Some of you may recognize that ass instantly. Others, well, it’s not that obvious. It’s one of those things that gets lost in the mix because the game is being talked about so much that the simple fact that it has great asses in it doesn’t get a lot of attention. We need to change that, and that’s why it’s our number 4 pick. Like all entries on this list, there may be some content that some would consider ‘Not Safe for Work’.

Click images for a larger view.

#4 – Everyone (Metal Gear Solid 4)

More like Metal Rear Solid: Buns of the Patriots. Okay, so not everyone in the game is rocking a perky posterior, but Snake, Raiden, all four of the chicks from the ‘Beauty and the Beast’ unit, Meryl, etc. all have great asses. Actually, the characters whose asses you never see are probably still pretty great, you’d just never know about it.

At this point, the whole “they’re just fake” argument for why videogame characters shouldn’t actually be able to turn you on, well, it goes out the window. Why? Because all four of the Beauty and the Beast chicks are actually modeled after real beauties. Why then would it be weird to be attracted to a 3D render of a real-life babe? Answer: it wouldn’t.

Let’s see these asses in action, shall we? The first two and a half minutes is some photoshoot thing with them singing and dancing, but then it’s all in-game stuff after that.

There’s also this “interesting” interview with Lyndall Jarvis, the model/actress who plays Laughing Octopus in the game. And yes, even though she’s in her underwear, it is an actual interview about MGS4.

Even though the booties from MGS4 made it to number 4 on our list, previous entries in the Metal Gear Solid series have featured some pretty nice asses as well. I’m sure most gamers have fond memories of catching Meryl changing in the first MGS, and let’s not forget the hotness of Sniper Wolf either. Oh, and one more thing: Eva. Let’s take a video stroll down memory lane:

Most cosplayers seem to like the classics as well.

NSFW: Catching Meryl in the bathroom somewhat set the voyeuristic tone of a lot of fan art… or maybe people just like to draw naked chicks. Here we see Meryl in her famous scene (and another pic where her ass ain’t so huge), and here we have Sniper Wolf done in a classic Metal Gear artwork style (notice the Kojima panties). And just for you ladies, Solid Snake and Raiden go topless, too.

To be honest, some of the previous entries have been better on a direct ass-to-ass comparison, but the combined might of several nice asses in one game catapult the butts of Metal Gear Solid 4 up the list to our number 4 spot. How could it get any better? Well, there’s 3 more to go, so don’t forget to check back tomorrow for the next on our list of the Nicest Asses in Videogames.

Jump to #3: click here

• Metal Gear Solid 4 New Greatest Hits Box Displays Trophy Support
• Metal Gear Solid 4 Review
• Funny MGS4 Skit Featuring Kojima and Cliffy B
• MGS4 Demo on the PlayStation Store
• MGS4 PS3 Case Mod is Pure Win
• Kojima Talks MGS4, Wishes It Was On PC

It’s been a long time coming, but finally there’s a demo of Kojima Production’s Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots on the PlayStation Store.  The Japanese PlayStation Store that is.

We’ve had a history reporting on the possibility of a Metal Gear Solid 4 demo here at Ripten.  PSW announced a demo to be released in February, despite the games Assistant Producer denying its existence a month beforehand and we were quick to correct PSW a week later. Everyone makes mistakes. At least that’s what we thought…

Konami have now released a beefy demo of Metal Gear Solid 4 on the Japanese PlayStation Store, weighing in at approximately 1400mb.  For PlayStation 3 owners who haven’t bought the game, give it a whirl.  For Westerners who missed out on the joys of the Japanese voice acting, why not give it a spin too.

As is outlined in my review, the game comes highly recommended.

[UPDATE] – The demo is also on European PlayStation Stores, so the probability of it making its way to the US is reasonably high.

[UPDATE 2] – The Official PlayStation Blog has confirmed that the same Metal Gear Solid 4 demo will be available on the US PlayStation Store.

• US PlayStation Store Update 2-15-11
• US PlayStation Store Update 2-1-11
• Kojima Talks MGS4, Wishes It Was On PC
• Metal Gear Solid 4 Review
• Worst European Playstation Store Update Ever? *Now with US Store Update*
• Twisted Metal Multiplayer Demo Rolls Out January 31

Morpheon Mods has crafted this epic custom PS3; something we can, without doubt, call the world’s greatest piece of unofficial Metal Gear Solid 4 merchandise. Seriously guys, this is real, and it’s for sale on eBay. From the item description:

The entire PS3 and controller is a combination of Carbon Fiber and Midnight Black done in our own digital camouflage technique.This is protected with nine coats of automotive DuPont Chroma Clear clearcoat. A full size Carbon Fiber Fox Hound logo appears amongst the digital camouflage. The final product is a uniform finish that reflects like a mirror.

The laser cut stainless steel Metal Gear Solid 4 marquee, Blu-Ray drive bezel and the metal accents are hand brushed to a brilliant industrial finish.

But wait, there’s more! It’s signed by both Yumi Kikuchi (Raging Beauty) and Hideo Kojima, and comes with load more MGS4 swag, including the most hideous PS3 controller ever to grace the Earth. Have a look at the auction; there’s a truckload. As if all of this wasn’t enough, 15% of the proceeds from the sale will go to Child’s Play. It’s hard to measure the sheer amount of win here.

[Source: PS3 Fanboy]

• Kinect Modded To Work With PS3
• Metal Gear Solid 4 New Greatest Hits Box Displays Trophy Support
• Funny MGS4 Skit Featuring Kojima and Cliffy B
• Uncharted 2 Screens leaked, are amazing
• Top 10 Nicest Asses in Videogames – #4
• Resistance 2 ads terrify residents of Dublin into buying

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.

Despite his statements, Eurogamer pressed for an answer regarding PS3 exclusivity, to which he stated that “MGS4 was optimized for the PS3″ and that in part, he felt the modern day success of the game was closely linked the PS3 console itself.

Source: Eurogamer

• Metal Gear Solid 4 Review
• Hideo Kojima Talks Metal Gear Solid 5 in Upcoming Interview
• Kojima Productions Hiring for “Next Generation” Metal Gear Solid?
• Metal Gear Solid 4 New Greatest Hits Box Displays Trophy Support
• Kojima’s New Castlevania: Lords of Shadow TGS Trailer is Awesome
• Funny MGS4 Skit Featuring Kojima and Cliffy B

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.

Although Solid Snake is inexplicably aged in this final mission, MGS4 takes place only 5 years after MGS2′s Big Shell incident. His façade in distinct contrast to his contemporaries, sOLiD Snake is thrust onto a Middle Eastern battlefield. Like Haze’s attempted portrayal, the world’s wars are infected by Private Military Companies. Price-tagged PMC soldiers fight other PMC’s –- aimless battles seek only to support a self-sufficient war economy that has graduated from the Oil economy’s downturn.

Enhanced by nano-machines and trained by FPS videogames, post-modern PMC soldiers sign up to avenge the death of their loved ones, but without political or patriotic goals, they compete as if they’re still playing a videogame. And whoever controls the game, controls the battlefield. And whoever controls the battlefield, controls the world.

The man with his fingers on the trigger is Liquid Ocelot. As head of Outer Heaven, the mother PMC company, he has achieved total real-time battlefield control, puppeteering PMC’s by manipulating the life numbing nano-machines injected into their bodies. Disguised as one of the opposing militia’s hired PMC operatives, Snake enters this “cleaner, safer battlefield” with the aim to assassinate Liquid Ocelot and end his insurrection.

The ride to reach this point portrays a presentation significantly ahead of its contemporaries. Indeed, it was apt to call videogames “interactive entertainment” when discussing MGS4. As I’m sure you’re aware, the game has its fair share of cinematic cutscenes. These are expertly directed, containing some of the most impressively choreographed combat sections you’re likely to see in any cinematic medium.

What’s particularly stunning is the way cutscenes transition seamlessly into gameplay, using clever pans and real-time rendered cinematics. Other techniques are used to make sure you’re never taken out of the game world: playing through mission briefings with the Mk.II, Snake’s health bar is shown at pivotal moments, brief flashbacks occur when you press X, you can regress Octocamo to its default state by shaking the controller, in addition to more refreshing and original methods which I’ll leave for you to discover.

Yes, you’ll always feel part of the game world even though there are a staggering 9.5 hours of cutsceness. However, contrary to the popular exaggeration, this isn’t more than spent in gameplay. There is more gameplay than cutscenes –- for me around 15 hours gameplay, the longest in the series.

Versatile, expansive and varied would be the best way to describe MGS4′s gameplay. In fact, add fine-tuned and engaging, and you might be closer to an accurate portrayal. If you ever had a criticism of previous iterations, it would be control complexity and the birds-eye camera that would top the list. With age comes wisdom and Snake’s maturity certainly signifies solutions. The camera is now set behind Snake, with L1 providing an over-the-shoulder view for more accurate aiming, triangle to look down the sight, and R1 to shoot.

Even with a generous helping of CQC (Close Quarters Combat, which you can learn by watching the embedded video), the controls remain relatively simple. It may at first feel counter-intuitive to use both L1 and R1 to shoot, where other games automatically enter an over-the-shoulder view during combat, but the control system makes the best of unpredictable player actions and will certainly become second nature as the game develops.

New gear enters Metal Gear Solid with more velocity this time around, increasing the gameplay’s depth exponentially. Expanding on Naked Snake’s camouflage in MGS3, Otacon has created something more competent than dressing up mid-mission — a Stealth Camo Suit that dynamically “morphs” to the texture, pattern and colour of the surface you’re pressed against. The ease with which this can be performed is somewhat of an overlooked gem — without it the game would reduce to shadow jumping, as opposed to dynamic hide-and-seek.

MGS4 discards the closed corridors of MGS1 and MGS2, forgoes the tight forest walks of MGS3, and places you in a wide, brightly lit battlefield. The Camo Suit transforms every inch of this environment into your hiding place — at 90% camouflaged you can even survive a PMC’s close stalking as his feet brush past your head.

Another new piece of kit is a robot created by Otacon and Sunny –- the Mark II. Full of character, this little beauty can be used by Snake to shock enemies, defuse traps, and collect weapons during even the busiest proxy battle, thanks to its inbuilt stealth camo.

Rangebar’s Take	9.8
Let me get straight to the point. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is the best game on the Playstation 3, hands down. If you don’t have a PS3 yet, this is your number one excuse to finally get one. With an incredible story, graphics that go above and beyond, cut-scenes that make some movies look bad, and action packed gameplay, MGS4 is one of the best games I’ve played. And I’m not even a huge fan of the series. Even without playing MGS3 and only half of MGS2, I still found an inner passion for this game. I’m not sure what it was, but MGS4 kept pulling me in and I kept coming back. One of my favorite things about the game is its attempt to tell the story of the MGS series all the way from the Philosophers, to the Patriots, Big Boss and Solid Snake himself. Even without playing the previous games, MGS4 does an excellent job of explaining what the heck’s going on. It’s sad to see the series come to an end like this, when I just fell in love with it, but if there isn’t a fifth installment I’ll just have to enjoy the past ones. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is truly a special game and a must own for any gamer.

Once you really get to grips with the controls, the stealth battlefield experience is quite the revelation. Of course you could, despite Otacon’s advice, blast your way through. Yes, it’s advisable to stay stealthy, but with the new reformed control system an action orientated play-through is certainly possible. But take note, the more combat, the more Snake will stress, thus reducing his Psyche. This will actively slow him down, lower his aiming accuracy and even responsiveness. Take a break, sit in a box, or use a pick-me-up item to gradually return his abilities.

Rather than going all out action or being stealth exclusive, I personally chose a pick’n'mix approach. In fact, since any direction you take feels natural, you may be unaware of all the options available to you: befriend the Militia and battle by their side; snipe the streets from higher ground; crawl through the shadows and tranq. your enemies; or rambo it out using a combination of heavy shooting and CQC.

The variety of gameplay that has been so prominent in the series has now migrated into every moment of the game; you have the tools and the moves to create your own variety whenever you like. This could backfire for action-orientated gamers, since their experience may shorten to create an unhealthy balance of cutscenes to gameplay. Then again, these gamers might just spend a lot of time choosing and modifying their weaponry.

Unlike previous iterations where weapons were discovered gradually, Snake is now on a battlefield littered with weapons from downed soldiers. Problematically, each weapon is ID-Tagged — if your Tag doesn’t match the weapon’s ID, it’ll be locked from use. You’d think this would be a clever way for Kojima Productions to limit Snake’s weapon use, but instead he can collect ID-tagged weapons and pass them over to the gun-launderer Drebin for modding.

Moreover, if you already own the weapon picked up, you can sell it to Drebin for currency to buy from a selection of over 70 modifiable weapons. Now each battle has a myriad of possibilities for every play style.

It is MGS4′s choice that may at first intimidate, but it is ultimately what makes this game trump its predecessors. Once you discover your style of play, experimentation can overtake, pushing the want to replay the game from start to finish. And, thankfully, you can skip the cutscenes.

Geoff’s Take	10
My disappointment with Metal Gear Solid 4 is that it has an end. Not only an end in and of itself, but an end to Metal Gear Solid. This disappointment I freely accept, because of what is gained—a wonderful, truly amazing experience and closure. Metal Gear is an anomaly. I cannot imagine how I would react to any other game doing what Metal Gear does, but Metal Gear is unique. The story is more than just a quasi sci-fi, anime, film-inspired drama. There are ideas and emotions that are palpable and important: War, violence, technology, control; the human struggle to achieve, to be remembered, to find peace and personal happiness; the passing of knowledge and memory from one generation to the next, their dissemination throughout society; the pressures we feel, our potential. Never has the game’s emotional impact and connections to its characters been more poignant. Passive only if you don’t consider thought to be an activity. The core Metal Gear sneaking gameplay is immensely satisfying, but never before has there been so much diversity and depth. The resolution of the story belies its often previously perceived incomprehensibility, and while it does so with tidy ease, it is satisfying. Play MGS4. Give it a chance, and if it does not win a part of your heart as a game that tries more than most, then at least you can see its technical achievements and be educated about what it attempts—even if you think it fails. One of the most wonderful experiences I’ve had with a videogame. All the sweeter to savor in its finality, and the variety of its many parts.

As if this wasn’t enough, MGS4 is a visual feast, leading the way on the PS3 in art direction and graphics. Artistically the game shines with a variety of visually distinct environments, including the stark and bright middle-eastern battlefield, and a real-time night to daytime transition (some might call it a “sunrise”) as you climb through an Amazonian landscape.

When the art is peppered with beautifully crafted character models, billowing smoke effects, dust/blood settling on the camera lens, and impressive lighting and shadowing, it’s hard to ignore how stunning the game is in its visual fidelity. Although you’ll find higher resolution textures in other games, it’s the subtleties and attention to detail that will impress.

MGS4 will visually exceed your expectations for a console game. In fact, ignoring the gorgeously rendered cutscenes challenging Hollywood CGI in its presentation, there are some latter gameplay sections that will knock you off your sofa with the technical achievement, making it incredibly hard not to crown MGS4 the graphical king.

The sound design similarly impresses, with 5.1 warzones making love to your speakers — the distant whirring of a helicopter is joined by the popping shots of your P90, the overwhelming screams of PMC’s and Militias in combat, a Gekko’s demented mooing, the sound of a rocket whooshing past your head, let alone the blockbuster soundtrack that makes every scene so emotive. Paired with great voice performances from David Hayter (Snake), Debi Maye West (Meryl), Patric Zimmerman (Liquid Ocelot), and Lee Meriwether (Big Mama), to name but a few, it’ll be easier to ignore some of the less exceptional voice acting.

What do you have to suffer to enjoy this presentation? A large initial install and 3 minute installs after every Act. However, these hardly affect your enjoyment. A 4.6GB install is understandable for a 50GB game, and due to good data management it only takes 10 minutes to complete. Moreover, the install is actually enjoyable, consisting of a witty and ironic harking to cinema warnings.

Act installs occur after such meaty gameplay and cinematics that an interval is warranted. However, MGS4 can get away with this due to its moderate stealth pacing and cinematic core, and is thus inadvisable for the fast-paced action game. Where loading does affect MGS4 is in short 5 second loading screens during gameplay transitions, or more damningly, chase scenes. This should have been ironed out, since the pace and excitement of these scenes can be somewhat dampened.

Thus, Metal Gear Solid 4 isn’t perfect.  It has its failings, and the narrative could disorientate new series players.  If, however, they embed themselves in the folklore and background of the series past, MGS4 will thoroughly reward them. Each character is fully fleshed out, explored and taken to their magnificent end.

What extends MGS4 to an ambitious and original result is that the game is a tragedy involving a character stepping ever closer to his death. For long time fans this is almost unbearable.  As Snake’s place in the world continuously becomes more hopeless, you’re always wondering if the next Act is his last.  The impact with which this tragedy is delivered is due to MGS4 taking full advantage of a videogame’s virtue to immerse players in a virtual world.  This results in some truly heart-wrenchingly beautiful and tragically inspired combinations of cutscene and gameplay.

Moreover, as you’ll discover, what has always been Metal Gear Solid’s overriding success is that no character is evil or morally good.  There are no clearly defined villains.  Uncommon to most filmic narratives, not a single character can be rooted to one end of the moral spectrum. Solid Snake may be the traditional Hero, but MGS4′s magnifying glass shows that even the most villainous characters are trying to be the Hero.  All are attempting to live up to their interpreted ideals of The Boss.  That you can find Hero’s in the most unlikely places is MGS4′s legacy to future narratives.

You may have noticed that I have refrained from mentioning the online portion of the game.  The fact that MGO is even included on the disc is a gift.  Its certainly not as perfect as its cinematic brethren, but when it shines, it shines bright — modes such as Sneaking Mission and Team Sneaking top the experience. MGO is the perfect place to show off the skills you mastered as Snake.

As Solid Snake’s final mission comes to a close, MGS4 fights its way to the top of this generation’s offerings. The polish is undeniable, from the art direction and graphics, to the gameplay and cinematics. What the game ends up being is a masterful example of what the videogaming medium can achieve — if ever there were a case for videogames being art, MGS4 is it. This fact and the vast list of successes, drowns out the negatives to result in an overwhelming experience.

Solid Snake’s conclusion ushers us to forget about his exploits, to move on from the history within the Metal Gear Solid universe.  We can no longer yearn for a sequel to fill in the gaps.  MGS4 gives you the conclusion and completes the cycle. It’s time to live for yourself.

What does this score mean? Check out our review scoring breakdown.

• Kojima Talks MGS4, Wishes It Was On PC
• Costly MGS4 Must Sell 1 Million on Day One
• Konami Pushes Metal Gear Solid 4 Back Again – Spring 2008 Expected Release
• Metal Gear Solid 4 New Greatest Hits Box Displays Trophy Support
• Top 10 Nicest Asses in Videogames – #4
• MGS4 Demo on the PlayStation Store

This is the month we’d see how much of an impact Metal Gear Solid 4 had on actual PS3 hardware sales. The results are promising.

Of course Nintendo continued to flex their muscles by trumping both the console and handheld markets, with 666.7k and 783k units respectively.  Wii’s numbers actually put the console ahead of the Xbox 360′s lifetime US hardware sales at 10.9 million units sold.

On the software side MGS4 displays the series’ strength, selling 774.6k unbundled copies. NPD Industry Analyst Anita Frazier had this to say on the subject;

As expected, Metal Gear Solid 4 realized significant retail sales and drove PS3 hardware acquisition.  While the attached media report does not include units bundled with hardware, if included MGS4 sold-through nearly 1 million units.

The extent to which MGS4 drove PS3 sales is quite staggering, in that the console had its best month in the US, not including the Christmas holiday periods – selling 405.5k units.  This in comparison to the Xbox 360′s 219.8 units for the month puts the PS3 at around 300k units ahead of the 360 in 2008 year-to-date US sales.

Hardware

Nintendo DS: 783k
Wii: 666.7k
PlayStation 3: 405.5k
PSP: 337.4k
Xbox 360: 219.8k
Playstation 2: 188.8k

Software

1. PS3 Metal Gear Solid 4, Konami, 6/08—774.6K (not including MGS4 PS3 bundles)
2. NDS Guitar Hero On Tour, Activision, 6/08—422.3K
3. 360 Ninja Gaiden II, Microsoft, 6/08—372.7K
4. Wii Fit with Balance Board, NOA, 5/08—372.7K
5. Wii Play with Remote, NOA, 2/07—359.1K
6. 360 Battlefield: Bad Company, EA, 6/08—346.8K
7. Wii Mario Kart with Wheel, NOA, 4/08—322.4K
8. Wii LEGO Indiana Jones, LucasArts, 6/08—294.5K
9. NDS LEGO Indiana Jones, LucasArts, 6/08—267.8K
10. PS2 LEGO Indiana Jones, LucasArts, 6/08—260.3K

Source: Edge Online

• NPD December 2010 – Hardware and Software Sales Detailed
• Metal Gear Solid 4 New Greatest Hits Box Displays Trophy Support
• Xbox 360 Slim Outselling Wii and DS
• Funny MGS4 Skit Featuring Kojima and Cliffy B
• UK Overtakes Japan in the Videogame Market
• Top 10 Nicest Asses in Videogames – #4

The recent additions of Team Sneaking and Headshot Only modes to Metal Gear Online is just the beginning, since the first of the expected expansion packs is only a few days away. Let’s talk about what’s included, how it indicates some promising MGO evolution and why maybe the price (if it can’t be free) isn’t as bad as it could be.

Originally, Metal Gear Online was possibly going to be a separate game. Thankfully, Kojima Productions wisely gave everyone who purchased MGS4 a good taste of the basics that MGO had to offer in the form of the starter pack—touting coming expansions packs that would add lots more content for those wanting it.

Information on the first of these expansion packs, entitled GENE, has been posted by Konami. As they previously discussed, they look to be hitting all categories with this expansion by adding new characters, maps, a play mode, new customizability and an extra character slot.

Maps

Coppertown Conflict/City of Sorrow: Brown Town? YES! While I can’t be sure, this map almost surely looks like the reappearance of Brown Town from MGO: Subsistence, one of my favorite maps from that game. Hopefully it will find its own personality in the new MGO, as Midtown Maelstrom does hark back to its design with a wide-open street on one edge and more intimate alleyways on the other. I think there’s absolutely room for both.

Tomb of Tubes/Underground Waterway: Reminiscent of the underground Groznyj Grad sewers Snake escapes through in Snake Eater, Tomb of Tubes appears a darker, more intimate indoor affair.

Virtuous Vista/South American Power Station: Adapted from Snake’s latest adventure (MGS4), specifically the South American jungle of Act II. I get a Svyatogornyj East vibe from this one, though likely larger, which would be fantastic.

Characters

One of the things I missed most about MGO: Subsistence was the unique characters leading each squad and the fun, variety and tactics this brought to the game.

I had hoped unique characters might return and it looks like Kojima Productions had the same thing in mind.

Meryl Silverburgh: Meryl’s skills revolve around her role as a team leader.

Enemies she attacks and enemies that attack her will be displayed through SOP (perhaps something akin to Monomania and Narc at level 3).

Allies near her will regain Psyche faster, though as far as I know there’s no way to regain Psyche in MGO so perhaps she will enable this within certain proximity.

She can wake teammates quicker than usual and excels at handgun use (probably Handgun+ at level 3).

Whether or not she’ll be able to use the Desert Eagle, as she carries in MGS4, by default or by choice I’m curious to see.

Johnny (Akiba): Like Meryl, Johnny’s abilities seem tied to his in-game MGS4 persona. He’s an expert at traps.

He can see all traps in a stage and can disarm them in a special way, by pressing triangle, to turn them into items.

While he may be equipped with some special weapons or skills at using traps too, he may be less easily used given that I don’t see many trap users out there in MGO. It’s a shame because I not only had some great fun, but also success, when playing around with the likes of C4 and sleep gas mines. Most hosts sadly turn off many of the weapons.

It’s also possible that Johnny is meant as a weaker character, in-line with at least his early-game persona in MGS4 and his appearance as Johnny Sasaki in all the other MGS games. This would make him similar to Sokolov in Subsistence, who was controlled by the worst scoring player on his squad and who only had a weaker version of the optical camo to aid him.

Konami has added a note that these characters are not freely selectable, meaning that they should function similarly to the “leader” characters in Subsistence. Konami claims they’ll be assigned randomly, which would be a change, as previously the special characters were controlled by the best or worst scoring player on a given squad. To give more people a chance to play as these guys, randomizing it sounds like a good idea.

A similar change was made when deciding who becomes the next Snake in sneaking mode. No longer does the soldier who killed Snake take over his role, alleviating at least some competition within teams.

Customizability

The expansion adds the ability to create female soldiers, and with it adds a new character slot so that you can create and save a second character without having to purchase the atrocious extra character slot add-on for $7.99USD (includes 3 character slots.) You only really need one character I suppose, but still…

The total number of characters you can buy slots for now is apparently eight, if you want to waste money.

New items for your character will also be available in the Reward Shop for purchase with Reward Points.

Survival Mode and Reward Shop

I’m really curious about Survival Mode, but details are scarce. Presumably it revolves around staying alive and will probably be another fairly unique mode, very welcome in MGO. Reward Points can be earned in Survival that can be spent on items in the Reward Shop to further customize your characters. These items can be used in modes other than Survival as well.

Could Survival be a single player or perhaps cooperative experience as opposed to team vs. team? It’s an interesting possibility. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Release Date

You won’t have to wait long though as the Metal Gear Online GENE Expansion will be available for download on July 17, 2008. It will be available through the MGO shop, which probably elicits a groan throughout the world, as Konami has insisted on using their own proprietary online system for their games as opposed to the PlayStation Store.

Not easy to use through the PS3 itself, the MGO Shop is simply a barebones webpage. While only the overpriced character slot and codec pack add-on have been available up until now, the expansion should be its first real test. If possible, try accessing the store via PC and making your purchase that way. I admit though that I do not even know exactly how that works and you may still be required to access the shop to at least start the download on your PS3.

Price

Priced at 9.99EUR for Europe, there has been no revelation yet for North Americans even days ahead of release. That figure is likely to translate directly to $9.99USD, or so I’d hope. If that will be the price, then all I can think is that it could be worse. With three extra character slot running $7.99USD on the MGO Shop, I worried how much an expansion might run if it included stuff that was actually worth getting.

$10 is certainly more reasonable than $15 or $20, but it’s probably the highest price I would consider acceptable. Given the price I paid for MGS4 already and the reliance on Konami’s servers to enjoy MGO, it still gives me pause for thought. Map packs tend to run around $5. There’s more here and it’s interesting content, but Survival mode is still a mystery and with more expansions on the way, the cost of the “full” experience could get pricey.

While I’m not privy to all the intricacies of the industry’s business model, look at what Criterion is doing with Burnout Paradise. There’s a precedent for this stuff to be free, and MGS4 is a full retail game. Clearly a huge amount of work went into it, but are they nickel and diming us with the online portion?

It’s impossible to say, since we don’t know what else the future will bring. I don’t know how many hosts out there will be using the expansion, but Konami is raising the danger that the already niche MGO userbase will be splintered. Of course prices could come down or expansions could be bundled, but the price already seems to be adding up.

Maybe it’s not fair to expect this kind of stuff for free, but as a big Metal Gear Online fan this is giving me pause for thought. And that’s something Konami should be concerned about.

Other companies are releasing impressive add-on content for free, so take notice Konami. It’s in your interest to keep the community strong.

Sources: Konami, Strategy Informer

• Resistance 3 Beta Dates and Details Revealed
• NY Jets QB’s Xbox 360 Red Rings, Sony Tells Him to Get a PS3
• Sony Is ‘Not’ Working On The PS4
• Sony Announces Official Wireless Headset For PS3
• Relax Guys, Sony’s E3 Press Conference Is Only 1.5 Hours
• Sony’s Next Console (PS4) Already In Development?

If you are one of the few that has yet to get their grubby hands on Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, you can sort of almost get it for $40 by going through a popular electronics retailers! Who could it be? Click onward to find out!

It’s Bed, Bath, and Beyond!

Just kidding. That wouldn’t even make any sense.

For what I assume is a limited time, Circuit City is offering Metal Gear Solid 4 for $50, plus throwing in a $10 gift card with your purchase. I originally read about the deal over at PS3 Vault, where they said you could order it online with free shipping or for in-store pickup. However, at the time of this writing, the Circuit City page reads that it can only be purchased in-store.

So get to steppin’, right into Circuit City.

• Konami Pushes Metal Gear Solid 4 Back Again – Spring 2008 Expected Release
• E For All: Metal Gear Solid 4 Hands-On
• Metal Gear Solid 4 New Greatest Hits Box Displays Trophy Support
• Castlevania Easter Eggs Reference Portal, Ocarina of Time and MGS
• Best Buy to bundle Killzone 2 and MGS4 with 80GB PS3 (Update)
• Funny MGS4 Skit Featuring Kojima and Cliffy B

The unique and enjoyable Sneaking Mission mode that debuted with Metal Gear Solid: Subsistence is returning in the new Metal Gear Online, due out with MGS4 on June 12th. Kojima Productions has taken the unique and enjoyable mode and revamped it, making some extensive changes to improve it further.

With the MGO beta nearly upon us now (along with the re-launch of the online PlayStation Store, the release of the Dualshock 3 controller and the arrival of the Metal Gear Saga Vol. 2 DVDs), a few more details on Metal Gear Online have begun to seep out.

While the two-week beta will be limited to a couple of stages, Ryan Payton has revealed during the Kojima Production’s Podcast that the Sneaking Mission from MGS: Subsistence will be returning with some exciting changes for the full release.

In Subsistence, the Sneaking Mission was a lot of fun and a very fitting mode for Metal Gear’s multiplayer debut. It was also quite unique among multiplayer online offerings, Behind Enemy Lines from the original Call of Duty being the closest comparison.

However, things often deteriorated into Snake being able to sprint for his goal if the opposing team was even slightly unorganized, or the opposite, with Snake being systematically hunted and shutdown fairly easily if the guards communicated and combined firepower. The new Sneaking mode looks to address some of these issues and add layers of complexity.

First of all, Snake’s ultimatum will no longer be to reach a set location alive; instead, he will be responsible for collecting a set number of dog tags. The number needed for Snake’s victory can be altered, but he will always attain the tags by incapacitating enemy soldiers controlled by other players. In turn, the enemies will be trying to kill Snake, needing to do so three times to succeed. The real twist though, is that there will be more than one enemy team hunting Snake.

Two teams will compete against each other to be the first to eliminate him and win the match, no doubt creating a nice backdrop of chaos for Snake to fade into—attempting always to complete his own objective. If no team eliminates Snake, the side that did the most damage to the opposing team will come out on top.

It seems Snake is chosen at random, which should help alleviate the tendency among players to compete against each other for the kill instead of working together to make sure their team is victorious as a whole.

Snake will of course have special tools at his disposal, including his Octocam. If the game is well-populated, someone can even control the Metal Gear Mk.II to support Snake. It will be fascinating to see how this scenario plays out—kudos to the guys at KP for continuing to be inventive with the Metal Gear universe.

MGO will also feature online matchmaking, so you can more easily find players of your skill level to play with.

Payton reiterated that more content will be coming for MGO in the future. He spoke of expansion packs including not only new levels, but new game modes, weapons and characters as well. No pricing has been mentioned, but let’s be thankful we’re getting the starter pack with MGS4 itself, which will include 5 maps.

Nostalgia should be in full effect with MGO, so here’s hoping for some fun stuff down the line. For those who feel they can’t wait, you better get out to pre-order MGS4 and hope you can snag a beta code while they might still be available.

I, for one, am lamenting the impossibility of going back and playing Subsistence some more. June 12th isn’t so far off!

Source: Konami

• Ubisoft’s PC DRM Leaves Anno 2070 and Driver: San Francisco Unplayable
• Ubisoft Servers Offline Next Week, Some PC Games Unplayable During Transition
• New Motorstorm RC Trailer Details Competitive Online Play
• Dead Space Developer Working on New Online Shooter IP?
• Tony Hawk Pro Skater HD will Cost $15, Robomodo Developing
• Battlefield Heroes Getting Classic Map And Party Packs

Back in February when news first hit about a Metal Gear Solid 4 PS3 bundle, we speculated that it would include a limited edition console. It looks like that speculation was correct.

A google translation of a Japanese news tidbit says that it’s a special “steel” colored model that also comes with a 3-dual shock controller. The Japanese release date is June 12th, 2008.

Source: NeoGaf

• Limited Edition MGS4 Playstation 3 Model in the Works?
• MGS4: Official Worldwide Release 06/12, Website Relaunch Tomorrow
• Metal Gear Solid 4 New Greatest Hits Box Displays Trophy Support
• Castlevania Easter Eggs Reference Portal, Ocarina of Time and MGS
• PlayStation Plus: Not as Bad as You Originally Thought
• Best Buy to bundle Killzone 2 and MGS4 with 80GB PS3 (Update)

Based on a few news stories that came rolling in today, it looks like we may be seeing a Limited Edition Metal Gear Solid 4 Playstation 3 pretty soon. Say that ten times fast.

The picture above is from Dengeki Playstation magazine. The picture shows the upcoming PS3 bundle. The PS3 unit is blacked out with a question mark over it.

That, coupled with the information reported today that stated we’ll be seeing the “look” of the bundled PS3 on March 21st, I think there’s a good chance that a Limited Edition console is on the way.

• Limited Edition PS3 On the Way with MGS4 Bundle
• MGS4: Official Worldwide Release 06/12, Website Relaunch Tomorrow
• Metal Gear Solid 4 New Greatest Hits Box Displays Trophy Support
• Castlevania Easter Eggs Reference Portal, Ocarina of Time and MGS
• PlayStation Plus: Not as Bad as You Originally Thought
• Best Buy to bundle Killzone 2 and MGS4 with 80GB PS3 (Update)

Building off of what Geoff Haugan reported on earlier, it looks like June 12th, 2008, is in fact the official worldwide release date for Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. And that’s straight from Kojima’s mouth.

Aside from the game hitting shelves in less than 4 months, we also got a few more juicy tidbits.

Pricing for the different versions of the game and the look of the bundled PS3 will be released on March 21st. The TGS ’07 trailer will hit the Japanese PSN store on February 29th.

Also, the special edition disc contains trailers and making-of videos.

The Metal Gear Online starter pack will contain 5 maps, but it doesn’t look like all of them (or any) will be new. Also, MGO expansions will come with new character packs and maps.

Finally, the official site for the game will be seeing a relaunch on February 29th. That’s tomorrow!

• Limited Edition PS3 On the Way with MGS4 Bundle
• Limited Edition MGS4 Playstation 3 Model in the Works?
• Metal Gear Solid 4 New Greatest Hits Box Displays Trophy Support
• Castlevania Easter Eggs Reference Portal, Ocarina of Time and MGS
• PlayStation Plus: Not as Bad as You Originally Thought
• Best Buy to bundle Killzone 2 and MGS4 with 80GB PS3 (Update)

Want to be one of the first to test out the multiplayer aspect of MGS4? No problem, the official Sony Playstation Blog confirms that those who pre-order the game will be guaranteed access to the MP beta.

… If you can’t wait to try out MGS4, the good news is you don’t have to much longer. Those who pre-order the game will be guaranteed access to a multiplayer beta test for Metal Gear Online scheduled for late April.

There you have it. The waiting period is drawing to a close, and the faint sound of “snake? snake? snaaaaaaaake?!!” is growing louder by the minute. Unfortunately, this deal only applies to the US at this time. Sorry Patrick.

Source: blog.us.playstation.com

• Mass Effect 3: Special Forces Trailer – Observe the Multiplayer Mode in Action
• Here’s the Ninja Gaiden 3 Collector’s Edition and Multiplayer Trailer
• New Max Payne 3 Screens Feature Stylized Ass-Kicking Multiplayer Action
• Don’t Forget, The Starhawk Beta Ends January 3!
• The Fenix Rises in New Gears 3 DLC Next Month
• Are Multiplayer and Playable Dragons Coming to Dragon Age?

All of you PS3 hold-outs better be ready to pony up the cash when Metal Gear Solid 4 finally hits shelves next year, because Kojima Productions needs your support to continue working exclusively on Sony’s next-gen platform.

Assistant Producer Ryan Payton told Reuters that they’d need to sell over a million copies on launch day to justify development costs, showing that the Playstation brand isn’t merely suffering from the cost of the new console, but the cost of doing business.

Though it might seem silly to expect as many sales right off the bat, keep in mind that many games sell the majority of their copies during the first few days after release. In other words, a million would trend well enough for the rest of MGS4′s lifetime to justify the amount of money that’s already been poured into its production.

G4TV commentator Adam Sessler was quoted in the article as saying:

“No, ‘Metal Gear Solid 4′ isn’t the killer app. People who already own a PS3 will likely get it. But it doesn’t have that kind of broad-based appeal.”

It begs the question of whether or not gamers really care about such franchises as much as they once did. Looking at sales of such huge platform releases as Ratchet and Clank Future (only 75,000 in October), we might find that a majority of people are trending away from the series that built up the Playstation brand in the first place.

Sure, plenty of core gamers have been waiting for Solid Snake’s latest to hit before jumping on the PS3 bandwagon, but general public perception could be that the franchise is as old and tired as its geriatric hero. The last outing, Metal Gear Solid 3, only moved around 3.7 million copies. Impressive, but only about half that of its predecessor (MGS2, 7 million).

Kojima Productions remains bullish on the Playstation 3′s capabilities, but if their flagship title’s sales don’t live up to expectations, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to see it appear on other platforms down the line and it almost certainly bodes poorly for any future exclusives.

Source: [Reuters]

• Metal Gear Solid 4 Review
• Konami Pushes Metal Gear Solid 4 Back Again – Spring 2008 Expected Release
• E for All Interview: Ryan Payton, Assistant Producer on MGS4
• Total PS3 Sales Close to Xbox 360 But Gap May Widen
• RipTen Review: BurgerTime World Tour (XBLA)
• Pyramid Head Sculpture Now for Sale! Rape Sold Separately.

Amazon.com has finally started their pre-orders for the highly anticipated PS3 exclusive, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. According to the site, it will be officially released on May 31st in Europe and then one month later in North America on June 30th.

We have yet to receive an official comment from Konami’s PR department, though we have left several messages. At this time, we have no further information details to report other than the amazon pre-order list.

One thing is for sure though, if this does hold true, we will see a lot of MGS4 copies leaving Europe and making their way overseas to North America in during that one month time gap.

• Metal Gear Solid HD Collection Will Ship November 8th
• Konami Drops More Details on the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection
• Castlevania: LoS DLC ‘Resurrection’ to be Released Next Week
• inFAMOUS 2 Release Date Announced, “Hero” Edition and Preorder Bonuses Detailed
• New Silent Hill Downpour Screens and Release Window Pour In
• PlayStation Move Heroes Ships March 22nd, Pre-order Bonuses Detailed