Konami recently announced that they will be releasing an update titled “Scene Expansion” for Metal Gear Online. Inside will be a new map and an old face. Read more…

Joystiq reports that the classic PS1 title Metal Gear Solid is coming to the PlayStation Network as a downloadable title. The game will be coming to the North American PSN on June 18 for just $9.99, but there’s no word on the European release just yet. Since Metal Gear Solid is pretty much the best game that was ever released for the PS1, this is a great chance for those of us who foolishly sold their MGS1 disc in their naive youth. Of course, that doesn’t apply to me. I live in Europe.

This coutndown page has sparked a lot of new speculation about Kojima’s next Metal gear project. As you can see it recently showed an image of what appears to be Big Boss. Famitsu have also shown the image, along with one of what appears to be Raiden.

I say “appears to be” because there are plenty of hints in the text with Kojima (see it after the jump) that it it not Big Boss or Raiden at all. Also mentioned is that the game may cover all time periods over the Saga’s chronology, and that “Raiden” may be Grey Fox and “Big Boss” may be another clone. Speculation has hit overdrive once again. Thanks a lot, Kojima.
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That’s right, Contra is hitting the WiiWare old-school style! Konami has quietly announced that Contra Rebirth will be hitting the WiiWare next week, May 12, in Japan for 1000 Wii Points and with two-player co-op play.

It’s kind of odd how they managed to keep this title under wraps for this long and that it gets discovered on a Konami product page just a week before its release. It’s still unsure if the game is a remake or not, but Konami says it’s a new work. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Source: Joystiq via Siliconera

Sure, we already knew it was coming thanks to the leaked cover of May’s Nintendo Power, but today Konami sent out the press release for the newest Silent Hill game- the first for the Wii- Shattered Memories.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories seems to be more centered on puzzles this time around, as according to Destructoid, it has absolutely no combat. Nope- you just run away from enemies. On the plus side, it won’t have any load times. On the “I don’t know if this is good, bad, or just really stupid” side, the Wiimote will act as a cell phone anytime you get a call.

I’m sure this will excite many fans of the horror genre, or even just the Silent Hill franchise, but as Ripten’s resident scaredy cat (I still jump whenever I find the flashlight in the Highlights magazine search) I will staying far away from this game. Have fun with that game guys, I’ll be over here in the corner watching Noddy’s Toyland Adventure reruns. Hit the jump for the press release.
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Back in 2002, I first played Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil when my neighbor found a copy in the bargain bin at GameStop. We spent hours on end trying to get to the end of the game before dinnertime, and never actually did. But without a doubt, I can say that parts of the Klonoa series rank amongst my favorite games I’ve ever played- which is why it pains me to report that Klonoa’s return on the Wii may see Klonoa’s redesign. Kotaku put it best, describing it as the “poochied” version of Klonoa. Ouch. Hit the jump to see Klonoa’s purported redesign. Read more…

Konami revealed a next-gen Castlevania teaser trailer at the 2008 Tokyo Game Show. We reported on it yesterday, and now have video footage of it, so you can view it yourself.

The video features an ominous Dracula Slayer complete with glowing red eyes and a flame laden sword. It also clearly states that the game is slated for release on both the Xbox 360 and the PS3. No other information is known about the game or its format at this time, but if I had to guess, my money would be on a 3D format of some sort.

Watch it quickly, before the scary figure with the red eyes slays you. Read more…

At the Tokyo Game show today, Konami held a press event for the Castlevania franchise, announcing a new entry to the hit series for both the PS3 and Xbox 360.

Outside of a brief ten second clip showing a man wielding a lit red sword, not much else is known about the game, so it comes as no surprise that an actual release date is far from set.

Could this finally be a worthy 3-D Castlevania game? Let’s hope so, because the last one wasn’t all that.

Source: ps3.ign.com

Konami’s upcoming release of Silent Hill Homecoming has influenced the birth of a new little media widget to help you stay up to date with the game. Lucky for you, we decided to steal it and plop it on Ripten for your viewing pleasure. Just a word of warning: Silent Hill is a disturbing series, and the video I watched on this widget makes me want to beat my kids. Read more…

These instruments getting all “compatible” with each other borders on pornographic.

Harmonix, Neversoft, Konami, and Activision have all signed an agreement with Microsoft and Sony that guaranteed that all of the new peripherals coming out for the newest batch of music games would all be compatible with each other. Read more…

In an interview published today with Eurogamer, Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima (who just turned 45) stated that he is tired of people asking him about the PS3/360 hardware, and wishes people would just focus on the game. He went on to say:

“Sometimes I even feel like [Metal Gear Solid 4] should be on a PC so that people don’t ask me about hardware and platforms,”

Kojima added that in the near future he hopes that people stop asking him about formats and instead ask about their company and future projects. Read more…

Castlevania gamers rejoiced when a new installment in the popular series was announced at this year’s E3. Fans then became less enthused when they learned that instead of a traditional action-adventure title like those the series is known for, the new Castlevania is going be a fighter for the Nintendo Wii.

In a recent interview with current Castlevania series producer Koji Igarashi, Wired questioned the man on this bizarre transition, and his answers were a little worrying. Read more…

In the not too distant future, videogames have become routine.  The marketplace is controlled by commercial enterprises, publishing the same fast paced action year on year.  FPS game follows FPS game, bald space marines give birth to bald space marines, EA merges with Ubisoft.

Yes, in the not too distant future, videogames haven’t changed at all.  What’s worse? We’re none the wiser.  Feeding off of these adrenaline pumping experiences, we praise them for their apparent innovation, their direct and exciting plot, their “next-gen” graphics. We’ll feel happy with the cards we’ve been dealt, comfortable in our past time, but for all our contentment we’ll never know how it could have been. Never know how it should and would have been if we had taken notice of Solid Snake.

Our only hope to free ourselves from cookie-cutter experiences pumped out by profit driven companies, is to learn the lessons of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and build a safer future for interactive entertainment.
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We reported yesterday that Konami had filed a suit against the makes of Rock Band, claiming that Harmonix, MTV, and parent company Viacom, violated patents filed by Konami dating back to 2002 and 2003.

Today, Harmoix swung back at Konami, as a company spokesperson stated:

“Konami’s actions are extremely surprising. Unfortunately, successful products such as Rock Band can often become targets for baseless litigation … We have substantial defenses to this claim and intend to vigorously defend it.”

I smell a corporate rock off in the making! An epic battle, to be fought with plastic guitars and scaucer shaped drum kits! Extra points go to the first executive from either side that grows their hair out and adopts a “nothing but full body spandex will do” clothing policy.

Source: Game|Life

Hi, I’m Snake from the PS2. Want to play with me on your PS3? Well too bad.

First off, lets recap the situation for those that are just joining us. Yesterday we (along with many sites) reported that a user (NiTiz) of the popular N4G gaming site posted an image on their forum. The image was supposedly a snapshot of a PS3 interface screen highlighting PS2 download capability.

The user on the N4G forum went on to say that the image was sent to him from an unnamed source within Sony and that his source told him the PS2 download feature would be announced for the PS3 at this years E3. Sony then came out and denied it stating that the screen was fake and that they had no plans for such a service.

Many sites (including ours) reported the Sony was denying the PS2 download rumor, but were also quick to add that this may be another case of corporate double talk on the part of Sony. The company did this a few months ago when rumors circulated regarding a price cut. They claimed to have no plans for it only to have the price cut take effect a few days later.

So we have one side screaming fake and the other side claiming to have an inside source within company. Who is telling the truth? I could have just waited for E3 to find out, but unfortunately I am not that patient. Read more…

Anyone who is interested in the Metal Gear Online beta, isn’t a lucky European, or hasn’t yet been able to secure a download code via pre-order, should be happy to hear Konami is offering a chance to register for a code online. Move fast while you have the chance! Read more…

In a mega-post today, Konami has revealed further details about the numerous Metal Gear Solid 4 software and hardware packages—including box art for both the standard and limited editions of MGS4 and the standard edition PS3 hardware bundle. Why call it a standard edition hardware bundle? Well, because there’s going to be a not-so-standard one too. Kojima, you torture us. Read more…

Hideo Kojima may be done with Metal Gear, but he’s not done with video games. Fumiaki Tanaka, president of Konami, revealed that Kojima is in fact working on a new game concept that’s 100% Metal Gear free. Read more…

A handful of new Silent Hill 5 screens appeared on the official website today, and some of them are downright impressive while others are simply bland. Check them all out after the jump. Read more…

From an interview at CES 2008, where Kojima’s Playstation 3 offering is being demoed to a lucky few, comes the confirmed news that Metal Gear Online will be included with the purchase of the single player game, MGS4. It is, however, an online starter pack. Read more…