Metal Gear Online Review

by Thomas Kerr - 2008/06/28 8:17am

As the long awaited Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots arrived a few weeks ago, so did the less talked about add on to the game; "Metal Gear Online". As most people who play Metal Gear Solid 4 are blown away by most aspects of the game, 2 of the main aspects being graphics and story, Metal Gear Online has a heavy weight on it's shoulders with expectation.

Metal Gear Online's gameplay is fun and fresh, it brings some new elements to the ever tiring shooter genre and is one of the few games that gives the third person shooter genre a good name. It also has functions in the game used by other popular FPS games. You can take 4 specialties per character; i.e. better CQC, faster running. These are a lot like Call of Duty 4's perks.

The actual shooting in the game feels pretty solid and the wide selection of weapons and other miscellaneous equipment keeps it fresh. You can play the game in a few different ways. You can run and gun and play it fast paced or you can take the sneaky option and try and get the jump on your opponent before they spot you. You can do this by hiding in a cardboard box for instance, a trick made famous by the legendary Solid Snake himself.

The controls in the game are easy to pick up even for newbies to the genre. They are very basic and for the "less skilled" (for lack of a better phrase) players there is even an auto aim function to make it easier for them.

The graphics are great. The character design is also something the MGO development team can boast about. However the customization options are something that is really lacking and the fact that you can only have 1 free character per account is a pain in the backside, especially for gamers who don't have credit cards or ways to pay online.



The game modes are fun to play. There is the traditional Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag modes but there is a new mode that Metal Gear Online has invented and it works like a charm. In sneaking mode there are 2 teams facing each other. While one player goes Solid Snake and one player goes Metal Gear MK. II (Providing there are enough people in the room). Snake will have to knock out or hold up players to steal their dog tags while the opposing teams will have to take out Snake a given number of times. Snake also has more agility and a much higher level of CQC than the regular soldiers. He also has a repetoire of non-lethal weaponry, while Metal Gear MK. II can use stealth camouflage and knock out enemy soldiers for Snake.

Audio is something not talked about much in online games, however Metal Gear Online does boast a medley of great music and sound effects. When you spawn in-game you can choose the music you want, for example the "Encounter" theme from the original Metal Gear Solid.

Despite all the good things about Metal Gear Online, there are some hiccups that are in need of fixing. There are glitches where you can shoot someone in the body and it will register as a headshot and vice versa. There are issues with the CQC system, and when a player gets knocked unconcious it takes a really long time to awaken. The servers are also peer to peer which means you will have to have a decent internet connection if you want to host a match. Patches will most likely fix these issues though.

All in all Metal Gear Online is a good game. Nothing groundbreaking, but it comes free with Metal Gear Solid 4. And you really can't complain if you get it for free. It's fun to play but it's more for casual gamers. Hardcore shooter fans should give it a miss if you're looking for serious gaming.



7.5 out of 10

You can watch a gameplay video here

Tommy: TPS, rather. TPS games also tend not to be for the hardcore gamers.

Tommy: Well, erikguy. It's a casual FPS, in my opinion. I do own the game, you know :P. And compare it to the likes of CS 1.6 and CS:Source. MGO has FAR more casual gamers. And it will most likely never even see the light of day on the MLG circuit.

erikguy: casual? you're kidding right? that's the DUMBEST thing Ive ever heard.

Tommy: Lol have you ever seen the MGS3 camera video? One of the best videos on youtube ever.

Resistance100: Nice review, i personally would give it an 8 simply because of fun you can have with the camera when playing with friends