Lemme state right off the bat: this game is awesome.
You know that IGN has put the demo given to TGS attendants online, right? You can download it here:
http://psp.ign.com/articles/102/1027904p1.htmlThe installation process is really simple, also you have to have firmware 6.0.
So onto the game. Controlling the camera with the face buttons is a great decision, I've been pulling off Tranq. headshots just as easily as in MGS 3 or 4 (I barely got any in Portable Ops), and you get a nice little indicator when they fall asleep.
Also, the decision to reseparate the weapons and items menus is great (in Portable Ops you had one menu into which you could place 4 item/weapons at a time. In Peace Walker you can carry 6 weapons and 6 items, I believe).
The game is divided into missions, but it's not as open-ended as Portable Ops, all the missions are to be done in order (but you can go back and play old ones, or replay one in Co-op). The cutscenes are in full 3d sometimes, and seamlessly transition to Ashley Wood's comic-book style scenes. Your communicator is one of the more dramatic departures from the norm as it doesn't pause the game to bring it up. Your main contact, Kaz Miller, calls you and talks to you while you play the game (almost reminiscent of Splinter Cell's radio).
When you start a mission you can choose one of four loadouts: Battle Snake, Sneaking Suit Snake, Naked Snake, or Jungle Fatigues Snake. I've only tried Jungle and Sneaking (the only two with tranquilizer guns in their loadout), but their outfit also effects your camouflage index (oh yes, it's back). You can go prone or press up to walls as usual, but you can't move while doing this, it's solely for hiding yourself.
Oh, did I mention that I can't understand a lick of it because it's entirely japanese? Well, not entirely, the main menu options (Load, New Game, Delete, Options) are english, and sometimes the subtitles will have english letters (CIA, MSF (Militaires Sans Frontieres, Snake's military group in the game), BIGBOSS (yes, all one word.
)), but pressing the PS button on my PSP gives me the usual grey menu entirely in Japanese.
So yeah, get this demo if you like Metal Gear and/or amazing PSP graphics and controls. It has four whole missions, of which I've done two.
