digibutter.nerr

[Twytch]

Oh lawdy, it's a PSP game. :P

Story: 6/10

The AC!D Story starts out after the Lobito incident in the first game, with Snake being rescued via chopper from infiltrating a drug cartel in South America. He has amnesia, and can't remember past the few weeks or so. When Snake lands in the United States, he is "arrested" by a CIA agent named Dalton, who forces him to infiltrate the SaintLogic Corporation, receiving his "friends" (Two helicopter pilots and a doctor on the chopper.), $12 Million, and his US Citizenship. Snake is instructed to pull up certain documents about experiments with children purchased from third-world countries, only to find the files restricted and someone else accompanying Dalton - General Wiseman. He usurps the operation, instructing Snake (referring to him as Dalton's agent, even though he was blackmailed), and recover the Lucinda File - a mysterious document that has connections to Snake's past, and his amnesia. During the game he encounters Venus, his obligatory AC!D female partner. She is Wiseman's personal agent, calling herself Lucky and having the ability to predict the coin flip of up to hundreds of coins at a time... Which is sort of useless. The game has sharp plot twists, ranging from Mission changes to sadistic boss battles, to fighting the Metal Gear recovered from AC!D 1 as a miniboss. The AC!D games are off the wall compared to the "Solid" story structure of the actual MGS games. This one was excellent at the beginning, but unsatisfactory at the end. Plot points were pulled out of thin air, and there wasn't even any back story for the bosses/characters. Still, it goes along the lines of a Metal Gear game, despite not being produced by Kojima. The one thing I really enjoyed about the game was that most of the important plot points were revealed in a Men's Bathroom stall.

Characters: 8/10

The characters in AC!D 2 all have unique personalities, and are all executed perfectly. Main characters ranged from B.B., the "hacker extraordinare" who's maturity and attitude suggest that of an Elementary school student, to Koppelthorn, the madman behind the newest Metal Gear who seeks revenge on Snake and who's wife is reincarnated into a 6 year old. (loli ololol). The ONE CHARACTER I had significant problems with... was Vince. He may look like a former Nazi General with an intimidating Raven-esque face mask, but his personality is just horrible. At first, he seems like your generic badass MGS boss. But he is actually a huge coward, seeming as bland as a blank sheet of paper. You never hear why his eyes glow light blue, you never hear why Ravens assist him in battle, you don't even know why he wears that damn face mask! The rest of the bosses, though, are extremely creative. One boss infiltrates the mind of your Partner, literally using their deck against you and broadcasting such messages as "You can't win..", and "You will be a slave to our Queen." Another one looks like a Hairy version of The Hulk, and battles you in a cramped control room by launching his fists into the wall opposite him, and using chains within his body to shoot himself across the room and charge into you. My absolute favorite, though, is a huge Jamaican man covered in Tattoos, who literally DRINKS ROCKET FUEL and exhales it as fire, his face healing so fast that he isn't burned at all. General Wiseman is a sadistic asshole, fitting to Venus's character. He orders her to shoot at pretty much everything, including a hostage who helps them in their mission.

Graphics: 7/10

The main thing I loved about AC!D 2's graphics were it's Comic Book-esque art style. Everything was cell-shaded, and even the weapons looked like something out of DC or Marvel. Even better, the game came with a Solid Eye attachment (basically 3-d goggles over the PSP screen), which made the game's graphics pop out at you. Every time you shoot or are hit, the screen shakes except for certain elements made possible by the Solid Eye attachment. While the game can be played fully with or without the Solid Eye, there is a special Movie Viewer mode that allows you to watch cutscenes of MGS3, and even Japanese Pin-up models in full 3-D pop out glory.

The one thing I noticed, however, was that most of the textures, and even some of the models were recycled from AC!D 1. I don't just mean a few areas, but the entire game looked the same. Hell, the SaintLogic "Special Forces" were just the High-Tech Alert Gurlukavich Soldiers, and the Tengu from MGS2 with a camo paintjob! Despite these minor grievances, it looks impressive for a PSP game.

Gameplay: 9/10

I'm going to be honest- I hated the first AC!D Game with a burning *crag* passion. Little things like wasting a whole turn to crawl, change directions, or other bullshit were fixed in this game to an extent that made it highly enjoyable for me. The game also comes with an Arena mode, which allows you to fight any of the Bosses from past MGS games as Solid Snake. Which is *crag* sweet. I've always wanted to ACTUALLY KILL LIQUID AND OCELOT for once, so this game was a godsend. I'm definitely going to replay this game over and over, especially since each Mission Area includes a Time Attack, Elimination, and a ton of Special modes for each.

It IS a card game, however, but it's not like "YOU'VE ACTIVATED MY TRAP CARD!" (although there ARE trap cards, such as Oil Spills and jammed guns...) You can use cards in 2 ways - activating them, or using them to move Snake around the map. There are instant-use weapons, providing easy fire power but less actual bang. There are also weapons that Snake must equip, which can only be used by "loading" the weapon with Ammo from a gun with the same ammo type. After a certain number of uses, Snake will unequip the gun. The main turn system is divided into "Cost". For example, say Snake uses a card with 11 Cost, and it's the end of his turn. He has to wait until his enemy either waits (ending the turn without doing shit adds 4 cost to the person who did it), or uses an item/moves. After the enemy uses cards who's cost add up or equal to 11, it's Snake's turn again. Get it? Use too many cards, and you have to wait a very long time for Snake's cost to decrease by the enemy using their own cards. However, using an abundance of Extra Turn and Action+ cards can actually *crag* the Cost system in the ear, allowing you to complete an entire level without letting the enemy attack/move ONCE. Added with the fact that there are certain weapons that do more damage with more Cost, you can breeze through the game in 8 hours. (Like I did. :O)

Sound: 10/10 (sue me.)

While not directed by Harry Gregson Williams, the soundtrack of AC!D 2 is excellent beyond compare. Every boss and every area has a different music track, fitting to their character or location. For example, B.B.'s theme is a blend of Techno and Synth, fitting to his Internet Meme referencing (nothing like Longcat, though. D:) and his quirky personality. Dalton's theme is calm, and soothing - reminiscent of a Detective theme from an old movie. They not only put in the tracks from the past AC!D game for certain sequences, but improved upon them. (The final Metal Gear fight music is a remix of the Metal Gear theme from the first game.)

Overall: 8/10

While lacking the complete story fans have grown to expect from the MGS series, the gameplay, graphics, and impressive musical score more than make up for it. If you are even slightly interested in Metal Gear Solid, own a PSP, and won't throw it at the wall due to the Card Battle gameplay, it's a definite buy.

[King Harkinian]

Wait a sec....CEL-SHADED MG? OMG YESH!

[Twytch]