Metal Gear Solid Mobile

Metal Gear Solid Mobile was among the most ambitious attempts to bring a major console franchise to Java and Symbian phones. Studio Ideaworks3D in 2008 converted the stealth action into an isometric view, resembling a tactical top-down game more than the smooth 3D combat of the console entries, but it preserved the basic principle - sneak past enemies, use cover, and avoid direct confrontation.

The controls were adapted for a non-touch keypad: arrow keys moved the main character around the room, one key handled action and interaction with the environment, another used a weapon or piece of equipment. Given the isometric view and the display's limitations, the game couldn't offer the tension of watching cameras and shadows like the original on PlayStation; instead it relied on simpler puzzles and planning your way through individual rooms. Even so, it was a remarkable attempt to preserve the series' espionage atmosphere on hardware that wasn't up to full 3D action, and players at the time appreciated the mere fact that the theme of sneaking and evading guards fit onto a phone at all. Bringing such a major license into so simple a form was itself a bold step, since the risk that fans wouldn't recognize the series was high - but the result kept the characters and the basic plot recognizable.

The game was sold as a paid title through carrier and Java portals, the standard method of the time. Today it's unavailable - the stores where it could be bought are long gone, and the title can only be reached through enthusiast archives or emulation of older phones.

Why play it: Interesting for fans of the series who want to see an unusual isometric take on Metal Gear Solid on a phone - though today with no legal way to download it.