Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH announced Metal Gear Online Premiere Beta for Kojima Productions’ online epic
Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has announced its plans for a public beta program across Europe for its forthcoming Metal Gear Online title for PLAYSTATION 3. Konami will release Metal Gear Online Premiere Beta via the PlayStation Store from April 17th, with online tests running from April 21st through May 6th. An all-new Metal Gear title specifically designed as a multi-player online experience, Metal Gear Online will be released worldwide as part of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots on June 12th.

The beta program will offer players a unique chance to sample the innovative multi-player experience of Metal Gear Online, which emphasizes cooperative team-based play. Those downloading the beta will be invited to explore two maps – “Blood Bath” and “Groznyi Grad” – each of which requires unique strategies in order to achieve victory.

Metal Gear Online will launch as part of Guns of the Patriots in June as a Starter Pack, comprising five unique stages: “Ambush Alley,” where trenches and sandbags litter an arena built for close and medium range combat; “Blood Bath,” a two-tier battle setting; and “Groznyi Grad,” the expansive Shagohod development complex from Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater which features human catapults that propel players to different areas of the environment. Rounding out the five stage set are the dusty, Middle Eastern alleyways found in Guns of the Patriots entitled “Midtown Maelstrom,” and the rooftop settings of “Urban Ultimatum.” Konami is committed to the release of additional Expansion Packs to be released throughout the year.

Up to 16 people can play simultaneously, with game worlds created using Guns of the Patriots’s incredible 3D engine. Retaining the classic stealth combat gameplay of the Metal Gear series, players are dropped in a series of war zones wherein different challenges await. Five game modes await players on stages that span the globe and the history of MGS: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture and Base and Sneaking missions. Additional information on Metal Gear Online and the beta program can be found at www.konami-mgo.com.