ONCE I’ve got to the end of Metal Gear Solid 4 single player, I’ll be able to comment (I’m only on Act 2 due to the nuisance that is GCSEs) but one game tucked on the massive new title is Metal Gear Online. Move over Call of Duty 4, the new online addiction has come. That’s if you manage to get to the actual stage of playing the game. When you first get to the screen, the game asks you to register a Game ID and Konami ID. After much nail-biting and head-banging, that was done and I was ready to roll, except I needed to create a character. A simple, but deep, set-up gives you enough customisation of the character itself, while still being able to fit in with the aesthetic of the game. Setting up a match and joining is very easy, and the support for clans is a nice addition to the game, although you’ll have to earn it first. So with everything sorted, it’s off to one of the five maps offered in the starter pack. A war-torn area, with shelled houses and nice touches like cardboard boxes (if you’re a Metal Gear Solid fan, you’ll appreciate them), the environments will be familiar to anyone who has played a war game. The graphics hold up very well, just like MGS4 does and, online, the game runs superbly, with no slowdown at all, which is a problem with other Konami titles like Pro Evolution Soccer. If you’ve mastered the single player game, then you’ll be fine online, with the controls being exactly the same, which benefit people new to the series. But those impressions last for five seconds. The first thing you hear is the screams of an online buddy being shot. If you decide to run into the open, get ready for a lead-filled death, as although the game has a slow pace, you need to have your wits about you. Indeed, normally the best players are the ones you don’t see until they’ve put you six feet under. The game modes are your average fare of Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture The Flag and, the most fun, sneaking mission. Sneaking mission sees you take the role of Snake, the Metal Gear Mk2, or the other players vying for points and trying not to meet Snake. He has to knock the guards out and steal their dog tags, but he has a suit that can adapt to his environment, making him almost invisible. The Metal Gear MK2 IS invisible, and, get on the wrong side of it, it can electrocute you. Not the normal recipe for fun, but fun it most certainly is. There are problems though. The game's huge areas are brilliant for big team battles, but when there’s only four or five, there’s very little action and too much twiddling your thumbs waiting for Johnny the Fool to wander into your sight. The biggest bone of contention for more trigger-happy players will be the slow pace. There’s a reason that the series tagline is “Tactical Espionage Action” and it shows. You’ll need every inch of cover and every drop of patience to eek out the game’s pleasures, but if you manage it, there are very few games online that match it.
What's on 
