The multiplayer portion of Metal Gear Solid 4 has a big update now available for purchase. The “Gene Expansion” pack for Metal Gear Online is priced at $11.99 but if you pay three bucks more, you can also get an extra character slot included with it.

The expansion pack adds three maps: the urban Coppertown Conflict, underground Tomb of Tubes, and outdoor Virtuous Vista. You’ll also get two new special characters: Meryl and Johnny Akiba. That’s right, you can play female characters now (OMG gurlz in teh Metl Geerz). You’ll also have a new game mode to play around with called “Survival” where you can earn Reward Points to buy new custom gear (clothing, armor, etc.) You can also win reward points by winning tournaments or filling out questionnaires.

As I said, the expansion is supposed to go live today. Provided that no technical issues crop up. Which never happens with Metal Gear Online. Ahem, hem.