Metal Gear Acid: Worth it?

[Renzatic Gear]

I was originally panning this game because it's not a tried and true realtime Metal Gear. The fact that Konami stripped it down to a turn based card game was a little offputting.

But rather suddenly I remembered that turn based strategy games can be an absolute kick in the ass. Coming from the PC scene I should've taken this to heart right away, some of the most entertaining games I've played were similar to this. After reading the Gamespot review it does sound like it has alot of promise, so I'm here to ask you....is it worth it? Has anyone here played it and can give me a good idea of what I might be getting myself into?

[Gadfly2317]

I heard it was good. . .several hours in. I didn't have the patience, found it confusing and ackward and traded it in for something else without putting much effort into it.

[T.Tashi]

I was originally panning this game because it's not a tried and true realtime Metal Gear. The fact that Konami stripped it down to a turn based card game was a little offputting.

But rather suddenly I remembered that turn based strategy games can be an absolute kick in the ass. Coming from the PC scene I should've taken this to heart right away, some of the most entertaining games I've played were similar to this. After reading the Gamespot review it does sound like it has alot of promise, so I'm here to ask you....is it worth it? Has anyone here played it and can give me a good idea of what I might be getting myself into?
Well.... I thought the gamespot score was a bit inflated. I thought the gamespy review was more accurate. I think the Ign guy was clearly biased, but it's worth reading.

The presentation is slick, though there's no voice overs. The card strategy is trial and error since neither the manual nor the in game tutorial do a great job of explaining it. That said, the balance seemed really off to me. I got annoyed with having to recycle through dozens of cards to get the ones I need. You have to carry 30 at all times (with the option to have more later on). Even for Snake's basic moves (like the choke) you need cards for and the opprotunity to use them are challenging to say the least. Some gun cards you can use on their own. Other guns need modifers. Basically you need two of the game card, or two gun cards that at least use the same ammo. That whole design just never appealed to me. I got to the last boss and discovered I would have to re-play previous levels (you can replay previous levels anytime) to get the points required for more needed cards. I could've used cheat codes, but I had enough. It's a good game though if you can get past the gameplay imbalances. I couldn't recommend it and I couldn't say stay away from it. It's like the Matrix. You have to see it for yourself. You seem to be an equal opprotunity gamer so I think you'll enjoy it, but don't hate me if you don't. :)

[Renzatic Gear]

I decided to go ahead and take a chance and went out and bought it. Even though the whole card thing is a little weird, I do like the way it plays so far...seems like it could be pretty interesting once you get into it. I've been wanting something a little more cerebral for the PSP, and this does seem like it could fit the bill...we'll see. O_o

I'll probably end up reading some tutorials over at Gamefaqs to fill in what the game doesn't tell me. Right now though it does seem like I'll end up enjoying eventually. Hell...it might even get me looking forward to MGA2.

Oh yeah, I also grabbed a Hori screen protector as well. lol, I've bought more stuff for my PSP over the last week than I have for my computer, GC, and DS in over a year.

[Renzatic Gear]

Eh, I should've heeded the sage advice here.

I can't seem to get into it. It's almost painful to play because it's SO CLOSE to being an excellent game, but there is so much that's offputting about it that I just can't quite endure it.

If the game were set up more like Final Fantasy Tactics or it's TBS ilk it would've been a far more enjoyable experience. Imagine the game if you could buy and upgrade weapons between rounds, tweak your stats, and had a couple more characters to control...it would've been one of the best strategy games around, similar to something like Commandos or Fallout Tactics for the PC.

But the card game system totally destroys anything good about the game. It's clunky, unrealstic (which clashes totally with the game's presentation), and gets really annoying really quickly. If I have an enemy walking in my general direction yet don't have a SOCOM or FAMAS card in my deck, I'll have to redraw and reshuffle til I get one. In a realistic situation, or a better TBS game really, you'd have your gun ready to go..all you'd need to worry about are your stats and positioning. The point of the game should be strategy and careful planning, not working your situation based on the cards your dealt.

The presentation is top notch, the sound is excellent, and the story looks like it could've been interesting (albeit a little too over the top), but the gameplay kills it completely. So close to being so good, yet in the end it's just....blah. I'm gonna take it back and get Lumines.

[T.Tashi]

Eh, I should've heeded the sage advice here.

I can't seem to get into it. It's almost painful to play because it's SO CLOSE to being an excellent game, but there is so much that's offputting about it that I just can't quite endure it.

If the game were set up more like Final Fantasy Tactics or it's TBS ilk it would've been a far more enjoyable experience. Imagine the game if you could buy and upgrade weapons between rounds, tweak your stats, and had a couple more characters to control...it would've been one of the best strategy games around, similar to something like Commandos or Fallout Tactics for the PC.

But the card game system totally destroys anything good about the game. It's clunky, unrealstic (which clashes totally with the game's presentation), and gets really annoying really quickly. If I have an enemy walking in my general direction yet don't have a SOCOM or FAMAS card in my deck, I'll have to redraw and reshuffle til I get one. In a realistic situation, or a better TBS game really, you'd have your gun ready to go..all you'd need to worry about are your stats and positioning. The point of the game should be strategy and careful planning, not working your situation based on the cards your dealt.

The presentation is top notch, the sound is excellent, and the story looks like it could've been interesting (albeit a little too over the top), but the gameplay kills it completely. So close to being so good, yet in the end it's just....blah. I'm gonna take it back and get Lumines.
Welcome to the club. :) It's interesting that I found myself saying, "yeah this is pretty cool" and "man this sucks" at the same time. Unfortunately the sucky part won out. One thing that really bothered me. You could punch a guy anytime, but you needed a card to perform a choke. And it was a card I didn't get til later in the game. I was like, "oh come on. His choke should be a standard move."