Thus, the KONAMI Metal Gear official account has made a small anniversary announcement which has attracted the attention of the entire stealth community. They have informed the public that the PSP version of Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops was released in Japan almost two decades ago on December 21, 2006, or rather, nineteen years ago. This is already quite an unpleasant fact for gamers, as it is enough to make them feel very old and question themselves: where did all those years go? However, it was not merely a post saying ‘hey remember this’. No, it was, rather, like a signal flare that commenced a huge nostalgia wave, a debate, and one very loud, very clear demand from the players: to reissue the game.
From the very beginning, the replies were nothing but a total love declaration for the handheld chapter in the life of Big Boss. Gamer Vault Gaming went straight to the point saying, “This game made me buy a PSP. I had a lot of fun with it.” That’s the power of a good portable game, buddy. It was more than just a spin-off, it became a system-seller for a group of committed fans. And Jackfrost’s comment illustrates the whole aging process of the community: “Has it really been 19 years that damn way to make me feel old.” Amen. But then he, like so many others, immediately moves to the request: “please remaster this for PC and modern consoles this in today’s machines would be sick to play.”
And that is the hymn that is heard all over the thread. The demand for a modern re-release is immense. User richmenudo was very direct: “Need this and PoOps+ in Vol 2,” he was referring to the second volume of the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection that is rumored to be coming. The sentiment is everywhere. RyuThunder asked, “We need portable ops to be included with master collection 2 alongside mgs peace walker and mgs 4 please.” Birdyrage and GalaxySurf16775 almost posted the same wishes, which is a strong indication that this is a united front. Even Retro_Master1, who did not get to play it when it originally came out, is now reversing his stance: “Never played PO. Hope it’s included in the Master Collection Vol2.”
But that is where the controversy begins. It is not just about preservation. This is about legacy, and a gradually escalating debate that has been going on for over a decade. User KVLTofPOP made a bold declaration with a statement that will surely provoke discussions: “Portable Ops > Peace Walker.” They recognize that there are not enough characters in a tweet to elaborate, but the stance is crystal clear. For them, it is not even a competition. This touches a long-running discussion among hardcore fans about which handheld Big Boss adventure is the best one.
LegaZy! stepped in to support PO’s narrative importance, asserting that it has been wrongly overlooked. “Big Boss getting the idea of Outer Heaven and the establishment of Foxhound is way more fascinating than gist of PW’s plot,” they declared, and added a crucial gameplay detail: “Also you can crawl when lying down; that’s quite good too!” Sometimes it’s the little mechanics, right?
Nonetheless, the most thorough vision for a return came from Adin 🇧🇦 (Bosnian_Grit). In a series of threaded tweets, they elaborated a full remake, not just a remaster, plan. They mentioned following the Delta approach (that’s the MGS3 remake), reintroducing some Phantom Pain mechanics, and tweaking the soldier-capturing gameplay to make it less of a drag—literally. “I would definitely love to see this happen,” confessed GhosthoundInc, and after getting familiarized with Adin’s ideas, you literally start to fantasize about it too.
SAMURAIVIBEZ underscored an essential plot point that probably a lot of casual fans are unaware of: “Gave us Cyber ninjas back story. At least the one I refer to when I bring up Gray Fox.” This game is rich in canonical glue that binds the saga as a whole together, so its current unavailability is a huge problem for story fans.
Undoubtedly, not every response was a profound analysis. POBREMA_X revealed a personal connection: “Released on my birthday 🍷🗿🙌🏽.” And thawingfrog just simply said with a festive image that is, honestly, a mood, “Merry Christmas.”
However, the underlying message is hard to ignore. The official tweet worked like a magnet, drawing in everyone who sneaked around on that tiny PSP screen with fondness, everyone who thinks this chapter is greatly underrated, and everyone who just wants to finish their Metal Gear journey. The message to Konami is very clear and surprisingly united across a fandom usually characterized by its… passionate disputes.
