TGS 2005: Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence Hands-On With Capture the Frog
Wait, capture the what? Yeah, this is definitely a multiplayer game designed by Hideo Kojima.
TOKYO--For what seems like years now--wait, it has been years--the words "Metal Gear" and "online" have engendered lust in the hearts of diehard fans everywhere. But until recently, the thought of employing Solid Snake's trademark stealth maneuvers against real people was just a pipe dream. Finally, Hideo Kojima's mammoth stealth action series will deservedly hit the online space early in 2006 with a multiplayer mode in the imminent Metal Gear Solid 3 remix, Subsistence. At the Tokyo Game Show, Konami is letting a select few try out Subsistence's competitive mode for the first time, and we couldn't resist slinking in to snap some necks with the best of 'em.
There will be a number of modes included in Subsistence's competitive multiplayer, among them deathmatch, team deathmatch, and a capture-or-defend game type called rescue. But perhaps the most compelling--or at least, the most bizarre--is capture the frog, a quirky, team-based game type that has each side vying to score points by delivering a hapless amphibian to the appropriate goal point. Naturally, Konami has chosen capture the frog for Subsistence's online debut. To veterans of common shooter game-types like one-flag capture the flag, the mode will at once seem familiar, but also unique enough that its own idiosyncrasies will emerge only after you spend some quality time with it.
Of course, before you get a handle on the quirks of capture the frog, you'll have to get used to engaging in the core Metal Gear Solid style of gameplay, in a multiplayer setting and against other live people. We've previously only employed Snake's stealth moves--which include backing up against walls to peer around corners, silently sneaking up behind foes to snap their necks, and going for headshots from covert locations--against computer-controlled enemies with notoriously poor senses of sight and hearing. Subsistence will obviously make Snake's entire repertoire of moves available in the multiplayer mode, but when your opponents can see everything you do, the focus shifts much more onto out-and-out shooting action.
Luckily, the MGS style of gunplay seems to translate well to a multiplayer setting. Subsistence is also the first Metal Gear game to offer a player-controllable third-person camera, and we got to use it when we played the game online. This basically works like in most third-person action games--you'll use the right analog stick to move your viewpoint around, which naturally makes it easier to see enemies than with the standard MGS fixed-overhead perspective.
Aside from this revised camera scheme, Subsistence multiplayer controls just like the single-player game in Snake Eater--you can shoot from the hip without any sort of onscreen targeting indicator, or you can switch to first-person view for precision aiming. Each has its pros and cons. When shooting from the hip, you can keep running while firing, but you won't have any decent way to aim at enemies (though a very loose autotarget will help mitigate this to a small degree). In first-person, you can aim precisely enough to even score the occasional headshot, but you won't be able to run at the same time, leaving you a sitting duck for anyone who's not directly in front of you. After about an hour with the game, we found it required a little finesse to know when to shoot in first- or third-person to get the most kills.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence Quick Links
Summary | Reviews | News | Previews & Features | Images | Videos | Downloads | Answers | Hints & Cheats | Forum | Check Prices
- Konami
- Kojima Productions
- Modern Action Adventure
- Release: Mar 14, 2006 »
- ESRB: Mature
Games you may like…
-
Metal Gear Solid 3
(PS2) -
MGS2: Substance
(PS2) -
Metal Gear Solid EC
(PS2) -
Metal Gear Solid 2
(PS2) -
Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes
(GC)
Users who looked at content for this game also looked at these games.
See More Similar Games
1 Comments