metal-gear-solid-4 posts (Subscribe to this feed)

Metal Gear Solid 4's hero as a 3D Dot Game Hero

by JC Fletcher { Nov 3rd 2009 at 2:15PM }

One poster at Hachimaki didn't keep us waiting at all for a custom 3D Dot Game Heroes version of Metal Gear Solid 4's Old Snake. The game isn't even officially released in Japan yet! But this artist got hold of a pre-street-dated copy and set immediately to work on an Old Snake avatar in the game's character editor.

Snake will have No Place to Hide in the wide-open, blocky expanses of 3D Dot Game Heroes' kingdom, but he'll presumably be able to compensate with a combination of Close Quarters Combat and Long Distance Swords. Update: See a video after the break.

[Via Andriasang]

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TGS 2009: Kojima toyed with shocking, 'transforming' controllers for MGS4

by Randy Nelson { Sep 25th 2009 at 5:32PM }

In one of a series of videos released by Microsoft of developers offering their thoughts on Project Natal, Kenichiro Imaizmu, producer of the Metal Gear Solid series at Kojima Productions, revealed that Hideo Kojima had been leading the design of a custom controller for use with Metal Gear Solid 4.

As Imaizumi described, the ideas were figuratively -- and literally -- shocking. "We tried running electric shock waves, install a pulse reader ... we also tried to build a controller that's receptive to the strength of the [player's] grip," he divulged. "We tried a lot, even a transforming controller." While it's too bad the truly shocking DualShock will never see the light of day, at least we may now know where Nintendo got the idea for its pulse reader: Kojima's dumpster ...

Back to the video, Imaizumi also extolled the virtues of Project Natal, mentioning its ability for gesture, voice and color-based interaction. But, as far as we know, Natal doesn't have the ability to zap players with electric shocks. That's just never gonna happen. (Uh-oh ... did we just say -- yep. Never say never again.)

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SCEE Platinum line expands, includes Resistance 2, Killzone 2

by Andrew Yoon { Sep 8th 2009 at 3:15PM }

The European budget line of "Platinum" titles has expanded quite significantly, adding four new titles for the low price of £19.99 / €29.99. The collection now includes Metal Gear Solid 4, MotorStorm: Pacific Rift, Resistance 2 and Killzone 2.

We're a bit jealous of our European friends, as games rarely get the "Greatest Hits" label so soon. Killzone 2, for example, released just a little over six months ago. However, it makes sense to drop the price of these games, especially Killzone 2, so soon -- there are a lot of new PS3 owners out there, hungry to try out the system's greatest games.

Buy one PS3 game at BestBuy.com, get a second for 50% off

by Ben Gilbert { Sep 7th 2009 at 10:15PM }

Here's our big, greedy idea: Buy one of the 140 PlayStation 3 titles being offered in the current BestBuy.com deal for a lucky friend's future Christmas present, and get one for ourselves in the process for half the price! Dealzon spotted the sale we're selfishly taking advantage of over the weekend, which also offers free shipping until the end of Labor Day (that's tonight, folks!).

Thankfully, the deal offers more than just clearance titles -- last week's Guitar Hero 5 and system-selling Metal Gear Solid 4 are among a the handful of good stuff on the list (if you buy GH5, you could technically get a free copy of Guitar Hero: Van Halen as well, upping the value even more). According to the folks at Dealzon, the offer ends on Saturday, September 12, so you may want to get while the gettin's good.

[Via Dealzon]

Kojima Productions 'not ignoring' Trophy requests

by Andrew Yoon { Aug 7th 2009 at 11:15AM }

There's only one thing some people want more than a brand new Metal Gear Solid game -- and that's a Trophy patch for Metal Gear Solid 4. Kojima Production's premiere PS3 game launched over a year ago, long before Sony required the addition of achievements to all games. The latest Kojima Productions podcast talked a little bit more about Trophies: "I just wanna tell everybody out there right now that your voices are being heard and that we're not ignoring you. We hear everything that you are saying. It's just that we can't say anything just yet. But as soon as we have something to say, we will announce it. So, if we can just ask everyone to be patient, we will give you an answer."

We're not exactly sure what's taking so long to announce whether or not the team is working on a patch. A one word answer -- a "yes" or "no" -- would certainly appease those that have been anxiously waiting.

[Via The Examiner]

Konami game revenue dips during fiscal Q1, Snake nowhere to be found

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Aug 6th 2009 at 1:57PM }

Snake?! Snake?! SNAAAAAAAKE?! news now with Konami's financial results for its first quarter (which ended June 30, 2009) showing a notable decrease in revenue, both company-wide and within the video game sector. Edge reports that overall revenues sank 21 percent to $535 million, while sales accrued from video games dropped 50 percent to $103 million. A 45.1 percent slide in net revenues within the digital sector to $258.6 million was attributed to the gradual sales withdrawal of 2008's lucrative PlayStation 3 exclusive, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, as well as "changes in the economic environment."

Konami reportedly sold 2.96 million video games during the quarter, the majority of which were not Metal Gear Solid 4 and 860,000 of which were soccer games. The publisher plans to have a stronger showing during the second half of 2009, thanks to titles like Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, the latest iteration of Pro Evolution Soccer and, of course, DDR Ultra Awesome Kick Mix 2010 EX Gyration Splendour Special (not an actual title). The future will arguably prove to be even more fortuitous, what with the bold decision to release a Metal Gear Solid game on more than one platform.

[Image: Mega 64]

MGS4 / Killzone 2 PS3 bundle available ... now!

by Ben Gilbert { Jul 7th 2009 at 11:30AM }

As per the deluge of tips we received regarding an 80GB PlayStation 3 bundle with Killzone 2 and Metal Gear Solid 4, the Best Buy website is now reflecting the deal. The bundle retains the price of a regular ol' 80GB PS3 ($400), but will include both of the PS3 exclusive titles. Rumors surrounding the 80GB bundles suggest it's an effort to make space for an upcoming PS3 Slim on store shelves -- and considering the $90 worth of free games Sony is throwing at consumers, it's quite possible that shelf space will open for the next console iteration.

[Via Engadget]

Best Buy's 80GB PS3 to be bundled with MGS4 and Killzone 2 [Update]

by Griffin McElroy { Jul 6th 2009 at 11:45AM }

Remember a couple weeks ago, when Ars Technica's trusty, eerily accurate "mole" prophesied that the 80GB PS3 would be ushered off store shelves in order to be replaced by the 160GB model, ultimately leading to the introduction of the oft-rumored PS3 slim? Remember when he (or she) said the 80GB model would have boosted sales thanks to the creation of new, attractive bundles? Did you notice the image above? Do you see where we're going with this?

One week after releasing an 80GB bundle containing Wall-E and LittleBigPlanet, Best Buy will supposedly be upping the ante with the package you see above, which includes Killzone 2 and Metal Gear Solid 4. Said photo was sent in to Kotaku from a Best Buy employee, and several other Best Buyers have confirmed its legitimacy. We won't know for sure until the bundle hits store shelves, but it certainly looks like the ol' "mole" might have another notch in his accurate-prediction-belt.

Update: We've received confirmation from two Best Buy employees stating the bundle is real. One employee's store anticipates the bundle will go on sale within the next week (possibly on Sunday), while the other employee says the bundle is on sale in his store in Louisiana. They claim the price of the bundle is the standard $399 price point for the 80GB system. We recommend asking your local store if it's carrying the bundle, and finding out when it'll hit shelves! Thanks, guys!

Buy Metal Gear Solid 4 for a bargain price of $1,000

by Justin McElroy { Jun 29th 2009 at 11:10AM }

We get pretty nervous when publishers start testing the waters with higher price points, so we like to think our sticker shock at seeing this $1,000 listing for Metal Gear Solid 4 is forgivable. But it is a pretty good game and we would like to have a second copy, just in case. Plus, there's only one left in stock!

But just as we were about the make the purchase, we noticed that shipping price. $7.99?! What, are we made of money?

[Thanks, Christopher]

Metal Gear Online gets '!' worthy bikini pack

by Randy Nelson { Jun 15th 2009 at 5:30PM }

Konami has a whole week of "surprises" lined up for the one-year anniversary of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots' release. So, surprise: Metal Gear Online has received an unlikely update in the form of bikini-clad babes. Rather than draw form the series' pool of female characters, the pack lets players roll their own originals, complete with sultry -- even scandalous! -- "taunts."

The DLC is free for players who already have the GENE expansion pack purchased and installed. No amount of money will get your dignity back after friends catch you testing the ladies' over-the-top "jiggle simulation." (Or simply watching the video of others doing it after the break.)

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Kojima says MGS: Peace Walker is his MGS5, calls Rising a 'different kind of action' game

by David Hinkle { Jun 15th 2009 at 1:14PM }

Despite stating that he would be more hands-off with the Metal Gear Solid games after the fourth installment, Kojima has decided to once again roll up his sleeves and get his hands dirty with Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. Speaking with Japanese mag Famitsu (via PSPHyper), the gaming icon has said that Peace Walker will pretty much be his MGS5 -- something that will likely be excellent news to every Genome soldier reading this very post -- and that the MGS4 team will be working on it. (For some new Peace Walker screens, fresh out of Kojima Productions, check out our gallery embedded below).

Moving on to Metal Gear Solid Rising, Kojima says the game will include "a completely different kind of action than what has appeared in the series so far," though we're not sure if that's a good or bad thing. He also mentioned that he will be involved with the project "more deeply" than a normal producer which, considering the expectations and the new engine involved, makes sense.

The implicit bad news here: With all this Metal Gear stuff taking up Kojima's time (not to mention Castlevania: Lords of Shadow), we're unlikely to see that rumored Snatcher and/or Zone of the Enders and/or Something Else title anytime soon.

Source - Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker details
Source - Kojima discusses Metal Gear Solid Rising [via Eurogamer]

Gallery: Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (06/15/09)

Metal Gear Solid Rising getting re-done graphics engine

by Jason Dobson { Jun 13th 2009 at 8:30PM }

Like a case of bad allergies, Metal Gear Solid 4's graphics left us rubbing our eyes. That said, when it comes to developing the recently unveiled Metal Gear Solid Rising, the latest sequel's eye candy is not nearly sweet enough.

According to Kojima Productions assistant producer Sean Eyestone, the team is remaking Rising's engine "from scratch" to make it look better than MGS4. Speaking during a recent Kojima Productions podcast, Eyestone describes the multiplatform project as "a big project like Metal Gear Solid 4," adding that the team "team is serious about making it look as good as possible on every platform." Let's just hope our meager eyes can take it.

[Via 1UP]

Metal Gear Online 'Race Mission' detailed, 'Patriot' perk sounds like a cheat

by Randy Nelson { May 11th 2009 at 6:00PM }

Konami has released more specifics on the new "Race Mission" mode and "Patriot" feature for Metal Gear Online we first told you about last week. First up, the Race Mission is aptly titled, as it sees two teams attempting to pass through racing game style checkpoints after tracking down their oh-so-adorable frog and duck KEROTAN and GA-KO items. The mode's rules state that if the item is dropped and not picked up in time, its team will have to seek it out at a random spawn point. We're only guessing that the match is won by whichever team passes through the most checkpoints with cuddly mascot in-hand, as Konami oddly left that bit out. All will be revealed come May 12.

Not forgotten in today's update was word of the Patriot system, which -- at least at first -- sounds like a cool reward for the game's best players. Basically, the game will select a random set of top players each week as "Patriots," granting them access to a Patriot .56mm "hand rifle" ... which has infinite ammo and doesn't require reloading. Let's see: MGO's best players with infinite ammo and no need to reload. Sounds fair, right? We'll find out how it works out starting May 26.

Metal Gear Online gets 'Race Mission' update, promises more for anniversary

by Andrew Yoon { May 6th 2009 at 1:30PM }

We're just about a month away from the one year anniversary of Metal Gear Solid 4's release. In spite of a cumbersome Konami ID system, the game's packaged Metal Gear Online mode has seen a number of add-ons, with no end in sight. On May 12th, MGO players will be able to enjoy a new game mode, "Race Mission," which will be available to "all players, not just those who have purchased SCENE." In this mode, the two teams must protect a certain target while passing through various checkpoints.

It looks as though some major updates are still in the works for the Metal Gear universe. Konami's Brandon Laurino teased PlayStation.Blog readers, stating that the team still has "even more awesome stuff" to celebrate the game's one year anniversary with. What could this entail? We'll let you cook up some conspiracy theories as we count down to June.

Mega64 and special guest use CQC on Metal Gear Solid 4

by Justin McElroy { Mar 30th 2009 at 10:00AM }

No matter how many times the Mega64 guys dress as beloved video game characters and go into public, we never fail to be entertained. But their take on Metal Gear Solid 4, which debuted at the GDCAs last week, takes a turn towards the surreal and becomes something far more epic than simple spoof.

We want to tell you more, but, frankly, we've said too much already. You should probably just watch the whole thing for yourself right after the break.

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