Konami has announced (via Game Daily) that Metal Gear Solid Mobile is now available for download exclusively on Verizon phones. The game is fully 3D and has an original storyline takes place reportedly between MGS1 and 2.

MGS Mobile also includes online ranking system and VR missions, according to 1UP. While not as ridiculous and looking at the back of the game box for a codec number, the game does have you use your camera phone to take pictures of certain colors around you to alter Snake's camouflage. Metal Gear Solid 4, the one you're really waiting for, is coming June 12.

Got a crazy craving for that sweet ADAM flavor that all the kids are talking about, but only own a PS3? According to 1UP's Quartermann's Nostradamian prediction you might be able to get your BioShock fix soon. In the latest rotation of EGM's rumor mill, the exclusivity of the underseas fiasco has been brought into question, and PS3 owners could find themselves frolicking through Rapture sometime in 2008. However, this report contradicts the statement of BioShock's lead designer Ken Levine that the game is not PS3 bound. 2K Games, would you kindly confirm or deny this rumor?

Quartermann also has great news for the feverish fans of FOXHOUND who were upset by the recent MGS4 delay - a new Metal Gear game for the PSP is on it's way, ready to heal those wounds. Reportedly, Kojima Productions is working on the title right now, which will "take Snake back to the early days of his career." Not his career as a master of espionage, mind you, but his first career as a pastry chef in a small Rhode Island bistro.

Also rumored: Sega isn't letting the lukewarm reception of their two first next-gen Sonic games break their stride, as they're apparently hard at work on a new, "real" Sonic game. We don't know whether "real" means a return to the game's classic platforming roots, or if we can expect more creepy interspecies make-out sessions.

Konami executive Kazumi Kitaue, head of Konami North America and European ops, dropped a bombshell today saying that Metal Gear Solid 4 may move to other consoles in an attempt to recoup development costs. He also said the PS3 price drop may not turn the ship around. The natural assumption, given the console hardware technology, is that Metal Gear Solid 4 will see its day on the Xbox 360, destroying one of the final feathers in Sony's hat of exclusives.

In regards to the PS3 price cut, Kitaue unleashes the backhand with quickness. "I don't expect a substantial impact ... with $500, you can buy a person computer," Kitaue told Reuters. It's been surprising to see the mainstream media pick up on the $100 price drop without acknowledging that there is a new "better" model at the same price which caused all the calls for a price drop in the first place.

But for gamers, the first acknowledgment that Metal Gear Solid might find its way to other consoles is what's really going to shake things up. Kitaue says, "Since Metal Gear Solid was born for the PlayStation, we would like to keep it a PlayStation game. But we might have to take some steps." Whether those steps are announced this week or if this is some last ditch effort by Konami to force Sony to pony up exclusivity cash, which they say they do not do, is worth wondering about. If MGS goes to the Xbox 360 ... well, all eyes will be on Final Fantasy XIII as the last famous third-party man standing.

A Deviant Art sketch by DeltaP42 (via Myke). Entitled "we're expecting," it gets to the heart of those favoring all systems equally. One caveat: anyone who's watched the totally awesome Mario Bros. movie knows that Mario's first name isn't Super ... it's Mario. As in, Mario Mario (and Luigi Mario is his brother, natch). Got that? Check out the highlights for today:

Joystiquery
Behind the price cut: The long, strange saga of the $599 PS3
E3 2006's Wii line in real time
Joystiq hands-on: Rock BandKyle Orland eats games for lunch on new review site
Peter Moore tells Joystiq about the new warranty program
Square Enix in your pocket: DS edition
Today's most retro ad: Japanese Punch-Out!! commercial

News
GameTap Thursday: Mark Hamill Edition
Tetsuya Mizuguchi to build Virtual Tokyo in Second Life
DS game aimed at preschoolers announced -- I Did It Mum!
Matt Groening to be final boss in Simpsons game
Xbox 360 Elite on sale in Japan Oct. 11th for ¥47,800 ($390)
Blue Dragon demo scheduled for July 20th
New MGS4 trailer debuting at E3, Sony and Konami keynotes
Euro Blu-ray sales up 1000% since PS3 launch
Unreal Tournament 3 to ship with dozens of multiplayer maps
Square Enix's Last Remnant trailer debuts
Sony defends UMD, says 'future is bright'
Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles has co-op, duh?
Microsoft expands Xbox 360 warranty for red ring sufferers
EA adds dumbed down control options for Wii sports games
First look at Aquaria level editor
Bungie turns up Halo 3 heat: new details, campaign screenshot

Rumors & Speculation
Rumor: Circuit City drops PS3 price by $100 week of July 15

Culture & Community
Gnome corpse advertisement in WoW by gold farmers
Apt timing for Nintendo's pre-E3 downers
Partial list, massive E3 2007 lineup
New York Times looks at the fabulous life of video game dress-up
Counterfeiter ordered to pay Nintendo 2.5 million
Hudson admits Bomberman: Act Zero was bad

Much of this Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer, embedded above, will seem familiar from previously-shown footage (Tokyo Game Show, E3), but what's noticeable is the graphical upgrade the title has gone through since its last public sighting. Plus, clocking in at 14 minutes, you've got enough espionage intrigue to fill a half-hour TV drama. Grab some popcorn.

Snake? Snaake? Snaaaaaaaaake!?

[Via PS3 Fanboy, PlayFrance]

In celebration of the illustrious franchise's 20th anniversary and in aid of those newcomers who still find themselves saying, "METAL GEAR?!" Konami has revealed plans to re-release every modern Metal Gear title in Japan, beginning with the PlayStation's monumental (and so very awesome) Metal Gear Solid. Other titles sneaking onto store shelves will be the rug-pulling Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, culinary diverse epic Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and the PSP's portable opus, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops.

IGN notes that the games will be sold seperately, as well as in a Metal Gear Solid Collection package. Unless the included version of Metal Gear Solid 3 contains the feature-laden Subsistence disc, it would seem that the original Metal Gear warranting the celebration in the first place has been left out of the all-important loop -- a situation Snake himself is intimately familiar with. Then again, this is from the same Konami that released The Silent Hill Collection sans, you know, Silent Hill. At the very least, this disregard for roots fuels the hope for a (re)release outside of Japan.

The place may be overrun with deadly monstrosities and the overwhelming powers of darkness, but the tunes that echo throughout the hallways of Dracula's castle usually make the vampire killing ordeal worth it. Sensing that others might share the dark lord's fine taste in orchestral compositions, Konami has announced an agreement with Sony BMG Music to distribute its library of tunes through mobile service providers and online music retailers, including iTunes and Rhapsody. The deal encompasses soundtracks beyond those belonging to the obvious Dance Dance Revolution franchise, even catering to those that find the clanging pipes and grating gears of Silent Hill preferable to the latest Ashlee Simpson squealfest.

Konami also promises to make its vast history of music available for purchase on its official website, though specific release dates have yet to be announced.

[Via Konami press release]

Gamestop customers who requested to be informed of any changes to the projected retail release date of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots for PS3 have received unsettling news that the game's new expected release isn't until March of 2008. The PS3 could really use a big blockbuster like this for its second holiday season -- somebody put a bee in God of War 3's bonnet already and start some buzz because third-party developers are flaking out.

Remember to keep hope alive though, like Jack Tretton says, Sony didn't make the system for the first six months (or year for that matter) of its life, but for ten years. It'll all work itself out. We mean, look, there's still some exclusives left, there's Ratchet and Clank, Final Fantasy XIII, Lair, Super Rub a Dub, Heavenly Sword and, um, Little Big Planet. What's the Xbox 360 and Wii got? Halo 3, Mario and maybe Metroid, pffffft. Like those are going to sell systems.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

[Update: Made post more explicit and concise.]

Twenty years after the first Metal Gear game, creator Hideo Kojima is surprised he's sill working on the multimillion-selling series. This and other interesting tidbits came up in a recent interview with Kotaku. Among the relevant bits:

• Kojima reconfirms that Metal Gear Solid 4 is "aimed for the PS3" and won't go multiplatform. He suggests that rumors to the contrary persist "because 360 owners want it on 360, obviously." Take that, 360 fanboys.
• Kojima would like rumble in the new game, but isn't sure the controller technology will be available in time. As of now, the game is being built without rumble support.
  
• Will MGS4 be the last game in the series (as its predecessors were once supposed to be)? "It's really up to the users ... If users want more Metal Gear, then I will probably step up as producer, like the James Bond series does."

Also see: Kojima apologizes for lack of edible koalas in MGS3

Scott Ramsoomair's VG Cats has a new page: a Metal Gear Solid MySpace profile for "David" Snake (screen name solidsnake34). Some of the jokes are subtle; we recommend a viewing or two of Metal Gear Awesome for some clarity. (MGA may in fact not help at all, but we still recommend viewing it for a few chortles.)

In case you're wondering and are too lazy to do some minor investigation, every link on the page directs you to VG Cats' real index. If you're viewing this after April 1, the page may be gone; feel free to use this gallery below as a time capsule for the event.

As if hearing the collective cries of those tossing and turning in their beds, gripped by the nightmare of having the English Metal Gear Solid 4 cast be comprised of Pauly Shore, Gilbert Gottfried and Macy Gray, comes Konami and their announcement of the game's core voice cast. David Hayter, whose vocal chords can effortlessly grind cinder blocks to dust, unsurprisingly reprises his role of Solid Snake, lending some world weariness to the protagonist as he strangles inept soldiers, babbles into his codec and asks why nobody is telling him the damn truth. (You can sample the man's voice for yourself in the latest Kojima Productions Report podcast.)

Returning as Roy Campbell is Paul Eiding, who will once again regale you with tales of "the famous purple stuffed worm in flap-jaw space with the tuning fork," as well as mention his unusual and unexpected desire for scissors. Rounding out the core cast is Christopher Randalph playing Hal "Otacon" Emmerich and Quinton Flynn portraying the widely reviled, androgynous nudist-turned-ninja, Raiden.

With Metal Gear Solid 4's over-the-top plot still a closely guarded secret, no other English character voices have been announced. Cam Clarke ("Liquid?") seems a sure bet, as do most of the great actors from the previous games. After all, there's no indication that Hideo Kojima's PS3 game ("so far") will be anything less than an "expertly crafted and customized" experience.

(See? Our clever choice of video still leaves us in the clear in case it's a disappointment.)

[Via press release]

Snake? Snake? Snaaaaaaaaake! Check out the highlights for today:

Joystiquery
SXSW: Writing for the Next Generation of Games
Today's juiciest game video: Fruit-for-blood sound effects

News
PlayStation 3s fetching less than retail on UK eBay
Romance of the Three Kingdoms conquers Virtual Console
HDMI- and 120GB-enabled Xbox 360 Elite: all signs point to yes
Dead Rising and Lost Planet to remain Xbox 360 exclusives
GTA-made-'em-do-it 'Nut Cases' gang leader sentenced
Project: Top Secret drops the men-in-tights, goes racing instead
New goodies, and baddies, coming to Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Namco Bandai adopts Cell for arcades, Tekken 6 to be guinea pig
Square Enix party details make us want to buy a ticket to Tokyo
PS3 kicks off most successful home console launch in UK... ever
EB Games wants to sell you PS3 Time Crisis with gun
Ziff Davis Game Group still profitable but revenue declining
Ninja Gaiden Sigma > Ninja Gaiden, true or false?
Dragon's Lair bound for Blu-ray
Spotted! Xbox 360 Elite spied in assembly line
Details and pics of Wii Internet Channel final version
PS3 in Australia: AU $25 million in non-record breaking sales
The Darkness has a birth date ... June 25 US, June 29 Europe
EA launches Artwerk, 'full service' music label
Shivering Isles now on Xbox Live -- grab it before the downtime
Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core trailer -- now with more ridiculous hair

Rumors & Speculation
Rumor: Namco Bandai hard at work on three... games?
Rumor: Microsoft will publish bargain-priced US Project Sylpheed
Rumorang: Gamefly says Beautiful Katamari this fall

Culture & Community
Arcade cabinets used to hide video poker machines
Top 20 freeware shmups
Nintendo 64 tech demo videos still make us cry

If you're at all curious as to what it feels like to utterly lose all semblance of sanity, you should focus your concentration on The Impossible Quiz Deluxe. Having spent most of our morning leaping through its flaming hoops and catering to its bizarre and relentless requests, we've concluded that the sensation is not too dissimilar from having moist strands of spaghetti run through your fingers. You just can't get a grip.

Deviant Artist, Splapp-me-do, notes that the quiz is not truly impossible, though we're not convinced a mind capable of such unhinged questioning can be trusted. Regardless, be sure to give it a bash (or 29) and keep an eye out for those video game references.

[Via Game|Life]

Shortly after delivering his convergence keynote at this year's D.I.C.E. summit, the vice chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment confirmed to Gamespot that Sony's film studio would be responsible for dragging Metal Gear Solid into the cinema. "We're working with the Metal Gear guys," says Yair Landau. "It's a very cinematic game, it really lends itself to movie telling. But the question is, 'How do you translate Snake's experience into a full arc that conforms to what audiences expect on the large screen?'"

Lead Metal Gear guy, Hideo Kojima, announced the film at last year's E3, though barely any details have surfaced since then. Apart from crushing the hopes of Dr. Boll, Kojima and co. have said nothing with respect to casting, directing or script. A safe assumption sees Solid Snake strangling inept soldiers and battling at least one psychopath with a penchant for babbling about the philosophical hangups of dropping nuclear bombs ... on the rainforest. The real trick will be to provide a film more entertaining than the infamous Metal Gear Awesome (embedded after the break for old time's sake).

Landau also hinted at an Everquest movie from Sony Pictures, but declined to name the supposedly esteemed producer attached to it. If it winds up being an epic tale of elven mana dealers and over-the-top dragon chases, we'll know it was Jerry Bruckheimer.

While most American gamers know Hideo Kojima as the man behind the blockbuster Metal Gear Solid franchise, the two games he worked on before breaking out with MGS are considered forgotten masterpieces. One, Snatcher, saw a limited U.S. release on the ill-fated Sega CD. The other, Policenauts, has never been available in English.

That seems poised to change, though, as Kojima fan-site Junker HQ has just announced the completion of a five-year project to translate the game's text. Only some technical work remains before the translation is released as a patch on the newly relaunched policenauts.net, currently targeted for the second half of 2007.

Theoretically, the patch will require a CD-R, an official Japanese version of the game and a modded PlayStation to work, but emulator-compatible ISOs are sure to leak out for the less scrupulous among us. While you wait, check out the game's Wikipedia entry to get some idea of what made the game so special.

[Via MetalGearsolid.org]