The missions of the game are very straightforward and are easy to understand. The main objective is always lit up on the map with a big star where you must reach to complete the mission at hand. The missions are more designed to be for a portable gaming system but the game still features some memorable missions like the console counterparts. At times you will be interrupted during a mission to do a key mission so the story will progress forward and push you forward in the game. The game will also move forward when you have more spies in areas throughout the base. The more spies the more information you'll receive from them and allow you to stop confrontation at hand. The boss fights also have a slight twist to them this time around. Instead of being puzzle-based battles the boss fights are purely battle driven now. Now when you battle a tough enemy you just have an outrageous shoot-out.

The game also features multiplayer much like the multiplayer in Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence. There's a six-player ad/hoc versus game and infrastructure deathmatch. Players play it out like a regular MGS missions except against other humans as opposed to AI. One of the most interesting multiplayer modes is cyber-survival, which is overall simulation online strategy game. Players can deploy squads to go online and battle against other squads. Pending on your squads stats they'll either do well against other squads or they'll do badly.

Visuals and Sound

Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops features the best visuals and sounds ever on a handheld system. The character models are highly detailed and resemble the PS2 models nearly perfectly in every aspect. Though the environments are rather bland in some aspects, the game is still great looking in nearly everyway.

Outside of the amazing visuals the game also has a solid soundtrack. The musical scores for bosses are well orchestrated and sound just like the console series musical scores. The voice acting is excellent and the voices for the bosses are truly well done and capture the feeling of the characters nicely. If you like the MGS music then this game delivers.

Overall

Ever since the PSP was announced fans have been waiting for a title like Metal Gear Solid to hit the system and the wait has been worth it. Portable Ops is exactly what the system has needed since its launch and it doesn't fail in any respect. When the PSP was first announced titles like Metal Gear Solid were expected to appear on the system sadly it took nearly two years for the game to finally appear on the system. But for Metal Gear Solid fans and PSP owners you are in for a treat and the link between MGS3 and the first MGS title.