Product Pick: Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker

     So, finally, after hours of extensive game play, I've gotten enough done on Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker to give a review.  So, lets get this thing started.
     First off, the reason this review took so long after my product pick of the MGS PW PSP bundle is the game has that much.  With so many added aspects that don't come into play until later in the game, you really have to devote your time to this game to get everything out of it.
     Being a direct sequel to Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops, this installment in the series sets up how Snake really became Big Boss, developed outer heaven, and built his first Metal Gear.  As with anything in this series, if I were to state specifics about the plot, it would give away important parts, so I'm leaving it at that.  If you are a fan of other Metal Gear games, this one is a must play, as the story and game play are of the highest quality.
     As a third person shooter, the game is good.  There are three different ways that you can set up your controls on the PSP, which one you chose really depends on your taste.  Once you have that established, you can get into the game.
     This game, as I stated before, revolves around the point of the Metal Gear story when Big Boss develops the military state of Outer Heaven, so this game doesn't just focus on the third person shooter aspect of the series.  There are heavy elements of skill-based leveling and technological advancement, so there are things to focus on besides just getting through the next mission.  And I guess that I should say its a mission based game, too, where you can play as the main character, or go back and deploy another one of your units and play through a mission again.
     The units you get are obtained through many different methods.  You start out with a few, and are able to put them in several different teams, depending on what part of the Mother Base you want to develop further.  You have a Combat team, an R&D team, the Mess Hall team, your Medical team, and an intelligence team.  You gain more "volunteers" by either spontaneous arrival, the Fulton recovery system, special missions, or by saving a unique character. 
     By far the most fun method by which to expand your crew of mercenaries is to use the Fulton recovery system.  This is a helium expanded balloon system that you attach to a unit you have knocked out or is near death.  They can either be your enemies, or sometimes you may come across POW's your enemies are holding capture.  A sort of the enemy of my enemy is my friend scenario.  They make a lot of jokes about this one in the cut scenes.
     Over all, game play is fantastic, and the visuals are stunning for a portable system.  Also, the music fits the theme.  And along with all of the extra things you can do, this game is sure to fill your time for days and days.  Don't get discouraged if you can't seem to finish a mission immediately either, go back and do some of the others, gain some more R&D time, and come back with stronger weapons, it really helps, trust me.
     So the verdict is:  Five fruit.  This game is top notch, and I'm sure I'll be playing it for years to come.