14 DAY TRIAL // April 17 is the moment when the online beta phase for the highly anticipated Metal Gear Online launches. And there's a bit of panic going through European fans of Metal Gear because it seems that some, if not all, IP addresses from Europe are denied access to the beta site. Japanese based IP addresses do not seem to be affected by the issue.
Konami has only declared that plans regarding the European section of the beta are still being discussed and will be released shortly. It's not clear whether this means there will be a European beta or not. Earlier reports suggested the game would have a worldwide beta so that clear feedback could be obtained by the developers.
Metal Gear Online is basically a third-person shooter, which lets up to 16 players fight it out in environments that range from three or four decent-sized fairly destroyed houses to a large abandoned factory and warehouse complex complete with multiple entrances and some tunnels. Each character is customized by the player, both in terms of visuals, like the clothes he wears, the accessories and the facial appearance, and in terms of abilities, which are set by the player as Skills and subsequently enhanced by an experience system as you play. You can only choose 4 skills for each characters from a skill set that includes around 100 of them, so there's a high replay value right there.
No major characters from the series will feature in the game. The main draw here is not the lore or story of MGS but rather the quick action where you try and take out the enemy through all means before you yourself are taken out.
Konami talks about Metal Gear Online as a standalone game, but it seems that it will appear, at least at first, as part of a bundle with Metal Gear Solid 4. There's even a chance that the entire game could be available for download on the PlayStation Store immediately after the retail release. June 12 is the worldwide release date for Metal Gear Solid 4 on the PlayStation 3.