Despite these flaws, it’s hard to deny that once you’ve got your KONAMI ID and you finally get matched up for a game (or if you simply jump into an unranked server) everything looks gorgeous and plays just as nicely, with the control system perfectly balanced between sneaking and going loud. Best of all though, especially for an online game, it never feels unfair; you always feel like you have some kind of chance to climb the ranks, whether it’s through avoiding confrontations all together with your trusty cardboard box or taking a chance and snatching that lucky headshot. It’s critical that MGO always feels somewhat balanced and that you’ve always got the opportunity to get the upper hand because any online game that doesn’t pull that off, especially with the complexity of MGO‘s gameplay, isn’t worth your bandwidth.

So then, conclusions. It looks incredible, the gameplay is some of the deepest I’ve seen in an online shooter, and you always feel like a good team player when you’re hooked up to the SOP and dishing out orders to each other over the radio system (which is available to everyone, even if you don’t have a headset; just tap Select and tap the appropriate buttons on the direction pad to dish out any order from “Let’s go” to “I need backup” or even to apologise).

It’s a smart game that encourages strategy while dishing out some relentless thrills, with some of MGS4‘s musical score on hand to ramp up the tension and the excitement. Overall, MGO is one of the most complete online games out there and I’m not surprised that there were originally rumours that it would be sold as a separate game as there’s content to warrant at least a £20/$40 purchase price, the same as Warhawk. Essentially, the £40/$60 you pay for MGS4 is netting you two games for the price of one, and in MGO you’ll find what I consider the last word in team-based online shooters.

Metal Gear Online mixes the excellent control scheme of Guns of the Patriots with some extremely balanced gameplay and a team-based element that’s second-to-none, positively encouraging you to work together with your teammates, and it genuinely pays off every single time. It’s tense but exciting at the same time, especially with Snake and the Mk. II thrown into the mix, and as an online experience it’s extremely hard to beat. Just make sure you’re hooked up to your teammates, keep an eye out for the transparent pensioners, and you’ll be fine.

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