"Can you hear it, Snake? Can you hear The Boss' song?"
A very divisive entry within the franchise and because of that, underappreciated.
It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I mostly enjoyed it. I say mostly, because unfortunately the true ending is locked behind a bit of a grind wall... but nothing worse than anything I have had to grind through before - might actually be the least forgiving.
For an original PSP game, it's stunning... even though I had the console experience, I'd say this could quite possibly be the best PSP game... and for a port to console, nothing degrades in quality. The gameplay is fluid (and probably the game's most outstanding highlight) and the comic strip cutscenes are very well done whilst also maintaining a competent and eerie story throughout.
With that being said, the eerie elements of this game were probably some of my favourite moments. Something about the AI pod tune and The Carpenters' Sing captured a specific vibe about this game that can only be rivaled by games such as the Arkham and Red Dead franchises. The story itself however is pretty straightforward and maybe not as mind boggling as any from the main installments, it is still pretty fucking good for a PSP game.
However, the recycled mech fights in place of boss fights can be a bit grueling and repetitive, but the highlight is in the REAL mech fights (such as Pupa, Chrysalis, Cocoon, Peace Walker etc.) and they are pretty fun, I replayed a few to substitute for the grind wall - along with target practice.
Overall, it's a solid experience, but always keep in mind it's origins.
A very divisive entry within the franchise and because of that, underappreciated.
It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I mostly enjoyed it. I say mostly, because unfortunately the true ending is locked behind a bit of a grind wall... but nothing worse than anything I have had to grind through before - might actually be the least forgiving.
For an original PSP game, it's stunning... even though I had the console experience, I'd say this could quite possibly be the best PSP game... and for a port to console, nothing degrades in quality. The gameplay is fluid (and probably the game's most outstanding highlight) and the comic strip cutscenes are very well done whilst also maintaining a competent and eerie story throughout.
With that being said, the eerie elements of this game were probably some of my favourite moments. Something about the AI pod tune and The Carpenters' Sing captured a specific vibe about this game that can only be rivaled by games such as the Arkham and Red Dead franchises. The story itself however is pretty straightforward and maybe not as mind boggling as any from the main installments, it is still pretty fucking good for a PSP game.
However, the recycled mech fights in place of boss fights can be a bit grueling and repetitive, but the highlight is in the REAL mech fights (such as Pupa, Chrysalis, Cocoon, Peace Walker etc.) and they are pretty fun, I replayed a few to substitute for the grind wall - along with target practice.
Overall, it's a solid experience, but always keep in mind it's origins.