We all knew it was impossible. There hasn't really been a precedent for this. But today it is official. The upcoming port of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots will not include Metal Gear Online.
It's not all doom and gloom. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker will keep its co-op and versus modes intact thanks to the leap to modern hardware, thankfully. Besides, isn't it still great that MGS4 is finally escaping the PlayStation 3 prison after 18 years? I felt the same way. Why do I still cry…?
No room for MGO?
IGN spotted a bummer-with-a-silver-lining through Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2's official website. The disclaimer for MGS4 notes that Metal Gear Online will not be returning. Peace Walker, on the other hand, is up and ready to use its online suite of missions. I'm glad for that, but man. Let me tell you. I have such wonderful memories of MGO's iteration of MGS4. I don't play multiplayer games much. I can literally count on one hand the number of shooters I've sampled in this fashion (and, as such, four hands max for how many campaigns I've tried).
MGO is the only different hit. Strategy was the key, yes, yes, rookies can run wide sometimes. Tactical elements were everywhere. You don't have to be a great shot to help your team, as many mods thrive on stealth stuff, which is my jam. I'm not saying there aren't any shooters on the market that require strategy; Of course there are. But the goofy-meets-hardcore Metal Gear Online, both in its MGS4 iteration and its MGS3: Sustenance debut, was simply fantastic. (MGSV's not so much. Eh.)
Now we know the names of five games that Ubisoft recently canceled
However, a couple are codenames.
If you snag Metal Gear Solid: The Master Collection Vol. 2 For the Nintendo Switch or Switch 2, you'll also get wireless multiplayer. I don't really recommend the former, but the latter console will run it just fine. You can play Peace Walker portable, as originally conceived. But on a much bigger screen, and much more beautiful, to boot.
Do you miss MGO too? We crossed paths there once or twice before the server shut down about 14 years ago. Maybe we were friends. The thing about MGS4 is, people criticize how little time we spend on its massive battlefields… and they're right. But MGO brought the Middle East and South America to life in such a delightful way. It gave me hundreds of hours in locations that took about 90 minutes worth of gameplay to reach. I will miss it.
Nintendo's Virtual Boy headset will let you play Breath of the Wild in VR
We can thank Labo for that.
