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[Bristow]

Bristow:

:lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol That was funny. I write my reviews to simply share my opinion with others and I feel that doing so is my way of contributing to the development of better games by slamming terrible games and praising great ones (the power of one's voice).

While the post was obviously in jest, I do find your reviews entertaining. I put alot more stock into the average joe's review than I do the 'professional' sites who simply play through a game in 2 hours and slap a review up or get paid off by the publishers.

Keep on contributing, Leguna.

 

[chespace]

While the post was obviously in jest, I do find your reviews entertaining. I put alot more stock into the average joe's review than I do the 'professional' sites who simply play through a game in 2 hours and slap a review up or get paid off by the publishers.

Keep on contributing, Leguna.

sour grapes. yum!

 

[Amir0x]

Someone has deceived me about the quality of this game and they will PAY.

Especially you, chespace. Especially you.

j/k looking forward to hearing more about the virtues of this title

 

[Dr. Zoidberg]

Well, I don't know how deserved this score is, but I know that even though I am a huge MG fan, I will steer well clear of this game.

I enjoy a few strategy games like the Advance Wars series and Fire Emblem but I just can't see MGS and Card-strategy blending to my satisfaction. The mere thought makes me want to ZZzzzz...

 

[DarienA]

Props to Che for bringing up Xcom... god I loved the first two games in that series... hmm I think I have them on my PC somewhere... and I think I found a hex editor that lets you adjust all your stats, money, etc... hmmmmm

 

[Kobun Heat]

sour grapes. yum!

Come on, Che. Even you can admit that Leguna's one paragraph of story summary, oddly proportioned fanart, and extensive photographic list of the Japanese voice acting cast is much more crucial in the buying decision. Plus he's not getting PAID OFF BY KONAMI unlike SOME people I know.

*cashes check; buys second yacht*

 

[mrkgoo]

People who hate/suck on/at specific genres shouldn't be allowed to review them.

SO are you saying games should be reviewed only by people who enjoy them? Doesn't this bias the scores just as much?

 

[Gattsu25]

:lol And I bet you think the Gamecube's d-pad is just perfect for fighting games, right?

to all complaining about PS-style/Nintendo-style D-pads...it's obvious you guys weren't Controller using DC fighting game fans

the DC and GC d-pads are similar...though the GC's D-pad is better in one key way: it doesn't FUCKING MURDER YOUR FINGERS!!! The DC was the OFFICIAL fighting game system this gen, too...damn...

 

[Tabris]

SO are you saying games should be reviewed only by people who enjoy them? Doesn't this bias the scores just as much?

No, cause if he's a fan of the genre, it'll be a review about the merits of the game (in comparison to other games in the genre) rather than the merits of the genre.

That MGA review was mostly about the genre instead of the game.

 

[FallenOne666]

SO are you saying games should be reviewed only by people who enjoy them? Doesn't this bias the scores just as much?

A game should be reviewed by someone who is a part of the intended audience. In this case someone who plays strat-RPGs and/or card battle games. Allen clearly is not either of those.

 

[MattKeil]

This review reads like someone playing an Strat RPG(who has never played a Strat RPG before) expecting it to behave like a action game.

While this may not be exemplary game journalism, it is probably a pretty accurate reflection of most of the people who will be buying MGA.

 

[Lyte Edge]

Pouring through the lists, it didn't seem like Easy mode really cheapens the experience all that much, not nearly to the level of CVS2 EO.

I'd still like to hear thoughts on this though. Especially given how many of the supers/EX stuff still require hitting 2-3 punches/kicks at once.

Easy mode removes two punch and kick buttons, so yeah, it cheapens the experience a lot.

My thoughts are still that I have no freaking clue as to why people are having a problem doing moves. I'm not holding the system a certaiin way. I'm not doing anything differently, and it plays great. No one that I have let try the game out has complained eithere. Maybe there's a ton of defective PSP d-pads out there, or just too many people suck at fighting games with a d-pad. Who knows. You want to play a portable fighting game with truly BAD control? Try Guilty gear Puchi on the Wonderswan.

The bottom line seems to be that whenever a fighting game is played with a pad, bitching ensues.

 

[Belfast]

And since this has become half a Darkstalkers thread, let me respond again: I have never had a problem doing a "fireball" motion on any controller, ever. I think I even took to the 3DO's controller after a while. But I was ready to smash the PSP after an hour of Darkstalkers because the pad SUCKS.

Some people seem to have gotten over it by using different finger positions, but I found it amazingly imprecise. I even went into Practice Mode and even then, under the calmest low-pressure conditions, I was only able to get off successful fireballs about half the time. Complains about the PSP's D-pad and fighters are completely legit.

Because two people say so, right?

Anyway, back on the subject of MGA. I feel that this is going to be one of those games that some people will absolutely hate because its not what they were expecting. People tend not to do the kind of research that leads to buying what they want. They just want a pretty looking box and the namebrand. However, for those willing to give MGA a real chance and accept the change in gameplay (I think its a cool, refreshing take on the series...and geez, we just got MGS3 people, haven't you had your action fix?). As long as the basic mechanics are good, it should be pretty fun. Most people are just going to end up hating this, but I think there will be a core group of niche fans who absolutely love it.

 

[The End]

Easy mode removes two punch and kick buttons, so yeah, it cheapens the experience a lot.

My thoughts are still that I have no freaking clue as to why people are having a problem doing moves. I'm not holding the system a certaiin way. I'm not doing anything differently, and it plays great. No one that I have let try the game out has complained eithere. Maybe there's a ton of defective PSP d-pads out there, or just too many people suck at fighting games with a d-pad. Who knows. You want to play a portable fighting game with truly BAD control? Try Guilty gear Puchi on the Wonderswan.

The bottom line seems to be that whenever a fighting game is played with a pad, bitching ensues.

I'm so conflicted!

 

[Teddman]

A game should be reviewed by someone who is a part of the intended audience. In this case someone who plays strat-RPGs and/or card battle games. Allen clearly is not either of those.

The intended audience for MGA is first and foremost those familiar with the Metal Gear series in the past, and strat RPG/card battle fans a distant second.

Otherwise it'd be called Metal Gear Card Battle or Metal Gear Tactics, etc.

Ask Sony/Konami's marketing depts if they're targetting strat RPG and card battle fans with this game... No, they're going for fans of the series. As such just about any veteran game reviewer is appropriate for this title.

 

[Shadax]

Here's the exact quote:





Notice that with both the Darkstalkers review and the MGA review, the reader average grades are significantly higher than Jason Allen's scores. Is this guy new to the IGN team or something? Because he's crap.

Wow, his name is Jason Allen? That's fucking funny. I guess my name gets around....

 

[Kobun Heat]

Because two people say so, right?

No, because even if whatshisname is crap at qcf, I am not; indeed qcf and I are homies who go back a long way, so if I'm having trouble it means there's a difference between the PSP pad and everything else I've ever used.

 

[Porridge]

Even though it's perfectly clear that the game is not a sequel or even an action-title, Metal Gear Acid just does not seem like a suitable addition to the series. To me, it seems like a useless experimentation combining card games and the MG brand, BUT I will give this try when I can.

About the reviewer, would you rather him review the game as more of a Metal Gear fan or a card game fan? The game is called "Metal Gear Acid." We are coming off of MGS3. Seems appropriate to me.

 

[Belfast]

No, because even if whatshisname is crap at qcf, I am not; indeed qcf and I are homies who go back a long way, so if I'm having trouble it means there's a difference between the PSP pad and everything else I've ever used.

I understand that and I don't mean to come off as being antagonistic, but maybe the problem lies with you and not the pad. In this thread alone, we've got a fair number more positive responses to the PSP pad than negative. The majority does not seem to have much of a problem using it.

 

[Dsal]

I would argue that it is just as deep as Phantom Dust's card arrangement strategy.

But to explain my point, I'd have to go way deep into the system, and the balance between "cost" (which in most of the better cards are expensive) versus firepower. If you want to be a sneaky stealth motherfucker who gets S rankings because you haven't triggered a single alarm on a stage, you will want low cost cards and probably won't have much use for heavy firepower -- and vice versa.

Just curious, how far are you in the game? (assuming you haven't already finished it, that is).

I think the problem is that Ac!d is a METAL GEAR game -- a popular franchise tied intrinsically to action/stealth gaming.

I'm not very far into the game because I got kind of bored with it - just past the minefield mission. It didn't help that I had to read all the Japanese and such and it gets a little bit exhausting. I'm sure having it in English helps the story parts go much faster ;D. I sure did get to learn a lot more vocab words though.

Cost was never much of a problem for me. As long as you're hidden somewhere or have somewhere at the end of the turn where you can hide, you can gorge on expensive effects while the cost all evaporates in your hiding place. It didn't matter much because the high-cost stuff didn't strike me as super useful. I wasn't really playing so much for the firepower though, it was all about sneaking up on people and killing them with accurate shots before they could take their retaliation turn or signal the alarm.

There's just so many near-useless cards in the set. Like the dodging cards. Why bother equipping them if you're trying to get through the level without being caught? Things like that.

 

[Drinky Crow]

What little I've played of MGA rocked, and the story is just so bat-shit crazy it might also be genius. That said, the localization appears to be pretty bad -- "Teliko" instead of "Teriko"? JOHN TV AM CRYING.

 

[Roland Hood]

$800 million for this?

 

[Naked Snake]

Not enough polygons on Snake's butt.

 

[Bebpo]

There's just so many near-useless cards in the set. Like the dodging cards. Why bother equipping them if you're trying to get through the level without being caught? Things like that.

When you get to the point where 2 enemies can kill you in a turn, keeping a good % dodge card equipped on the character is anything but useless.

And I just gotta say, Sniper Rifle +

Spoiler

CQC

cards make the game fun as hell.

 

[FallenOne666]

When you get to the point where 2 enemies can kill you in a turn, keeping a good % dodge card equipped on the character is anything but useless.

And I just gotta say, Sniper Rifle +

Spoiler

CQC

cards make the game fun as hell.

Bebpo for t3h win

 

[Pedigree Chum]

$800 million for this?

What?

 

[Geek]

About the reviewer, would you rather him review the game as more of a Metal Gear fan or a card game fan? The game is called "Metal Gear Acid." We are coming off of MGS3. Seems appropriate to me.

I'd prefer it just be reviewed based on how good the game is, regardless of the history of the IP. That said, if he wants to run the fact that "this is not tactical espionage action, but tactical espionage card-based strategy" into the ground throughout the review, more power to him.

Personally, I'm glad for the franchise experiment. I think I'll actually prefer the MGA style of gameplay to the most recent PS2 entries (which is to say I didn't really care for them).

 

[Belfast]

Hehe, speaking of MGA, I just went to go pay off the rest of my PSP pre-order and they got a bunch of games in, so I picked up MGA. Too bad I can't play it yet.

Coulda picked up Wipeout, too, but they're are selling it for $33 from Thursday through the weekend.

 

[Dsal]

When you get to the point where 2 enemies can kill you in a turn, keeping a good % dodge card equipped on the character is anything but useless.

And I just gotta say, Sniper Rifle +

Spoiler

CQC

cards make the game fun as hell.

Yeah, maybe I should keep pluggin through the boring parts to get to the harder levels. Sounds like they have more strategy going on. I'm just not having a whole lot of fun where I am in the game currently.

 

[chespace]

Yeah, maybe I should keep pluggin through the boring parts to get to the harder levels. Sounds like they have more strategy going on. I'm just not having a whole lot of fun where I am in the game currently.

Yeah, I hate to sound like the comic book guy, but you're in like the first 5% of the game or something. The minefield part? That's like one of the very first things you learn. At that point, you probably haven't learned how to use equipped weapons, and you're mostly burning all manner of cards just to move around and stuff. In retrospect, the learning curve of the game is very deliberate... although at the time, it just made me feel like I was missing the point of the game (which I was).

 

[Dsal]

Yeah, I hate to sound like the comic book guy, but you're in like the first 5% of the game or something. The minefield part? That's like one of the very first things you learn. At that point, you probably haven't learned how to use equipped weapons, and you're mostly burning all manner of cards just to move around and stuff. In retrospect, the learning curve of the game is very deliberate... although at the time, it just made me feel like I was missing the point of the game (which I was).

I think I have one of the "equip style" weapons already. Maybe I should just break down and get the english version of the game, since playing it in Japanese is such a chore for me. Reading the cards and such are no problem, but I'm sure translating things in my head artificially adds to the length and pace of the game. If I'm really only 5% of the way through I'm obviously writing this one off too early. It really was a sleepy 5% though .

 

[Date of Lies]

talk about damage-control :lol

 

[bitwise]

too bad. i am glad though that all the titles I was actually wanting to get for my PSP so far have gotten good scores. I never would have touched this card game.

 

[gamergirly]

All I can say is that if some of the most hardcore MGS fans say it's crap, then it's just crap, no matter how you spin it :lol. Look at how the title did in Japan, now look at how the reviews are going in the US, coincidence? Not

 

[Sho Nuff]

Some people seem to have gotten over it by using different finger positions, but I found it amazingly imprecise. I even went into Practice Mode and even then, under the calmest low-pressure conditions, I was only able to get off successful fireballs about half the time. Complains about the PSP's D-pad and fighters are completely legit.

Kohler, I can't believe a thing you write ever since you made that post about the PSP pushing your grandma down the stairs.

 

[Infernal Monkey]

THE GUY WHO REVIEWED IT DOESN'T PLAY FIGHTING GAMES SO THIS REVIEW IS OBVIOUSLY FAULTY, I THINK I'LL WAIT FOR 1UP'S REVIEW WHERE IT'LL GET 10.

 

[Belfast]

THE GUY WHO REVIEWED IT DOESN'T PLAY FIGHTING GAMES SO THIS REVIEW IS OBVIOUSLY FAULTY, I THINK I'LL WAIT FOR 1UP'S REVIEW WHERE IT'LL GET 10.

And I'd thought we had gotten over the idiot junior members fad awhile ago.

 

[neptunes]

And I'd thought we had gotten over the idiot junior members fad awhile ago.

I don't understand.

 

[Lyte Edge]

THE GUY WHO REVIEWED IT DOESN'T PLAY FIGHTING GAMES SO THIS REVIEW IS OBVIOUSLY FAULTY, I THINK I'LL WAIT FOR 1UP'S REVIEW WHERE IT'LL GET 10.

Are you the IGN reviewer in question, by any chance?

 

[The_Sorrow]

I'm gonna give this game a go when I pick my PSP up around May or so. I'm just intrested in seeing how the storyline meshes with the overall storyline of the Metal Gear games(I'm a huge MGS3 fan as some of you can tell by my username).

 

[neptunes]

I'm gonna give this game a go when I pick my PSP up around May or so. I'm just intrested in seeing how the storyline meshes with the overall storyline of the Metal Gear games(I'm a huge MGS3 fan as some of you can tell by my username).

Would it change your mind if I told you it doesn't?

 

[soul.less]

Fuck IGN, I'm keeping my copy of the game (I can't return it anyway since I opened it).

 

[The_Sorrow]

Would you mind if I told you it doesn't?

Yeah, thats what I've been hearing but still I really want to see how the storyline actually turns out.

Have you beaten the game?

Also I saw Metal Gear Acid today at Gamestop when I picked up Phantom Dust. I didn't think it would ship early.

 

[Gattsu25]

Meh...from what I saw of the game it looks interesting...already picked the game up...just waiting for teh PSP now

 

[Ironclad]

I'm not changing my preorder on this one. It looks interesting and I don't have any stigmas regarding card based gameplay.

 

[neptunes]

Yeah, thats what I've been hearing but still I really want to see how the storyline actually turns out.

Have you beaten the game?

Some dude in another forum spoiled some of the ending without warning, so yeah I was pretty pissed >.<

IF you want to you can always give me a PM

 

[The_Sorrow]

Some dude in another forum spoiled some of the ending without warning, so yeah I was pretty pissed >.<

IF you want to you can always give me a PM

Yeah actually if you could I would appriciate it.

 

[number386]

Just got MGA today, that score was quite unexpected as IGN tends to inflate review scores, at least in my opinion. I'm a big MG fan so MGA stays in my collection.

 

[imastalker co.]

to those that have played the shit out of this one.

how's it compare to Card Fighters Clash, Advance Wars, and Fire Emblem?

yeah i know im sort of out of it with that one, but still.

 

[chespace]

From what I've experience so far (about ~20 hours in), the story has a lot of twists, but suffers from an awful localization. Okay, so it's not as good as MGS3 or whatever, but it's nice to play a turn-based strategy game where the story isn't retarded like a Nippon Ichi game, or non-existent like a Tactics Ogre or Final Fantasy Tactics (Advance). There's actual continuity from level to level, and shit does indeed, GO DOWN.