14 DAY TRIAL // The launch of Metal Gear Solid 4 and of its multiplayer companion, Metal Gear Online, has generated quite a bit of buzz lately. At first it was rumored that the Metal Gear Online beta would only be open for Japanese players, letting all others in the cold before the official launch of the game in June. Now it seems that Konami is making it hard for players to get into the beta. It's almost like they didn't want a big participation.
In order to get into the beta you need to get Metal Gear Saga Vol. 2 free pre-order bonus offer DVD with an MGO Beta Unique Product Voucher Code insert. This is harder than it seems as there are very few retailers taking part in the pre-order and beta process and, furthermore, the beta keys themselves are limited by Konami.
As the official post says: "The 'Metal Gear Saga Vol. 2' DVD contains extensive original video content, which primarily focuses on the interconnected history of the 'Snakes': Big Boss (Naked Snake), Liquid Snake, Solidus Snake, and of course, Solid Snake. Additionally, the DVD contains a compilation of the MGS4 trailers to date and a special Prologue video to MGS4".
Beginning with April 17 the player then has the chance of downloading the beta client from the PlayStation Store, using the Unique Product Voucher Code. This code is only usable once, so make sure that you keep it safe, away from the prying eyes of your fellow Metal Gear obsessed friends.
After the client is installed and the clock turns to April 21 you would think you're safe to go on and play a spot of Metal Gear Online. You would be wrong. Konami says you have to take one last step. You have to get a separate Konami ID so that the Metal Gear Online Beta client can keep track of your play time and other various statistics.
So there you have it, the complete guide to getting up and running with the Metal Gear Online beta. Tell Konami, when you sign up, that we hear some guy called Snake is on them 'cause he couldn't get the MGO beta to run.