METAL GEAR SOLID: Peace Walker - Master Collection Version

Many people would think it hard to surpass the masterpiece which was Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. This is the fifth Metal Gear Solid game on the Playstation Portable. The plot follows after Portable Ops. Big Boss (AKA Naked Snake) has founded a new mercenary organization called Militaires Sans Frontieres. He is approached by two mysterious figures and is once again thrust upon the battleground. In the story you'll hear some familiar voices, you'll see the giant robot bosses from previous games and you'll even be able to create your own Metal Gear robot from scraps. -Story- The story of the game is very concise. There are several major characters who you will encounter and help on your mission. Each character is voiced exceptionally and their personalities are well crafted. The missions are split into short segments for easy play on the go. The story progresses at a reasonable pace and keeps the player entertained at all times. -Gameplay- The main gameplay is a mix of MGS3, MGS4 and MGSPO. There is now a strong co-operative element of the game which borrows some ideas from Monster Hunter and the previous Metal Gear Online incarnations. You can activate special co-operative moves which benefit yourself and your team-mate. You can use Close Quarters Combat on the enemy, you can tranquilize them, shoot them and then you can transport them away back to your base using the new Fulton parachute system. This method of capturing is a lot faster than in MGSPO, since you do not have to drag them back to the truck. Your base also holds approximately 350 soldiers, with waiting rooms for those who don't quite fit into a team yet. -Graphics- The graphics on this game are really crisp, especially with the modern re-release. Despite this originally being on the PSP, there can be several soldiers on the screen at the same time, as well as giant tanks and robot enemies. The jungle environment brings back fond memories of MGS3, with several areas where the player can hide and blend into the environment to avoid capture along with a few features in MGS4 such as how troops react and interact with the environment. The camo system in this game is reasonably well planned, however you cannot change your camo setting during a map. There are some different outfits which affect how your character performs in battle. -Sounds- The sound effects in this game are superb. You'll get to hear bird song, foley, gunshot noises, explosions, soldier chatter and yells from soldiers when they are parachuted away. The music is really atmospheric and there is an in-game Sony Walkman which plays famous themes from the series. David Hayter does a fantastic job as Snake once more. When you dismiss soldiers, you'll get to hear him say "You're fired!" The audio remastering in this version is great, feels a lot less compressed than the original. -Replayability- You can play this game as much as you like. The more you play, the more equipment you receive and the stronger your soldiers become. There are many things for the player to occupy their time with in this game and the player won't become bored very easily. There are several extra missions, as well as a lot of multi-player modes and missions. With a Playstation 3 you can play this online with other Peace Walker users. You can scan WiFi access point in order to recruit additional soldiers. Not only is this very fun but it can really pass the time during a boring journey through a busy city. -Final Verdict- I have really enjoyed this game since I've bought it. It's definitely my favorite Metal Gear so far. If you've not played a Metal Gear game before, now is definitely a good time to start. This game is absolutely superb and almost perfect. As a re-release this is phenomenal value for money. It's the most replayable Metal Gear Solid ever, with great co-op functionality as well which makes it even better than ever before. 9.5/10