Metal Gear Online – A second yet belated helping of Metal Gear Solid
When picturing board meetings about open world games, the thought springs to mind that at some point someone needs to say: ‘What about an online component?’ This is probably what went down at the meeting when they discussed on how to improve Metal Gear Solid and make the final part in the series to be the most epic anyone could hope it to be. So Metal Gear Online was conceived.
If you are looking for the Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain review you can click here.
Metal Gear Online wasn’t the first online component in the series however, as in 2008 a single standalone version was released in Japan, the servers were shut down four years later. When reading up on it, what is clear is that a lot of the ideas from that game were recycled into the latest iteration. Which isn’t a bad thing, because they add a little flavour to the matches.
When thinking about gameplay, there really isn’t much going on for Metal Gear Online. There are three different modes. The version that was launched in 2008 had at least 11 different mission types and not all of them were about aiming your gun at another player and pulling the trigger. So this version is actually a downgrade. But it’s free content and it’s not half bad.
When you start up the Online mode, you’ll be prompted a menu where you’ll choose your class. Take your time and weigh your options because once you make a choice it’s permanent. When you level up you can unlock more character slots, but until then you are stuck with the character.
The three different modes are Com Control, Cloak and Dagger and Bounty Hunter. All three modes have a time limit, which is usually set to a couple of minutes but match times can be set up to thirty minutes. Having a shorter time limit makes games less strategy orientated and more gleeful shooter fun, but in the Cloak and Dagger mode having a short time frame is actually beneficial as it’s a one hit one kill mode and the game ends when everyone dies anyway.
Com Control is all about capturing points on the map and defending them as you try to upload data. If you are on the defending post then you have to defend the posts from the enemies as they try to upload the data. When on the defending post, you have to make sure you have at least 1% left when the time runs out or you lose. If you are on the attacking position then you have to get the meter up to 100% before time runs out.
Cloak and Dagger has more of a stealth approach. Your team and the opposition will take turns in defending two data discs. Get the discs to the download point to win the match, or alternatively defend the discs from being stolen. If you are the thief then you will be cloaked and you’ll get to sneak around. But your cover can be blown and once you are fultoned out or killed the game is over for you. One kill is certain death.
Bounty Hunter is a brawl where both teams start up with 30 points. If you kill the enemy their points are deducted with every death. Every time you kill someone, you get a bounty of +1 added to your name. What does this do? Simple, should the enemy play the game tactically then they’ll seek out the most dangerous of your pack and knock them out, either by CQC or tranquilizer darts. They then have a chance to fulton your body out of the battlefield and the bounty you’ve collected will then be added to their total points. This way you can turn the tide around. The game ends when either all tickets are gone on one side of the team or when the timer runs out. The team with the most amount of tickets at the end is the winner.
When you play the matches and you do certain things, mostly killing enemies, you’ll gain experience, this will translate to levels which yield better weapons and more load out slots.
Playing this is quite fun, but it might as well have been a completely other game. It really feels like it was stapled on. Which is a shame because the modes are really fun. If you need a break from the edgy storyline of Metal Gear Solid V, then this will still your hunger. When you are looking for an addition to the lore or something that doesn’t feel jarring to the franchise then it’s best to omit this piece of content altogether.
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