Genre: Stealth/Action
Developer: Kojima Productions
Publisher: Konami

Peace Walker's lush, war-torn tropics and dense jungles are almost Apocalypse Now-esque in their presentation, and are complimented by aged Mayan ruins, beautiful sunsets, and of course the gray stone bunkers and prison facilities that the series is known for. Technically, Peace Walker's engine is one of the most sophisticated to be employed on the PSP, and is proof that developers become more proficient with hardware as time passes.

Akihiro Honda is one of video gaming's most underrated composers considering that few know who he is despite the fact that he has provided superb Hawaii Five-O-meets-Bond-meets-Hollywood political drama to the Metal Gear Solid series' many fine soundtracks, such as Peace Walker's. Christopher Randolph, as the scientist "Huey", leads the way with a strong voice acting presence ahead of what is almost otherwise a mixed bag.

Few developers have found good ways around the PSP's lack of a second analog stick, so Peace Walker's designers' choice to allow selection between three disparate, functional control schemes is appreciated. The Pokemon-like collection efforts from Portable Ops are married to light RPG aspects, and then mixed with satisfying stealth and combat operations in well-designed, Monster Hunter-like interlinked stages, to create a still slightly clumsy yet superior in every way concoction to that found in Portal Ops.

Peace Walker is a typical Kojima work, full of eccentricities; it contains what seems like hours of dialog full of historical Cold War nuggets, which are fascinating even though they severely disrupt the game's pacing if listened to fully. The story falls totally flat on an emotional scale even though it is more realistic in nature, more in line with his writing from Policenauts or the original Metal Gear Solid, than some of his stranger works. The fantastic, multi-faceted gameplay is a treat, and really glues the whole package together cohesively.