Video Game Vintage Title: Metal Gear Online

Metal Gear Online

Metal Gear Online, abbreviated MGO, is a PlayStation 3 exclusive online multiplayer spin-off of the Metal Gear video game series. Τhe Starter Pack of MGO was available worldwide bundled with regional versions of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, with a standalone release only for Japan. The name Metal Gear Online is common with earlier online components for Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence and Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. Metal Gear Online's North American and European servers were shut down on June 12, 2012.

On June 13, 2013, Kojima officially confirmed that a new Metal Gear Online will be included with Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.

Metal Gear Online Gameplay

MGO allows up to 16 players to engage in online tactical warfare. Players create a character by choosing their name, gender (with the GENE Expansion), race and voice. Creating a new character requires the old to be deleted or an additional character slot to be purchased. Characters receive different performance indicators between official tournaments (grade) and regular matches (level). Both ranking systems encourage playing against higher ranked players and disfavor playing against players of equal or lower rank. Grades range from Rookie to SS+, and are influenced by performance in Survival and Tournament rounds. Levels range from 0 to 22 and fluctuate based on results in Statistics enabled battles.

Statistics are recorded for each character, as well as a Title, Awards and Match history. Based on these weekly and long term statistics, characters receive Animal Titles that denote their in-game behavior. For instance, frequently injecting enemies with the Scanning Plug (colloquially known as 'stinging') will lead to the Bee rank, while using ENVG (Enhanced Night Vision Goggles) for a specific share of weekly play time grants the Night Owl rank. An inner rank hierarchy determines which of the acquired ranks will be active.

Skills can be equipped, both manually and by registering a skill set, to enhance character abilities. They range from the straightforward, like Assault Rifle+ that decreases reload time and recoil, to more complex, like Mοnomania which effectively turns bullets into short-term tracking devices. Equipped skills level up when the character is involved in an action pertinent to the skill. Depending on their level, skills occupy from 1 to the maximum of 4 available skill slots.

Clans, mutually exclusive groups of up to 64 characters, are also supported, uniting members under the clan name, emblem and reputation. The clan's leader chooses its emblem, decides over the inclusion of clan applicants, and needs to be at least level 3, with over 20 hours online play.

As of May 27, 2009, 12 players per region are randomly assigned the Patriot rank for a week. Patriots can select the namesake hand rifle, with infinite ammo and no reloading, in all game rules except Stealth Deathmatch and Team Sneaking.