Metal Gear Ac!d 2 [PSP]

Who'd have thought that the consistently strong Metal Gear stealth-action series could ever reinvent itself as a strategic, turn-based card collecting game? Metal Gear Acid demonstrates not only that it can, but that it can do it twice in a row. While it still carries all the usual Metal Gear hallmarks -- the unlikely-yet-convincing plot, familiar characters and weapons, a helping of Kojima weirdness, and surprise-filled level design -- MGA2 backs it up with a well-paced and engrossing strategy backbone that's perfectly suited to the PSP.

You'll find MGA2's core gameplay largely unchanged from the first Metal Gear Acid. That is, it's a turn-based strategic card game, and couldn't be more different from the action-stealth games that make up most of the Metal Gear stable. If you found the first game distasteful, as many hardcore MGS fans did, pass this one by as well. But while it's certainly cut from the same cloth, MGA2 plays significantly better than its predecessor.

It's the little things that count. There are more manageable missions, faster pacing, wider selection of cards, and you can import cards and points from your MGA save file. While it was easy to shut off the first game only to come back later and forget where you were, MGA2 keeps the objectives close by and your motivation memorable. Stacking the game full of over 500 cards ensures there'll be plenty there for the dedicated player; equally, it's approachable enough for pick-up-and-play gamers to enjoy.

But the improvement you'll notice first of all is definitely the graphics. Gone is the drab look of the first MGA game, replaced by a bright, cartoony new style that gives the game far more color and visual impact. For some mysterious reason, all the women in the game could rival Dead or Alive 4's cast for, um, bounciness. Whatever floats your boat, we guess.

As well as being packed with, um, bounciness, MGA2 is also packed with cutscenes. Few of them have to do with the game's plot; instead, they're mostly scenes from Metal Gears past. Some special cards have their own video clips that you'll see every time they're played. Sure, it's fan service, but it's neat to see some old favorite sequences again, especially when you can see them in 3D.

3D, you say? MGA2 comes with a device that fixes to the PSP, turning it into a rudimentary pair of 3D goggles when the right option in the game is activated. Using them in public is guaranteed to expose you to ridicule, though, and they gave us a headache after short usage time. You also lose half of your play area as the display has to be divided into different images for each eye. The game scores highly without the goggles, but you might find them a fun gimmick.

So, what's not to like? Metal Gear Acid 2 is a must for anyone who enjoyed the first game, and an excellent bet for any PSP owner looking for a dose of strategy. If these two games are anything to go by, the Acid series has every chance of being just as long running as the more conventional Metal Gear Solid games. Let's hope that turns out to be the case.