Scot drops Metal Gear Acid...
I can't help but shudder whenever someone mentions card-based battle games. I think of
Duel Masters or Yu-Gi-Oh – which appear to be more impenetrably complex to the outsider
than the average triple heart bypass despite their adoring audience of seven year olds.
Something I never thought I'd associate with cards though is Hideo Kojima or the Metal
Gear series. Yet, here we have it – a card battle game set in the same universe, but not
one you would expect. Metal Gear Acid is actually a well-thought out turn-based strategy
game that breaks down the action into digestible, engaging chunks instead of drawing it
out into a long, tedious mess.
Same but different
The most important thing to remember is that despite the obvious switch in gameplay
this is still very much Metal Gear to its core. It features recognisable characters,
environments, and weapons as well as another convoluted storyline with a large number of
twists and turns. Snake is once again pulled out of retirement when a plane carrying the
next US President is hijacked by an elite terrorist group demanding that a secret
military project named Pythagoras be handed over to them. Hmm. A secret military project,
eh? "No… it can't be!? Metal Gear!?" We're not even sure at this point.
A lot more enjoyable and engaging than people are willing to
give it credit for.
You begin your mission with a few cards drawn from a deck. These cards contain weapons
and abilities than can be used during the mission within your allotted turn. The basis of
the game is to use your deck effectively to earn performance points, which in turn can be
used to purchase more powerful cards. Abilities such as crawl and the famous cardboard
box trick will help you sneak around undetected, while weapons can be called upon for
those tight spots where combat is unavoidable. Then there are the character cards, which
work in a similar way to Final Fantasy's various summon creatures. Each card represents a
character from Metal Gear Solid 1 or 2 and will call upon their special power at times of
need – for instance, Metal Gear Ray will fire its ray cannon at numerous enemies on the
battlefield.
The cards aren't as complicated as you might initially think – there are no special
clauses or requirements when drawing a card. Instead, they all mirror normal equipment
and abilities such as a ration or a SOCOM. In fact, learning the system is incredibly
easy thanks to the built-in tutorial which ensures that past the opening scenes you're
handling your deck like a pro. Once again, it all fits seamlessly into the Metal Gear
universe and never really feels out of place; there's rarely any questioning as to why
you're using cards in battle and it adds a nice, strategic edge to the series.
Convincing the fans
The hardest audience it will have to convince will be the proud die-hard fans, who
will find it tough to overcome their scepticism and embrace Metal Gear Acid as a separate
game to the series, rather than a continuation of the story that's been expressively
crafted out on the home consoles so far. Those who can take it as it comes though – as a
tactical card-based battler – will find it to be a lot more enjoyable and engaging than
people are willing to give it credit for.
Preview by: Scot Bennett
Preview Published: 23.06.05