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

The visuals in this game alternate between scratchy, scruffy, abstract comic book artwork in the cut scenes, and dark, gritty, dirty, industrial 3d visuals during the actual missions. Gray is the predominant color in both. Kojima does a good job with the direction, as the risk is always there for the contrast between the art styles to feel clumsy, disjointed, or hacked together. The cut scenes, utilizing the same shocking style of the Metal Gear Digital Graphic Novels, are still in their honeymoon stage and are highly effective.

Dave Hayter and company deliver yet another awesome display of voice acting, giving life to the cut scenes and the characters portrayed therein. The soundtrack, unlike some of the other titles in the series, is a little more adventuresome and orchestral in the actual missions, but it comes off well and is never distracting. Classic sound effects are everpresent as always; it just wouldn't be the same ingesting a ration if it didn't make that neat little sound!

Rather than just control Snake throughout tactical stealth-action stages, you bring into each mission a squad of four members. You can switch between the members during the mission. Baddies do not react to your characters that are of that baddie's type, and this fact must be used strategically. To gain more allies, you must capture baddies, ala Pokemon. Unlike the other Solid games, the camera has been disappointingly swung down to an over the shoulder perspective, often making it more difficult to see than it should be.

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops has the same political intrigue, gritty visuals, over the top yet top grade voice acting, and the high production values of its predecessors. The change of emphasis from controlling just a protagonist to capturing and using enemy soliders is mostly satisfying, but it feels a little shallow-- maybe giving captured pawns more distinct, useful abilities would have made this part of the game feel more whole. In the end though, Portable Ops is a competent, enjoyable title from start to finish.