Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus

Release date(s)

^JP September 20, 2007
^NA November 13, 2007
^EU March 28, 2008

Genre(s)

Stealth action

Mode(s)

Single-player, online multiplayer

Rating(s)

BBFC: 12
CERO: C
ESRB: T
OFLC: M
PEGI: 16

Media

UMD

Requirements

^{NA, JP} PSP Firmware 2.81
^EU PSP Firmware 3.03

Release chronology
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus (officially abbreviated to MPO+) is a stand-alone expansion of Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops released in 2007. The original game's Story Mode is replaced by a new Infinity Mission mode that's set shortly after the events of San Hieronymo Incident.^[1] It includes more multiplayer options such as new characters, maps, weapons, and game modes. The player's squad now have an increased capacity for up to 200 soldiers, allowing for more options such as roaming through Infinity Mission mode or fighting online using captured soldiers.

Portable Ops Plus was released in Japan in two editions: by itself and as part of a deluxe package that also includes the original Portable Ops. While the original Portable Ops is not required to play Portable Ops Plus, save data from the original can be transferred over to the expansion.

Features

The story mode within Portable Ops Plus has been removed, and a new single player mode has been added entitled the Infinity Mission, where the player must go through randomly chosen maps, looking for the advance point within the level, using the surround indicator to help them. This adds some extra difficulty, because the surround indicator can show an enemy, or the advance point. Within this mode, there are also Kerotans, which make a small croak sound, as well as briefly showing up on the surround indicator with every croak. Hidden items can be obtained using this.

The game makes much more of an emphasis on online play, with the modes from the original being used with their + counterparts, such as "Cyber-Survival+" and "Infrastructure+." During online play, rookie players will have a rookie mark, reducing the damage they get, and increasing the damage they give, making online play easier for less skilled players.

In addition, with the exception of bonus soldiers (see below), capturing any soldiers, including the main characters, will add their entries to an index explaining their role.

Multiplayer

Since Portable Ops Plus is more of a multiplayer oriented expansion, its focus is on adding new play mechanics, game modes, and characters, along with new maps. New players are able to join in on the battle using a system which was built for recruits on the battlefield to help them distinguish the enemies and their teammates, along with helping the new player to help out their teammates. Also in multiplayer, the chat room has changed from having pre-set sayings to an on the fly keyboard, giving the player the ability to type while playing.

Characters

090801124254 — A scene from multiplayer (this guy is about to blow up).

There are four new unique characters the player is able to recruit. These characters are:

Old Snake, the aged version of Solid Snake as he appears in Metal Gear Solid 4. Appears when the player clears Infinity Mission mode on Normal.
Raiden, as he appears in Metal Gear Solid 2. Appears when the player clears Infinity Mission mode on Hard.
Roy Campbell, as he appears in Portable Ops. In the original Portable Ops, this was only possible by hacking the game. Appears when the player clears Infinity Mission mode on Extreme.
Johnny, the Soviet prison guard (Johnny Sasaki's grandfather) from Metal Gear Solid 3. Dresses just like a GRU soldier, but is distinguishable due to the "J" on his balaclava and a black armband on his left shoulder (also with a letter "J"). Appears as a random prisoner in the Prison stage on Extreme.

Metal gear ops (4) — A female Ocelot soldier, a Gurlukovich soldier, and a SEAL soldier in *Portable Ops Plus*.

Portable Ops Plus also introduces various general soldier types in addition to the ones present in the original Portable Ops. These consists of various force units from Metal Gear Solid 2 (Gurlukovich Soldiers, Hi-Tech Soldiers, Tengus and SEALs), female Soviet and Ocelot Unit soldiers (the latter available only via AP scout, GPS scan or using passwords) and the arctic warfare Genome Soldiers from the original Metal Gear Solid (including colored variations obtained via a special item known as the "Heart of Justice").

In addition, each regional version of the game has its own set of local camo soldiers that can be obtained through the GPS scan feature. The Japanese version includes 47 local soldiers based on the prefectures of Japan, while the North American version has 51 local soldiers based on the U.S. states and capital. These new local soldiers have the name of their state/prefecture written in front, a map on the back and a colored camouflage pattern that varies depending on the region the state/prefecture is located, with the former type also being included in the soldier lists. The 12 flag camo soldiers previously introduced in the European version of Portable Ops are also present in the European version of Plus. Special versions of the Black Genome Soldier and the Chiba local soldier can also be procured wirelessly during Tokyo Game Show 2007.

The Japanese version of Portable Ops Plus has even more Special Camo Soldiers in addition to the retailer soldiers featured in the original that were offered in special events, resulting in over 130 soldier types.

New maps

New maps were also added in the online mode and not added in the single player mode:

REX Hangar (Metal Gear Solid)
Pillbox Purgatory (Metal Gear Solid 3, Metal Gear Online)
Ghost Factory (Metal Gear Solid 3, Metal Gear Online)
Killhouse B ('Metal Gear Solid 3, Metal Gear Online)
Killhouse C (Metal Gear Solid 3, Metal Gear Online)
Western Wilderness (Portable Ops) (previously exclusive to the European version)
Ravine (Portable Ops) (previously exclusive to the European version)

Reception

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus has received mixed reviews. According to Metacritic, the game received a metascore of 65 based on 19 reviews.^[2] GameRankings gave the game an average of 64.67% based on 25 reviews.^[3] IGN gave the game a 6.5 saying, "Unfortunately, the improvements don't outweigh the features that have been stripped away from this franchise, making this release seem unnecessary."^[4] 1UP gave the game a B saying, "Less of a sequel and more of a stand-alone expansion pack to the previous excellent PSP offering Portable Ops, Plus delivers another compelling dose of Metal Gear Solid stealth-action gameplay in an easily digestible, bite-sized form."^[5] Eurogamer gave the game a 6/10 saying, "With the story and some of the more interesting recuitment features from the original game removed and with an RPG experience system that ultimately breaks both the offline and online play, it's hard to recommend this over its forebear, even if it is cheap at half the price."^[6] Pocket Gamer was the most critical of Portable Ops Plus, giving it a 4, saying, "Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus attempts to expand the award-winning gameplay of the original but ends up a worthless cash-in instead."^[7]