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12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Give it time and it's great, 17 Jan 2006
Metal Gear Acid (or AC!D, as it likes to be known) is an entirely new, radical take on the Metal Gear series. Instead of the usual direct action-adventure approach taken by all of the games in the series so far, AC!D is a far more tactical game, and although the action is indirect, it doesn't change the feel of how the game plays.AC!D follows usual hero Solid Snake again (although joined by lady friend Teliko) as he attempts to infiltrate a laboratory complex to find a weapon known only as Pythagoras in an attempt to negotiate with terrorists who have hijacked a passenger plane. You control both characters, each with their own abilities. The new gameplay system revolves around cards - it sounds geeky, or just not Metal Gear, but when you try out the system at first, it just feels right. There are 200-odd cards split into five main card types - Weapon, Action, Item, Support and Character:
#Weapon cards are used to fire weapons
#Action cards are mainly add-ons for weapons which improves their effects
#Item cards include the usual MGS items - boxes, rations, etc
#Support cards are helping hands - and include special abilites like bullet evading
#Character cards are very special cards which give you special abilities
Many of the cards can either be used for their intended ability or can be used to move Snake around the level. The highly-detailed levels tend to be set out in grids - although this doesn't tend to be noticeable. They are well designed and offer many hiding places. It's almost like chess in a way - even down to taking pieces (IE: killing soldiers). If you are spotted, another piece/soldier comes in to take the last one's place. To make it easier to see where your enemies are, the camera can be rotated with L and R, and the analogue stick can be used to shift the camera, like the corner view camera could be adjusted in MGS2/MGS3. The graphics are visually impressive - the usual Metal Gear standard. All the enviroments are detailed, as are character models and NPCs.
The general mechanic of AC!D works like this - you decide what moves you make - you usually get 2 moves per turn, but this can be upgraded) and Snake carries them out. Then, the enemies make their moves. This continues until you succeed in your mission. The usual stablemates of the MG series are still here - you can knock on walls, you can crawl, you can do pretty much anything that you can do in MG in AC!D. The actual card-playing mechanic works well - you choose your card (you have around 30 at first, and the 6 you are given in your hand are entirely random), and use it depending on what it is. If it's a Box or Armour, you equip it. At first, you only have two slots for items to be equipped, but this can be upgraded. If the card you chose is a weapon, you select an enemy to shoot, or a grid square to throw a grenade on. If it's a Movement card, it gets a bit more interesting. After selecting where you want to go (the usual limit is 3 cards at a time, but some Character cards let you go more), you can choose whether to run or crawl, and after the run, which way to face: North, South, East or West. If the way you choose to face is against a wall, you can press against it in classic MG style. You can also knock on the wall in an alternate menu. Pressing X opens up a menu which allows you to end your turn (after you've done all your moves), or special actions such as knocking on a wall, or performing a punch-punch-kick combo (the classic Circle-Circle-Circle combo). It all works very fluidly, and works even when you've been spotted. The Alert-Evasion-Caution system still works as usual, but operates in a slightly different way. The countdown - now 15-0 seconds for Alert - only works when you are not seen, and only when you are making a move. If you get out of sight, there is a handy card that downgrades your Alert status to the next level down - it can be a potential lifesaver. Gunning down your enemies with a classic FA-MAS (from MGS1) feels aggressive and like you're actually doing it because of the solid sound effects- although you've only commanded Snake to pull the trigger, and aren't hammering Square yourself. The epic score is also extremely well done, and changes accordingly depending on what state of Alert you're in - and can set your heart beating rapidly. Unfortunately, due to the lack of cut-scenes (see below), there are no voices, which is a bit of a loss yet does not affect the game very much. What can really surprise you is how the game keeps up the classic Metal Gear tradition of fast-paced thrills, even in the card-based gameplay. The music, sound effects and even the fast method of selecting and using cards keeps the game's pace up, and as a result keeps you excited and playing more, watching health inch down or being right beside an enemy without him knowing.
There is a WiFi multiplayer option which puts you and a friend as Snake and Telinko in a tactical battle to the death. AC!D also features a link-up with Metal Gear Solid 3 via USB cable. Although it's all fun, AC!D has its downsides. The card system takes a while to learn, and there are still long cut-scenes. Although they aren't FMV's, but simply scrolling text put over hand-drawn backgrounds. The cut-scenes are skippable, but for those who want the story but not long cutscenes, the text speed can be changed. Sometimes the game can be hard on you too - it's extremely frustrating to spend ages on a mission only to be ambushed by umpteen guards and lose everything, or to keep trying the same part over and over. Thankfully there is an option to save where you are currently at and if anything goes wrong you can just boot the save up later. There is an added bonus for those who are fast to buy AC!D: the first-published forms of the game come packaged with a limited edition card book - essentially a checklist of all the cards - which includes a special message from Hideo Kojima (long time Metal Gear producer/director) and AC!D's director Shinta Nojiri. However, in the end, Metal Gear Acid is a great game that can be a bit uneasy to get to grips with, but as soon as you start you wont want to stop. When you get the hang of the system, you'll be tactically sprinting round in a cardboard box in no time. It's a great game - you just need to give it time first. Graphics - 5/5
Gameplay - 4.5/5
Sound - 4/5
Lifespan - 4/5
Overall - 4/5
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Suitable for 15 years and over. Not for sale to persons under age 15. By placing an order for this product, you declare that you are 15 years of age or over.
