Metal Gear Online Beta: launch impressions

Join us for the Metal Gear Online beta launch. GamePro editors will be updating this article with reports from the MGO field. Check back often and stay connected on Metal Gear Online!

Sid Shuman
Game ID: vicoussid [sic]

GamePro's gone live with some new Metal Gear Online beta videos and over 70 new screenshots. We've even got some screens of Solid Snake in the new Sneaking Mission mode -- check 'em out!

Click to see all the new MGO beta screens.

Click to see all the new MGO beta screens.

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Sid Shuman
Game ID: vicoussid [sic]

4/28/08, 9:00pm: Nice! Konami thoughtfully updated the MGO Beta with two cool new features. First is a new map, Midtown Maelstrom, which is a wartorn Middle Eastern city that's quite similar to certain locations in Metal Gear Solid 4's first act. It's a well-balanced map: it's tightly laid out urban warfare. There's a solid mix of high and low camping spots, barricades, and narrow back alleys. Midtown Maelstrom is probably my favorite map in MGO so far, and it shows off the game's strengths: close-quarters combat and medium-range team shootouts. Good stuff!

The second addition to the MGO beta is a particularly juicy one. It's a new multiplayer mode called Sneaking Mission, and it's set up like a standard team deathmatch (red vs. blue teams) with one exception. A lone player controls Solid Snake, who is equipped with his fancy octocam armor, plus a tranquilizer rifle and a tranquilizer handgun. Snake's goal is to stay alive long enough to pick off (or hold up) soldiers and steal their dogtags. The soldiers, in between blasting each other, score big points for killing Snake. If enough players are on the map, a second player controls the little Metal Gear Mk. II robot. The Mk II can't kill anyone, but it can help Snake by zapping nearby enemies with its electrified whip. You can also activate its invisibility cloak by tapping X.

The Sneaking Mission update is particularly cool because it's a perfect recreation of Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid 4. If you're dying to play MGS4, playing as Snake in the Sneaking Mission mode will give you a great taste of what it's like to control him in the full version of MGS4. His controls and abilities are exactly the same. I particularly liked how his octo-cam (chameleon armor) renders him invisible to nearby enemies if his "camo index" is high enough. It's almost as if you're playing a single-player mission in MGS4...but all the computer-controlled characters have been swapped out for real humans. It's a fun feeling sneaking through backalleys as Snake, trying to pick off the other players one by one. His tranquilizer weapons are nonlethal, but can drop enemies in just a shot or two.

That's all for now, but stay tuned on Tuesday and Wednesday: we'll have new live Metal Gear Online video from the beta, plus a HUGE collection of images (some showing off Snake in Sneaking Mission). Keep checking back!

Oh, and I have to agree with Travis: the M4 with the grip attachment is the best weapon I've used so far. I also recommend the zoom scope attachment, if you've got the Drebin points for it.

More soon!



Travis Moses
Game ID: SirSolidus

4/27/08, 10:00 pm: Has anybody else tried using the M4 assault rifle with a scope and grip? It is the most effective combo for the Groznyj Grad map. Drebin Points must be turned on, and the best sniping spots are up high. Use the Man Cannons that launch you to the rooftops of the large factory, or climb one of the sniper towers in the corners of the map. From any of those positions you will have a wide visibility of enemies on the ground.

Take note that the level of your Skills affects how many Skills can be applied to your character at one time. The max number of Skill points your character can have is four. So when you first create a character, you can apply four different level 1 Skills. As your Skills level up, however, you will have to sacrifice a Skill or two. For example, my level 2 Assault Rifle Mastery takes up two points, level 1 Enhanced Lock-on is one point and level 1 Fast Movement is one point. As you can see, I only have three Skills applied to my character.



Travis Moses
Game ID: SirSolidus

The Man Cannon is a hoot!

The Man Cannon is a hoot!

4/27/08, 11:30 am: After an almost two hours of playing MGO for the first time, I am frustrated yet intrigued. The controls are my biggest obstacle at the moment. It's not like Halo, Sid keeps reminding me. You can't just run into a dogfight and spray bullets. MGO is a sneaking game, much more tactical than even Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter. I'm a first-person shooter guy, Call of Duty 4 and Halo 3 are my big games, so MGO has thrown me for a loop. There are some similarities, but let me offer the FPS crowd some tips and tricks to upgrade those MGO skills.

First word of advice: The third-person camera controls are responsive and smooth, so utilize them. You should constantly be spinning the camera around to check for enemies. Even crouch walking and moving at a slower pace will increase your odds to not get spotted. It's all easier said than done, of course.

CQC Skill Up: I recommend pointing a skill point in the CQC training. This will allow you to grab enemies and throw them to the ground for an easy kill. With any weapon equipped, hold the R1 button to perform a ground slam. It will take them a couple seconds to stand back up. Utilize this time to pop them in the face.

And that's another thing: Aim for the head. It only takes one shot in the face to down an enemy. Body shots are much more forgiving and can even take an entire clip of ammo before somebody drops. This is where aiming manually vs. automatically comes in handy. Manual aim is an over-the-shoulder view, a la Gears of War, which allows you to aim freely, at the head for example. Auto aim locks on to a target and generally aims for the torso. Auto aim is easier to control for first time MGO players, like me, but does no good against skilled players who aim manually. There are three different aim modes in MGO - Auto, Manual, and First person. Press the Square button to cycle between Auto and Manual aim.

Frustrations about how much I suck at this game aside; there's something magical about it. And I don't quite know what that magic is yet, but something has compelled me to play more. Maybe it's just the fact that I'm playing Metal Gear Solid 4 is some fashion, or maybe that it's a PS3 beta. I'll let you know with another update later this evening.

Currently, the things I'd change are:

Increase damage to torso.
Lock-on tracking should be stickier.
Increase experience gain for character skill, at least for the beta.
List is subject to change.



Sid Shuman
Game ID: vicioussid

Playing with friends in Metal Gear Online

Playing with friends isn't the easiest thing in MGO, at least in this beta. Here's how we did it:

1) Find our your friend's game ID.

2) Call or email said friend and agree to meet on a particular server and game (example: "I'm on the Otacon server, in the game called 'playhere').

3) Once you and your friend are in the same match, just add them as a friend in the aftermatch lobby. It's a button on the top of the lobby screen.

4) Now that you are friends, you'll be able to hop into each other's matches with one button press. Your friends list is under the "Personal Data" option on the main menu (how confusing is that?).

4/25/08, 5:48 pm: How the time flies! I just got out of some heated matches in Metal Gear Online. Though I'm more of a Team Deathmatch kind of guy, I was having a lot of fun in the Capture-the-Command-Points mode. My favorite tactic to capturing an enemy point is to lie down (hold X) and nudge the left analog stick to begin "the inchworm." Let go and you'll play dead while building up the capture meter. Cool!

A few other random observations: when it comes to grenades, I prefer the flashbangs because they have a much, much wider range of effect. I'm also liking Assault Rifles now (thanks to the commenter below for explaining that you can change your skills after assigning them). I find Assault Rifles dish out more damage, and have longer range, than the SMGs...though SMGs are a bit better at landing close-quarters headshots.

Close-quarters combat is definitely my favorite aspect of this game. Throwing enemies around and shooting them in the back while they stand up is just too cool. The Drebin Point customizations help add more strategy and replay value, too. And the Sons of the Patriots system (SOP) is a near-masterstroke: after you sync up with allies (hold Triangle), you'll see your comrades through walls and generally feel more connected as a team. Nice touch!

My main gripe has definitely centered around the overall interface. I figured out the convoluted menu system after a few hours, but be prepared to be baffled at first. For a console game, I'd argue that MGO is trying to do a few too many things. Keyboard macros? Nice idea, but it only clutters up the menus. Generally speaking, I'd like to see the designers trim out some of the fluff in order to make a nicer, cleaner interface. This goes double for the convoluted matchmaking system. It works, and it's flexible, but it's clear that Xbox Live is still the leader in this space.

Overall, I'm really impressed that Kojima Productions made MGO "feel" so much like Metal Gear. The emphasis is on stealthy maneuvering, watching out for approaching enemies, and ambushing lone foes. This is no pray-and-spray shooter, but a true Metal Gear game. So far, so good.

More MGO updates coming tonight, and through the weekend. Stay tuned!




Sid Shuman
Game ID: vicioussid

4/25/08, 1:57 pm: Just got out of my first MGO beta match! Had a blast in team deathmatch. Here are my character skills:

  • 1. Fast movement: I've been told this is practically crucial because the movement speed is pretty slow. Seems to help a fair bit.

  • 2. SMG mastery: Headshots are one-hit kills, so aim for the noggin! I'm using the P90, w00t.

  • 3. CQC mastery: I like to hold R1 to throw enemies to the dirt, then finish them with the pistol...but you can't do CQC unless you're unarmed or holding a pistol

  • 4. Aware: lets you spot traps and the like, and links up to friendly teammates so they'll see 'em too.

So far, so good. Definitely digging what I've played here. I still think the interface is a bit screwy, but I'll figure it out (this is where Xbox Live still has the edge). I'm also bummed that you only get to choose one character (I believe you can 'buy' more in the final version), so I guess I'm stuck with my current skill choices. Wish I'd gone with assault rifles over SMG. Live and learn...

More updates soon!


Sid Shuman
Game ID: vicioussid

Crap crap crap. Metal Gear Online went live?!? And here I am stuck at the GamePro office like a sucker. Hang tight, kids -- Travis and I will be trekking home shortly to play the MGO beta and give full live impressions. Watch this space!


Sid Shuman
Game ID: vicioussid

Good news, y'all -- the Konami ID registration site has stabilized and offers a new "Metal Gear Online -- Quick Registration" option for us gamers. Hit it up, and get ready for Friday!


Comments [135]

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elduran

sounds pretty cool i heard that in this game you can transform into a dog and stalk your enemies so that should be pretty cool i'm glad to finally see games where you can transform into animals!

pixelsword

Anyway, Good that people could get on MGO after Konami butchered the sign-up service

...I'm still trying to get in myself, but konami still has a 56 k mentality when it comes to websites... stupid website was worse than snail mail.

pixelsword

Let me state though, It's not for me...

I don't like playing Betas, I don't want buggy half-finished stuff on my console.

JuicySpock80

So has anyone been playing? Is it working? What are your thoughts? Is it worth buying PS3 over 360? I am making the choice soon and I gotta know if MGS lives up to the hype.

saosin23

its not up yet.. least for me. but i could have sworn that it releases on June 12th? Am i wrong? Thought MGS4 and MGO both came out on June 12th?

KSwizz

IMPORTANT NOTICE for all METAL GEAR ONLINE PREMIERE BETA players We would like to thank all players for their keen interest in taking part in the beta test. However, we regret to inform you that due to extraordinary levels of traffic from all around the globe, we have been unable to run the service to the level we expected. As a temporary measure, we will be deferring the start of the US public beta test until we are able to stabilize our server. We would like to apologize for all inconveniences as well as confusion caused. We would like to add that due to the above reasons, we will be making the following changes to the schedule: 1) Starting date: TBA. We will be making another announcement on 22/4/2008 23:00(PDT) 2) Beta Test closure: This will now be on 11/05/2008 at 24:00(PDT) rather than 06/05/2008 at 24:00(PDT) is this true? this makes me a sad panda... as in my gamer ID: farcical_panda

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