Metal Gear Online Beta: launch impressions (page 2 of 2)

Sid Shuman
Game ID: vicioussid

To kill the disappointment, I whipped up this little bad boy to help us Metal Gear addicts pass the time until this Friday night, when the beta allegedly goes live (for reals this time). Enjoy, and chime in with your own time-killing suggestions in the comments!

5 Ways to Kill Time While Waiting for the Metal Gear Online Beta

Get registered.

Get registered.

1. Get your Konami ID and Game ID registered. Easier said than done, I know, but persistence will pay off. For starters, you must have a Metal Gear Online beta invitation. This is mandatory. If you've got a beta invite with a key, register on the Konami ID site and choose your Konami ID and Game ID. The process is kind of crappy, but it's not too bad. At the end, you will be informed that you must complete the process by clicking on an email link from Konami, so check your inbox. Protip: you only have 72 hours to confirm your Konami ID, so make sure you've done so or you might be locked out of the beta this Friday.

A bargain at $24.49

A bargain at $24.49

2. Secure and register a Bluetooth headset for your PS3. The PS3 doesn't come standard with a Bluetooth headset (boo!) but you can get lots of cheap ones on Amazon (yay!). And you'll definitely want a Bluetooth headset so you can coordinate with allies, chat with teammates, and intimidate enemies. Setting up a Bluetooth headset is simple on the PS3: just look for the "Register Bluetooth Device" option on the Cross Media Bar and follow the instructions. Easy!

Ugly, but just $24.99.

Ugly, but just $24.99.

3. Pick up a DualShock 3 for added rumble pleasures. The one bright spot in this Metal Gear Online beta disaster is that you'll have time to get properly equipped before heading into battle. A DualShock 3 should be the sidearm of choice: it's got a meatier feel, better triggers, and some sweet rumble action. They're a bit pricey at $54.99....but playing a Metal Gear game without the rumbling just seems wrong to us.

4. Scope out some training videos. After downloading the beta, you'll be able to watch a short, eccentric training video that will brief you on the basics of Metal Gear Online. You'll learn fundamentals, such as synching up with your teammates, finding allies and enemies during battle, and much more. It's worth a watch -- MGO has some twists compared to other online shooters.

5. Download the beta and the latest patch. Double check that you're good to go come Friday. Did you register your MGO beta key on your PS3 (it's under "Account Management)? Did you download the game? Did you log in and download the pre-release update? Did you set up your Konami ID and Game ID? Did you confirm your registration via email? If so, you should be good to go come Friday (4/25/08) night. See you guys online!



Sid Shuman
Game ID: gpvicioussid

Well, in a nutshell, it looks like the Metal Gear Online beta will be going live this Friday at 11pm. Cross your fingers, folks, and check back here on Friday for GamePro's live updates and beta impressions!

Travis Moses
Game ID: sirsolidus

Here are the details from the Metal Gear Online teaser site:

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 U.S. and European public beta test and start it once we 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) Start date: Planned for 04/25/2008 24:00(PDT). While the start is planned for the weekend, it may change due to unforeseen circumstances.
2) Beta Test closure: This will now be on 05/11/2008 at 24:00(PDT) rather than 05/05/2008 at 24:00(PDT)

IMPORTANT: Please note that your voucher code will only be valid up until 05/05/2008, so please make sure to register them by then.

Blake Snow
Game ID: theburninator

We'll see everyone on Friday (hopefully). If and when we get that chance, go easy on a brother.

Sid Shuman, 12:34am:
Game ID: vicioussid

Well, that's great. Konami has delayed the start of the US Metal Gear Online beta test. Apparently the sheer number of people flooding the servers made it impossible for Konami to "run the service to the level we expected." Konami will be making an announcement on Tuesday regarding the beta.

When the beta does go live, hopefully this week, we'll be back to deliver our blow-by-blow impressions. See you then!

Sid Shuman, 9:57pm:
Game ID: gpvicioussid

Pardon our dust: We're just getting "geared" up for the Metal Gear Online beta, getting our Game IDs and Konami IDs all squared away, and basically just getting ready to play our brains out in Metal Gear Online starting April 21st. Check back to this page often; GamePro editors Sid Shuman (Game ID: shumanji) and Travis Moses (Game ID: sirsolidus) will be updating with their thoughts, impressions, and game experiences. Chime in on the comments with your own experiences, too.

Once the Beta goes live, check back to this page for regular updates. See you soon!

Soon, the Metal Gear Online beta servers will fire into life... but only for a select group of beta testers. Basically, the idea is that we're stress-testing the game now to make sure it holds up under real pressure -- in this case, when Metal Gear Solid 4 hits stores on June 29th and eager fans start mosh-pitting onto the game servers.

It's a pretty simple concept. Included on the Metal Gear Solid 4 Blu-ray will be a Metal Gear Online "starter pack" with some five playable maps and several game modes. Downloadable expansions will apparently add new features, but we don't have firm details on when, or how much they will cost.

But that's not until June 29th. For now, we're stuck playing in a closed MGO beta with just two maps: Groznyj Grad and Bloodbath (see pictures below):

Bloodbath in the Metal Gear Online beta. Appears quite industrial and should prove to be a faster-paced match, particularly with 16 players.

Bloodbath in the Metal Gear Online beta. Appears quite industrial and should prove to be a faster-paced match, particularly with 16 players.

Groznyj Grad in the Metal Gear Online beta. This map appears to be more in style with older, MGS3: Subsistance online maps. It's a tighter, urban warfare-style map.

Groznyj Grad in the Metal Gear Online beta. This map appears to be more in style with older, MGS3: Subsistance online maps. It's a tighter, urban warfare-style map.

While you wait for our updates, you can learn more about Metal Gear Online here and here.

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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