Firstly it is very important to state how different a game this is. It’s not a First Person Shooter (FPS) like CoD4 or R:FoM, it plays a lot slower and requires a lot more strategy and very importantly is team focused.

The game works from the 3^rd person like SOCOM, this can be quite difficult to adjust too if you’ve been used to playing FPS. The game also relies heavily on stealth, like The Metal Gear games always have.

The game requires far too many ID’s to be created as has been previously noted and can make it really difficult to locate PSN buddies. It also has a rather absent party creation facility and doesn’t allow buddies to join in on ranked games together. There are options for voice chat but a lot it appear that due to the low audio quality not a lot of people are using it. This makes team gaming very difficult as you cannot share information about enemies easily.

The game has a lot of links via PS3’s web browser for Community pages, Online Instruction manual, MGO homepage. Sadly these links can run rather slowly through the PS3’s browser but are also accessible through a PC browser. I’ve not tried this yet but will add my findings when I do.

When the beta first started we were given access to 2 game maps:

Blood Bath: Small level with gantries and an underground section. Works brilliantly for general death matches but is a little confined for Team games in my opinion.

Grozygrad: (a level from the end of MGS3), with loads of sniping points and two catapults for launching soldiers to higher points. This level is huge and allows for all different menthods of attach from ground warfare, sneaking and sniping. Amazingly detailed and well designed.

Additional Map (added 30/04/08) Midtown Maelstrom: A more varied battle field set in a town, with various locations for snipers and ground troops. A few back alleys that traps can be set in or ambushes be made from..

Death Match (DM) – A free for all, where the person with the highest score wins.

Team Death Match (TDM) – Two teams working against each other for highest number of kills. Each team is allocated Tickets (lives) and these count down as people die. The winner can either be the team with the most number of tickets left when time runs out or if the a team reaches zero first they lose.

Base – The aim is for two teams to dominate a map by capturing bases located around the map. The team with the most number of bases wins or when all bases are captured by one team.

Capture (the frog) – This requires two teams to capture either a yellow rubber duck or a green frog and return it to there base. If a team captures both and takes them to their base the counter ticks down quicker. If both teams capture one of the above items and return it to there base then the ticker resets.

Sneak (added 30/04/08): Two teams fight against each other whilst also on the look out for someone playing as Old Snake (if over 11 player 1 player also controls Metal Gear MKII to assist Old Snake).

The teams win if they either take Snake out a number of times, or Reduce each others tickets to zero. Snake wins if he manages to collect 3 dog tags from the warring factions. This can be done by putting the enemies to sleep either with CQC or via sleeping darts and then searching the body for a dog tag or by doing hold ups. Old Snake is equipped with a stun rifle and pistol, stun knife and M4 Rifle. He also has the wonderful Octo-camo which allows him to blend in near seamlessly with his surroundings. 

Metal Gear MKII is the little robot helper of Snake and has digital camo that makes him nearly invisible and the ability to shock enemies thus rendering them unconscious (which disables the camo for a couple of seconds). When used to assist Old Snake it makes the game a lot more intense, but he is easily damaged. Snake is also easily spotted if not in camo or in the wrong type.

This game mode is by far my favourite as it gives you a real feel for how MGS4 is actually going to play like.

Drebin points: Drebin is the arms launder in MGS4 and appears here as a way for you to buy different weapons and add on including scopes and silencers. These are opened as your points increase from kills. These can then be traded to upgrade your tools of destruction. This mode also allows for the most powerful weapon in the game the SOP distabliser. This if planted in a base will incapacitate all of that team. I can tell you it’s not a pleasant experience but I’m yet to use it myself.

Mastery: This like the perks system in CoD4 were by equipping certain traits makes you better with certain weapons or have specific SOP skills. There is a maximum of 4 skills can be equipped. Or upto a maximum of 4 point depending if your skills have gone passed level one. The mastery level is dictated by using the specific skill as it needs to be. So running with Fast move equipped will cause this skill to improve.

I’ve no idea what this stands for yet but it’s a way that team mates can be linked together to allow information to be shared with each other. This is brilliant for being able to see team mates through solid surfaces as they appear as a coloured outline. Also the Exposure mastery causes the enemies to appear in their team colour if hit.

This system does have a down side and that is that if everyone is linked, all the opposition have to do is inject a plug into a captured enemy to see where all the enemies team is.

Clan Creation and community:

As I’ve previously stated this game needs a party mode and more easy integration into PSN ID’s. This would help with the creation and maintenance of already active clans.

At the moment you can create / join a clan after playing for 5 hours. When you’ve created a clan you can manage the members and change who can edit logos and who the leader is.

The clan logo is created using either a preset Insignia or by using the Pixel editor to create your own logo. Sadly during the beta you have to wait and extraordinary long time before you can upload and edited logo.

Community side has options for searching for players by the Character name or from your play history. Sadly friends have to added people from both sides it isn’t an automated process and is a little laborious and could lead to digital stalker in the game. Thankfully there is a bloc list, and search options for finding Character names but this requires the person to be logged into the beta before they can be added.

There are also options to send in game messages to each together but only from the menu and not whilst actually taking part in a game but a message icon and noise appears when a message is received. These messages can only be seen when in the game sadly and not on the PSN.

There are also personal stat options to be able to see how you’re achieving as the game progresses in each mode. Sadly I’m not sure this function is fully working as I’ve seen my own Rank move up and down on numerous occasions without any good reason. It’s also not clearly explained how these ranks are calculated. You also have an option to view your rank against everyone else who’s playing. This can some time be a good thing but quite often you file you’re actually at the bottom of a very big pile of players.

The ranking option is also there for clans but is only an activeness ranking at the moment in the beta.

This can be done with a headset but with VoIP that is worse than a very bad CB radio (poorer quality that both Washawk and CoD4). R:FoM is still the bench make for this, why does every other company find it so difficult?

Text messages can be typed or sent via F keys as shortcuts can be set under the options.

The final option is to use the quick select options. These are done by pressing Select and 2 directions on the digital pad. Sadly I’ve found this a bit faffy and would prefer to chat via Open Mic. But when used in conjunction with SOP system it allows you to see where these messages are coming from and can work really well. Maybe I need to practice with these a bit more to have a better understanding!?

Is stealth the key?

The MGS games always rely heavily on stealth and sneak tactics. This online version is no different and to certain extent is the only way certain matches can be played. You have the option right from the start to equip a cardboard box and hide. This can be great for ambushing enemies as they walk past the box you’re sitting allowing you to take them from behind [pfft].

The oil drum is another piece of stealth equipment that has been added. This allows for the same type of movement but is also slightly more protective due to bullets bouncing off it’s metal surface. Whilst in a drum you can also put it on it’s side and roll through enemies. This can be very effective but leads to your character having to throw up after the experience, which can leave you open to being shot in the head when you stop.

Snake and MKII have camo that can be used to great effect as has been mentioned above.

One of the levels also has stinky bins you can hide in which can be used as a way to surprise enemies by jumping out of them.

Knock out or knock off? You have a  choice to make do you put an opponent to sleep, either via Close Quarters Combat (CQC), chocking, A tranquilizer pistol or sniper rifle, stun grenades or gas mines. These can all be used to stop enemies from re-spawning the way you do when killed. In certain capture matches this is the best option.

It’s also the only way as Snake you can collect dog-tags from enemies, because if they’re dead they don’t leave any.

Kill’s can be done by various methods including; handguns, assault rifles, shotguns, sniper rifles, grenades (including white phosphorus), claymore mines, explosive barrels and cars.  

These kills are needed to reduce the tickets for DM & TDM games but why not stun people first then kill them. This way you get double the points.

My personal favourite trick is to lay smutty mags down that enemies get entranced by and then stun them with a pistol. They can then be easily picked off with headshots. Which works as a nice way to improve your stats but can leave you open as you try to plant the mags.  

Stun knife can be used either to stun enemies when charged up or to stab them to death. You are in theory able to slit a captured enemies throat but sadly I’ve never managed it.

There are quite a few issues with this beta that mainly involve lag issues and this seems to be being done deliberately to allow someone to have an advantage and make them virtually unstoppable. This is a real shame as it makes the game frustrating as you fire shots into someone who is actually were they appear and then to get shot / stabbed in the back. There is also an issue with bullet lag in general, this seems to happen in every game I play but not everytime (strangley). You can fire bullets into someone and they don’t die straight away, this can also lead to you dying even after the opponent is dead. As there appears to be a lag from the bullets being fired to them connecting as a hit / kill. This can also see you dying twice once where you were killed and then as soon as you respawn. I have no idea why this happens but is damn frustrating.

CQC doesn’t work properly maybe is due to my pad being broken due to drifting issues on the stick as every time I grab an enemy I simply throw them rather than being able to capture them. I have only managed a gator role once and to little effect. The punch, punch, kick very rarely seems to connect with the enemies. I have never managed to do a throat slit with the knife but I have managed a few human shields. I cannot simply explain these problems away though and they need addressing.

The issues with a lack of party option need to be resolved or people will go back to other games like CoD4 or R:FoM, which have them.

The stats need to be looked into and I’m aiming to do a bit of manual stat counting to see if it’s working as it should be.  

The controls take a while to get used to and due to my PS3 pads being far from new thus not everything works as it should. I resorted to using a PS2 pad via an adaptor due to the sticks drifting. But the button on the PS2 pad are passed there best so bit that require specific pressures being used don’t work or aim drops out because the button no longer thinks it’s being pressed.

I’m hoping this game comes packaged with a Dual Shock 3 as I will need to buy a new pad anyway, as all my pads seem to be passed their best.

I think I need octopus hands to be able to play this properly as I’m not fully happy with where all the buttons are mapped to. I really hate having Auto-aim on [] and would prefer this as Reload which is on (). First person mode movement seems slow and having to tap /\ to go into is a bit of a chore. There also appears to be no Six-axis functions that were promised. Whilst on the Six-axis tip I really hate having to wiggle the stick from left to right to escape a capture or wake up, why can’t I shake the pad? I’d rather do that than wear out my sticks more than they already are.

The L2 & R2 buttons are fine as they have always been used in this way since MGS1.

I really do like this game but the above issues need to be looked into and resolved or I can’t see myself playing as much of this game online as I’d have liked. Currently all my buddies appear to be playing GTA4 so trying to get a good group of buddies to play and communicate together is difficult.

A massive event for Sony EU and was held in the O2 Stadium / dome in London. There was quite a few speaches made and lots of prodcuts on show. Sadly I've only been experiencing stuff 2nd hand.

There have been a few 1st hand experiences and I'll be adding info on them soon including my First Play of Haze, Hollywood Bowling.

I've also managed to get everyone addicted to a little known PSP game Beats. More info coming soon. Well when the MGO beta is no longer taking my time up. 347th in the world for Sneaking woooooo!.

So far I’ve only been through the offline version of the demo but I was relatively surprised by how nice it is. Haze is yet another FPS but the main selling point for this is not the guns but the Nectar drug that the soldiers take to enhance their abilities.

The controls and gfx are standard FPS fair but they still look rather nice. The story appears to be the beginning of the game and gives you a good introduction into the world of Haze. I’ll let you know what I think to the 4 player online co-op when I get chance to test it later this week.

I was expecting a game in the vien of Uncharted and have been surprised that it plays out more like an interactive movie than anything else.

The Demo but you in the role of Jason Bourne but sadly sans Matt Damon. The demo gives you three different level styles to try. Run and punch / escape mission set with Bourne and his red bag from Bourne: Identity. Which features a boss battle and having to escape sniper shots. You get thrown straight into the action which was a little disconcerting at first due to the fact that not much of the controls are explained but are relatively simple. The only issue was the action sequences that require you to press a button quickly or be captured. The fighting is simple but looks like the close quarters fighter that are a signature of the films.

The second level is a run and gun mission which allows you to shoot ot puch your way through to another boss battle.

The third is a chase sequence which starts in Paris with the girl he later goes on to have a relationship but with him avoiding the police in a red mini. Sadly this part is the least special of all the parts I played.

My first impression was it’s nice but I’m not going to rush out and buy it, would certainly have a go on a rental copy though.

A friend told me I really should check this out and to my amazement it’s a brilliant collection of truly random mini-games. None last much longer than 30 seconds but are alsorts of strange from etering number, turning combination locks, collecting cheese as a mouse, making burgers.  The list seems endless and I only had a bash on about 30 games. I’ll provide a full review soon but from what I’ve played it’s very much a Sony version of Warioware.

Now I cannot say how damn amazing this game / tool is. I say game but I have played very little of it due to the fact that it’s basic beatami (ie rhythm matching button presses). You can also play this with music stored on your Memory Stick duo. Works well with DJ Shadows remix of the Uncharted theme.

The reason I call it a tool is that it allows you to make your own music using a collection of loops and samples and setting them up to play, which allow interaction in changing thing as they go.

I’m not the only one to have fallen madly in love with this as every friend I’ve shown it too and allowed them to play with has had to have my PSP wrestled back off them.

These have been anticipated for some time what I didn’t expect was that they would also be playable in splitscreen multiplayer and not just online. There are 4 maps in total:

Killhouse: Set in the training level from the beginning of the Story mode. A rather small area perfect for offline or small number of player games.

China Town: A rabbit warren of a level with loads of routes through shops and houses.

Creek: Which should be called snipers paradise as it is just that. A creek that can be used for sniper to shoot at each other. Al well as a few building and a tunnel. Loads of green and grey and very different from any of the pervious multiplayer levels.

Broadcast: Set in the TV station from the Story mode and a lot of fun a real mash of playing styles from running and gunning to Sniping.

Another map for Warhawk, but this one is on ice. I sadly have had very limited play but was impressed with the dogfight on it. There is also supposed to be a new APC vehicle. Allowing lots of troops to be transported at once, a bit like the drop-ship but on land. This also come equipped with a shield that cannot be penetrated by the enemy.

Go! Messenger PSP, Headset via PSP Remote. I managed to get a bargain and pick up a Headset as part of a package with SOCOM on the PSP but until I was able to get someone else with a Headset I wasn't able to test it.

Go! Messenger came free with an update of the PSP's firmware,. It's an application that sits on the XMB and can be used for chatting with fellow PSP owners (via Headset, Cybershot camera, or Talkman Mic & headphone) or even to a PC that has the software installed.

The Headset is quite nice the earphone clip over your ears and have a sponge pad on them and a plastic bendy mic from the left ear. Sadly you need the Remote for this mic to work but the headphones can be used for gaming and sound far better than the PSP speakers.

The software it's self is a basic messaging tool but does allow for Voice chat & video chat. It also allows for text chat but could do with a precitive text system like the PS3 has to save time. You can also record and send voice and video messages.

The sound quality is comparable to mobile phones but does have a 0.5 second lag but that's not such a big issue.

I'm aim to have a fuller test soon with the video fuctions. But from what I've found this could work as an alternative to having in game XMB for the PS3 or be used as a repleacement for the poor quality chat of certain PS3 games.

As something that came for free I can't complain.

I'd love to say what this firmware update di but sadly I can't seem to find any information other than "improving stability of certain online titles". Which ones you may well ask, sadly I have no clue other than it's not GTAIV according to the US Sony blog.

If I find anything special I'll let you know.

Well they have been ghuge this week and I'm still working my way through a couple of the demos from last week.

It appears that SCCE are finally starting to get their acts together and are providing it's European customers with content that has been lacking for months.

All regions seem to have had a drop of content. HK has the Siren: New Translation demo sadly in spoken English but Jap subtitles and menus.

The US got a PSP demo for Secret Agent Clank and a PS3 demo of Dragon Ball Z and Overlord.

I'll add some first play opinions soon.