Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (2005) Critic Reviews

Precise aiming on the run is a little dicey on the PSP, and the loading times can be extraneous, but it's a small price to pay to get Motoko and company into your mobile unit.

While skill development is not required to enjoy Standalone Complex, the brainy customization options leave a lot of room for experimentation and, thus, lots of fun for those tired of the all-too simplistic action of "Coded Arms."

Crisp graphics and sound effects make this a fun game to play, while the voices, provided by the cast of the TV series, add credibility.

The game's missions were designed with portability in mind and the longest of them would only take an average person around 15-20 minutes to complete. Although with the short single-play, a long lasting multiplayer experience is always there waiting, granted you know a few other people with a copy of the game as well.

Holy Crap! Someone actually made an FPS game on teh PSP work.

This may indeed be the best FPS game on the PSP, but compared to the vast multitude of other FPSes available for the PlayStation 2 and other consoles, it's merely passable.

I was attracted to SAC for its style and potential, but with flawed controls and lackluster graphics, I was sorely disappointed. GITS never comes out its shell and remains just another shooter.

Stand Alone Complex may have proved to be a success on the home console market, but it feels oddly fractured on the PSP, suffering from its own shameless sense of self-importance while failing to provide any opportunistic innovation to a fairly blank and open genre canvas.

Casual shooters would be better off waiting for the next attempt at this genre or even better, check out "Coded Arms," another take on the FPS genre that offers a better, but somewhat repetitive solo game, and a much more engaging multiplayer component.

The gameplay isn't smart, the customizing RPG elements aren't very complex, and the story isn't presented with the kind of flair that Shirow Masamune's manga has inspired in film, on TV, or even in previous videogames.

The controls aren't the only problem though, the linear gameplay, poor story and repetitive levels really bog this game down.

Sluggish controls and lifeless gameplay make Ghost in the Shell worth playing only for loyal fans of the anime, and even then it isn't worth more than a rental.

I must say if you are looking for a decent action game you'd be better off with "SOCOM;" this ghost just has no legs.

Given the medium, that this is about as good as an FPS can be done on the PSP. (Aside from the retarded Tachikoma, and the ugly versions of the characters.) Which is to say, that nobody should ever, EVER make another FPS on the PSP. This game is proof of why it will never work.

Only the truly hardcore are going to be enthralled.

I want to strangle this game with my bare hands.

Though the game offers four playable characters, there was only one instance I felt advantaged by my chosen character's skill. For the most part, each character feels just like the next, the biggest difference being the shift in dialog during cutscenes.

With a lame story and boring gameplay, I got tired of Ghost in the Shell Standalone Complex in a hurry. There's also a noticeable lack of polish, with things like maps and clear objective descriptors being absent.

The plot is decent and falls in line with the complicated show, but the gameplay and in-game graphics easily slip below the acceptable line.

While the anime was outstanding, the video game port massively disappoints us with its frustrating controls, repetitive environments and lackluster combat.