by Felipe Parada

 

With the release of Metal Gear Sol...I mean Survive only a month away, more and more details on Konami's new spin-off are starting to emerge. A couple of days ago Konami released a game play trailer highlighting some of the new mechanics we can look forward to. It has your typical Metal Gear story-line but gone are the stealth mechanics that were a staple in the franchise and replaced with a new survival mechanic that has never been seen in a Metal Gear Game. Regardless of how you feel about the falling out between Konami and Kojima, Konami does have big opportunity to take metal Gear in a new direction. Here are just some of our suggestions that just might help Metal Gear Survive.

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Make Absolutely No Mention of Previous Metal Gear Games

I know what you are thinking "How are you going to accomplish that if the game takes place at the end of Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes?" Well the game starts off with Mother Base being destroyed as Big Boss departs in a helicopter, you can just leave it at that. For better or for worse, The Metal Solid Gear franchise is dead and now something else can be constructed in its place. This a NEW alternate universe, a universe where The Boss, Big Boss, Ocelot, Cypher, Skullface, Liquid, Snake, Huey, Otakon never existed and it should remain that way moving forward. 

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This is a great opportunity for Konami to show everyone their vision of a new Metal Gear. I'll use the Law of Equivalent Exchange (Full Metal Alchemist reference) to best describe what I'm talking about. "One cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost." I think this is the best way to look at it. We had to give up Metal Gear Solid in order to get Metal gear Survive and Konami has to do everything possible to make it their own. But that success depends strictly on them and not associating themselves with the previous franchise even though the previous franchise is in the name. It will be a tough hill to climb but it is not an impossibility. 

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Make Me Care about My Base

More and more games have incorporated base building mechanics with mixed results. Fortnite being the most recent entry on that list, has given the player complete control over how to build and defend their base. The main emphasis on "Giving the player complete control" over our base is essential. From what the new trailer has shown us, this might be the case but with limitations.

 

Now I am not asking for a Fortnite in the Metal Gear Universe but it does look like there are some construction areas already pre-assigned to specific locations. Other items look like they are not limited to specific areas and can be put anywhere in your base. Now we haven't been shown a completely built Motherbase 2.0 but is seems like most bases will look identical and that is a bit of a letdown if that's the case. Give me the ability to make Motherbase 2.0 my own and make me care about defending my creation and not just incorporate it as a story progression tool. Let me customize the look, the feel and the layout of my base not just limiting the creation tool to just different palette colors. 

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Make Weapon Crafting Meaningful

Another game play mechanic that has been use to death with very little evolution. It looks like Metal Gear Survive will take the safe course and give us standard weapon crafting system which is ok but just make the weapons less about level and more about utility. One of the more recent games that I played that utilized this well was Dying Light. Although each weapon had is level requirement, you were given a vast array of weapons to craft that fit your play-style. I think Metal Gear Survive needs to take this approach.

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The worst thing that can happen is that each weapon, although appearing different, have a similar utility. Give me a weapon that is extremely slow to handle but packs a tremendous punch. Give me the ability to dual wield knives that cause low damage but give me such a boost in speed that it causes enemies to stagger and get stunned. Let me dismantle old weapons to make new ones with different stat boosts that range from extra bleed damage to outright blunt force trauma. I'm ok with the durability meter for each weapon but don't make the weapons deteriorate so quickly that it becomes a grind-fest just to make a single weapon. Let me survive with my weapon of choice.

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Give Incentive to Play Co-op

I am all about co-op play. Although I do agree that not every game should have the co-op treatment, logging on and playing with friends is always fun. I think that here is where Metal Gear Survive can really shine if done right. Surviving and defending your base with 4 other players can add a lot of depth to the game-play experience. But why participate in the co-op aspect of the game if there is no real incentive to do so? If the single player and co-op aspects of the game are identical then you can expect players to go solo rather than squad up and take on the hordes together. 

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One way Metal Gear Survive can remedy this is to give players added incentives for tacking co-op missions. Whether it be extra resources cash, or even skins, let the players feel that they are working toward something. You can even go as far as creating co-op community events with huge rewards. Incorporate leaderboards so we can see who is the best at survival.

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Make Microtransactions Cosmetic

Considering that the game will retail for $39.99, we can be sure that microtransactions and lootboxes will somehow be incorporated. I personally have no issues with loot boxes but if it is done right. Once it becomes pay to win, the game becomes less fun. Star Wars Battlefront 2 proved that a broken loot box mechanic can completely paralyze a game. Metal Gear Survive must avoid these mis-steps at all costs if it is meant to have a large community. Give us microtransactions and loot boxes with some cool skins and gear that I actually want to buy. Konami can actually make a lot of money off of this game if they stick to a simple microtranaction philosophy. Grand Theft Auto Online proved this can succeed with their shark cards and Konami might want to copy their formula.

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The Metal Gear Survive beta launches on January 18 and lasts till the 21st which I believe is more than enough time to see what Konami's new vision can offer us. I am definitely going into this one with a clear and open mindset but that isn't a guarantee that it will win me over. From what I saw from the trailer, Metal Gear Survive can still make the best out of a bad situation. Many gamers are still upset from the Konami/Kojima fallout and Konami has to now prove that this is not just a quick cash grab. Looks like well have to wait till the beta to get a small taste if Metal Gear can Survive.

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What suggestion do you have that might help Metal gear Survive? Leave a comment below.

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