I've just finished selecting my weapons of choice (silenced Pistol, concussion grenades and an FN P90 submachine gun...pricey but worthwhile) when my squadron begins to move out. I quickly link up with one of my fellow soldiers and he does so with me. A blue flash descends over my field of vision, giving me unrestricted visuals on the location of my entire squad. I follow suit behind one or two other soldiers, staying low, running while crouched. We keep our weapons primed, ready, but not right in front of our faces. Someone spots tracks in the mud, but we realize that these belong to a comrade, not the enemy. We split up to try and cover more ground. Moving by myself, I suddenly notice a reticle aimed right at me, with a targeting sight line drifting back over my left shoulder. Without thinking, I spin around and open fire...
Its not the best game I've ever played, and I'd much rather be delving into the single player campaign, but damn if the multiplayer isn't fun. Metal Gear Online in the vein of a more subtle type gameplay setting;rather than overly hectic constant action, its much more subdued with stealthy movement. When the shots do get fired though, players still go all out. For the game modes, there is every man for himself, team deathmatch, capture the flag and territories. I've played in 2 of the maps;one is Groznyj Grad, the setting from the end of MGS3, and the other is an industrial area filled with multiple levels including a defense tower, and many small stone barricades to hide behind (and occasionally shoot through). An additional map (the war-torn city shown in many trailers) and additional play mode (a sneaking mode involving Old Snake as a playable character) have been released, but I haven't had a chance to check them out yet. So below are some of my impressions of what I have played. Minor spoilers to follow.
-The control scheme is definitely a departure from the previous MGS games. It isn't impossible to figure out, but it is certainly not the same. Anyone interested in playing should do the training modes first. There doesn't seem to be any way to look around without holding a weapon up. This bothers me, as even though I'd mostly be looking around for something to shoot at, the weapon does block part of the picture. On the other hand, aiming is now possible in first person or 3rd person over the shoulder views (think RE4) which is a nice touch.
-The new control scheme does allow for new moves though. Snake(or any player) can now flip over when laying down and crawl backwards on their backs. You can also fire while in this position, but not while moving. While crouched, however, you can now run 'half prone' and even fire from this position. It of course decreases the chances of being seen, but also reduces your movement speed. Going back to aiming views, there is a function called 'auto-fire' which does exactly what it sounds like. It can't be used in first person view, and it won't go for auto head shots, but it is functional and I like it.
-There are a TON of weapons, including some throwback fan favorites. I already mentioned the FN P90 (used by Solidus in MGS2) but there is also the Mosin Nagant (the sniper rifle used by The End in MGS3) among others that I'll let you find out about. There are of course the classic grenades, claymore mines and magazines. I've no idea what use the magazines are in online mode.
-Visually the game is very impressive, and leaves me with the sense that Kojima has something really special planned for the single player mode. The camera takes time to adjust to light like a human iris does, even when using Night Vision Goggles. Speaking of, use of the goggles allows the camera to run quicker. I've seen trailers for MGS4 run at 60 frames per second, but gameplay in MGO seems to run at 30 (except when using the goggles). Its unclear what framerate the final game will use; perhaps they slowed down MGO because of server issues?
-The SOP system is nice and functional, but not enough people take advantage of it. Correct use will allow you to see all of your allies (even through walls, a very nice touch) at any point. There is also a skill system (more on that in a second) that allows you to see enemies you've damaged and then share that through SOP. However, the system usually gets ignored; rather than link up (a process that takes all of 2 seconds), most people just run off into the fight.
-The Skill system was a really nice idea, but I don't think its properly implemented. There is a list of roughly 20 skills that you can select from, and you get to take 4. 2 are almost mandatory, faster movement and CQC skill. If you don't move faster, everyone else will and without CQC, you lose a good chunk of moves. From there, you can augment your skills with automatics or SMGs, or pick something like 'display enemies I've damaged (as mentioned earlier) but its unclear exactly what gets augmented or by how much. And again, since no one uses the SOP linkup, it feels useless. There's no incentive to explore new skill sets or configurations. We'll see if this gets addressed in the final release.
-The game uses a system called 'Drebin points' which is similar to something the full release of MGS4 will have. The better you do (i.e., the more points you gather, usually through kills) the more money you can spend when you die. Weapons all have costs, so if you do well, you'll be able to choose better weapons (or enhancements like silencers). Conversely, doing poorly will limit your weapon choices. There are free weapons though, so you'll never be stuck with just a knife. Its not a bad system, but it does make things a bit unfair. Rewarding players who are better in the game with access to better weapons seems to undo that whole 'balance' thing. Maybe the more kills you have, the fewer weapons you can access, but you gain more overall points for the match would be a better balance setting.
-The game lets each player pick their own music. Not a big deal by any stretch, but a VERY nice touch.
Thats about all I've got for now. I didn't sink endless amounts of time into it, and I did have to contend with (minimal) connection issues. I'll keep you posted on the title. I've also heard rumors that Kojima may allow full controller customization in the final title. I don't know about the rest of you, but I think thats something that should have been a staple long ago. Every button on that controller is pressure sensitive, why not allow people to move things around in any game? Anyway, thats my 2 cents on Metal Gear Online.
-T.T.
|
