Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker does a commendable job of condensing an epic home console experience into the ever so slightly slimmer form of the Sony PSP, but how do the controls handle on a machine with just one solitary analogue stick? Read on to find out in this part of our Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker review.
Read the rest of our Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker review
Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker review
Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker review: Storyline
Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker review: Modes and multiplayer
With a multitude of weapons, a stockpile of special items and Snake’s own shifty stealth powers, it’s hardly surprising that Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker makes use of every available action button on the PSP console, as well as both the D-pad and analogue stick.
There are three control configurations available in Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker and you’ll want to experiment with them all to find out which one suits you best. The first option is referred to as “Shooter” and attempts to replicate the twin-stick approach favoured by recent home console editions of the franchise.
The analogue stick controls Snake’s movements and the four face buttons – Square, Triangle, Circle and X – act as the second stick. The shoulder triggers allow you to enter aiming mode and discharge your weapon while the D-pad is for performing actions such as crouching, reloading and opening up item and weapon menus.
The second choice is referred to as “Action” mode and this is closer to the control configuration seen in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. Here the analogue stick once again controls the main character’s movement but aiming is switched to the D-pad. This obviously means you can’t use both the analogue stick and D-pad in tandem, but the trade-off is that the L should button resets the camera directly behind Snake, making it easier to see where you’re going.
“Hunter” is the third and final control option in Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker and as its name suggests it caters for gamers raised on Capcom’s Monster Hunter titles. Ironically, this is easily the worst choice of the three on offer because as any honest Monster Hunter fan will tell you the interface in that particular game is about as much use as a one-legged man at a bum-kicking contest.
It’s possible to tinker with the controls in Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker even further, changing everything from the sensitivity of the analogue stick to whether or not your want your camera and aiming controls to be inverted or not. To the uneducated that may sound like a painful surgical procedure but in video game interface terms these choices can make or break your enjoyment. Being able to fine-tune Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker’s control setup is a definite bonus.
The problem is that no matter how far you go to customise the interface to suit your own personal taste, Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker’s controls never flow as well as they should and it’s largely down to the absence of that all-important second analogue stick. Aiming with the D-pad or face buttons just doesn’t come close – both are twitchy and lack finesse – and Konami seems to acknowledge this by including an Auto Aim option, which makes targeting enemies less of a struggle but also feels a little bit like shameful cheating.
With time and perseverance it’s possible to overcome the control issues with which Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker struggles so determinedly, but even the most experienced player will admit that in terms of interface this is far from being the ideal platform for such a title.
Read the rest of our Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker review
Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker review
Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker review: Storyline
Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker review: Modes and multiplayer
