Metal Gear Online Beta (PS3)

A look at what Konami has in store for the online world of Metal Gear.

If you were one of the few thousand people who managed to secure a code to play the beta for Metal Gear Online--via a Metal Gear Solid 4 preorder, PlayStation GAP registration, or other means--then you probably already know by now that the setup process is less than elegant, requiring you to register two different names (one for a Konami ID and one for the in-game ID) and two different passwords, one of which can only contain numbers. Then there was the whole issue of having to download the game from the PlayStation Store and then download two patches from a not-so-speedy source.

But just to be clear, this is a beta and by no means is it necessarily reflective of how the final version of Metal Gear Online will turn out (at least, we're hoping). That being said, when you do get through the setup marathon and finally get the game going, it’s surprisingly quite fun; it not only gives a pretty good idea of what you can expect from the final product, but also what you can look forward to when Metal Gear Solid 4 ships in June. Let’s have a look.

Character Creation
The first thing you’ll do in the Metal Gear Online beta is customize a character. You won’t be able to make a soldier quite as elaborate as Solid Snake; rather, your character will look more like the standard enemies from Metal Gear Solid 4. Still, there are a surprising number of customization options--you can put different articles of clothing on your head, upper body, lower body, chest, waist, hands, and feet. There are also slots to add two different types of accessories, such as ski masks and sunglasses; you can also determine the color (or camo) for nearly all of these things. Once your character is done, you won’t really be able to change him around all that much aside from adding or subtracting accessories.

One more important thing to note about character creation is that you will also have an opportunity to pick four skills that level up based on how you use them. For example, if you have assault rifle master selected, then that skill’s growth coincides with how often you use the AK, M14, or any of the other assault rifles in the game. There are also skills for close-quarters combat (CQC) mastery, throwing (grenades) mastery, trap mastery, scanning, and target alert--just to name a few. Your character also has a separate level rating (we’ve seen them as high as nine), and when you reach level four, you’ll start getting insignias representative of your level.

Match Types
There are five different match types to choose from in the beta--deathmatch, team deathmatch, capture mission, base mission, and sneaking mission. The first two options are self-explanatory, but it’s worth noting how big a difference there is between the two in terms of what you can and can’t do. Since deathmatch is just one giant free-for-all, you won’t have as many opportunities to use CQC because you simply won’t have that much time to grab onto another player and either throw him down or choke him out before another players comes along and shoots both of you in the head. Conversely, in team deathmatch, there’s generally a good chance that you’ll have other players watching your back, so if an enemy does come along, they may be taken care of by one of your teammates.

Capture and base missions are spins on the typical team deathmatch. Capture requires you and your team to grab a Kerotan frog back to a base area and secure it for a certain amount of time. Base mission is somewhat similar in that you have to hold and secure points on a map, but over the course of the battle, control on these points can constantly switch back and forth, so some pretty decent teamwork is required. Sneaking mission still pits two teams of players against each other, but with one important difference that’s explained below.

The SOP system color codes players so you can see them running around on the map.

There are three maps in the beta, including one from an early level in Metal Gear Solid 4.

Sneaking Mission
Sneaking mission deserves its own category because it’s the only mode where one player can play as Snake and another can play as the Metal Gear Mark II. One thing that’s immediately clear while playing as the so-called legendary hero is that he’s much faster than any of the other soliders in a match and his CQC attacks are far more potent. Interestingly, however, Snake's main goal isn’t to kill as many other players as possible (though that’s an option), but rather put them to sleep with tranquilizer darts from his pistol or rifle and take their dog tags. Of course, doing exactly that requires you to use a good bit of stealth, which is why Snake’s octocamo comes in handy, allowing him to blend into the background, thus masking his appearance to other players. It also takes a good deal of patience in some cases, but there’s nothing more satisfying than patiently waiting on the ground, only to have an enemy soldier back into Snake, giving him an opportunity to throw the soldier to the ground and knock him out. Additionally, Snake can also drop girly magazines (an easy way to immobilize an enemy), hide in boxes and barrels, and use the Solid Eye for radar. Still, even with all of these things at his disposal, it’s not easy trying to single out one solider to take down, knowing that his teammates are close by and ready to help out at the first sign of trouble.

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And this is where the Metal Gear Mark II (the tiny robot seen in so many Metal Gear Solid 4 trailers) comes in. The MKII can whisk around any map under camo and stun unsuspecting enemies with one of its tentacles--it’s really fun to use, but it takes some practice in getting the timing of the tentacle shock on a moving target down right. This is definitely one of the best modes in the beta

A Typical Battle
Aside from deathmatches, a typical Metal Gear Online beta battle begins with some players using the SOP system, which automatically links you up with other players on your team, allowing you to see them as they move around on the map. When the beta first started, players would typically just run off in different directions, but now, teams do a much better job of staying together and using group tactics. Grenades are also steadily becoming more and more popular as a means to clean out an area, which is probably due to the fact that people are becoming a little more familiar with the grenade tossing mechanic that is similar to the one found in Gears of War. There are still quite a few players that use CQC as a primary means of attack, running around the map with only the stun knife equipped. These players can be hard to deal with if you’re new to the game, for the simple fact that it’s pretty hard to hit a target that’s essentially running circles around you. A few players here and there are also using magazines, but more should probably be using them considering how useful they can be when placed in a main entry point. At any rate, players are developing new and interesting tactics with each day--it’s just too bad that the beta will be closed on May 11. After that, you'll have to wait for the release of MGS 4, which includes a Metal Gear Online starter pack.

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Hitting snipers can be pretty difficult, but the first-person mode makes it a little easier.

When you get knocked to the ground, you can either try to get up or simply roll onto your back and open fire with the pistol.

The magazines make it easier to run and use CQC on other players.