Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops - single-player hands-on

Of course, winning at any MGS takes stealth and subtlety, and holding down a button to sneak let us creep around, unheard, and get the drop on unsuspecting guards. Sound plays a bigger role than usual, too; unlike MGS3, where you had radar and sonar abilities with limited battery life, Portable Ops features an always-on, sound-based radar. It not only shows where sounds are coming from, but it also keeps tabs on how much noise you're making.

Once our brief prison escape was finished, we got a look at what the bulk of Portable Ops will look like. Unlike pretty much every other Metal Gear to date, Portable Ops is mission-based, with players traveling to assorted locations from Snake's secret base, which acts as a hub. Also unlike previous games, Portable Ops isn't a solo mission - this time, Snake needs the help of an army to succeed.

See, there's a plot at work here; a megalomaniac named Gene has taken control of an uncharted area of Colombia where a few clandestine Soviet missile bases were housed. Supporting him is a legion of renegade Soviet troops, as well as Snake's former FOX unit. To avert a nuclear catastrophe, Snake will have to turn Gene's army to his side, one troop at a time. This is done by knocking them out, at which point you'll be able to drag them to Roy's waiting truck and give them a good talking-to. So if you're one of those players who likes to take the pacifist route through MGS games, your mercy now yields tangible rewards.