This week at the Tokyo Game Show, Konami made an appearance to show off more of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, specifically, the game's multiplayer mode, Metal Gear Online.
After creating a character, players can choose from one of three classes: Infiltrator, Enforcer and Scout. Infiltrators are stealthy players, utilizing the stealth camouflage and tranquilizer gun to take out unknowing enemies from behind. Enforcers are the vanguard, with their heavy body armor and large shields. They can push back waves of enemies to clear out an area. Scouts stay far away from combat, instead relying on binoculars and sniper rifles to gain the edge in combat.
Once you pick one of the three options, it's time to get into a match. The video Konami provided details one specific type of game called Bounty Hunter. The goal is to reduce the enemy's number of tickets to zero, either by killing them or extracting them with a Fulton balloon. However, there's an additional level of gameplay to the seemingly simple match: With each kill, a player garners a certain number of bounty points. If the opposing team can extract an enemy player with a large amount of bounty points, they can earn back a portion of their tickets.
As expected, gameplay is intense and chaotic. Aside from the usual tropes of gunfire and explosions, the diversity of the three classes allows for stealthy gameplay, as well. Infiltrators can use a variety of traps and camouflage to flank Enforcers, while Scouts ensure that additional enemies don't attempt to shoot down a Fulton extraction.
In addition, there's the buddy link system, which is activated when two players on the same team salute each other. This allows both players to easily keep track of each other even if they're on opposite ends of the map. The link also helps with tactics. One can target an enemy that's closer to their friend so that they can easily get the drop on an opponent without taking any damage.
Finally, the video had a little prize at the end. In addition to custom soldiers, unique characters from the game's story will also make an appearance, such as Revolver Ocelot, whose dual-wielding revolvers are used to make ricochet shots to reach enemies behind cover. Also, Big Boss makes an appearance with his signature mechanic arm, which can be used as a separate rocket to take out enemies from a long range.
With most players finishing up the story on Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Metal Gear Online comes at the right time to keep players hooked on the series. Those playing it on consoles will get it on October 6, but PC gamers will have to wait until January 2016 to participate in these multiplayer battles.
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