MGS Peace Walker -- Are You Serious?

[SouthtownKid]

So I finally got around to picking this up and playing it, and...are you kidding me? THIS is what everyone was so excited about?

I'm about 10-12 story levels in (about to go to Strangelove's lab) and have also done all the extra missions so far and I have to say I feel a bit let down by this game. It's decent... story is fine, graphics are great and whatever. But the gameplay? What the fuck. Seems like there is too much missing, and (so far, at least) it's not even as tense or as fun as Portable Ops.

You can't move while lying down now? Why the fuck not? I thought I must be misunderstanding when GI Joe's Beachhead was saying this during the tutorial. Now you can't hide under things or crawl into vents. This fucking sucks. Everything becomes about tranquing or choking everyone out and then airlifting them. Hiding barely seems to come into the game anymore. In most levels so far, if you do trigger an alarm, there's nowhere TO hide. A lot of the MGS feel is missing.

And the airlift system? It's convenient, I guess. But it seems stupid that other soldiers don't notice you doing it 10 feet away from them. They don't notice their buddy flying up into the air or all the helicopters that keep going overhead. It also seems stupid as fuck that you can airlift people from inside a building. Dragging soldiers back to the truck in PO could be a pain, but it was way more tense because you had to worry about being seen the entire way you dragged them. And now you can't drag people at all? WTF is up with that? Why is that missing, too? Now I can't drag or hide bodies to keep other enemy soldiers from finding them. LAME. So far in the game, it seems like they work around this problem by not having other soldiers ever walk within eyesight of any soldier you might have dropped. DOUBLE LAME. Come the fuck on. The gameplay just seems flat compared to PO. In PO, it was fun figuring out different methods to get through levels....hiding, stealth, etc. But in this game it seems like every level is 'sneak up on one enemy, Fulton him, sneak up on next enemy, Fulton him, sneak up on next enemy, Fulton him, etc.' until the end of the level. The levels feel much more linear and less exciting.

I just finished beating the Pupa, and I have to say I'm not really enjoying the armored vehicle battles at all. They are more tedious than anything. But boss fights are always my least favorite part of MGS, so whatever.

All this might sound like I hate the game, and I don't. It's fine. And it's not like I feel like quitting at all. I'm just not loving it as much as I normally love a Metal Gear game, and it seems like a big step down after Portable Ops, or even Portable Ops+. But can someone tell me... does the game become more fun at some point? I'm really hoping it gets better in however much of the game is left. I'm hoping to fuck I'm not even halfway through the story yet, but I have no idea. Or does the 'fun' in this game revolve around multiplayer, which I have zero interest in?

Seriously, what happened here?

 

[OMFG]

Without giving away a lot of info or spoilers, Outer Ops is a cool feature once it's unlocked. Various soldiers come into play once you collect them and utilize them in various roles.

 

[Supasaru]

Scrub.

 

[SouthtownKid]

Without giving away a lot of info or spoilers, Outer Ops is a cool feature once it's unlocked. Various soldiers come into play once you collect them and utilize them in various roles.

Yeah, I just unlocked it but haven't tried it yet. But does it make the gameplay any more fun/varied?

Scrub.

I have no idea what you even mean by that. I've played through all the MGS games multiple times. I'm a huge fan of the series, which is why it pains me to say that this is, imo, one of the less fun (maybe even least fun?) installments of the MGS series.

 

[Supasaru]

I have no idea what you even mean by that. I've played through all the MGS games multiple times. I'm a huge fan of the series, which is why it pains me to say that this is, imo, one of the less fun (maybe even least fun?) installments of the MGS series.

Horrible joke carried over from the other thread....

I'm not a huge fan of the MGS series - especially the handheld versions. Good luck with the game, but it does sound like it's not quite delivering.... :\

 

[SouthtownKid]

PO and PO+ were amazing. I guess my expectations were too high for this one. I was expecting it to be even better, not missing a bunch of gameplay elements.

 

[HeartlessNinny]

This thread is further proof that STK has the worst taste in the universe.

 

[SouthtownKid]

This thread is further proof that STK has the worst taste in the universe.

Wow, what a useful post. You have really spent the past several months (minus the time you were gone) turning yourself into a giant douche. You feel like explaining your opinion? I went into reasons I think this game doesn't live up to the previous two psp installments. Things this game is missing that every other MGS game I've played over the past decade had. If you have something constructive to say -- if you actually have an opinion beyond trolling like an asshole -- fucking say it. That's what the thread is for.

 

[OMFG]

Yeah, I just unlocked it but haven't tried it yet. But does it make the gameplay any more fun/varied?

I think it adds to the fun. Considering that this game focuses on Big Boss' role as a leader of MSF, he now has the ability to control troops in other operations while continuing on with his main mission. I know you stated you hate some of the boss battles, but you now have the chance to collect some of the vehicles that you encountered for your own motor pool/armory. They can be used and deployed once you disable them in battle. You will eventually get to build something special back at base for Outer Ops missions as well. Make sure you have a strong team on your R&D dept. to help develop newer items/weapons. Don't be afraid to dismiss soldiers that don't make the cut or have very low stats and use the soldier WiFi search whenever you get the chance.

 

[Jedah Doma]

So I finally got around to picking this up and playing it, and...are you kidding me? THIS is what everyone was so excited about?

I'm about 10-12 story levels in (about to go to Strangelove's lab) and have also done all the extra missions so far and I have to say I feel a bit let down by this game. It's decent... story is fine, graphics are great and whatever. But the gameplay? What the fuck. Seems like there is too much missing, and (so far, at least) it's not even as tense or as fun as Portable Ops.

You can't move while lying down now? Why the fuck not? I thought I must be misunderstanding when GI Joe's Beachhead was saying this during the tutorial. Now you can't hide under things or crawl into vents. This fucking sucks. Everything becomes about tranquing or choking everyone out and then airlifting them. Hiding barely seems to come into the game anymore. In most levels so far, if you do trigger an alarm, there's nowhere TO hide. A lot of the MGS feel is missing.

And the airlift system? It's convenient, I guess. But it seems stupid that other soldiers don't notice you doing it 10 feet away from them. They don't notice their buddy flying up into the air or all the helicopters that keep going overhead. It also seems stupid as fuck that you can airlift people from inside a building. Dragging soldiers back to the truck in PO could be a pain, but it was way more tense because you had to worry about being seen the entire way you dragged them. And now you can't drag people at all? WTF is up with that? Why is that missing, too? Now I can't drag or hide bodies to keep other enemy soldiers from finding them. LAME. So far in the game, it seems like they work around this problem by not having other soldiers ever walk within eyesight of any soldier you might have dropped. DOUBLE LAME. Come the fuck on. The gameplay just seems flat compared to PO. In PO, it was fun figuring out different methods to get through levels....hiding, stealth, etc. But in this game it seems like every level is 'sneak up on one enemy, Fulton him, sneak up on next enemy, Fulton him, sneak up on next enemy, Fulton him, etc.' until the end of the level. The levels feel much more linear and less exciting.

I just finished beating the Pupa, and I have to say I'm not really enjoying the armored vehicle battles at all. They are more tedious than anything. But boss fights are always my least favorite part of MGS, so whatever.

All this might sound like I hate the game, and I don't. It's fine. And it's not like I feel like quitting at all. I'm just not loving it as much as I normally love a Metal Gear game, and it seems like a big step down after Portable Ops, or even Portable Ops+. But can someone tell me... does the game become more fun at some point? I'm really hoping it gets better in however much of the game is left. I'm hoping to fuck I'm not even halfway through the story yet, but I have no idea. Or does the 'fun' in this game revolve around multiplayer, which I have zero interest in?

Seriously, what happened here?

Wow, this new time change must be screwing with me because I agree 100% with STK on this one. Tried playing through it for hours on end and it's not the MGS I love.

As a huge Metal Gear whore, yes I even enjoyed 4, I was looking forward to this game. I will say, for a PSP game, this is as good as a MGS game can be. Sadly it's not good enough (especially compared to MGS3:S).

Looking forward to what MGS game(s) will come out on the PSP2 (dual analog FTW).

BTW: The Ashley Wood cutscene art is simply asstastic.

 

[lithy]

Go get Metal Gear Solid Color and just play that again. You'll be happier.

Edit: I guess it was just called Metal Gear Solid, but the one on the Game Boy Color or if you want to call it Ghost Babel or Ghosteru Baberu that's fine too.

 

[SouthtownKid]

Go get Metal Gear Solid Color and just play that again. You'll be happier.

Actually, I'll take Peace Walker over the GBA game by a mile. It was cool when it came out, but all that game does now is show me how much I prefer the 3D Metal Gears over classic style. Hell, I'll take the Acid games over the GBA game at this point.

 

[SouthtownKid]

Oh, and just to bring the Universe back into alignment, Jedah, you'll be happy to know I like the Ashley Wood art a lot.

 

[LoneSage]

But boss fights are always my least favorite part of MGS, so whatever.

yeah, that's right Kid, whatever


edit: Ghost Babel is GBC, not GBA

 

[SouthtownKid]

Good looking out, stage.

 

[Nesagwa]

I dunno, all of the PSP MGS games have been pretty shitty to me. Does Peace Walker at least abandon the free camera from PO?

 

[Jedah Doma]

Oh, and just to bring the Universe back into alignment, Jedah, you'll be happy to know I like the Ashley Wood art a lot.

Whew, thanks. I was beginning to worry a bit. You know, space time continuum and all that jive.

 

[SouthtownKid]

Whew, thanks.

I thought that might cheer you up.

Does Peace Walker at least abandon the free camera from PO?

I don't really know what to tell you since I never had any trouble with the PO camera. I will say that they give you different set-up options this time so that if you want to control it like a FPS (I don't), you can. The only time the camera in this game irritates me is when the game forces you to play run and gun. It does that really poorly.


So anyway, I just completed the second and third Peace Walker fights, which I guess ends the main game story. I had fun with the game in general, and some of the levels in the second half did improve a bit over the earlier part of the game. But overall, I still don't think it comes close to living up to PO in terms of being a Metal Gear Solid game. I'd give PO and PO+ (combined) about an 8.5 or 9 out of 10 in terms of MGS games. I'd give Peace Walker a 7 or 7.5. An MGS that's a 7 is still better than almost anything else out there for my money; it's only in the direct comparison to the previous game where it suffers.



Things you can do in PO (and almost any previous MGS game) that you can't do in Peace Walker:

-Crawl. Which means:
Hide under trucks and stuff
climb in vents
basically, escape enemies in general
Fire from a prone position. Like from hiding, say, under a truck

-Open doors (with very rare exceptions). Which means:
hide in lockers
enter houses

-Drag soldiers. Which means:
hiding bodies
If you sneak up on someone and get them in a choke hold, you can't drag them into the shadows or back around a corner. So in Peace Walker, while you are waiting for them to pass out, you are just standing there in the open like an idiot waiting for other guards to casually walk up and spot you.

The omission of dragging, along with crawling, is completely baffling to me. It's a gaping hole in the MGS gameplay and serves no fucking purpose that I can see.

_____________
Areas where PO does things better than Peace Walker:

-PO levels tend to be less linear. There is more than one path to take and you can choose your own methods (some of which are missing in PW) for accomplishing goals.

-PO has places to hide. If you trigger an alarm in Peace Walker, you are basically forced to fight and take out every soldier in the area. That's because there is nowhere to hide to let the alarm clock run out in most areas. You can't climb under or into anything, so hiding in Peace Walker basically consists of kneeling around a corner or beside a box, which doesn't really do anything when they are searching for you.

-I'm not a big boss fight guy, but the boss fights in PO were more varied and fun, imo. Actually, I'd take the boss fights in Acid 2 over Peace Walker's as well.



_______________
Areas where Peace Walker is better than PO:

-the level design might not be as nice but the actual graphics of the environments does seem somewhat improved.

- Peace Walker has an actual Kojima-written story, although Snake seems to be inconsistently written in terms of whether or not he understands what Boss did in MGS3 and why. He seems to go back and forth for the entire game, which seems weird to me, since he seemed to get it before this game. I can see if he just wants to play dumb for Strangelove, but he seems genuinely confused about it in his scenes alone, too. Anyhow, there was nothing wrong with PO's storyline, but there is some nice stuff here that makes it well worth playing.

- ...aaaaand that's it.




People have pointed to troop management as being improved in Peace Walker, but I really don't see it. Decisions seemed to have a more noticeable and direct effect in PO, imo.

And the Outer Ops stuff isn't really doing much for me, to be honest. It's cool capturing tanks, helicopters, etc., and using them in Outer Ops battles, but you don't get to control what they do, and soldiers & vehicles often tend to do the stupidest possible things in almost every situation. Like a tank firing its machine gun for pathetic damage rather than firing its main canon at the enemy tank that is wasting your forces. Or your same tank will fire its main canon for 9000 damage at an already wounded enemy soldier who only had 10 health left, rather than firing at the enemy tank that still has full health. Stuff like that. I would have appreciated the ability to micro-manage the battles at least a little bit. As it is, it's a simulation of protracted stupidity between two forces with poor decision-making skills.



Anyhow, I'm still looking forward to the rest of the extra ops stuff. Hopefully, there are some great ones in there. And I still have to do Chapter 5 where I fight my own Metal Gear. I figure I still have maybe about a week left of playing through stuff, collecting stuff, trying to improve grades, etc. But I don't really see myself playing through the entire story mode multiple times one after another the way I did with PO. With PO, that was all I played for like a month or two straight. I don't see Peace Walker having that kind of variety or longevity. In fact, I'm probably going to pop PO+ back in once I'm done with this.

 

[Jedah Doma]

You're right, I am feeling much better as I thought the PO series was much weaker than PW. I agree there were more options available to you, akin to the home console games. Though none of them were pulled off very well. The camera was abysmal, and trying to pull off any of those advanced moves was a chore on the limited scheme of the PSP.

I think the reason they took out many of those elements was because they realized the limitations of the PSP and went with a more refined and streamline approach.

For me PO was nearly unplayable. PW was much better, but not even close to MGS3.

BTW: What is it you find so appealing about Ashley Wood's art? It looks like someone scribble a few chicke scratches to represent a human form and shat some blotches of monotone garbage. It reaks of an amateur artist. Give me some skill and damn color!

 

[SouthtownKid]

BTW: What is it you find so appealing about Ashley Wood's art? It looks like someone scribble a few chicke scratches to represent a human form and shat some blotches of monotone garbage.

You just answered your own question.

 

[genjiglove]

I havent liked any of the portable MGS games. The series was designed perfectly for the Dual Shock controller, playing on a gimped version of that setup is tedious at best.

 

[SouthtownKid]

I've never understood the control complaints. Same thing with the original Resident Evils. Lots of people complained about having trouble with the controls, but they were completely intuitive for me from the second I pressed start. Never saw what people were finding difficult.

 

[Lagduf]

Your thoughts on Peace Walker (which I thought was fantastic) are just making me want to play through Portable Ops and PO+ - I have both, but haven't played them.

I started to play through Metal Gear ACID but that game is just too damn slow for me. Maybe if the story wasn't so horrendous.

 

[SouthtownKid]

I started to play through Metal Gear ACID but that game is just too damn slow for me. Maybe if the story wasn't so horrendous.

Try skipping the first Acid and play Acid2. It's a lot more playable. It does take a while to start feeling those games, but once you do, they're actually pretty fun.

Anyhow, I guess I'm near the end of this game. Zadornov escaped again (6th or 7th time?), but I didn't get a mission to go find him. I'm not sure what to do. I don't have any more extra ops to do except a couple 4 star vehicle battles which are fucking tedious...they just go on for fucking forever, and the ex op Chrysalis, Pupa, Cocoon battles, which I have less than zero interest in even attempting. And then when I do finally find Zadornov, I guess I'm going to have to fight my own metal gear, which I am also not looking forward to. If I didn't want to see the final ending so bad, I would drop this game with a quickness. I think all the fun parts are behind me.

 

[OMFG]

Try skipping the first Acid and play Acid2. It's a lot more playable. It does take a while to start feeling those games, but once you do, they're actually pretty fun.

Anyhow, I guess I'm near the end of this game. Zadornov escaped again (6th or 7th time?), but I didn't get a mission to go find him. I'm not sure what to do. I don't have any more extra ops to do except a couple 4 star vehicle battles which are fucking tedious...they just go on for fucking forever, and the ex op Chrysalis, Pupa, Cocoon battles, which I have less than zero interest in even attempting. And then when I do finally find Zadornov, I guess I'm going to have to fight my own metal gear, which I am also not looking forward to. If I didn't want to see the final ending so bad, I would drop this game with a quickness. I think all the fun parts are behind me.

Is Zeke totally built up yet?