If you have managed to avoid many of the big video-game franchises, then you may have missed a little title called Metal Gear Solid. Starting on the original NES about 20+ years ago, the story of Solid Snake is as vibrant and complex as any. The fact that some of the ideas used in the games have become staples in modern sci-fi stories and games is a testament to how well thought-out and developed the game is. Massive nuclear powered robots that are delivery systems for rival governments. Guns that are DNA tagged so that only specific people can use them, active camouflage that literally makes the user disappear into thin air and, of course, cigarettes that can help spot lasers that emanate from, well, everywhere.

Ok, so, throw all that crap out the window. Why? Because while this is a MGS game, the basic principles are abandoned. The big one being the Solid Snake is more into infiltration and sneaking than gunning, gunning and more gunning. This is a Metal Gear game only because it says so in the title and some of the names are familiar, period. Solid Snake would never engage in these shenanigans when he could navigate a much smoother route by infiltrating the enemies featured in the game.

 
"You would do well to not shop on this street."

Instead, Solid Snake goes through each scenario pinned down behind one form of cover or another. At the beginning of each level you are given a sort of scripted scene that moves the story forward and then told how many enemies you must pick off to move on to the next level. Using the touch screen you move the cross hairs around one war-torn landscape after another dispatching any number of the rival factions battling for regional control. Pinching the screen with your fingers apart and together lets you zoom in to pick off enemies from a farther distance.  

Is it fun to pop off these baddies with a scoped sniper rifle? Sure, but then you start running out of fun as the 12 levels click by. Sometimes enemies shoot back at you, and by removing your finger(s) from the screen, Snake will duck down behind cover. This is made more difficult by enemies who will slowly destroy your cover. Add to this mess, the inclusion of enemies who aren't really bad and by shooting them, it removes more health from your life bar. Looking at all enemies will show a circular ring around them timing down from green to yellow to red, red meaning that the guy is about to shoot you. Only by recognizing the constant green ring will you not shoot a non-enemy.

 
 "Reading! What does literature have to do with Metal Gear??"

Look, this is a carnival shooting game at its core. The smooth movement of the gun scope and the tapping to shoot said weapon all feel very tight and effective. I was more than surprised at how sharp the game actually looks and plays. Good use of colors, great looking environments and even some surprise boss battles make this the best looking iPod touch game I have. The pictures displayed between levels with Snake talking to various characters also surprised me with the attention to detail and vibrant use of textures.

Now just add to this a pretty smart sounding series of sound effects and music that fits nicely into the game's tempo. I found the music to be one of the game's better features and the snap of gunfire is really spot-on. This is a well orchestrated and scored game.

Gameplay: 6.7
It works well, but each level is just really a harder version of the last. None of the innovative gameplay from the console series' exists here.

Graphics: 7.8
Wow, a really good looking game, for a stand-around-and-shoot-bad-guys-type of a game. Great looking environments, smooth movements by Snake and the enemies.

Sound: 8.2
Sharp, crisp sound effects, good hero music and accompaniment.

Difficulty: Easy
This game can literally be beaten in about an hour.

Concept: 6.0
As far as a Metal Gear game goes, this one is pretty basic, none of the series' cool gameplay exists and certainly none of its style and substance.

Overall: 6.2
This is a game that will appeal to only a sliver of Metal Gear fans, it is not horrible by any means, but it could have been named anything since it really does nothing to move the series forward or even make it more involved.