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Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker (PSP) Official Site opens [DEMO UP AT IGN!]

alr1ghtstart said:
this tank boss on single player is such bullshit.

Just got an A rank on it with zero kills.

The respawning guards stop spawning once you kill or Fulton a certain number of them, might be 6... edit:10? do that and the tank commander appears. To clarify, you don't need to damage the tank at all to finish the mission.

autobzooty said:
but then you can't tiptoe!
Ha, thought that was a joke about MGS3 for a second. Yeah there's no dpad control in the demo at least.
 

Zen

Banned
infinityBCRT said:
I'm really hoping its just a demo and they will add back the functionality for shimmying across a wall or crawling for the final game. As for the AI, it would suck if they stay this way for the final game. I think if they give all of the tools available in MGS3 (plus more since theres crouch walking) there should be no problem getting around the game if the AI was around the same as it was in MGS3.

The only concern I have is the GUI is a little too busy. Seems like theres way more going on than there was in previous games. That being said it looks like they got rid of the threat circle and put it on the radar which I'm happy about. I think that it got in the way of "being in the moment" in MGS4 a little.

Not allowing you to move along cover is just odd; no one wants to get stuck in a position where they're on a spot of cover that is 'doomed' by an approaching guard, but detaching from the cover would allow you to be seen anyway. Not allowing you to move along cover feels like a hindrance to the sneaking aspect of the game.

They seem to have this thing going where they're trying to 're-use' buttons as little as possible with the control layout, but it's not like you can change weapons etc when against the wall anyway.

Maybe they won't include dragging guards, positioning their bodies with the CQC throw, and the Fulton Recovery System seem to be the new options now.

Removing the crawl might have more to do with wanting to do away with 'get through the entire level on your stomach and snipe people from the grass' that you can do in other MGS games. It was almost a boring exploit if abused enough in the previous games, but there's no reason it couldn't work exactly like the crouch walk controls.

Problem with holding up enemies. They'll automatically go to the floor on their stomach allowing you to search them. This would be fine except for how they seem to reset the instant you shoot them,even with a tranq, and their hands do (Or helmet) a good job of making the tranq a headshot nearly impossible (at least on my playthroughts). After you try to tranq them they'll stand up reset into alert mode.

Again this is a demo, and a fun one at that; I'm just making observations.


The lack of ground crawling reminds me of Arkam Asylum, that brings up an aside I'm been thinking about with regards to Rising. I do think the Rising team should take a look at the latest Batman game for inspiration on handling combat/stealth. With 'Lightning Bolt Action' it would be a shame if they underused the sword mechanic and had Raiden relying almost soley on guns and crawling a la Snake. Cyborg Raiden can jump high, and that sort of function could emulate Gargoyles in the Batman game (more or less). Though enemies traditionally have guns in MG, which would alter the brawler element somewhat.
 
Zen said:
Problem with holding up enemies. They'll automatically go to the floor on their stomach allowing you to search them. This would be fine except for how they seem to reset the instant you shoot them,even with a tranq, and their hands do (Or helmet) a good job of making the tranq a headshot nearly impossible (at least on my playthroughts). After you try to tranq them they'll stand up reset into alert mode.


They seem to stay down once you've held them up, I finished the end of mission 2 purely with hold ups. The leaning/crawling seems to have been reduced to an observational system/tagging for co/op, and I get the feeling it's not going to be added in later.
 
I can understand why they would remove crawling. It was super exploitable in the past titles, and removing it will make Metal Gear a more traditional stealth game. I'm all for this.

But there's no reason to eliminate sliding along the wall. I can't think of a single reason why they would get rid of this, because a huge complaint of mine in past Metal Gear games is that sliding along a wall is too difficult or annoying or slow to actually be effective.

I'd like corner cover to have a toggle button (instead of making you hold the button down) and I want to see the movement speed of sliding along the wall more similar to MGS1 and 2. Fast and fluid, instead of like Snake broke his hip like in MGS4 (and 3 I guess). I can see that including the ability to fire from cover might make the game a little too easy and allow you to just pick off all the guards from a safe spot and breeze through the stage, but they should add in the sort of "pop-out-and-fire" mechanic from MGS2, only make it easier to execute. That way you could still have a decent cover fire system, but you'd have to give up your position (and safety) in order to fire your weapon. Also, when you pop around a corner with your gun at the ready, you could perform a holdup on a guard, even if he's already facing you.

Agree or disagree, folks?
 

EekTheKat

Member
Regarding the number of guards with the tank boss :

I counted 14 guards total (used 14 fulton devices), after the 14th one was airborne the commander popped up.

Wound up tranquilizing the tank commander, and a cutscene plays with Big Boss attaching the fulton on him.

Got an A ranking, took a little over 15 minutes total. 0 alerts and 0 kills.
 

Darkpen

Banned
EekTheKat said:
Regarding the number of guards with the tank boss :

I counted 14 guards total (used 14 fulton devices), after the 14th one was airborne the commander popped up.

Wound up tranquilizing the tank commander, and a cutscene plays with Big Boss attaching the fulton on him.

Got an A ranking, took a little over 15 minutes total. 0 alerts and 0 kills.
what the fuck :lol :lol
 
I'm playing some Portable Ops Plus now and it controls so freaking bad. While I think they may have took a bit too many actions away from Peace Walker, it's actually designed perfectly for PSP; I'm talking about both controls and gameplay style. Portable Ops didn't take any of that into consideration.
 
autobzooty said:
I can understand why they would remove crawling. It was super exploitable in the past titles, and removing it will make Metal Gear a more traditional stealth game. I'm all for this.

But there's no reason to eliminate sliding along the wall. I can't think of a single reason why they would get rid of this, because a huge complaint of mine in past Metal Gear games is that sliding along a wall is too difficult or annoying or slow to actually be effective.

I'd like corner cover to have a toggle button (instead of making you hold the button down) and I want to see the movement speed of sliding along the wall more similar to MGS1 and 2. Fast and fluid, instead of like Snake broke his hip like in MGS4 (and 3 I guess). I can see that including the ability to fire from cover might make the game a little too easy and allow you to just pick off all the guards from a safe spot and breeze through the stage, but they should add in the sort of "pop-out-and-fire" mechanic from MGS2, only make it easier to execute. That way you could still have a decent cover fire system, but you'd have to give up your position (and safety) in order to fire your weapon. Also, when you pop around a corner with your gun at the ready, you could perform a holdup on a guard, even if he's already facing you.

Agree or disagree, folks?
Crawling in grass was a huge part of snake eater so I'll be disappointed to see it completely gone. I don't think it will be used as an exploit since most people will likely crouch walk unless they are in an extremely dangerous situation. Also am hoping they add back the sliding against the wall. It feels like they are sliding backwards a little control wise after working hard to have such a flexible and intuitive control scheme in MGS4. I know its much better than PO but they could go all out and theres no reason not to.
 
Was watching a Gamescom trailer (for the millionth time) and I think I spotted a moment where Snake slides along a wall. It lasts for less than a second, but it's almost irrefutable.

When the trailer gets to the part where one of the Snakes is holding a guy by the neck and the other is rushing to hold up the closing gate, he stops briefly at a wall and presses up against it. After doing so, he shuffled to the side of it a little bit.

Watch for this moment in the trailer:
hiQfA.jpg


So maybe it just wasn't added in the build that everyone downloaded? Someone check and tell me if I'm being crazy.

Edit: Gif'd

iKdcP.gif
 

Darkpen

Banned
Ok, so I finally got an A rank playing single player for the tank fight, and I went and fucked up by being incredibly confused about how the hell I'm supposed to save the wallpaper :(

:(

HOWEVER, it took me 7 minutes and like... maybe 15-30 seconds. Yeaaaahhhh.

Tranqing them from afar (1 shot each), getting close to the bodies without being too close to the tank, letting the respawns get into position, repeat. :D
 

duckroll

Member
Okay, man, this game is GOOD. I decided to play mission 2 again just to test out "Action type" controls (which totally suck btw, I'm never using them again) and Sneaking Snake. I was thinking maybe if I stuck against a wall using triangle, I could move with the analog nub. Nope, no can do. Anyway, I ended up fucking up at the start because of the controls and almost got spotted. By the time I took out all 3 guards in caution mode, I was out of ammo for the Mk22! Yet, I -still- beat the entire mission with an A, 0 kills and 0 detection, because the Shooting Type controls are SO GOOD. OMG. Since I was out of ammo, I beat the rest of the map with CQC, stun rod and..... two well placed Stun Grenades which took out 3 guards each. :D
 
duckroll said:
Okay, man, this game is GOOD. I decided to play mission 2 again just to test out "Action type" controls (which totally suck btw, I'm never using them again) and Sneaking Snake. I was thinking maybe if I stuck against a wall using triangle, I could move with the analog nub. Nope, no can do. Anyway, I ended up fucking up at the start because of the controls and almost got spotted. By the time I took out all 3 guards in caution mode, I was out of ammo for the Mk22! Yet, I -still- beat the entire mission with an A, 0 kills and 0 detection, because the Shooting Type controls are SO GOOD. OMG. Since I was out of ammo, I beat the rest of the map with CQC, stun rod and..... two well placed Stun Grenades which took out 3 guards each. :D

awesome! i'm glad even a skeptic is now satisfied.
 

duckroll

Member
Internet Celebrity said:
I can't seem to enjoy the game in a different language. I'll give it a few more goes, but most probably I will just stick it out til the full release.

I can't really enjoy MGS in Japanese either, and I understand the language! When all the characters are speaking in Japanese, for some reason I just tend to zone out and not really "feel" it, because I'm so used to the cast and dialogue in English. I can enjoy playing the game fine though, probably because I can actually read what the gameplay prompts and the stuff over the radio.

The only MGS game I own in Japanese, is MGS3 Subsistence, because my PS2s and my PS3 don't run US PS2 games. I played MGS in English, MGS2 Substance in English, and I borrowed a friend's US PS2 to play MGS3 US. Played MGA, MGA2 and MPO in English too.
 

Xater

Member
EekTheKat said:
Regarding the number of guards with the tank boss :

I counted 14 guards total (used 14 fulton devices), after the 14th one was airborne the commander popped up.

Wound up tranquilizing the tank commander, and a cutscene plays with Big Boss attaching the fulton on him.

Got an A ranking, took a little over 15 minutes total. 0 alerts and 0 kills.

That explains it. I killed all the guard so that's why the commander popped up.
 

duckroll

Member
Yup, definitely 14 guards total in the Tank mission. I killed them ALL with Battle Snake and it recorded 14 kills total at the end. My final shot was a RPG in the face of the Tank Commander. So satisfying! :D

Also, I just saw something really cool while selecting Battle Snake before the mission. In the setup screen where you select the suit, I noticed the sections are actually Character, Suit, Weapons, Items. The scrolling text at the bottom of the screen specifically says: In this screen, you select the weapons, items and costume to take into the mission, for this demo, your weapons and items will be automatically selected based on the suit you select.

Full customization confirmed! The difference between the suits are that each suit determines your a) camo type/index, b) the amount of weapons and items you can take into the field. You will notice that different suits in the demo have different amount of weapons and items, that is what I believe will be the max number of free slots you have when using that suit in the final game. Also, having a Character section there, also pretty much confirms there will be playable characters other than Snake. :)
 
duckroll said:
Yup, definitely 14 guards total in the Tank mission. I killed them ALL with Battle Snake and it recorded 14 kills total at the end. My final shot was a RPG in the face of the Tank Commander. So satisfying! :D

Also, I just saw something really cool while selecting Battle Snake before the mission. In the setup screen where you select the suit, I noticed the sections are actually Character, Suit, Weapons, Items. The scrolling text at the bottom of the screen specifically says: In this screen, you select the weapons, items and costume to take into the mission, for this demo, your weapons and items will be automatically selected based on the suit you select.

Full customization confirmed! The difference between the suits are that each suit determines your a) camo type/index, b) the amount of weapons and items you can take into the field. You will notice that different suits in the demo have different amount of weapons and items, that is what I believe will be the max number of free slots you have when using that suit in the final game. Also, having a Character section there, also pretty much confirms there will be playable characters other than Snake. :)

oh cool, i heard something about this in an interview with Kojima a long time ago, but i didn't know about the character thing. that's really good news!

think i'll be sticking with Fatigues Snake or Sneaking Snake through most of my game, though. those are the coolest outfits, and that's all that really matters.
 
The more I play this game the more I like it! I got an S rank on the first two missions, but not on the tank one and yet I still replay it over and over and find it fun! I can't wait to get my hands on the full version!
 

duckroll

Member
autobzooty said:
oh cool, i heard something about this in an interview with Kojima a long time ago, but i didn't know about the character thing. that's really good news!

think i'll be sticking with Fatigues Snake or Sneaking Snake through most of my game, though. those are the coolest outfits, and that's all that really matters.

I don't think we should assume that the suits seem in the demo are all that is in the game. :lol

GoncaloCCastro said:
The more I play this game the more I like it! They removed a lot of things, but I think they are just suiting this game to the PSP's strengths. I got an S rank on the first two missions, but not on the tank one and yet I still replay it over and over and find it fun! I can't wait to get my hands on the full version!

Yeah, I have to agree. I started off being kinda negative towards this being "MPO2", but the more I play, the more impressed I am. I jumped the gun early with my criticism without giving Kojima's game a fair chance. Playing through the demo over and over with a clearer understanding of the mechanics, options and controls each time makes it even more fun. Like with the old MGS1 and MGS2 demos, this demo feels totally replayable over and over. There are little things to learn or discover each time and there's no fixed "right" way to play. Co-op changes the entire game too, because sneaking with a friend and taking out enemies together have never been so fun.

I think the tank boss is a perfect example of how far this game is from being a spinoff, and how Kojima's direction and game design shines. At first I felt frustrated because I thought you had to destroy the tank, and the design mechanic around destroying the tank is certainly only suited towards co-op. But as we have since discovered, not only are there not an unlimited number of respawning guards, but that there are 3 ways to win the mission. Kill the tank, kill the tank commander, or knock out the tank commander. Discovering options like these, is why I love the MGS series so much. :)
 

Xater

Member
duckroll said:
Yup, definitely 14 guards total in the Tank mission. I killed them ALL with Battle Snake and it recorded 14 kills total at the end. My final shot was a RPG in the face of the Tank Commander. So satisfying! :D

Also, I just saw something really cool while selecting Battle Snake before the mission. In the setup screen where you select the suit, I noticed the sections are actually Character, Suit, Weapons, Items. The scrolling text at the bottom of the screen specifically says: In this screen, you select the weapons, items and costume to take into the mission, for this demo, your weapons and items will be automatically selected based on the suit you select.

Full customization confirmed! The difference between the suits are that each suit determines your a) camo type/index, b) the amount of weapons and items you can take into the field. You will notice that different suits in the demo have different amount of weapons and items, that is what I believe will be the max number of free slots you have when using that suit in the final game. Also, having a Character section there, also pretty much confirms there will be playable characters other than Snake. :)

Cool, now I have something new to try out in the demo. :D
 

Sascha23

Banned
Picked up the demo at the TGS media day.

Such a wonderfully addicting demo. Lots of content.

Makes the wait for next Summer even harder.
 

duckroll

Member
I just thought of something interesting. Right now, everyone is playing as Snake in the demo. So when we play co-op, we see the other players with a helmet over their heads. What if that's the default "other player" head while playing with the same characters? This could mean if there's a 4 player game with everyone playing a different character, we actually see the other players as their characters!
 

Xater

Member
duckroll said:
I just thought of something interesting. Right now, everyone is playing as Snake in the demo. So when we play co-op, we see the other players with a helmet over their heads. What if that's the default "other player" head while playing with the same characters? This could mean if there's a 4 player game with everyone playing a different character, we actually see the other players as their characters!

Maybe, except if they want to maintain the illusion of Big Boss fighting with is team.
 

duckroll

Member
Xater said:
Maybe, except if they want to maintain the illusion of Big Boss fighting with is team.

It won't break the illusion though. I would imagine that any playable characters you can get in the game will be part of your team anyway. Otherwise why would they be a playable character for missions? What I meant is that if you use the same character as someone else, the other person will be a generic soldier to you, to keep the illusion, but if the other players are other characters, there's no reason why you can't see them as such.
 
You certainly seem to have come around duckroll!

Played with a friend that hadn't used adhoc party yet, and I think Peace Walker is the easiest game to use with it since you activate wifi in the menu and can pick channel straight from there. He choked out a guard, and while he was standing there looking all proud I went over and balloon'd the captive into the atmosphere. Seconds later getting the IM "WHAT THE FUCK? :lol " Feels good, man.
 

Xater

Member
duckroll said:
It won't break the illusion though. I would imagine that any playable characters you can get in the game will be part of your team anyway. Otherwise why would they be a playable character for missions? What I meant is that if you use the same character as someone else, the other person will be a generic soldier to you, to keep the illusion, but if the other players are other characters, there's no reason why you can't see them as such.

But what if there are bonus characters like in MPO? I don't know if a cyber ninja maybe is a bit much. ;)
 

duckroll

Member
Xater said:
But what if there are bonus characters like in MPO? I don't know if a cyber ninja maybe is a bit much. ;)

Well, think about it this way. If you're playing as a bonus character, the illusion is already gone. You will still see YOURSELF as Cyborg Ninja or whatever. :lol
 

Xater

Member
duckroll said:
Well, think about it this way. If you're playing as a bonus character, the illusion is already gone. You will still see YOURSELF as Cyborg Ninja or whatever. :lol

Point taken. :lol
 

duckroll

Member
What I really hope for is that characters play differently. Like, aside from drawing from the same cache of weapons and items, I hope each character has different moves (instead of CQC for example), and different unique outfits. If they go down that route, and put lots of hidden stuff throughout the game, it could be REALLY replayable.

Also, based on the fact that we can capture the Tank Commander with Fulton, I wonder if this also applies for other bosses... MPO style recruiting of bosses as playable characters? Please? :D
 
Is there video footage of someone playing through the Bridge mission with the interactive cutscene bit? Want to see that, definitely.

The biggest improvement for me is the crouch-walking that MGS4 brought with it. God, the amount of times in Portable Ops where Snake would get down to lay on the floor instead of rolling away was maddening :lol GET UP YOU FOOL!

I don't think other characters will play too differently unless they have exclusive weaponry like Null's machete or Python's Ice Gun. Beating bosses in different ways was what made MGS3 so amazing (and MGS4 a bit disappointing) and the unlockables you got for it. Like if that Tank Cardboard box is unlockable only by capturing the Tank Commander or something. Thats the kind of shit that would cement this as a fantastic Metal Gear game.
 

duckroll

Member
I haven't seen the mountain facility/bridge mission either. I would like to see a video of it as well.

I just watched the trailer again, and I think I have a pretty good idea of where the story of the game will go, as well as what exactly is happening with the characters. There's also a hint in the trailer as to what sort of bosses to expect from the game imo.
 

Darkpen

Banned
I really have to agree with the others: Playing this demo multiple times has really solidified my judgement that this is an absolutely excellent rendition of MGS on the PSP, and that it won't fall into the pitfalls of MPO. The biggest thing, IMO, is crouch walking. It was sorely missed in MGS3 and MPO, and stalking in MPO for stealth was terrible. I love this demo.
 
duckroll said:
I just watched the trailer again, and I think I have a pretty good idea of where the story of the game will go, as well as what exactly is happening with the characters. There's also a hint in the trailer as to what sort of bosses to expect from the game imo.

Care to share your thoughts with us? :D
 
You've got 3 Metal Gears, Tank fights, Helicopter gunships and I'm sure there'll be at least one or two super powered freaks in the mix.

Speculative insane theory:
I'm concerned there'll be some crazy shit like a clone of The Boss or something. In the latest trailer, the scene where Big Boss is laying in a field of flowers like the final encounter with the Boss, and watching a container being air-lifted overhead made me think of the container that Null was kept in to "reset" him. The character chatter was also talking about losing this woman she loved and the last thing she heard was her repeating "Jack....Jack...". Maybe not a clone of the Boss but someone brainwashed with her abilities and memories? My best guess currently would be the interviewer herself. This would link in to all the data and interviews compiled with The Boss. The cassette imagery perhaps suggesting "a copy". That'd be a suitably fucked up concept for a Metal Gear Solid game, and would provide certainly significant enough betrayl on america's part to have Snake have to kill The Boss again (even if it is some woman brainwashed to think she's The Boss)

Bookmark for 6 months later and we'll see if I've spoiled the plot for myself :D
 

duckroll

Member
Here's what I gathered from the trailers:

There's only one Metal Gear. It's the Peace Walker. That is the bi-pedal one you see in the latest trailer, with a globe shaped head with PEACE WALKER on it.

As for the other robot, there's only one as well, but it has different forms. It is also AI controlled. The cylinder shaped device can be seen on both the tank version as well as the flying version. That same cylinder is the one being carried by chopper in the trailer as well. That is the AI core. That is The Boss.

Coldman and Strangelove are the CIA/Patriots agents in charge of the Peace Walker project and mission. Coldman is the one who is using Huey to design the robots and the weaponary. Strangelove is the scientist who is designing the AI, and she had a past lesbian relationship with The Boss. Her obsession with The Boss leads her to recreate her personality and memories using AI, and this will eventually become the foundation of the technology which creates the AI driven Patriots system.

Big Boss will initially be driven into the mission because he wants to help protect Costa Rica, and because he has ideals. Miller on the other hand is only interested in the business part of it, and in a way the Soldiers Without Borders will be the first PMC in the world. While Big Boss' idea of a PMC is having power and territory for soldiers to call their own and to be free from the world's politics, Miller will see it as a lucrative source of income. Obviously Miller's vision is the one which becomes reality, because historically that is what happens.

Chico and Amanda are probably locals, and could be a sort of freedom fighter unit. She will be Snake's main contact for combat intel and local geography. Chico is her younger brother I believe. Cecile is a reporter, so she's probably a sort of narrative voice for the story, kinda like Natasha's take on MGS1 in the MGS2 recap.

My theory on the bosses in the game is that most of them will be vehicles and machines. You can clearly see someone inside the attack chopper in the trailer as well, and he looks distinct, like the Tank Commander. Other bosses would be different variations of the Boss AI machine. There are probably more types than the tank and flying versions shown in the trailer. Strangelove, Coldman and Galvez are also possible human bosses. The final boss will probably be The ultimate AI combat machine connecting and combining with the Peace Walker bi-pedal launcher to create a walking mobile weapons platform.
 
Wow, some very nice theories. Thanks. Though I'm still very confused about the
Big Shell lookalike with the "AI Core" at its centre. What the hell could that be? Hopefully not some kind of MGS2 retcon...
 
I like your theory more Duckroll now I consider it.
Strangelove is the woman from the interviews perhaps? They may not have had a relationship, but she probably ended up obsessed with her, hence building that AI core based on her personality.

Showing Big Shell is perhaps simply suggesting The Boss AI will be the precursor for Arsenal Gear and The Patriots system, since this would be the era Zero would have to be building it.
 
EekTheKat said:
Regarding the number of guards with the tank boss :

I counted 14 guards total (used 14 fulton devices), after the 14th one was airborne the commander popped up.

Wound up tranquilizing the tank commander, and a cutscene plays with Big Boss attaching the fulton on him.

Got an A ranking, took a little over 15 minutes total. 0 alerts and 0 kills.

Yep, I kept losing count of how many I'd removed but I finally realised you use up all 15 balloons. I've got this method down to about 5 minutes, still no S rank though!
 

duckroll

Member
About "Big Shell"....

In the demo intro, it's actually shown in a photo as the offshore plant which Galvez will be providing as a base of operations for the Soldiers Without Borders in exchange for them taking on the mission. Miller wants to take on the mission almost entirely because it would provide them with a real base of operations.

And about the interview...

Yes, it's the voice of Strangelove and The Boss in that exchange about crossing the bridge. But it might not be an "interview" per say, because according to some extended dialogue from the Hidechan Radio podcast, it might simply be Strangelove tuning the AI system, by asking it various logic questions over and over.
 

Darkpen

Banned
Awesomely accurate-sounding theories, duckroll. Can't wait for it to come out D:
News Bot said:
Isn't Strangelove a guy?
No. She's voiced by MGS4's Raging Raven, Yumi Kikuchi. She also looks purposely androgenous.
 

Epcott

Member
So much depth seems to be going into PW's story elements...
It makes me afraid that the energy going towards this will be left out of Rising (leaving it simple action game with little story). :lol Though it's too early to speculate.

I hope this doesn't happen.
 
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