The marketing activity of Metal Gear AC!D 2 has started in Japan. This time, the promotion pamphlet which you can get in Japanese game stores has been scanned. There is some information of the game, as well as information for the ?Solid Eye System?. The image files are too huge to be put on the front page (17MB).

You can download it from our PSP download section [here].

Hint: Try printing it? pretend you?ve got the real pamphlet. ;-)

The Japanese official website of Metal Gear AC!D 2 has released a screensaver of the game.

This screensaver is interactive . The display content can be changed. Here is the instruction:

Move the mouse cursor to the bottom of the screen. A button menu will appear. You can choose different combinations with your mouse or the hot keys, to create a different screensaver for yourself.

MOVIES	Select a style to play.
QUIT	End the screensaver.
COLORS	Change the color of the video.
COMPOSITIONS	Change the composition of the video.
EFFECTS	Add different visual effects.

You can get the screensaver from our PSP download section:

Windows version: [here]
MacOS X version: [here] (System earlier than 10.2.0 is not supported.)
MacOS 9 version: [here]
PDF user manual (Japanese): [here]

 

 

The cover art of Metal Gear AC!D 2 has been released.

Source: IGN

 

A new video trailer is available. You can get it from our PSP Download section [here].

Source: GameWatch



Metal Gear Acid2, the descendant of Metal Gear Acid released in year 2004, will come with a brand new graphic engine and American-comic style graphic.

While the basics of the card system remain the same as its predecessor, the manipulation has got a brush-up, also the gameplay results more intuitionistically. As the categories of the cards have extended largely, more complex tactics will become possible. Tutorial Stages for newbie will be also available.

Like the US version of Acid, Acid 2 will feature a WiFi communication/multiplayer function.

Source: IGN

Konami unveiled Metal Gear Acid 2 to hungry PSP owners (and PSP website editors) at E3 last week, but few details on the game were revealed at the time. As usual, that's where the latest issues of Japan's biggest game magazines come into play. Thanks to Famitsu, we now have some solid (har har har) details on this sequel.

Acid 2 continues along the card-based gameplay line of the original Acid, but makes a number of changes. First off is an all new cell shaded visual style. Famitsu actually states that the game is now powered by a new graphics engine entirely.

The decision to go with a new style had many practical reasons behind it. Series father Hideo Kojima reveals to Famitsu that, in his mind, the Acid and Solid series need to be different from one another. He entrusted the Acid series to younger members of his staff, and therefor feels that the game should target a younger audience, which may appreciate a more cartoon-style look. The anime look also makes the game brighter and more colorful, which Kojima states is in response to complaints that the original was a too dark to see.

In addition to the new style, Acid 2 promises more elaborate cut-scenes for attacks, allowing players to better get a feel for the effect of a card. Kojima Productions (Kojima's new production studio that now handles all the Metal Gear games) also plans on using comic-style effects for some attacks.

Did you notice how in Acid, when Snake performs an attack using a weapon that you selected, he doesn't actually appear to be equipped with the weapon? That's changed for Acid 2. Based on the card that you've selected, Snake changes his equipped weapon prior to attack, so you can actually see him make use of a Desert Eagle or R-5.

Playing Acid 2 will be easier for all, beginners and advanced players alike. Beginners can look forward to a tutorial stage, which explains the gameplay systems. This should help out greatly, as Acid 2 features a far greater number of cards than its predecessor -- many times more, actually. We're sure players of all levels will appreciate the refined camera system which adds a third viewing angle, allowing you to better view enemy positions.

Finally, some good news for fans of the Metal Gear storylines. Kojima Productions is working on an original story for Acid 2. Specifics have yet to be revealed, but our E3 screenshots suggest that Teliko will once again make an appearance in some capacity.

With all these new features, along with the promise of support, once again, for wireless play, Metal Gear Acid 2 looks like it will be a much more polished title than the original. The only question is, how long will we have to wait for it? Konami has yet to announce a release time frame for the title, neither in Japan nor America.

Metal Gear Ac!d 2 is a new addition in the Metal Gear series created for the PSP. The series will continue to progress as a strategy game," said Hideo Kojima, corporate officer of Konami Corporation. "Metal Gear Ac!d is different from the established Metal Gear Solid series, and features cool, innovative playing elements that are the hallmark of handheld gaming systems. We plan to continue evolving the series, so I hope everyone - from those experiencing the world of Metal Gear for the first time, to fans who’ve come to love our series - will try out Metal Gear Ac!d 2 !"

Created by Kojima Productions and headed by the world-renowned game creator Hideo Kojima, Metal Gear Ac!d 2 incorporates a completely new graphics engine which provides innovative on-screen imagery. The game features brighter, more colorful, comic book-style visuals, which dynamically enhance the impact of the card effects. In addition, all-new action scenes have been added to the gameplay, providing even more exhilaration and suspense to the game. The completely original story fuses the rich world of the Metal Gear series with Acid’s exclusive gameplay mechanics. Metal Gear Ac!d 2 delivers more than twice the adventure and strategy experience compared to the previous release.

To help first-time players familiarize themselves with the world of Metal Gear Ac!d, a new tutorial stage has been added, including a hands-on introduction to the extensive card system and other gameplay elements. The game’s interface has also been refined as players can now build strategies more intuitively, choose more card types than the previous installment and engage in more highly strategic, tactical battles.

Metal Gear Ac!d 2 unleashes a whole host of hidden advanced features, including showdowns with a succession of the most popular characters from the Metal Gear series, and much more.

You can watch the trailer for it here.

Source: Blogcritics

Obviously, Konami believes that card based games can work alongside any genre, regardless of how much sense it makes. Metal Gear Ac!d almost seems like a cruel joke to fans of the series, at least from the start. It takes time to adjust, learn, and appreciate just what it is.

You don't need to have experience with card-based games to really grasp the concept. Every thing you do, from walking, to shooting, to sneaking up on guards is done via a card system. It's not very deep from the start, easing players into the game with the first few levels, building on a slow tutorial. You learn everything you need before jumping in to the next section. There comes a point where you'll be joined by an ally who brings with them an entirely new deck to play with. You can tweak all of this until you've found the deck that suits your style or let the computer set it up for you.

The mechanics of it all work out, in the end, better than you would think. Each card of course has an assigned value, a specific power, and a way it should be used. Weapons can be equipped or used and dropped. The greatness of it all comes from the flexibility. You can play this just as you have the other games in the Solid series. If killing everyone in a section is how you handle these games, go for it. If you prefer to sneak around, go ahead. You're obviously graded higher and earn more points (used to buy more cards) if you use stealth, but the game can still be completed as a near suicide mission. It's more flexible than is expected from a card game.

Everything is broken down into smaller sections, perfect for portability and level design. There are times when it seems you need to backtrack too often, so make sure the area behind you is secure at all times. Elevation in the levels also plays a role. If you're on a lower level than an enemy and spotted, they have the opportunity to do more damage. Have your back turned and to be on a lower level is almost certain death. It makes sure you're contemplating every move you make, what direction you're facing, and where you can go next.

This system is far from perfect, a times becoming more infuriating than fun. The randomness of the card draw is expected, but it's hard to plan when you're unsure of what's going to come up next. There are times when you'll be spotted with no way to defend yourself and no way out. That never seems to be fair. It's all very slow paced as well, lethargically moving forward at a clip not suited for a handheld. You can speed up the opponents turn, but not your own. Some of the animation routines seem to take forever.

The same set of completely off base characters this series has become known for are all here, including a pair of psychotic dolls that manage to slaughter everyone they come in contact with, all with a school girl glee. It's eerie, disturbing, and Metal Gear Solid all the way through. The story around them (and around the entire the game) does fall into a trap where it seems impossible to follow at times. Everything is done via text; there's no voice acting here from Snake's voice David Hayter anywhere in the game.

You can still figure out that it's Snake with or without the voice acting. The model used here looks to be an upgraded version of the one used in the original Solid on the PS One. The textures are clean and facial detail is strong. The animation seems strangely stiff, and that goes for everyone else. Environments are clean and are spattered with an occasional detail, including much needed foliage. Explosions are amazing, especially the particle effect. Accompanying the text-based storyline are still pictures, done in an anime style. It doesn't particularly fit the series, but it's necessary to get the story across.

Bit and pieces of the classic Metal Gear Solid soundtrack are included, mostly when playing a special card accompanied by a video clip of the specific game in the series (almost all the cards are based on a specific game). Getting through a section of the game can take a while, so the occasionally repetitive music actually in the game is annoying. Sound effects remain sparse, reserving themselves for any action.

For being such a radical departure, attempting to try something innovative, and still coming through with an enjoyable gameplay experience, Ac!d is commendable. It depends on patience to really get started. It's not a game you can try for 20-minutes and decide you don't like it. It requires time to develop and once it does, you'll feel happy to spend about 15 hours of your life on it.

Buy Metal Grear Acid for your PSP here