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OMGS4: Three million copies shipped worldwide
Solid Snake's swan song seems destined to be heard by many a PlayStation 3 owner, with Famitsu (translated by IGN) confirming that Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots has shipped three million copies to various destinations worldwide. Speaking at a recent Sony investor meeting in Tokyo, SCE president Kaz Hirai reportedly noted that Hideo Kojima's opus has had a beneficial effect on PS3 hardware sales. Though its effects have been quite clear in Japan, the UK's Chart-Track group has previously stated that MGS4, despite being a top seller, only managed to have "minimal impact" on the PS3's selling rate. Konami has made no announcement regarding US sales yet, though we expect to see plenty of Metal Gear sold action on next month's NPD report.
OMGS4: Sales exceed 1 million in Europe during first week
Senior stealth citizen news now, with European Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots sales exceeding one million units in its first week. Konami has called the demand for the game "exceptional," noting that the final chapter in Solid Snake's spiraling saga has seen high sales in all European territories. The 25,000 Limited Edition copies made available to the continent were "almost immediately" sold out. Figures. The PlayStation 3 sneak-em-up has seen similar success in Japan, outselling its closest competitor by a factor of 12. If you're among the million Metal Gears Sold and don't know your Gekkos from your Frogs, be sure to download the free MGS4 Database from the Euro PlayStation Network this Thursday.
Metal Gear Solid 4 Database to educate Europe this Thursday
We've gotten into the bad habit of using the word "convoluted" every single time we write something about Metal Gear Solid 4, so we've gone ahead and opened up the thesaurus for this one. According to MCV, the Metal Gear Solid 4 Database, an interactive encyclopedia meant to guide players through Hideo Kojima's byzantine saga, will become available on the European PSN this Thursday, June 26th. It's filled with facts, it's free and it'll check your MGS4 progress before spoiling the part where Meryl is eaten alive by robot marmosets (from the future).So, what did you think of "byzantine?" Personally, we think that sounds too much like one of those effervescent energy pills. How about "labyrinthine?" "Daedalian?" There's also "knotty." These thesaurus things are quite convoluted, you know.
Metal Gear Solid 4 Limited Edition (PAL): The Unboxing
Oh no, isn't one gallery devoted to video game packaging (packaging!) enough? Well, it would be, had we not sensed your overwhelming and debilitating desire to see the contents of Metal Gear Solid 4's European Limited Edition. Check out the gallery if you're keen to meet our newest friend, LE PAL.%Gallery-25085% Snake? Snaaaake? SNAAAAAAKE! Check out our Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots page for all things Metal Gear.
Introducing the Joystiq Metal Gear Solid 4 page
Need a refresher on Kojima's forthcoming masterpiece? Check out our game page for all things Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Seriously, this is everything we've written on the game. Bookmark the page, as we'll be constantly updating with new content in the lead-up to MGS4's worldwide launch next week. Note: The MGS4 page also benefits from not having comments and is therefore spoiler free. That said, we will do our best to monitor the comment system, at our own risk, and delete spoilers. Still, we're human, so be careful when treading through comments, on any website, for the next few weeks. To those who do post spoilers: Expect to see a banhammer slam into your forehead.
Metal Gear Solid 4 soundtrack released in Japan
The official Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots soundtrack came out in Japan today. The score was composed by Nobuko Toda and Harry Gregson-Williams, who have both contributed music to past MGS titles. The soundtrack is available for import via Play-Asia for $28. We caution, however, looking at the track listing as they contain minor spoilers (such as the "This is The Song You Hear When Snake Shoots Himself in the Head 78% Into the Game" – we're kidding). A copy of the soundtrack is also included in the Limited Edition version of the game. MGS4 is just two weeks away.
Rumor: European mags gush over Metal Gear Solid 4
News flash: Europeans love Solid Snake. We'll bet you're surprised to read that, so we'll wait until you've regained consciousness to move on ... Okay, good. CVG is reporting via the ever-reliable NeoGAF forums (we think it's this thread, although that's unconfirmed) that the following scores have been given to Metal Gear Solid 4: PlayStation Official Magazine (UK): 10/10 PlayStation Official Magazine (US): 10/10 PlayStation Official Magazine (Italy): 10/10 PlayStation Official Magazine (Dutch): 9.6/10 Level (Sweden): 10/10 Joypad (France): 19/20 Jeuxvideo Magazine (France): 18/20 [Update: Jeuxvideo has told us that it's MGS4 issue isn't even finished yet!] As of this writing, the only confirmed score is the POM UK via Metacritic. And though we wouldn't be surprised if these ended up being the review scores (or pretty close to them) – the MGS brand has been known to rake in high numbers – it's just a forum rumor for now.%Gallery-23093%
To Hideo Kojima stalkers: He's in London next week
According to Eurogamer, Metal Gear heads Hideo Kojima and Yoji Shinkawa will be in London next week to scribble signatures across their latest work, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Kojima and co. will be at the HMV Oxford Street, London store as of noon, though fans are encouraged to prepare their stampede at 9AM. With the meeting occurring on June 2nd, there won't be any copies of the game available, though HMV will provide 300 game sleeves to those who drop five pounds on a pre-order. If you want to show Kojima how much you care, ask him to draw a little heart on your sleeve.Not in London? Catch the man in New York on midnight, June 11th. He'll look marvelous in your collection.
Breaking: Metal Gear Solid 4 to have really long cutscenes
If you haven't been getting along with Metal Gear Solid's blend of neck-snapping stealth and expository blabbering, the fourth (and sort of final) game in the series is unlikely to sway your opinion. CVG reports that Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots features 90 minutes of cutscenes and... wait, hang on. It doesn't contain 90 minutes of cutscenes, but rather, alleged 90-minute cutscenes. If your interest or your attention span doesn't stretch that far, you'll probably have a better time watching a Slinky make its way down a short flight of stairs. Removing the element of sensationalism, however, it should be noted that the article fails to mention where said lengthy cutscenes (which can now be paused) fall within the game. For all we know, they're at the end -- you know, when you're done playing. Even so, this revelation is unlikely to turn away longtime series fans. If anything, we suspect it'll have them even more interested. We certainly are!In other "Why am I waiting so long?" news, alleged images of a Metal Gear Solid 4 store display box have surfaced online, showing a required 4.5GB installation. We've requested comment from Konami.[Thanks, Hashbrown Hunter]Read -- Loooong cutscenesRead -- Biiiig installation
No Gun Metal Gray PS3 for U, K?
Konami has confirmed to Eurogamer that the UK will not be receiving the limited edition Metal Gear Solid 4 PlayStation 3 bundle. Not that many other people will be getting it either, mind you, as the Gun Metal Gray system is only available to Americans purchasing it through Konami's website. This is especially true considering the $599 asking price and the limited internet access provided within most asylums.All European residents should be pleased to note that the "plain" Metal Gear Solid 4 bundle -- the one with the game, a black 40 gigger and a Sixaxis controller -- is still on track for a June 12th release at €439. It's not quite as fancy as the 80GB / Dual Shock 3 bundle in the US, but at least they all come with a pretty good game.[Update: Several tipsters point to Play.com's "exclusive" listing of this very bundle. We're going to go with the publisher's word over a retailer listing, but we'll check with Konami again, just to be sure. Update 2: Konami has confirmed with us that the bundle will not be heading to the UK, calling the Play.com listing a "mistake."]
MGS4 'Gun Metal Gray' PS3 bundle exclusive to Konami website
While we've known for some time that the "Gun Metal Gray" PlayStation 3 bundle -- featuring a shiny 40GB model, a matching DualShock 3 controller and a Limited Edition copy of geriatric sneakfest, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots -- would be available to Americans, we didn't know until now that it would only be available to Americans logging onto Konami's website. Online and inevitably scarce pre-orders for the $599.99 package will start on May 19th, so you'd better get clicking if you want Snake and Gray Box to face off in your living room.No, we mean it. Judging by Konami's labyrinthine sign-up process for the Metal Gear Online Beta, you'll need at least several days to prepare a registration, obtain an ID, convert that into e-currency, trade it in for the microfilm, enter the password, steal the key code, write the secret URL on a postcard and summon Hideo Kojima in an arcane ritual.Note: This bundle is different from the regular, $499 MGS4 bundle which includes an 80GB PS3 and a DualShock 3.
OMGS4: Guns of the Patriots gets its first 10
Grand Theft Auto IV? 10! Halo 3? 10! The Orange Box? 10! And Metal Gear Solid 4? 10, of course! The UK's Official PlayStation Magazine has given Snake's stealthy send-off full marks, sticking a nice, round "10" at the end of a lengthy justification. "Ultimately, this is a game for fans -- and you should be one," writes Paul Fitzpatrick. "As for Snake? It turns out his last stand really is his finest hour."Yes, we know. "No game is perfect!" You're right. "10 doesn't necessarily mean perfect!" That's true. "The promise of next-generation technology is finally paying off with increasingly immersive, detailed and hitherto impossible experiences!" Could be. "Snake's last stand is only an hour long wtf?!" Okay, you are an idiot.We can't wait for more reviews to roll in, if only to see further evidence of Kojima stubbornly sticking to his comically over-the-top guns. You can cry about cutscenes all you want, but the man is finishing his story.
Kojima hopes to develop for everything, ever
In a recent Gamepro interview, Hideo Kojima makes it clear that his aspirations involve more than just the Playstation 3. The Metal Gear designer notes that he eventually wants to develop for the Wii, the Xbox 360 (he's a fan of Gears of War, you know) and the "world-wide platform" that is the PC. "I want to do it. But our staff, especially the younger ones, don't so much like to work on the PC. If it was PC, we don't have to go into some crappy things with the first parties."Going by Kojima's earlier steak dinner and movie analogies, we suppose he can now be interpreted as a rabid film critic wandering about town, randomly bursting into houses and demanding delicious steaks. Of course, PC gaming needs to fit in there somewhere -- is it like leveling up your own livestock, shortly before slaughtering it and eating it alone?Read the interview and make your own conclusions. Watch out for Kojima stating that "MGS4 is actually for the PS3 only so far."[Thanks to everyone who sent this in.]
Kojima on Wii: Interesting controller, dated graphics
After infamously comparing the Wii to a television, respected and surprisingly non-grumpy game developer, Hideo Kojima, recently revisited the topic of how the next-gen consoles compare to one another. Thankfully, he refrained from using film, cuisine or extreme sports analogies this time. Speaking in a group interview alongside advent child Testuya Nomura and Metal Gear Solid 4's Yoji Shinkawa, Kojima made it clear that he views the technologically advanced PS3 as leading the way to the future. He noted that the high cost of the system would be a necessary evil in order to push the industry to new heights, whereas the Wii could be considered "interesting, but in terms of functions, it's a machine with past concepts." It's fair to assume that he is referring directly to the Wii's less robust graphical abilities, certainly an important factor when it comes to the sort of cinematic presentation Kojima's games have become known for. However, Kojima goes on to suggest how the PS3 might be improved. "The best thing would be a PS3 with controls like the Wii."That sounds grand to us ... but it would probably cost a grand too. Money well spent?
