Metal Gear Solid Demo Ops Impressions

Yesterday the demo for Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker was released on the Playstation Network for the PSP and if you were excited about it as much as I was you probably have already downloaded it as well.

The demo included a tutorial mission and three other mission oriented missions involving infiltrating a base in Costa Rica and ultimately ending with a Tank boss fight. Before each mission you can select which "suit" you will use each with different loadouts; Battle Dress Snake is obviously more for straight up fighting and good defense but with the cost of almost zero camouflage rating and no silenced weapons. Sneaking Suit Snake is better for sneaking and using camouflage but your weapons are limited but you do get a cool bullet proof shield. Jungle Fatigues Snake is balanced for both camo and weapons and also comes equipped with a sniper rifle. Finally, Naked Snake is outfitted with explosive weapons and a M60 machine gun and is quicker on his feet, think of Naked Snake as a Rambo type character.

From there you can configure your controls to your likeness mainly deciding whether camera options will be controlled with the triangle, circle, x, square or the directional pad. The controls for Peace Walker are very well done and easy to learn making for a very enjoyable experience. I was intimidated from the start thinking with complex Metal Gear Solid controls from past titles that this PSP title would have a difficult time making the switch but it was done very well. The CQC (close quarter combat) system is equally very easy to use with the flick of the analog stick in the direction and a tap with the R button will have you taking down your enemies like a true hero, if enemies are nearby you can tap R again at the right time and Snake will immediately switch targets and CQC that enemy as well working very fluently.

If you've been tracking this game you know that the big news about this title is the multiplayer cooperative mode. Being able to sneak and fight in the same area with another player (up to 4) is one of the best features to be included in the game. Being close to each other allows you to share ammo and move as one unit called "Snaking," when one player holds on to the front player and is able to move with them. Each mission also has alternate routes that can be taken if a cooperative player is with you allowing for different strategies with your cooperative player.