Look, let's be real about the PSP era of Metal Gear. Most people remember Peace Walker because it basically birthed the Phantom Pain formula. Some people remember the original Portable Ops because of the whole "is it canon or not" debate that Kojima fans love to argue about on Reddit. But then there’s Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus. It is a bizarre, standalone expansion that feels more like a fever dream or a proto-roguelike than a standard Hideo Kojima production.
It’s weird. It’s janky. And honestly? It’s kind of brilliant if you know what you’re getting into.
If you went into this expecting a deep, cinematic narrative about Big Boss forming Foxhound, you were probably incredibly disappointed back in 2007. There is no story mode here. None. It’s a total pivot. Konami took the recruitment mechanics of the first game, stripped away the visual novel cutscenes, and turned the whole thing into an endless loop of soldier hunting. It was a bold move that basically pre-dated the current obsession with "extraction shooters" by over a decade.
The Identity Crisis of Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus
Why does this game even exist? That’s the question most people ask when they see it on a shelf or an emulator list. To understand Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus, you have to remember the context of the mid-2000s handheld market. Sony was desperate to prove the PSP could handle "hardcore" console experiences, and Konami was trying to figure out how to make Metal Gear work without a second analog stick.
The original Portable Ops tried to be a main-line entry. It had the beautiful Ashley Wood motion comics and a plot that bridged the gap after Snake Eater. But the multiplayer was where the Japanese fanbase was spending all their time. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus was Konami’s answer to that specific crowd. It’s an expansion that focuses entirely on the "Infinity Mission" mode.
Think of it as a dungeon crawler disguised as a tactical espionage action game. You pick a squad of four soldiers, you drop into a map, and you have to find the exit. Along the way, you kidnap—I mean, recruit—enemy guards by dragging them back to your truck or using the "Fulton" system (which was much more primitive here than in later games).
The stakes are actually surprisingly high. If your favorite soldier dies in a mission? They’re gone. Perma-death in a Metal Gear game felt insane at the time, but it gave every encounter a tension that the mainline games lacked. You weren't just playing as an invincible legendary hero; you were playing as "Generic GRU Soldier #42" who happened to have a decent S-rank in medical skills.
Why the Recruitment Loop is Addictive (And Frustrating)
The core gameplay of Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus revolves around the "Comrades System." In the base game, this was how you built your army. In Plus, it's the only way to progress. You start with a handful of low-level grunts and have to work your way up to the legendary characters.
And man, the roster is deep. You can get Old Snake from MGS4, Raiden, Roy Campbell, and even some of the bosses from MGS3. But getting them isn't easy. You have to grind through the "Infinity Mission" on higher difficulties, hoping the RNG (random number generation) gods bless you with a rare spawn.
It's a grind. Let's not sugarcoat it.
The controls are also a major hurdle for anyone playing this in 2026. Since the PSP only had one "nub" for movement, the camera is mapped to the D-pad. It feels crunchy. It feels dated. You’ll spend half your time fighting the camera while trying to sneak up on a guard. Yet, there’s a strange satisfaction in the clunkiness. You have to be more deliberate. You can't just run and gun like you can in Grounded Zeroes. You have to lean into the limitations of the hardware.
New Additions That Actually Mattered
- The Infinity Mission: This is the meat of the game. It spans several difficulty tiers: Easy, Normal, Hard, and Extreme. Each tier adds more maps and tougher enemies.
- New Soldiers: They added unique units like the Female Scientist and the High-Speed Ninja.
- The Training Mode: Actually helpful if you want to test out a specific weapon loadout without risking your best guys.
- Expanded Multiplayer: Back in the day, the Infrastructure Mode allowed for massive 8-player battles. It was chaotic and laggy, but it had a dedicated cult following.
The "Canon" Headache
Is Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus canon?
This is the rabbit hole that never ends. Hideo Kojima has been famously coy about the Portable Ops sub-series. In several interviews, he’s mentioned that while the broad strokes of the San Hieronymo incident happened, the specific details might not be part of his "A-list" timeline. Plus makes this even more complicated because it introduces characters that shouldn't be there chronologically.
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How is Old Snake running around in 1970? He isn't, really. The game treats these characters as "special unlocks" rather than narrative participants. It’s more of a "Greatest Hits" toy box than a serious attempt at lore expansion. If you’re a lore purist, Portable Ops Plus will give you a headache. If you’re someone who just wants to see Gray Fox fight a Genome Soldier in a Soviet silo, it’s a blast.
Technical Nuances and the Modding Scene
Interestingly, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus has seen a bit of a resurgence in the emulation community. If you play this on a modern handheld (like a Steam Deck or a dedicated Retroid pocket) using PPSSPP, you can actually map the camera to a right analog stick. This transforms the game. Suddenly, the "jank" disappears, and you’re left with a very solid, objective-based stealth game.
There are also fan patches that fix some of the more egregious balancing issues. In the vanilla game, the S-rank soldier drop rates are notoriously stingy. You could play for ten hours and never see a high-level specialist. Some mods tweak these tables to make the progression feel more rewarding and less like a second job.
The game also features some of the best sound design on the PSP. The clink of a shell casing, the muffled footsteps on snow, the iconic "Alert!" screech—it all sounds exactly as it should. Harry Gregson-Williams didn't do the score for this one (it was mostly internally composed at Konami), but the music still carries that heavy, atmospheric weight the series is known for.
What Most People Get Wrong About Plus
The biggest misconception is that this is a "Game of the Year" edition of the first Portable Ops. It isn't. If you buy a physical copy of Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus, thinking you're getting the original game plus extra content, you're going to be annoyed.
It is a separate product. It doesn't include the original campaign.
In fact, the "Plus" in the title is almost a misnomer. It’s more of a "Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops - Combat Only Edition." You lose the story, the cutscenes, and the character development, but you gain a deeper mechanical loop and more units. It was a polarizing decision at launch, and it remains polarizing today.
But for a specific type of gamer—the kind who likes Monster Hunter or XCOM—the loop of "Go on mission -> Capture guy -> Improve base -> Go on harder mission" is incredibly satisfying. It’s the DNA of what eventually became the Mother Base system in Peace Walker and The Phantom Pain. You can see the blueprints being drawn right here.
How to Approach Portable Ops Plus Today
If you’re looking to dive back into this relic, don't go in blind. You’ll get frustrated within twenty minutes.
First, understand that the "Extreme" difficulty is actually extreme. The AI in this game is surprisingly aggressive for 2007. They will hear you. They will hunt you. And because the maps are small, you can get cornered very quickly.
Second, focus on your Medical and Tech teams first. It’s tempting to just grab guys with high "SENSE" or "STAMINA," but your support teams determine what items you can carry and how fast your soldiers recover from injuries. Without a good medical team, a single bad mission can sideline your best squad for an hour of real-time play.
Third, use the environment. The PSP's limited draw distance means enemies can sometimes pop in, but the game uses a "sound radar" that is actually more reliable than your eyes. Watch the ripples on the radar. If you see a large red pulse, stay down.
The Final Verdict on the San Hieronymo Expansion
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus isn't a masterpiece. It's a flawed, experimental, and sometimes tedious expansion that serves a very specific niche. It’s the "Black Sheep" of a series already full of weird entries.
However, it represents a moment in time when Konami was willing to take massive risks with their biggest IP. They turned a cinematic stealth game into a tactical recruitment simulator. It’s the bridge between the old-school "Fixed Camera" Metal Gear and the modern "Open World" Metal Gear.
Is it worth playing in 2026?
If you’re a completionist or someone who loves the mechanical side of the series, absolutely. Just bring a controller with a second analog stick and a lot of patience for the RNG.
Actionable Next Steps for Aspiring Commanders
- Check your hardware: If playing on original hardware, look for the "PSP Grip" to save your hands from cramping. If emulating, immediately map the D-pad to your right stick.
- Import your save: If you can find a save file from the original Portable Ops, import it. It gives you a massive head start with soldiers and items that are otherwise a nightmare to grind for.
- Focus on the 'Fox' Unit: In the early game, try to capture soldiers with the "Spy" ability. Placing them in certain maps will reveal the locations of hidden items and unique recruits, saving you hours of aimless wandering.
- Don't ignore the 'Naked' Challenge: For a real test of skill, try running a mission with a single soldier and no weapons. It forces you to learn the patrol patterns and use the CQC (Close Quarters Combat) mechanics, which are actually quite deep once you master the timing.
Ultimately, this game is a testament to the idea that Metal Gear doesn't always need a 20-minute cutscene about nanomachines to be interesting. Sometimes, just sneaking through a warehouse to kidnap a guy in a cardboard box is enough.