Metal Gear Online (PC) Review

Functionally, Metal Gear Online plays a lot like the game it's bundled with, so those familiar with the basic scope of the series will feel right at home here. Assorted weapons, gear, traps, and the like can all be outfitted to personal preferences, giving a wide array of options in combat. The humour innate in a lot of these abilities really lends itself well to the online nature of the title, and it can make for some spectacularly flashy plays and manoeuvres.

The three classes available - Enforcer, Infiltrator, and Scout - add a fair amount of variety to gameplay, giving a wealth of options for new players and veterans alike. Each specialisation has its own unique equipment and abilities suited to their various roles. While Infiltrators get upgrades helping them sneak around and secure objectives, the backline focused Enforcers get more options to deliver heavy fire from a large range.

Each role has its own unique specialities and disadvantages, and they're obvious enough that it's not too challenging to find an enjoyable one. While the game does start out with only a single loadout option, it isn't too long before additional ones are unlocked. Combined with the fast levelling at early stages of gameplay, getting a feel for each role is extremely accessible.

There isn't a huge variety in map selection, and the maps that are there don't have a particularly unique feel to them. The weather effects brought over from the main game make a return, and they do add a bit to gameplay, obstructing the view of snipers, or just reducing the ability for either team to locate the opposition. It's a cool mechanic, but one that doesn't last long in matches that aren't exactly long to begin with.

The various gameplay modes are pretty standard, including a team deathmatch style mode, and a control point mode. Both these modes work pretty well with the basic setups each player has available, but while both are pretty enjoyable, they're not terribly unique. The cloak and dagger mode switches things up a bit, with one team being focused on espionage, while the other team focuses on hunting them down. It does a lot to shake up the gameplay by offering the teams their own unique goals.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of technical issues, mostly rooted in the peer-to-peer hosting system.

While in a situation with dedicated servers, matches usually don't have much of a problem, but the peer-to-peer system utilised by MGO will simply eject everyone playing a match if the host quits, dumping every player back to the start to begin the whole process over again. While this wouldn't be too offensive if it was just an occasional inconvenience, it happens on the order of every other match sometimes. Even if the host holds out, a poor connection on that end can end up causing a lot of lag issues in games, making for a poor experience across the board.