So what do we think of THIS.

So it looks like MGS is coming to 360?  Or is it iPhone?  Wii? Personally, I’m not sure its MGS4.  The web address has /mgst so maybe a trilogy?  Maybe MGS1-3 on iPhone?  Or Wii?  Or the obvious 360/PS3?  My brain is hurting just thinking about this….

Back from my MGS4 sabbatical….

Got the game on the 12th.  It was the limited edition, with the game, BD documentary disc and OST CD packed in.  I also picked up the Limited Edition hardcover guide as well.  Didn’t use the guide until after I beat the game.

I started the game on Thursday and beat it this Sunday.  I can’t remember the last time I’ve beaten a game so quickly after first purchase.  My impression of the game:  I think I can retire from gaming.  If I had to pick a time to quit playing games, for the rest of my life without buying another game, this would be the game I would pick for my swan song.  Its polished to perfection, production values are just ridiculous.  And everything in MGS comes to a perfect man-child fantasy end for me.  It’s over the top, like a Sergio Leone film but with Mechs and Ninjas and all that anime jazz.

Now I’m just hoping the rest of the Malden will finish the game, because I want to talk about this sucker without holding anything back.  Get to it, I don’t care if you’re just renting a PS3 to play it, JUST PLAY IT.

 

 

“Damn the PATRIOTS!!”

 

 

MGO: Online for tactical folks….

I figured I’d get my overall impressions of Metal Gear Online Beta done tonight.

Character Creation:

A good create a character interface.  You can mainly pick a face from presets, and customize your gear from the 4 or 5 variations they have for each category.   Apparently, EVERYONE likes to look like SNAKE EYES.  You can also select a set voice, then change the pitch to what you like.  If I had to compare it to anything, Monster Hunter Portable 2 comes to mind.  WARNING, you can’t change your equipment/character appearance after you ‘ve registered your character.  You can take off equipment (head phones, baklavas) and re-equip them, but you can’t change it to a different set.  This may change in the final version.

Skills:

Your character has 4 slots for skills.  Each skill can range from Mastery of particular weapon categories (i.e. Assault Rifles, Knives, Pistols) S.O.P. Upgrades (awareness of traps, hacking into enemy nanomachines) or CQC.  Each skill can be leveled up to a max level of 3, with added benefits at each level up.  Leveling up is accomplished by using weapons/techniques that apply to a skill, so if you have Knife Mastery+CQC, and equip a knife, you can level both up at the same time.  Apparently, CQC level 3 allows you to disarm your opponents.

Communications:

You can use voicechat or the preset audio voices for communication.  Preset can be changed in options, and are pulled up in game with the SELECT button.

Gameplay:

Basically, anything you can do in Metal Gear Solid 4, you can do in MGO.  Hiding in boxes is actually easy, since there are cardboard boxes EVERYWHERE.  CQC and squad tactics work, but if you want to go stealthy, that isn’t too hard either.  The game uses R1 for CQC, and hold down L1 to ready your equipped weapon.  You fire your weapon by pressing R1 while Holding L1.  You also have 3 aiming modes:

Auto-aim, which will have you lock on to the nearest foe, but will only aim at the body.

Over the Shoulder, which is the “shooting from the hip” mode.  Its good for quick firefights/head shots.  You toggle between Auto/OTS with the Square Button

First Person, only really good for sniping.  Hold L1 and press Triangle for FPS view.

Triangle is your action button, it will toggle your wall hugs, make you play dead when you’r one your back/stomach, climb ladders, etc.  If your idle or moving without readying your weapon, it will let you sync up with your squad.  Syncing up will allow you to know the status of your squad (i.e. you’re caught in a book trap/dead/unconscious), but also you can update the map data for everyone if you have the right skill equipped (showing trap locations, spotting enemies, etc).

Weapon and Item selection is done by either 3-slot changing (Primary, Sub, grenade/item) which will cycle through those three selected items, or a quick change which will change to the last item equipped.  You can also do the old fashion MGS weapon selecting.

I have no idea what Circle does…

Drebin Points:

This makes most games A LOT more interesting.  You earn points by kills/knocking out foes, when you get back to base (either dying or manually running back) you can buy attachments/upgrades for your equipment (scopes, grips, grenade attachments).  You only have the points for the match you are playing, so everyone starts out even every time.

Game modes:

The usual, Deathmatch, Team Death Match, Base (waypoints), and Capture the Kerotan.  The one exception is SNEAKING, which has Blue Vs Red Vs SNAKE.  Points are awarded to Red/blue for killing each other, OR Killing Snake a set number of times.  Whoever gets the most Snake Kills/normal kills wins.  To win as Snake, you have to get the set number of Dogtags from members of either team to win (harder than it seems).

You’ll know if and when you play as SNAKE, because you’ll be able to carry up to 12 weapons, AND have your skills maxed out with the moniker “LEGENDARY SOLDIER” attached.  Octocamo (press Triangle next to a wall/object to copy the texture) makes Snake invisible when he’s hugging a wall/floor and semi transparent if he’s on the move.  You can see him clear as day if he isn’t using the right camo for the situation.  Hugging a wall and having folks walk right by you is nerve-wracking and freaking great. You (as Snake) can see yourself, but everyone else sees nadah.  Also, if the game has more than 11 players, another player can play as the MK. II and assist Snake in his Dogtag mission.

My only complaint for Sneaking is that I would like to see SNAKE kills only count, that way its EVERYONE versus Snake, and it might actually encourage even better team coordination.

That’s all I can think of at the moment.  I enjoyed the beta, mainly because its a slower pace that rewards good tactics as oppose to having a itchy trigger finger.  CQC throwing a guy to the ground and stunning him with the STUN KNIFE is great.  Picking him up/dragging him to make him drop his weapon?  Even better (plus I think it pisses them off more if they’re out cold and weaponless).

Some Metal Gear to start the week….

 I just got back from Portland, where I spent most of my time in my aunt-in-law’s house as oppose to anywhere fun.  Here’s some funny stuff to save my brain….

 

And the best for last…..