Konami’s METAL GEAR series up to this point hasn’t been known for its turn-based strategy format, but METAL GEAR ACID for the PSP sets itself up to break that mold. Solid Snake isn’t alone in his combat this time; instead, he finds himself paired up with a female partner, Teliko, so that he can have someone to coordinate attacks with and further investigate the strategic possibilities. Snake and Teliko must sneak behind enemy lines to reveal the new secrets of Metal Gear. They can accomplish this by using customized decks of cards to move through the game. Certain cards are connected to certain strategies that Snake and Teliko must use to move through the grid format of the game and carry out their missions. Since the images and uses of the cards are imported from other METAL GEAR games, they aren’t as daunting and unknown as they might first appear, and players will find themselves traversing through this new terrain with few problems. Overall, the game is a perfect blend of old combat, survival skills, and new strategic moves that manage to combine into a new type of card game that is more interesting and challenging than routine first person shooter games. METAL GEAR fans will enjoy the incorporation of previous games in the cards, and card game fans have a whole new world to immerse themselves in. METAL GEAR ACID provides both of these audiences with hours of challenging, entertaining card battles.
