Snake is back, albeit in portable form, yes the all new Metal Gear Solid is finally hitting the PSP this May, make no mistake about it though, this is the real deal, rather than being turn based like the previous Acid versions, Portable Ops is an all action, system busting monster, so if you have a PSP and want a game which pushes your handheld to it’s limit then this could be for you.

MGS: Portable Ops places you in the 1970’s, you start the game in a jail cell and soon find out that you have been kidnapped and are somewhere in the region of South America, your kidnapper’s see you as the person to extract information from in relation to The Philosopher’s Legacy which is now highly sought after, this is because you are the last person to know anything about this, you are also later informed by a fellow prisoner that the jail you are residing in is also part of a secret Soviet nuclear missile base which was designed for attacks on America but obviously  because the Cold War ended was never used.

One of the twists in Portable Ops is that you can actually recruit enemy soldiers to help you in your quest, they also have their own abilities meaning that some are better suited to certain missions than others, some are even rarer than others, meaning if you get a good one you will want to protect him, as if this wasn’t enough you can also use the PSP’s AP Scan function to find new characters who’s stats will be determined by the access points MAC address, this means you can search around looking for wireless signals recruit new squad members, this adds a lot to the game as the better you can manage your team, the more chance you will have of being successful.

During the missions your soldiers are limited to four equipment slots, so it is best to choose wisely when deploying troops into the action, you also need to take into account the type of clothing your solider is wearing because if he is not well camouflaged his will stand out like a sore thumb and once you lose one of your team that’s him scrubbed from your list, you will soon find out that it really is a very tactical game and therefore the gung ho types will be found out.

The game also introduces a multiplayer option consisting of three modes, Team Death Match, Death Match and a Capture Mission, in these you can play either real or fake battles, though if you play a real one be prepared because your acquired squad members will leave your team forever if you lose and be transferred to your opponent if they want them.

The graphics on Portable Ops are really impressive, the little Snake running around the screen, killing enemies in his wake is a site to behold, each of the characters are very highly detailed, the camera also works in unison with the game, although sometimes it can be a bit unresponsive or too close to the action, there is still some pop up and slow down issues also during gameplay although these are minimal.

The sound accompanies the game well with some impressive voice acting, this is especially noticeable in the cutscenes which work brilliantly, the background music also fits in well making the presentation side of things very good indeed.

Overall Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops is a very impressive game and it seems that the PSP is starting to show it’s potential with the release of some very strong titles, it is going to be a expensive month for PSP game buyers but our advise would be to make sure Metal Gear Solid is on top of your shopping list.