'Metal Gear Solid Touch' First Impressions and Gameplay Video
posted by Eli Hodapp on March 18th, 2009 1:55 AM EDT in $7.99, Action, Shooter, iPhone games, iPod touch games
Like most people, I wasn’t expecting Metal Gear Solid Touch [App Store] for another couple days. Imagine my surprise when forum member 1337brian discovered the game on the App Store well before its expected launch!
After spending the last hour or so downloading, syncing, and playing, I believe fans of the Metal Gear series will enjoy this latest pocket-sized entry in Kojima’s twenty-year running dynasty of action packed games. I admit I was skeptical when I initially read about the control scheme of Metal Gear Solid Touch, but after blowing through seven levels, each more hectic than the last, I'm surprised at how well they work.
Moving your finger anywhere on the touch screen allows you to aim using a circular targeting crosshair. Tapping shoots, and to seek cover to avoid enemy fire all you have to do is take your finger off the screen. Not all enemies will be in range of your M4 assault rifle, and this is where my favorite part of the game comes in–pinching your two fingers on the screen switches weapons to the SVD sniper rifle, perfect for picking off far away enemy soldiers. Moving your two fingers apart zooms back out and Snake switches guns again for close range combat.
Power-ups randomly appear, which either give you a more powerful weapon or refill a part of your health bar. Like many shooting games, conveniently placed explosive barrels that can be used to blow up nearby enemies litter the playing field. The game quickly gets tricky, and after only a few levels in, you will find yourself frantically juggling between seeking cover and alternating between your assault and sniper rifles.
Taking down enemy combatants isn’t the only thing you have to worry about, however. Standard for most shooter games, friendly units will also randomly pop out of cover, and shooting them takes off a portion of your health bar. It really should go without saying, but if you ever find yourself caught in the crossfire between Solid Snake and a platoon of angry enemy soldiers, I would really advise getting out of there fast!
The graphics consist of pre-rendered 3D backgrounds and character models which work quite well for the game. The animations are well done, and run at a high frame rate. The music fits right in with the Metal Gear universe and the sound effects are spot-on. The loading screens are beautiful, and are totally screenshot-worthy to use as iPhone wallpaper.
Gameplay video:
[ Full HD version | Low Bandwidth version ]
My initial impressions of this game are positive, but I still can’t disregard the associated price tag. Metal Gear Solid Touch is without a doubt one of the better tap-shooters on the iPhone, but at $7.99 you’re definitely paying a premium for the Metal Gear name. Keep your eye on Touch Arcade for an in-depth review soon; in the meantime, I’ve got some more baddies to shoot.
App Store Link: Metal Gear Solid Touch, $7.99
This first impressions article was written by Eli Hodapp, a guest contributor at TouchArcade.
This is not a Metal Gear game and will never be. A shallow shooter should never ever be associated with the Metal Gear name. I will from now on do my best to forget I saw this video.
No company is ever going to glorify a series as if it's something sacred. If they can make money with it, they will. Everyone eventually sells out. They could call this Turd Nugget 3000 and if it's fun, I'll play it. True, they will score some unwarrented sales from fanatics who will buy things like toilet paper donning Solid Snake's mug, but in the end sales will still be based on the cost vs quality of the product.
Not impressed by the vid
Definitely unimpressed. Looks like it would get really boring after a couple levels. Especially if there's no cinematic scenes between levels.
Graphically pretty, but definitely gonna pass on this one, especially at 8 bucks.
Yeah, baaaaaaad game!
yay, duck hunt!
Do the enemies ever do more than pop out? Like hope around, roll, run to another position on the map? It just seemed a little boring. Only thing to mix it up were some civilians of some sort. Even the machines in the 2nd level didn't do much movement.
What they should of done was have levels a little more dynamic. Where as you clear enough, Snake would get up and start moving to another strategic spot, using video, making the levels seem more real. If you are too slow and overwhelmed, he might have to fall back to the start.
definitely not a buy
MGS is all about story. Does it have a story, how is it presented? MGS without a proper plot is no MGS
Was actually hoping to buy this.. had it been around 4.99. 7.99 is too much.
hahaha ..it's a joke right? hahahaha ..
It looks like P.O.W. on the Amiga 500. I don't understand the hype to that game. The gameplay seems boring.
oky seriously i just bought the game played few levels and now i regret my stupid decision to follow the company name with out watching any video here first.
yes the game will sell and people will buy it but only those who havnt seen the game play, make a lite version and u doom ur sale developer.
shit, i could spare my 9$ and buy many fart thingies
Don't like the price (They just sell the name).
But it looks VERY polished, WAY better than Shooter for example.
So far, the best of it's kind on the iPhone. Sound, music..fantastic.
Just the price….
Seriously, if the price drops to 4.99, but hopefully as low as 3.99, I'm buying it. Graphics are still great. And at least for once you've got a game with a story to follow. For 7.99 I could already buy 2-3 high quality addictive games.
here's my take on it based on brief play.
It's a very good version of a tap-to-shoot game mixed with sniper fire. I personally can only get so excited about that genre of game, however. And at $7.99, it's going to be hard to justify.
arn
The MGS series of games is ALL about sneaking around, avoiding shootouts if possible. It's beyond me how they can call this a true MGS game if all you do is have shootouts.
The other great thing about MGS game is the story and the way it is presented (usually through cut scenes). As far as I can tell both aren't present in this game. So again, not a MGS title.
Fan of the MGS games, not a fan of this one.
I'm enjoying it, but yes it is just another Tap and shoot with Metal Gear clothing. But really polished and I'm still playing it, so I think it was worth my money.
Oh please enough with the rubbish, dont buy it people.
i'd rather pay for a port of the original NES Metal Gear. is that impossible to do or restricted or something? uh oh, the truck have started to move…
I got it and it is what it is… I didn't expect anything like a "traditional" MGS game, but for a point and shoot, I think it's a great title. It is very polished, great music, great graphics, and boils down the MGS IV story a great deal. I have no issue paying the price, and tutorial explaining the gameplay is very well done, one of the best I've seen for an iPhone game. (And some of the least cryptic writing ever seen in a HK/MGS game…) Story is presented by way of still pics and text between the scenes.
I still think all the hype some of you make over a dollar or two in the price (or a difference in price) is ridiculous. If we were talking console games, we're talking a difference in price between something costing $25 or $30. I would much rather have this than, as someone so wittily compared it, 9 fart apps.
While I certainly don't write off $1 apps, looking at my phone's 6 pages of game apps, the number of $1 ones that stand the test of time are few and far between. Generally speaking, you get what you pay for it seems, and the ones I come back to I had to shell out a little more but (in GENERAL) get a deeper gameplay experience.
I love this game, I don't know what you guys are talking about.
It's fairly challenging, and pretty good to play when I'm bored.
Zooming in can be difficult sometimes.
After watching the video, it looks waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than I thought it would be. Very polished! Fun even — I might just buy it.
Sure they could've done better, but I still think it looks nice.
I've played MGS games and while I appreciate their qualities I never had much fun with them. I agree that you could buy a few games for this price and that is what is holding me back. It does look fun and seems to have a good and working control scheme. The thing that is bothering me from the vid is the way the enemies don't seem to do anything but shoot occasionally. I wanna see some actual enemies running around and doing stuff – might as well put some cans out there to shoot. On the other hand it does look like a fun game. It reminds me of time crisis (not the ipod one). I'll have to wait for some more reviews to get a feel for the games replayability before I take that plunge. Plus aren't quake doom and wolfenstein said to be coming out? This game will probably drop in price some day.
They're not bastardizing the MGS name. All that seems to be missing that would make it a legitimate MGS game is some lengthy cutscenes between all that tapping and shooting.
I kid!
Oh gezz…. please tell me it's not from Konami… The gameplay look so repeatedly.. doesn't seem interesting at all… It just waste the nice iphone gaming platform, and insult the name of Metal Gear…
hey there,
this game is pretty rad.
quit hating
I'll stick to my 'Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops" on my psp.
So, it's like Time Crisis / Area 51, but with Solid Snake? Well, it looks well done regardless. I'm surprised they didn't roll out a card-game.
Wild West Guns by Gameloft, is a way fun game, absolutely in my top 5 favorites. Boone thought it would be any good being a tap-to-shoot and all. So I think I'll skip MGST…….who am I kidding, I'll be picking this up after work!
Nice article HODAPP
Buying this now
Not buying it at 10 bucks. But it seems better than what I hoped it would be.
ignore this tripe buy wild west guns little sheep.
Metal Gear Duck Hunt! Sad…….
Epic Fail!
Don't know how much this information will help but… this is an advanced-release version of MGS Touch..
This isn't the full game (well, it wasn't supposed to be a full game), but according to Konami's website, those who're buying this will be able to update for *free* to the final version (the *full version).
I think what they mean is, that the final version will cost *more* than 7.99.. therfore early buyers (of this advance-release) will benefit.
Then again, that price thingy is just my theory and of what i was able to make out from the info on their website. About this release being the advance-release, i'm positive about this (its pretty clearly mentioned on their website)
And all for only 7.99!!! LOL
There's no doubt for me that the game was well designed and built. But it's just so short! I'd just recommend it to MGS fans.
This is only £3.49 in the Uk appstore, same price as I paid for let's golf (just under $6) you guys sure it $8? Had a quick blast on it at lunchtime and it seems fun so far, will have to wait till I get home to try it properly though…