you really don’t want to be, be it either work, a doctor’s office, a waiting room,

or worse yet your mother-in-law’s house, and thought to yourself, “I really wish

I could be playing Metal Gear Solid right now but I don’t have my PSP or Playstation

Vita.” Well, if you are like me, you wish you were playing Metal Gear Solid all the

time. Too bad you have to constantly remember to bring those cumbersome handheld systems.

Well, you are in luck, for Metal Gear Solid is actually right in your pocket, if you have

an iPhone, with Metal Gear Solid Touch. This game faithfully recreates the entirety of

Metal Gear Solid 4, but in a more portable and accessible form.

Just like in MGS4, you play as Solid Snake, now known as Old Snake. And you have to stop

Liquid Ocelot from taking over and bringing down society. The game does make a radical

change in terms of gameplay. You know how intense it was, sneaking past enemies, hoping

your camo index is high enough that the enemies don’t notice you. Well, there isn’t any

of that here. Instead, the game has been completely streamlined to work with the iPhone.

Snake will always be under cover. It is not until you place your finger on the screen

will he pop up ready to shoot. You place your finger, and then slide it to the enemies.

The badguys will pop out and have a countdown until they fire, giving you time to aim and

shoot, all done with a tap. If the enemies are too far away, you can switch to the SVD

Sniper Rifle. The gameplay is very quick and responsive, both key elements for making a

game as addicting as this. You will find yourself replaying missions over and over, just trying

to earn a better rank. Your rank depends on your speed and precision, so you will want

to learn.

You will also want to play more to learn more about the story. Even though I’ve beaten

Metal Gear Solid 4 probably around 14 times now, I’m still interested in seeing the

story unfold. And now, it is in little bite sized pieces of text that take only a couple

seconds to read. The entire game is here, with the boss battles, the levels and all

the encounters, so it feels like just another way of playing the same great game.

Metal Gear Solid Touch does something truly amazing. It takes a series known for a particular

gameplay style, removes it and make it a simple shooter, but remains the same greatness. It

is highly addictive and fun, allowing Snake to always be right by you.