A lot of the games we’ve covered thus far have had some important lessons for multiplayer designers. The importance of proper map balancing and respawn mechanics with Sniper Elite V2. The need for proper progression systems with Dead Space 2. The way a proper balance can keep a game active long after thought dead, as with Aliens: Colonial Marines. And how not to develop a game period, with Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City.
Now, we’re at Metal Gear Solid’s latest portable title, ported over to PS3 and Xbox 360. What lesson or talking point is in store this time? Um… hrrm… …old school multiplayer is still fun? You see, despite there being some unique mechanics to Peace Walker, it’s multiplayer is actually fairly standard for the PS2 era of gaming.
There’s no progression system, save for whatever you unlock in the main campaign. Some maps have to be unlocked by playing the single-player, and they can all be strung together in a playlist like Star Wars: Battlefront 2. You can play as pretty much any skin you unlock in the campaign. There are no K/D ratios touted, not even a leaderboard (at least none that I could find). And you know what? That’s perfectly okay with me.
I love my Killzone 3’s and Battlefield 4’s where I can unlock a ton of gear and spec out all my class loadouts to fit my playstyle. Those can be done fantastically, but it seems like doing a classic style of multiplayer right is an art lost on most developers. Even games like Serious Sam 3:BFE and Painkiller: H*** & Damnation that tried to sell themselves as classic games just couldn’t resist bringing over a few newer ideas. Here, there’s almost no touch of modern multiplayer gaming.
While this also means there can be some downright unbalanced play, since some players can have vastly more upgraded gear and weaponry, there’s a weird sort of charm to it. It’s a multiplayer experience that feels completely old school. In particular, the tone of multiplayer engagements are usually much more positive.
Peace Walker has it’s own communication system, where you can preset things for Snake to say at the press of a button. What surprised me is how many people used the constructive messages like, “I knew you had it in you” after I started doing well in my first few matches. Newbies are not shunned, but welcomed. The community is very small, less than a few hundred people active at most, but those that are still around seem to just be there for fun.
There are still some of the “pro who can’t let go” crowd, but they are actually outnumbered by people just goofing around and having fun with the game. I’d always heard that Metal Gear Online had had a strong community, and now I was seeing it first hand with Peace Walker. It was heartening, especially after the more disappointing communities we have seen thus far.
That said, there’s not much else that makes Peace Walker’s multiplayer stand out. It’s fun, mainly for the same reason any sort of 2 v 2 to 4 v 4 competitive multiplayer is: goofy things happen. Someone always fits into the Oddjob role of being the MVP, and it’s all purely about that enjoyment. The modes themselves are nothing spectacular, and some of the maps even seem counter intuitive to the actual game design, but it’s fun nonetheless.
If there is anything worth saying about Peace Walker’s competitive multiplayer, it’s the way it holds your interest and curiosity. Out of every competitive multiplayer I’ve played, Peace Walker may be one of the most unnecessary games to receive a PvP mode, yet it makes it work despite its unnecessary nature.
The inherent problem to this though is that the game makes no efforts to hook you into the competitive Versus Ops. In fact, it’s entirely possible to never notice the game mode. However, it’s clear why they did this, as the game’s cooperative mode reigns king. In fact, it feels a bit obtuse to refer to the mode as a singular entity. I say that because almost all of the game’s campaign mode seems to be built from the ground up with co-op in mind.
While it lacks the elegance of Dark Souls, the same ideas are here. You always benefit greatly from calling in allies to fight boss battles. Every mission is broken down into easy chunks of gameplay, and almost every level I played allowed for more than one person to navigate the level with relative ease.
Peace Walker can be completed solo the entire way, but you benefit a great deal from having allies. Everyone brings their own specialized gear, and there’s always someone to revive you making boss fights much more manageable. There’s even a co-op formation that makes you lock in with a cooperative partner and follow their movement while you maintain control of your aim.
Once again though, there’s disappointingly not as much to speak about as I would like. The boss fights are typical “take out the weak points” affairs, even if the Metal Gear and sub-Metal Gear class bosses you fight are quite distinctive. (You’ll often fight regular tanks and helicopters). The co-op mechanics work decently but unless you and your teammates are coordinated, it almost feels more frustrating to play in co-op than by yourself.
The sheer lack of anyone using microphones (and even fewer in co-op using the quick communication system) hurts the game dramatically. While I understand an expert pair of players don’t really need to say anything, anyone new to the game is left chasing after experts who left them in the dust. It also doesn’t help that once again, balancing becomes an issue, especially if you just try matchmaking into someone else’s game.
Other than that… I don’t have anything else to say on it. Peace Walker’s a perfectly acceptable multiplayer, but it is in no way spectacular. It’s mostly positive community is the great highlight here, and makes me look forward to Metal Gear Online in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.
Prognosis
Clinging to life with all it’s might, but struggling still. Long term expectations are not good.
Lessons To Be Learned
Old school multiplayer is still fun, even if it does still have its faults.
Worth Digging Up?
If you’re reading this, you either have the MGS HD Collection and haven’t bothered trying it, or you are looking into it over whether or not it adds value in buying it. Either way, it’s a plus and something you should try, but not the major reason for digging up Peace Walker. But those reasons why are a whole ‘nother ball of wax entirely.
Next Time:
Batman: Arkham Origins