Very Tactical
Metal Gear Online for the PS3 is an updated version of Metal Gear Online that came with MGS3: Subsistance and Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. In It, you create a character, choose from a variety of skills and then throw yourself in a variety of game modes that range from TDM to Capture the Kerotan (flag). The key difference in this game than in other online games is that the controll scheme lifted from MGS4, which most people find rather cumbersome. If you deal with the game's awkward controlls or find them rather intuitive, it will offer a unique twist on common shooter conventions.
The PROs of the game come from team play and sneaking (you know what metal gear is known for?). The game has a system called SOP, in which you must salute a team-mate to activate. With it you can see the location of your teammates through walls and buildings, what they are doing, and wheather they've been, stunned, tranqed, killed, or trapped by a magazine. With certain skills equipped send more information to your team-mates about the whereabouts of traps and enemies. With the SOP system, you can coordinate with your teammates just by the information you see.
MGO is forgiving to people who want to play their own way. There are variety of skills that cater to a variety of play styles. Sneakers would want to use CQC or blades, while those who like to go gun-ho would probably want to use their respective weapon of choice's + skills. There are skills that allow you to communicate with your teammates better. The skills system in MGO is very very slow though, since you have to level up each skill by doing a specific action.
Other Gimmicks that this game has comes from its pace and from distinctive Metal Gear touches. The game is a military shooter, but it never takes itself seriously. From the fact that you have to capture a frog instead of a flag to being able to hide in a cardboard box, the game makes fun of itself and other shooters and brings a bit of personality into what would otherwise be a drab setting and game.
The game is far from perfect however. The controll scheme, while functional, is very cumbersome for a online shooter. The game may be too slow paced for some. Too much people create TDM rooms, which, while fun, isn't the best mode to fit the controll scheme, and team oriented focus of the game. These and other minor gameplay problems don't compare to awkward and backward sign up process, updating, and network quality. There is a long sign up process to get a Konami ID and a Game ID. There are little things that make that page annoying, since your ID's cant be the same name, your game ID's password's has to be Digits, and other crap like that. The process is better done on a computer browser rather than the slow PS3 browser. The network quality for me is jumpy. At first it was bad, lagging in most large game types, forcing me to stay in small matches. This wont be a problem for some or even most people, but it was for me.
All in all, the game's map offer plenty of strategy. The SOP system offers plenty of teamwork. The skills offer plenty of gameplay styles. The game is most fun playing in tune with others in team based, strategy based gameplay modes. While you can enjoy playing as the lone gunman, the action would become more dull faster. It's one of my favorite games, but go in knowing that it definately wont please everyone.
