charged with treason, and you\'ll have to fight your way through any number of heavily guarded compounds and take out a number of renegade FOX agents to prove your innocence.

Q: WHAT?! It\'s official canon?!

A: Yes, it tells the \'tragic story\' of Big Boss. Here, Gamespot once again explains it better than I do:

Essentially, this looks like Big Boss\'s "Darth Vader" story. If the seeds of his descent into villainy were sown at the end of Snake Eater, he\'ll be right on the brink of the dark side by the time Portable Ops is over, since references are overheard in the trailer to "the tragedy of Big Boss" and the rise of Outer Heaven, the mercenary state established in the first Metal Gear.

Q: Is there multiplayer?

A: Yes. Game modes are not yet known, but this post will be updated when anything is found out. It is hinted to be very similar to Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence\'s online mode, only you can take your squad online with you.

Q: When\'s this game coming out?

A: Winter 2006. That\'s the only date given thus far.

Q: Anything else? Is there a trailer anywhere?

A: Yes there is, and you can get to it by checking out this site, and clicking on the video area to start the stream.

Q: How will cutscenes play out?

A: If the trailer is anything to go by, the cutscenes in the game will consist of a mixture of real-time footage, and a stylistic graphic novel, similar to the Metal Gear Solid Experience headed to PSP. The artwork is done by Ashley Wood, and is spliced together to create movement, much like a Flash film, probably to take advantage of the newer system update to 2.7. Based on this, yes, it seems you will have to update your firmware.