Metal Gear Solid fans will be well aware of the series' emphasis on sneaky stealth action. However, Konami followed the ethos of its game a little too closely last night when its Metal Gear Online Beta failed to emerge from the shadows at its allotted start time.

　　GameSpot users reported numerous errors yesterday when the beta was due to go live. Many bemoaned the amount of time it took to download an update to the previously released beta package, while others complained about the game's failure to recognise the two keys that they had registered on Konami's official Web site.

　　Today, Konami attempted to explain the problem with different statements from both the US and European offices. According to Konami US, the volume of traffic necessitated the temporary shutdown of servers until they were able to be stabilised. Konami's UK spokesperson recommends that users, "try the Game ID/Konami ID registration process over the following days...everyone who wishes to join the MGO experience will be able to register...in the next few days."

　　While the new start date for the beta has yet to be announced, Konami will be making another update on April 23 at 7 a.m. BST (April 22 at 11 p.m. PDT). The Japanese publisher also announced that the closing date has been pushed back from May 6 to May 11 to compensate for the late start.