As video games move from a physical-based platform, with data held in cartridges, CDs, and DVDs, to a digital platform, preservation becomes more important for fans of games that are "time-limited." Metal Gear Online was one of many online-only multiplayer titles to suffer the inevitable fate of its servers shutting down in 2012, leaving its fans without a proper Metal Gear multiplayer experience until 2015's version based on Metal Gear Solid 5.

The original Metal Gear Online released on the PS3 was bundled with Metal Gear Solid 4 and offered players classic Metal Gear Solid gameplay with others across various modes, including Team Deathmatch and co-op. As reported by PCGamesN, nine years after Konami shut down the servers, modders have found ways to bring back the Metal Gear Online service, largely due to advancements in PS3 emulation within the span of a decade.

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Titled Metal Gear Online 2, the project uses the RPCS3 emulator and its online capabilities to create custom servers for Metal Gear Online in which players can connect via the emulator. Officially announcing the release of the project, the gameplay trailer featuring online multiplayer is impressive as it shows remnants of the bygone era of Metal Gear Solid 4 that players can enjoy from the convenience of their PC. As of right now, there are three servers for players to join according to the project's website.

Players who are familiar with the RPCS3 emulator or PS3 and Xbox 360 emulation, in general, will quickly realize that players will need quite a beefy rig to play the game without major hiccups. On the website, the modders behind the project recommend an AMD Ryzen 3700x CPU, comparable with specs relative to the Xbox Series X and other demanding current-gen games. While the GPU is lenient as "anything with Vulkan support" will do, those interested in Metal Gear Online 2 will need to be aware of how much CPU the RPCS3 emulator requires to run without a hitch.

As more developers, like Ubisoft as of recently, are shutting down its servers for older titles, modders, and long time fans of the games they've spent hours, months, and even years players are finding new ways to preserve the multiplayer aspect of these titles for years to come. While PS3 emulation may be demanding for many gaming rigs, those who have the specs or are willing to dive into classic, oft-forgotten, Metal Gear Solid gameplay will want to try out Metal Gear Online 2 for nostalgia sake.

The Metal Gear Online 2 project is currently available.

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Source: Metal Gear Online 2 website, PCGamesN