It's been six years since the events in Snake Eater. Snake has been captured and imprisoned in an abandoned missile silo in Colombia, and with no support this time. At least, not at first. With the help of a fellow prisoner, Snake escapes and the game truly begins.
The gameplay is similar to previous console entries in the series. Snake can peek around corners, sneak up behind guards... they even carried over CQC (Close Quarters Combat) from Snake Eater.
The game's pacing and mechanics are what set it apart. The game is played out in missions, which are specific to certain areas. Most of the areas are not that large, which sometimes means seeing "Mission Complete" in only a matter of minutes. The ability to play through the game in segments really lends itself to the handheld format.
Gathering supplies is also essential due to the main new mechanic found in Portable Ops : recruiting. While Snake starts out on his own, he can enlist disgruntled guards, frustrated technicians, stubborn doctors and more. These soldiers can be used in your "Sneaking Unit" (the team you take into battle for each mission), or in one of the many support units. Missions themselves range from recon to rescue to demolitions and beyond. You can only take four troops into a mission, and usually one of them has to be Snake. However, you don't have to always use Snake during the mission, he just has to be present.
The game supports multiplayer for up to six players simultaneously, over WiFi Ad Hoc and Infrastructure, with game modes such as Team Death Match, Death Match and Capture Mission.