RipTen Videogame Blog » Solid-Snake

Metal Gear Solid 5 Sort of Confirmed Again, A Bit

Sam Naylor — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 12:03:25 +0000

Hideo Kojima has resumed his favourite pastime- teasing fans about the existence of another “proper” Metal Gear Solid game.

While at the press conference for Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (possibly one of the stupidest titles for a game ever), Kojima answered a number of questions. As part of this, he said:

For those of you desire for authentic stealth MGS, I want you to patiently wait for the sequel coming in future.

So that’s Metal Gear Solid 5 confirmed then. Well, sort of. A bit. It’s a confirmation that something exists.

Twitter via Destructoid

Stuff That Never Gets Old: Metal Gear Awesome

Catherine Cai — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 01:56:36 +0000

There are some entities on the internet that transcend time and relevancy. No matter how out-of-date they may be, no matter how many times you’ve seen them, the humor lingers and we find ourselves right back where we started, laughing our asses off as we add one more view to the tally of millions. This, my friends, is stuff that never gets old.

If you don’t lurk through the depths of Newgrounds, then the alias egoraptor most likely means nothing to you. For those of you non-Internet-loving heathens, egoraptor is like the Morgan Freeman of Newgrounds. His vocal work is ubiquitous in almost all well-done flash works on Newgrounds. However, he’s probably better known for his Awesome series, where he parodies well-known videogames with randomness and cock jokes into a blend that’s just… awesome.

Metal Gear Awesome is one of my favorite Awesome series, because half of the jokes are just so god damned true. There’s just no way of describing the insanity of the Awesome series except by watching one of them. So do that. Do that now.

Stay tuned next week for more videos we wish we’d been clever enough to make ourselves.

Watch This Awesome Gunslinger Spin His Revolvers Like Ocelot

Dave Oshry — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 04:15:58 +0000

Anyone who’s familiar with the Metal Gear Solid series knows Revolver Ocelot. That cocky bastard sure does love his six shooters and he sure knows how to spin ‘em. He does some pretty impressive gun spinnin’ in the game, but let’s see someone try that in real life!

Well, not only is YouTuber Juski1000 one hell of a gunslinger, he’s so damn good, he can drop it like he’s Ocelot.

Yes, that is impressive.

TGS 2011: Kojima Confirms MGS & ZoE HD Collections for PS Vita

Garrett Hartman — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 06:03:24 +0000

At the 2011 Tokyo Game Show during the Sony Conference, Hideo Kojima announced the Metal Gear Solid and Zone of the Enders HD Collections for the PS Vita to be released in 2012.

The MGS Collection, will feature HD versions of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and Metal Gear Solid: Subsistence. The Zone of the Enders HD Collection will contain the original ZoE game, as well as Zone of the Enders The Second Runner.

Although announced for 2012, a more specific date has not been stated.

Konami Announces Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Clothing Line – Eyepatches Sold Seperately

Danielle Cantrell — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 14:58:52 +0000

For those of you who have been waiting for official Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker gear you can wear IRL (and who hasn’t?) – April 11th will be your lucky day.

Konami has just announced that their complete line of inspired clothing will be available online in North America in a week!

Instead of being a typical gamer-gear, the Peace Walker line will have coats, sweatshirts, T-shirts, pants, and hats that are actually inspired by what’s worn in-game. Additionally, there will be different releases for each quarter and for special events.

Now, while this may sound pretty derp at first, the threads are actually rather bad ass… check ‘em out below:

The Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker clothing line is being created in partnership with Musterbrand LLC.

“Our partnership will give fans the opportunity to ‘suit up’ for one of the most successful video game franchises of all time, specifically for METAL GEAR SOLID: PEACE WALKER,” said Careen Yapp, Vice President of Acquisitions and Franchise Development of Konami Digital Entertainment Inc. “The mass success and support for our latest METAL GEAR SOLID hit has allowed us to expand beyond what we’ve done in the past with the series, and we are very much looking forward to offering this new line to a global community of fans.”

Look for this line of stylish war wear next week at Konami.com

Metal Gear Solid HD Collection May Be Coming to the PS3

Matthew Sims — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 19:39:41 +0000

According to Official Playstation Magazine, there are rumors in the air about Solid Snake getting an HD makeover for his first three MGS titles. The makeover would be in the same vein as the current HD packages in the works, such as the Sly Cooper and ICO/Shadows of the Colossus HD upgrades.

Apparently the magazine has heard “inside whispers” about the remakes that are apparently forthcoming. It says that that Snake and the crew are in the “facelift queue” and that the “first three” MGS games are going to get a PS3 retail release. Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima also spent this morning revisiting and digging through old Metal Gear concept pieces. This could mean that Kojima is trying to get some ideas for the HD release, or that the man is simply cleaning out his office.

Whichever the case, Ripten will be there if and when he finds a sandwich that time has forgotten, and you better believe that we’ll have pictures.

[Source: thegamingliberty]

Metal Gear Solid 4 New Greatest Hits Box Displays Trophy Support

Garrett Hartman — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 04:04:55 +0000

Thats right Metal Gear Solid 4 fans, the day you have all been waiting for may finally come soon. Trophy Support has been one of the few things many MGS4 players have desired. The game came out shortly before the PS3 adopted the trophy system and fans of the game have often had their hopes dashed several times by baseless rumors.

Thankfully, it seems this one could have more concrete evidence behind it. It’s been reported that the newest boxes for the Greatest Hit Edition of Metal Gear Solid 4 display ‘trophy support’ on the back. It unlikely for Konami to make an unintentional mistake like this. View the picture here.

As a Metal Gear Solid fan, I’m keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for a patch with trophies and other goodies sneaks it’s way to the PS3 console soon!

Source

Play as Solid Snake in Castlevania? David Cox says “No”

Garrett Hartman — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 19:12:51 +0000

Last night various different websites claimed Solid Snake as a playable character in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. Thanks to a Tweet by David Cox, we know it not to be true:

“No not true you do not play as Solid Snake but there is an unlockable that is Kojima related :)”

Hmmm? Well, there is something Kojima related. A Solid Snake costume? Definitely likely.

Let’s just hope it isn’t the notoriously gassy Johnny Sasaki.

Source

Fan-Art: Metal Gear: Ghost Babel Graffiti

Dylan Duarte — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 21:24:38 +0000

I never played Ghost Babel, but I’m a huge fan of the Metal Gear series. I’m not a huge fan of criminal activity, but this wall is infinitely cooler than it was before. And I’m awarding extra points for the little “performance” with the cardboard box. I don’t know if I’d hang around the scene of my crime long enough to pose for a snapshot, but I guess if a cop showed up you could just hide in the box like the real Snake. Thanks to one talented fan, Solid Snake will always watch over this building. Until he gets washed off. By Liquid. Snake.

Go Nintendo

Carpenter Gave Kojima His Blessing to Create Solid Snake

David Oxford — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 01:35:32 +0000

If you follow Metal Gear very much at all, then you have more than likely seen comments or comparisons which liken series protagonist Solid Snake to another Snake who is fairly well known among movie aficionados.

“Oh, ‘Snake,’ like the guy in Escape from L.A.,” one might say. Or perhaps “he was totally based on John Carpenter’s Snake.” Or, worst of all, someone might just flat-out say he’s a rip-off.

Certainly, Carpenter’s Snake did indeed inspire Kojima’s. But what may not be as well known is that Carpenter himself gave Kojima his blessing to draw that inspiration for his video game character, though it came a little later than one might expect.

Though Solid Snake has been infiltrating enemy strongholds since 1987, it was prior to the creation of 1998′s Metal Gear Solid:

“[Hideo Kojima] has written me and asked me for my blessing on the game and I wrote him back [to say] how about it?” said Carpenter. “He’s a very nice man.”

Why the late decision to suddenly ask permission? It’s difficult to say, though Metal Gear Solid‘s introduction of voice acting and more detailed characters and story might have been a factor.

Since then, Carpenter has tried his own hand at video game creation, and is currently at work on the story for Warner Bros.’ first-person shooter horror title F.3.A.R .

But, what if Carpenter were to decide to bring the world of his Escape movies into the realm of interactive entertainment? Is the video game world big enough for two Snakes?

Source: CVG (via MTV Multiplayer)

Latest Metal Gear Movie Update Cites Franchise Success As Main Reason Big Screen Adaptation Won’t Get Done

Chad Lakkis — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 10:18:56 +0000

The latest not-so-positive update from the “hold your breath and wait” Metal Gear Movie universe features a quote from Producer Mike De Luca:

“… the problem with a lot of these adaptations is it’s such a huge franchise for the video game company. A movie can only hurt. If the movie’s great, you’re probably not going to sell more games. It’s such a separate thing. The franchise being as big as it kind of helps the movie… I’m not sure the movie does the same thing for the game.”

I guess you can’t fault the logic from a business standpoint strictly focused on games and movies, but what about the other outlets that could see a boost in revenue from a successful movie? I’m no industry expert but don’t mega movies prompt the mass production of everything from action figures to lunch boxes?

Sure there’s risk in the movie flopping, but after we personally interviewed David Hayter at GDC, I for one firmly believe that a Metal Gear movie with him at the helm would be a huge success. Try Googling “Metal Gear lunch box” — nothing. Now try Googling “Twighlight lunch box” — scary isn’t it? Come on guys, find a way to get this deal done … do it for the lunch box!!!

TGS 08: LittleBigPlanet Gets Solid Snake and Sephiroth Sackboy Costumes

Chad Lakkis — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 09:58:23 +0000

The LittleBigPlanet game you may have heard a thing or two about lately is getting some more costumes for their dashing lead man. Sony’s Official PlayStation Blog announced that Solid Snake (Old Snake) and Sephiroth (from Final Fantasy VII) digs were confirmed for LBP moments ago on the Tokyo Game Show floor.

While the PlayStation blog itself makes no mention of pricing or planned method of distribution, a translated announcement made on the SCEI website points to the costumes being sold worldwide as downloadable content via the PSN.

Get a closer look at the two new sacks after the jump.

Happy Birthday Hideo Kojima!

Rangebar Merani — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 06:53:30 +0000

Hideo Kojima, creator of the Metal Gear series, is 45 today, and we here at Ripten would like to wish him a very Happy Birthday.

Turning 45 doesn’t mean Kojima is old by any means, it just means that he’s got one less year left to give us more great games like Metal Gear Solid 4 before he retires. Happy Birthday Hideo!

Metal Gear Solid 4 Review

Patrick Steen — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 05:28:19 +0000

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

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.

New Battlefield:Bad Company Trailer Takes The Piss Out of Metal Gear Solid

John Kershaw — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 02:16:51 +0000

If your anything like us, you have no doubt been stuffing your face will all the Solid Snake you can get. It looks like the makers of Battlefield: Bad Company know this too. The new trailer entitled “Snake Eyes” isn’t exactly subtle in its references.

Even lacking any subtly, it’s still very funny and … hey, guys look! I found an eye patch!

Smash Bros. Dojo: Snake’s Final Smash Revealed

Dylan Duarte — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 12:07:10 +0000

This week’s Smash Bros. Dojo update reveals the final smash move for the game’s most out-of-place character: Solid Snake.

When Snake activates his final smash move, he calls in a helicopter, grabs onto its rope ladder, and let’s loose with a grenade launcher. Players actual get to aim the launcher as the camera looks over Snake’s shoulder and a targeting reticule appears on the screen.

Other players can still control their characters like normal and they can attempt to dodge the grenades.

Snake’s final smash ends when he either runs out of time or shoots all twelve of his grenades.

Check out the screens below.

Costly MGS4 Must Sell 1 Million on Day One

Cavin Smith — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 17:10:55 +0000

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]

Konami Pushes Metal Gear Solid 4 Back Again – Spring 2008 Expected Release

Chad Lakkis — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 02:16:43 +0000

Snake and the gang have nothing but time to kill, for now…

The title many of us have been waiting for has been pushed back yet again, and while the delays may be frustrating, if the end result ultimately adds up to a flawless finale for a treasured franchise, it will have been well worth the wait. Press release after the jump.

METAL GEAR SOLID 4 GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS Release Update
October 31, 2007

KONAMI announced today that “METAL GEAR SOLID 4 GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS”, the latest in the METAL GEAR series, is scheduled to be released in the second quarter of calendar year 2008.

KONAMI had initially intended to release “METAL GEAR SOLID 4 GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS” this winter and has been working on the production of the title. KONAMI has decided to delay the title’s release in order to make further improvements to the quality of the game and provide even greater enjoyment for more customers worldwide.

KONAMI will continue its efforts to make “METAL GEAR SOLID 4 GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS” meet everyone’s expectations.

Further information regarding the release date will be announced as soon as possible.

Title: “METAL GEAR SOLID 4 GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS”
Expected Release Date: the second quarter of 2008
Genre: Action
Platform: “PLAYSTATION 3″

“PLAYSTATION” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.