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

Sony’s subdued presence at GDC this year may have convinced many gamers that they’d have to wait a bit longer for information on some of the company’s upcoming plans and software. It turns out the wait was not long.

Today at Destination PlayStation—a PlayStation-retailer-3rd party event currently underway in Arizona—Sony announced some big news: A Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots PS3 bundle, Metal Gear Online beta test, God of War: Chains of Olympus red PSP pack and the North American release date for the DUALSHOCK 3 controller. A post on the official PlayStation Blog details the announcements.

So far advertised only to “coincide with the much-anticipated North American launch of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots in late Q2 2008,” Sony will be releasing a PlayStation 3 bundle comprised of an 80GB PlayStation 3, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and a DUALSHOCK 3 wireless controller for $499.99.

While Kotaku is reporting that MGS4 will see release on June 12, 2008, there doesn’t appear to be any mention of a specific date just yet in the information from Sony, only that the game is coming late second quarter 2008.

Also of particular interest, the previously mentioned Metal Gear Online “Starter Pack” will be included with MGS4. Further, there will be a pre-order incentive for MGS4 that “guarantees access” to a multiplayer beta test set for late April.

Referred to only as “nationwide,” there were no specifics given as to the details of the pre-order incentive or the beta, or whether people purchasing the hardware bundle would be included (which seems unlikely, especially if the beta happens prior to the game’s/bundle’s release).

Aside from its inclusion in the MGS4 bundle, Sony also announced that the North American release for its new DUALSHOCK 3 wireless controller will be in April 2008. Bringing the rumble back to the PlayStation platform alongside the SIXAXIS motion-sensing technology, Sony is already saying the DS3 is compatible with 100+ PS3 games. It will retail for $54.99.

Sony has previously proven that Nintendo isn’t the only company that likes to spice up their hardware with new colors—and the God of War PSP Entertainment Pack continues in that respect. Releasing for $199.99, this Pack will include a somewhat odd amalgamation of goods including a limited-edition “Deep Red” PSP with Kratos image on the back, God of War: Chain of Olympus, the movie Superbad on UMD and the capability to download Syphon Filter: Combat Ops from the PlayStation Store at no cost. Those interested will have to wait until June to get their hands on the Entertainment Pack however, while God of War: Chains of Olympus will arrive on March 4, 2008.

Sony seems to be starting the year off with a bang, and the Spring/Summer period is looking like it’ll be more eventful than usual across all platforms. If you’re at all interested in the PSP or PS3 especially, Sony seems to be supplying some incentives to get you off the fence and into the store.

Source: PlayStation Blog