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Two MGS4 Reviews: Same Words, Different Scores

Patrick Steen — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 12:18:16 +0000

Both CVG and Gamesradar have published the same review with a different man as their author. Should Metal Gear Solid 4 be tainted by one fellow’s words?

Don’t get me wrong, the review is very well written and gives the title a generally glowing appraisal. The CVG.com’s first review happens to be from the UK Magazine, PSW. No score was given and so the article was christened a “Feature.” This has been the tradition for the print and online pairing, since CVG prefer to post their own review.

Gamesradar are the next to follow with an indepth 3 page review, commandeered from PSM3 UK Magazine’s editor Daniel Dawkins. The review expresses the game’s successes and failures, even stating that “Metal Gear Solid 4 is a masterpiece, arguably the best in the series and – though many will fiercely disagree – ever so slightly disappointing.” Nevertheless, the score given was a 9/10. That’s the extent of Snake’s disappointment.

I began to worry when I read similar sentiments in CVG’s review, only to notice that they weren’t just similar, they were the very same words. The same words, the same disappointments, the same criticisms, and the same appraisals. Was Daniel Dawkins of PSM3 UK posted as its author? No, Mike Jackson of CVG was, with a score of 9.5/10 given, not particularly matching the “disappointed” sentiment expressed.

Naturally, the review is beautifully written, but something is wrong here. Both CVG and Gamesradar are owned by Future Publishing, as are the magazines PSW, PSM3 and even the highly respected Edge. Even though Gamesradar only reviews on an integer scale, in comparison to CVG’s 0.5 scale, hence the score disparity, do you think it’s right for one magazine’s review to be posted by two different websites and pronounced as original?

Reasons for the duplications could be that Konami are holding back the review copies, and only the select few have been able to get their hands on Snake’s final mission. In truth, we’ve yet to be graced by Kojima Production’s presumed masterpiece.

Even if the reviews were correctly presented as Daniel Dawkin’s work, is it right that his opinion is taken precedence on two popular game websites? I’d be extremely interested to hear your opinions on this matter, and we’ll inform you if CVG and Gamesradar make any comments. We just hope Daniel didn’t also provide himself for Edge’s review.

*Update* - CVG’s review has now been correctly listed as Daniel Dawkin’s PSM3 review. However, the same conclusion remains. Two different popular websites, with two differing readerships are posting the same review. This may make business sense for Future Publishing, but does it make sense for their audiences?

MGS4 Bundle Sneaking Into Europe

Tom Hillman — Thu, 08 May 2008 20:59:43 +0000

Fear not European’s, Sony is bringing the Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Playstation 3 bundle to Europe on June 12th.

The bundle will include a copy of the game, the Playstation 3 itself, a Sixaxis controller and cost €439.99.

The main point of contention is that a Sixaxis is included rather than the new DualShock 3. Sony claims this is “one of the most exciting bundles to date”, though I personally think it’s rather lacklustre.

Hopefully alternative MGS4 bundles will be announced down the line, which will include the DualShock3.

Even though I’m dying to get a limited edition gunmetal PS3, no rumble, no sale.

Source: Kotaku

More MGS4 Bundles for Japan

Geoff Haugan — Fri, 02 May 2008 21:28:50 +0000

Sony wants you to buy a PlayStation 3 for Metal Gear Solid 4, so they’re trying to make it as easy as possible. Aside from the bundles already announced in Japan and North America, Sony is adding three more to tempt Japanese gamers. Come see the pretty colors!

Going for 49,800 Yen, the new PS3/MGS4 bundles include the Dualshock 3 controller, a copy of MGS4 and the 40GB PS3 hardware in one of three colors: Clear Black, Ceramic White and Satin Silver.

The package is invitingly titled “Welcome Box”.

Now, Konami, how about you let us know in North America how we’re going to get the bundles you’ve announced for us and what’s up with the special edition hardware? It’s not often we get special colors over here and all anyone will tell me is that EB doesn’t take pre-orders for hardware.

This could get messy.

Source and pics: Watch.Impress.co.jp

MGO Resolution 665p Equivalent and 30fps

Patrick Steen — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:17:43 +0000

Pixel counters at the ready! There’s been some debate over the final rendering resolution of Metal Gear Solid 4. Screenshot pixel counting has been hazy, so the first sign of a possible resolution is found in the launch of the Metal Gear Online Beta. The Beta has now begun in Europe (yes it’s up, go and play!) and the results are in.

Over at Beyond3d technical forums, resident video game investigator Quaz51 (who also happens to be Eurogamer’s source in their console face-offs), has now proved his suspicions right. MGO renders natively at 1024by768.

This resolution is not 768p as you might suspect, since 1024by768 is not a 16/9 isomorphic resolution. Instead, it’s equivalent resolution (contains the same number of pixels) is 1182by665 – or 665p. It is thus accurate to say MGO renders natively at 665p.

Why this resolution? Rendering at this resolution can aid in post-processing effects, help with tiling through the RSX graphics chip, and also has the advantage of natively supporting 4/3 Standard Definition TV’s. In addition, MGO has been confirmed to run at 30 frames per second.

There have been many “sub-HD” games this generation, from Halo 3 to Call of Duty 4. To most the differences will be negligible and won’t detract from the gameplay experience. Moreover, with MGO offering a higher resolution than the above two games along with 2xAA (gets rid of teh jaggies), you’ll be hard pressed to tell the difference.

It’s still uncertain whether this will be the final native resolution of MGS4. For now, go and enjoy the Beta!

New MGS4 Gameplay Footage (Assassin Style)

Chad Lakkis — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 16:07:24 +0000

If you have been waiting to see some new gameplay footage of the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 4 videogame, Kojima has ended that wait, as only he can. The following video is sure to amaze and entertain you. Enjoy.

[youtube width="480" height="378"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxw91PSTRq8[/youtube]

MGS4 Limited Edition Info

Geoff Haugan — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 21:06:33 +0000

EB Games is now accepting pre-orders for a limited edition of Metal Gear Solid 4. Separate from the pre-order bonuses already announced for the game, the LE will have even more extra stuff for the discerning fan.

The MGS4 Limited Edition will come in a metal box and contain a Blu-ray with two behind the scenes documentaries on the production of MGS4, four chapters of the MGS graphic novel and an imported Metal Gear soundtrack CD. EB is going to throw in a Metal Gear art book as well, and since you’re pre-ordering MGS4 you should also be eligible for the Metal Gear Saga 2.0 DVD, which includes the beta key to get a taste of Metal Gear Online a bit before release.

At $84.99 (USD) the price is a bit steep, but if you’re interested in those extras it isn’t bad. Given that the MGS4 “Steel” PS3 package is already sold out in Japan through pre-orders, and the restrictive numbers of the Subsistence LE a couple years ago, you may want to get on this sooner rather than later. When Kojima Productions says limited, they mean it.

You have several options if you’re thinking about picking up MGS4, and even a PS3 to go along with it. The MGS4 PS3 bundle is also a good value for someone without a PS3, given the inclusion of the game, the DUALSHOCK3 controller and a mostly backwards compatible 80GB PS3.

MGS4, in whatever form you buy it, is going to be lighting up the PS3 come June 12, 2008. If you’re interested in catching up on the excellence of MGS, Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection (containing MGS1-3) was just released on March 18 for the bargain price of $29.99

Source: ebgames.com via kotaku.com and metalgearsolid.org

MGS4 Confirmed 50GB Blu-ray?

Patrick Steen — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 19:41:35 +0000

It was revealed last month that a Blu-ray disc wasn’t big enough to hold all languages for the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 4. Since all previous Playstation 3 games have resorted to the more constricted 25GB Disc, it was unclear whether MGS4 was to stray from this trend.

In a Konami retailers meeting yesterday, it was exposed that the game would be produced on a 50GB Blu-ray disc.

Ryan Patyon announced on the Kojima Report Podcast that US/European copies of MGS4 would not contain a Japanese voiceover and visa versa:

Unfortunately because of disc space, we don’t have the space to include other languages, other voice over files for the respective versions.

So the Japanese version’s not gonna have English voiceover, and the North American and European versions won’t have Japanese voiceover.

Many presumed that Kojima decided to go with a 25gb Blu-ray disc to save on costs, but it was yesterday revealed in a Konami retailers meeting that the game is the biggest of the series, and will be presented on a 50GB disc.

What’s taking up so much space we can only imagine. There will be hours of high-quality surround sound, and perhaps HD movies even though previous series had cutscenes rendered in real-time. How much space is taken up by game assets is unknown, but the release of MGS4 might be the greatest production of double-layer Blu-ray discs in the format’s short history.

Source: Gamesmaya

MGS4 Assistant Producers: Sixaxis Motion Sensing “Severely Overhyped”

Chad Lakkis — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 01:16:28 +0000

In the recent EGM, Metal Gear Solid 4 Assistant Producer, Ryan Payton had the following to say about the Sony Playstation 3′s Sixaxis Motion Sensing feature:

“I think the problem with this feature is it was severely overhyped …” He went on to say “It was talked up as Sony’s answer to the Wii Remote. The trick is to use Sixaxis sparingly and have fun with it. I don’t think anybody wants to play a long game while consistently having to tilt the controller around. Rather, it’s fun for the player when they’re given a chance to use it in short bursts– that’s how we’re approaching Sixaxis in MGS4.”

I personally agree with him, however I do believe that as someone who prefers what is now considered by many the “old school” controller approach over the arm-flaring Wiimote, I believe that I may be the minority on this subject. What do you think?

Via: PS3 Forums

Sneak Out: MGS4 Deluge Continues

Geoff Haugan — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 22:12:26 +0000

The wave of MGS4 info comes to a crest today as the official PlayStation Blog posts some clarifying details, Kojima Productions launches teaser sites for MGS4 and MGO and the Kojima Productions Report 81 goes live. I’m here to pull everything together and tie up some loose ends.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Foremost, Ryan Payton solidified June 12, 2008 as the simultaneous, worldwide release date for MGS4 on the most recent session of the KP Report (#81). This marks a first for the series, even though regional release differences have usually been modest with the Metal Gear Solid series in the past (North America and Japan anyway).

Payton also gave some details about the Solid Eye item and the voice track for the game. An equip-able, battery-reliant item, the Solid Eye can provide info on enemies including name and faction allegiance, as well as boss health. Also available is at least one image enhancement, Night Vision. Apparently due to space constraints on the 50 GB Blu ray disc (!), North America will not be getting the Japanese voice track—and likewise the Japanese release will not see the English voice track either.

Updated today, the MGS4 Teaser site shows off the new “Dissolve” image featuring Snake.

On the PlayStation Blog, further details have emerged concerning the pre-order program for MGS4. All major retailers will be taking part and the program will begin in April. If you’ve already pre-ordered, it would be wise to check details with your retailer. Those who pre-order will receive the Metal Gear Saga 2.0 DVD which, aside from many extras, will include instructions and a download code for the MGO beta. This package will only be available while supplies last.

Metal Gear Online

The April 21 planned start date of the MGO beta now includes North America. The beta will run approximately two weeks and will be available in Europe as well. The new MGO Teaser site provides what details there are to be had about the game.

Beginning with the starter pack and continuing with future expansion releases that will provide new characters, gear, maps and features, MGO supports a maximum of 16 players and will include Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Capture rules along with new modes.

Communication looks like a focus, which is exciting considering how well MGO: Subsistence emphasized teamwork. Aside from the in-game SOP nanomachine-based, team info-synch system, voice and keyboard chat are included. The preset voice commands return as well. Interesting is also the mention of friend registration, mail and SNS for communication outside the game.

To begin you’ll need to configure your in-game soldier, and it sounds like the appearance of MGS characters in MGO is not outside the realm of possibility. Old Snake and the Mk.II look to be in for sure. I, for one, am curious to see if the concept of team leaders returns. Hmm… .

The five maps included with the Starter Pack are:

- Ambush Alley
- Groznyj Grad
- Midtown Maelstrom
- Urban Ultimatum
- Blood Bath

Groznyj Grad will be familiar to MGS3 players, though it wasn’t a multiplayer battlefield. Midtown Maelstrom is reminiscent of the old Brown Town, while Urban Ultimatum looks similar to City Under Siege. Blood Bath seems like the Killhouse variant, most similar perhaps to Killhouse B thanks to the elevated walkways. Ambush Alley is the level where most of the MGO media we’ve seen so far has been set. It invokes a mix of the new with the decrepit structures of Ghost Factory. Here’s hoping we see some of the jungle locales return too.

The starter pack will also include the game types and communication tools that MGO is built on.

No doubt this week has been MGS4′s big emergence, or at least the start. Surely there will be more information to follow, but even though the release is only a few months away it’s going to be a tough wait. For those of you looking for something to do until the beta, scour the “Dissolve” Snake image to see how many MGS elements you can pick out.

I will be lamenting my lack of HDTV and probably any chance of being in on the party when the MGO beta hits and Guns of the Patriots is finally on store shelves. My Metal Gear Saga Vol. 1 DVD is going to be lonely… .

[album=19]

Sources: blog.us.playstation.com, Kojima Productions Websites

Dengeki PlayStation Reveals New MGS4 & MGO Info?

Geoff Haugan — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 04:42:52 +0000

Scans have surfaced via a Portuguese site that reveals the Japanese magazine Dengeki PlayStation running a story on Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots in Vol. 413. Among some other information, the magazine appears to confirm that MGS4′s specific release date for Japan is 6.12.2008. While official confirmation is still forthcoming on the release and could differ at least slightly for North America, it’s a pretty safe bet that MGS4 will be on store shelves around the world sometime in June. Want more? Let’s take a look at what else the article has to offer.

The article goes beyond what has already been reported concerning the Metal Gear Online beta in late April, the pre-order incentive, and the inclusion of the MGO Starter Pack in MGS4.

The magazine appears to briefly discuss some already revealed game elements, including the Octocam, sensor circle around Snake, weapon customization, the return of CQC, changes to shooting, camera and movement control, barrel rolling, the Metal Gear Mk.II, first-person view and enemy shake-down for items. Other elements discussed may or may not be new, including a section entitled “Briefing” that looks to involve the Mk.II, perhaps for information gathering or communication.

Most of the pictures featured concerning MGS4 are from the previously available demo video, or at least from the same area. Not so familiar are some shots of Metal Gear Online showing off the S.O.P. (Sons of the Patriots) system, teamplay, soldier attributes and some play levels that are reminiscent of Brown Town and City Under Siege from the online portion of MGS3: Subsistence.

Also lending some weight to other rumors floating around the Internet is a section titled “Information”, where three versions of MGS4 are pictured and detailed. One appears to be the stand-alone game; the second looks like an expanded version featuring the game and another disc with a box to hold both cases; the third looks like the PlayStation 3 bundle, but featuring the expanded version as opposed to just the stand-alone game and an unknown version of the PS3 hardware.

Let’s hope Sony and Kojima Productions clarify in the future which versions are coming to which regions, and what version is going to be included in the PS3 bundle to avoid confusion. No special edition of MGS4 has been announced for North America at this time.

In a final blurb on Metal Gear Online, the article lists some dates. April 21 appears to be the primary one, perhaps the late April start of the beta. Further listed are the ranges 2/29~5/5 and 4/21~5/6. There is no specific indication what these refer to, though the latter beginning on 4/21 could refer to the duration of the beta itself. It’s likely dates will be similar for North America, but may be undecided at this point.

No doubt more information will emerge on MGS4 and MGO in the near future as Kojima Productions emerges from the self-imposed blackout. Stay tuned!

UPDATE: Metal Gear Solid: The Unofficial Site has posted some translated details from this Dengeki PlayStation article.

The “Briefings” sound like the return of the Briefing Mode that appeared in Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes. They do indeed involve the Mk.II and allow you to view the scene from different angles and interact with it.

The expanded edition of the game is also confirmed as a two-disc set that includes all the trailers for MGS4 and behind-the-scenes content. The PS3 to be bundled with the game looks to feature a special design or appearance, as yet unannounced.

MGO will include five maps to start with. It sounds like not all will be new, so those images that look a lot like City Under Siege and Brown Town may be just that. More content will be available through the MGO Store moving forward.

As surmised, the dates listed in the article refer to the MGO beta. It will take place 4/21-5/6. Beta applications accepted 2/29-5/5.

Dates are Japan only at this point.

Source: ene3.com

Final Fantasy XIII, Gears of War 2, Motorstorm 2, Alan Wake at GDC 2008?

Patrick Steen — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 13:33:45 +0000

What games will be at GDC 2008? The infamous Surfer Girl says three of the above titles will be there, along with four more “definites”. We can confirm six others.

In a response to a poster who asks what games will be at GDC this year, Surfer Girl says “YES” to seven games. These games are MotorStorm 2, Alan Wake, Too Human, InFamous, LittleBigPlanet, Killzone 2 and Gears of War 2.

There are three other games that might possibly make it to the event: SOCOM PS3, Metal Gear Solid 4, and WipEout HD.

Unlike last year, Sony and Nintendo won’t be having keynote presentations, so it might be wishful thinking to expect anything on the scale of Sony’s reveal of Home and LittleBigPlanet.

On the other hand, there is a Microsoft day booked for Tuesday, along with an hour long Microsoft keynote. Big things could be coming from the Xbox camp.

What games can we confirm for GDC? Mercenaries 2, Far Cry 2, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, and Battlefield: Bad Company.

In addition to these, Square Enix will be presenting their Final Fantasy XIII engine, and three big Fable 2 secrets will be revealed. You heard it here first.

Make sure to come to Ripten for all of your GDC coverage.

*Update* - Surfer Girl has since retracted her predictions, blaming sleep deprivation for her original outburst. Please read about this here, along with further titbits on what will be at GDC’08.

MGS4 Demo Actually on the Way? Update

Patrick Steen — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 23:17:09 +0000

Get in!

Can it be? Can the words I read be true? Is a Metal Gear Solid 4 demo coming to the Playstation Network next month? I do not believe it.

Ryan Payton, the game’s Assistant Producer, who we interviewed at E for All, gave us the impression that there would be no hope of a Metal Gear demo on the Playstation Network:

Considering how much we’ve changed since TGS/E for All, it would be a huge undertaking to create a new demo. Sorry guys.

To be honest, why would they need a demo for existing Playstaiton owners, when it’s almost certain that they are going to go out and buy the game anyway?

Nevertheless, perhaps Payton’s choice of words when he said a “new demo” wasn’t on the cards, should have been enough to place doubt in our minds. You would, however, expect Kojima to desire a demo that was representative of their final engine, so they might have taken that huge undertaking and updated the demo’s game engine.

So what leads us to believe that an MGS4 demo is on the way to the Playstaiton Network? Well, we can read it in the Playstation World magazine:

Want more MGS4? Well you’ll get it very soon. The stage we played here will be on the PSN Store in the next month.

What a tasty little surprise if true. But don’t forget, magazines have been known to get things wrong. Still, PSW sound very confident after their play time with the game.

While you ogle at the photograph of these edible words, we’ll try to keep you informed.

Update: The PSW Editor has been in contact with MGS4.net to let them know that a demo for the PSN Store is indeed planned, and they expect it to land in February. Though they do say that’s if the game is coming in May…when I was expecting it in June anyway:

At the time of writing the article a Konami rep told us a demo, the demo we played in our office for the magazine article, would be on the PSN Store. It’s finished, we played it, so something should be appearing this month.

It could all depend on the game’s final on sale date, if it has moved to May then a demo could appear later, possibly February.

Sources: Gametrailers Forums and MGS4.net

Kojima: Three More Projects On The Way

Patrick Steen — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 18:18:23 +0000

In last week’s Kojima Productions Report, host Ryan Payton, also assistant producer for Metal Gear Solid 4, wagered that if the Packers won the NFC Divisional Playoff game last weekend, he would announce something new in the Kojima world. The Packers won and Payton keeps his end of the bargain in this weeks podcast.

Right at the end of the podcast, Ryan announces a set of announcements that are to come. Announcing announcements is not that exciting, aye? Perhaps not – but he does say that Kojima are working on three other projects to hit the US this summer.

Ryan wanted permission from Konami to announce at least one of three products, but he was turned down. For now the only news we have that there are these three products (interestingly not all digital content) that Metal Gear fans can get excited about.

I thought a Kojima hibernation was about to begin, but it seems that the veils are going to be taken off in the coming weeks. Ryan reveals that a train is about to start chugging along with announcement after announcement, trailers and screenshots, MGS4′s release date and other new information.

The details are coming week on week, so keep your ears and eyes open (well your ears don’t close…but you know what I mean).

Metal Gear Solid 4 at Bug Testing Phase: No Further Delays

Patrick Steen — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 19:00:42 +0000

Snake is getting all prettied up for the big release!

Yes we’ve gone a bit top heavy on the Metal Gear Solid 4 news, but it’s just coming in thick and fast. And we’ll take it while we can when we suspect Kojima hibernation is imminent. Today we bring you the exciting news that Kojima doesn’t want to disappoint his fans any longer – there will be no further delay for MGS4, as confirmed in the Kojima Report Podcast.

On this weeks Kojima Report Session, Ryan Payton (the game’s Assistant Producer) lets us in on some titibits on MGS4′s release date. There is no set date for release, since conversations are still continuing between Kojima and marketing, but they are definitely concentrating on Q2 of this year. Yes, you heard it here first; the title is not going to slip.

The whole team and Kojima himself are committed to Q2 2008. Ryan even tells us that Kojima was embarrassed by the slip to 2008 and that he doesn’t want to further delay the game.

I can hear you all murmuring “Yeah right!”, but hey, there’s actually more good evidence to support this. Ryan tells us that the game is “on the eve of the bug checking phase”, where the game is very nearly feature complete. MGS4 can even be played from start to finish.

Even though parts, such as the opening movie, are still missing, the remaining development time is filled with bug testing, tuning and last minute features. This is the last push for MGS4. Hurrah!

Although a specific date is still speculation, MGS4 will be released simultaneously worldwide (within the same week) in Q2 2008. You can put money on it. $60 would be a good bet.

You can listen to the podcast here.

Credit goes to Gamespot forums for the hilarious title image.

Over 70 Weapons in MGS4: New English Demo Footage

Patrick Steen — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 20:52:19 +0000

Kojima revealed at TGS that there would be over 70 weapons in Metal Gear Solid 4, and what’s more they would be customisable. With CES going on right now, we are getting new footage of some of these weapons. Watching these five new videos from the MGS4 English demo, it’s almost safe to say that Kojima has done it again.

Kojima continues to announce new features, such as being able to play the game in First Person Mode, suggesting that there isn’t anything Snake can’t do. Furthermore, with over 70 weapons, MGS4 is going to be one of the most feature full games to come out in 2008.

In this following video from youtube user Konrad52, you can see the epic weapon shown in the title image – the rocket launcher, “Javelin”.

[youtube width="425" height="335"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDsiPSfyNX8[/youtube]

MGS4 will have the most diverse array of weapons yet seen in a Metal Gear game, not only because of the sheer amount, but that you can modify each weapon extensively.

As you get hold of new gear, you can add scopes, flashlights, shotguns, grenade launchers and more. This gear can be added to your weapons on pre-determined mounts to create something that will help you get through your diverse enemy encounters.

The enemy animation and hit reactions continue to impress, as can be seen in this recent captured video:

[youtube width="425" height="335"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-f4CTOtKN8[/youtube]

We only wish they would let all PS3 owners get hold of this demo, but at the moment this looks unlikely.

Credit Goes to Ploid 2.0 of Neogaf

Here you can watch Parts 1, 2 and 3 of Konrad52′s footage of the MGS4 English demo at CES.

[youtube width="425" height="335"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtalwiYZSRs[/youtube]

[youtube width="425" height="335"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boid0eyqDvo[/youtube]

[youtube width="425" height="335"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hydi1ZLXo4Y [/youtube]