These shoes should be good for walkers with a bit of metatarsalgia, as there is plenty of forefoot cushioning to coddle the ball of the foot.  However, if you have a high arch,which contributes to this condition, it is recommended that you wear shoes with a good arch support to help ease the pain.  These have little or no arch support but may be ok with an orthotic.  The roomy toe box is nice.

Here's an update 6/18/12:  These are still comfortable after 6 months, but even though I don't wear them daily (and sometimes not for weeks), my toe is wearing a hole in the shoe (despite the roominess of the toe box).  This happens to most of the ASICS I've had.  There's a little bit of vinyl at the edge of the toe that, if Asics would extend it by just a few mm, would completely prevent this defect.  As it is, the area where my toe comes through is a soft nylon type fabric that's not as sturdy as it should be for an exercise shoe (that I do not use to exercise).  I also just noticed that the stitching around the toe is starting to come undone.  Overall, the quality is disappointing, so I'm changing my rating from a 4 star to 3 star.