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Up close and personal with the camo PSP
The Japanese release of Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops was met with quite some fanfare... and new hardware. The camo PSP, included in the MGS bundle, has infiltrated Japan and the blogger of PSP GadgetZ has captured one for himself. He's taken some beautiful, almost pornographic, pictures of the unit from all sorts of naughty angles. Interested importers can check out Play-Asia for this unique, but pricey, system.
Unlock all of MGS:PO's unique characters
While driving around using the GPS system will get you some characters, the coolest ones have to be earned through the game. Or... through these cheats. A forum member from MGCN called SHADOW.EXE has uncovered passwords for what could be every unique character in the game. Check it out:HUNTER-N is NULLLQ.N2 is PYTHONJUNKER is CUNNINGHAMERBE is GENEPK +ESP is URSULA (can't be got with ELISA at the same time)THE-L is ELISA (can't be got with URSULA at the same time)E.APPLE is EVAPM-EMS is PARAMEDICDARPA-1 is SIGHTR.R.R. is OCELOT1+2-3 is ZEROSATURNV is SOKOLOVIVN =RV is RAIKOVT.F-ACID is TELIKOMGA2VE is VENUS! TRAUMER is GAKO[Via 1UP]
Metal Gear Solid's GPS demonstration
The folks at PSP Vault have combined the GPS accessory (now available in Japan) with the recently released Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. As explained earlier, you'll be able to recruit new soldiers through this weird and wacky feature that combines virtual espionage and real-world location hunting. Check after the cut to see more.
MGS Portable Ops: the testing ground for MGS4
Kojima fans were shocked to find that Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops not only successfully emulates the console MGS experience on the handheld, but brings new things to the table. The folks of High Dynamic Range Lying detail how MGS:PO may actually be testing new ideas for MGS4, heading to the PS3. The new recruitment system, where Snake must capture enemies and convert them into allies might be a crucial aspect of the next-gen sequel:"In MGS4, there's no telling if Solid Snake himself will try to form his own fighting force. Otacon is heard in the E3 trailer, saying that Snake cannot do it alone, adding that he never had a chance. Could this be the catalyst that forces Snake to create a team capable of taking down the patriots, and stopping Liquid Ocelot? With MGS4 still in development for another year, the story of an old Snake single handedly silencing an entire army of mechs and soldiers seeming ridiculous, and little to none of the new allegiance system revealed, it seems more than likely that MPO may be more than a Snake Eater sequel."Sounds reasonable to me. For those of you that remember the original trailers for the game, there's "no place to hide" for Snake. With his body aging, and massive armored mechs walking around everywhere, Snake's going to need a lot of help.[Via digg]
MGS:PO enthralls the hearts of 1UP
This week's episode of The 1UP Show features extensive coverage of the beloved Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. If you don't have the game yet, it's probably because it's sold out at your local retailer. Or, you were on the fence. After watching the 1UP gang showcase Portable Ops, you know you'll eventually get this game.
Metareview: Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops
Are you happy to see me? Or is that just a Snake in your pants? Solid Snake goes portable in a big way. Get ready for the biggest non-shock of the year: Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops is good. Very good. In fact, it's THE killer app that Sony fans have been waiting for: 1UP (95/100) - "All this translates into a game that essentially pushes the PSP in all of its features: graphics, portability, Internet, extra hardware doohickeys, and multiplayer. Sure, it might have hiccups (occasional ghosting, quirky A.I., the one analog nub), but Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops is not only a fine MGS title -- it's also a damn good showcase for the PSP.". IGN (90/100) - "It's been a long time coming, but this is what Metal Gear Solid fans, and indeed PSP fans have been waiting for: a title that demonstrates what the technology of the PSP can actually do, with a solid action title to boot. The GPS and WiFi scanning feature is excellently implemented, the online and single player modes are deep, and there are plenty of things to do by tracking down and recruiting new soldiers from various places. This is one of the games to add to your collection if you have the PSP.". Yahoo (80/100) - "This is one of the PSP's best multiplayer titles, giving you essentially a two-for-one experience. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops isn't a must-have for everyone, but most gamers recruited into its ranks will be satisfied." The game has shipped to retailers, so expect them in stores today or tomorrow. Rush in to your game store, and tell us what you think about the game!
IGN's weeklong MGS feature highlights [Update 1]
We told you IGN was going to make their Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops coverage a week-long event. However, some of you may have forgotten. Here are a few highlights from the week so far: As you may already know, the story begins with Snake thrown into a South American jail six years after the events of Snake Eater. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, Russia abandoned many of its soldiers, leaving one military commander named Gene very sour. He plans on sabotaging the negotiations between Russia and the US by using nuclear technology stolen from both countries. Obviously, Snake will be in the middle of all of this. The character-generation system uses data from both the access point and PSP system information. You'll want to rotate characters in your party, as they'll suffer from exhaustion, and in the worst case scenario, fall unconscious during a mission. Let them heal their wounds. There's a lot to manage: "During your mission briefings, you'll be overseeing seven separate units for your army: Sneaking, Spy, Technical, Medical, Independent, Rookies and Prisoners." You can enter a unique Sleep mode which will transfer character data to any nearby PSP that's also in Portable Ops sleep mode. There's a mode called "Cyber-Survival," which is turn-based and similar to the Metal Gear Acid series. "Real Combat" is high stakes: if a character dies in multiplayer, they're dead in singleplayer as well. For obvious reasons, Snake can't partake in this mode. Is this too much info for you? Well, don't forget that these are just highlights. The real meat of the stories can be found on IGN. Prepare to never have a life again starting December 5th.[Update 1: MGS. Yes. That's what happens when Andrew-bot writes stories. Bad, evil things. Typo corrected!]
MGS:PO interview confirms game's awesomeness
The fine folks at IGN have interviewed Ryan Payton, Associate Producer at Kojima Productions, to kick off their week-long hype-fest on the soon-to-be-released Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. Just in case you weren't excited enough for this project, Mr. Payton reveals a few nice tidbits that will surely please any PSP owner. "Single and multiplayer modes are totally integrated, thus prolonging the life of the campaign mode. Online is accessible from the campaign mode for good reason -- players bring one of their 1P Sneaking Units to the online arena." "We have a number of Wi-Fi-enabled modes. First off is Game Sharing, allowing you to play MPO multiplayer with friends who don't own a copy of MPO." (Yes!!!) "The official soundtrack is coming to Japan. It's a forty-four track, beast of a soundtrack. Norihiko Hibino, best known for his composition of the Snake Eater theme, is back with some really cool tracks for MPO." Oh, and two more things:IGN: Are there plans to port Portable Ops to the PS2, in the event that the game receives poor sales on the PSP? Ryan: Absolutely not.IGN: Will there be sequels if this proves to be the PSP's killer app? Ryan: Absolutely. If the response to MPO is as good as we're expecting, you can look forward to new chapters in the Big Boss legacy on PSP. We still have many stories to tell about the early years of Metal Gear Solid -- I hope we can continue to do that on PSP.::jaw drops::
Feast on these new Metal Gear Solid clips
Happy Thanksgiving PSP fanboys! I'm helping out in the kitchen right now, so I can't really talk too much. But why should I have to talk when these videos can explain themselves? Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops comes out on December 5th. Go past the break to see even more footage.
Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops video preview
The insanely pretty and ambitious Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops is finally coming out soon. December 5th, to be exact. Gamespot seems to have a near-complete version in their hands, and they have a very detailed video preview, featuring tons of new never-before-seen footage of the game in motion.They seem to have nothing but praise for this fully loaded sequel. From the graphics, to the gameplay, to the storyline and presentation-- it appears that Konami has taken no shortcuts for this game. I could say more, but I'd rather let the video do the talking.
Up-close with the Metal Gear Solid pre-order case
TGBus.com has some very revealing pictures of the upcoming Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops pre-order case. If you didn't know, you get this swag for free by pre-ordering the upcoming PSP-exclusive action game at Gamestop. It appears that it actually latches onto your PSP in a snap-on fashion. While it looks cool, it doesn't appear to protect the PSP's screen... defeating the purpose of a case? Regardless, it looks good, and Metal Gear fans won't want to miss this.[Thanks, Joel!]
Metal Gear bundle gets even more awesome
It looks like the Metal Gear Solid Portable bundle that's coming out in Japan soon just got a classy upgrade. the standard black PSP that was originally included is now replaced by the camo-inspired PSP that was discovered at Tokyo Game Show a month ago. This limited-edition bundle is only 27,800 yen (about $235), which makes it quite a deal for any truly hardcore MGS fan.Of course, if you don't want to go all-out with a new system purchase, you can still get a free case for pre-ordering the game in the US.[Via PSP-Vault]
Metal Gear PSP bundles exposed
This holiday, Sony and Konami will dangle a pair of enticing Metal Gear-branded PSP bundles in front of Japanese consumers' faces. A camo-painted PSP with matching snakeskin-patterned case and strap, and a copy of Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops will be hard to pass up, even if the asking price is ¥39,690 ($338) -- 'dat real snakeskin?A more value-priced bundle will also be available, replacing the snakeskin accessories with blander offerings for a mere ¥29,190 ($248). Aside from memory sticks, both bundles are also missing the GPS add-on, which Portable Ops makes use of.
Metal Gear wins the future
The people of CESA sure love Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. They gave it a "Best of Show" award at Tokyo Game Show a few weeks ago, and now they're willing to give it the prestigious "Future Award," which is given to games which are sure to be hits in the future. It joins other games such as Blue Dragon for the Xbox 360, Elebits for the Wii, and Heavenly Sword for the PS3.Monster Hunter Portable also won a "Special Award." The game gets to wear a special hat and sit in the corner because of it. Check out the rest of the winners at Siliconera.
PSP Fanboy hands-on: Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops
A few steps away from Sega's booth at DigitalLife was Konami's. I got a chance to talk to Matt Knoles, product manager for Konami, and play a few rounds of multiplayer from the upcoming Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. Although Matt couldn't reveal anything new to you guys, the ability to go hands-on with the game was exciting. Four PSPs engaged in the battle, and I got into the control scheme very quickly. It was relatively simple to move around, lock on and start firing away. It was a great deal of fun, but I worry that the multiplayer may be a bit too shallow. The gameplay was fun, easy to pick up, and graphically very impressive, but at the same time, it felt unrefined. It wasn't hard to find yourself fighting with the camera, and entering first-person view seemed to give you a distinct disadvantage in the game.I previously questioned whether or not controlling the game using the PSP's analog nub would be effective. The answer is: yes. But, I think it will work much better in Portable Ops' crucial single player story mode, where the pace should be slower, and the game should be... well, stealthier. A slower pace will certainly make the controls much more forgiving. However, the production values of the multiplayer game are so amazing, that I believe that the game should be quite amazing when it comes out in December.The PSP met the Blue Screen of Death for this unfortunate player.
GPS sells out in Japan
Japan is certainly excited for the new GPS peripheral. amazon.co.jp is reporting that its first shipment for the device is already sold out. The customers that are buying the tool are also buying Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, most likely because the Kojima stealth game happens to support the device. They're also picking up Chotto Shot (the PSP camera), because as you know, once you start buying peripherals for a system, you want to buy them all. The hardcore Japanese PSP fans appreciate the PSP's Swiss Army knife-like functionality... how about you? Will you be picking up the GPS system when it comes out?[Via PSP-Vault]
Portable Ops crucial to Metal Gear Solid 4 story
Everything's connected. At least, according to Kevin Bacon JJ Abrams Hideo Kojima. And, in order to fully understand the events of the amazing-looking Metal Gear Solid 4 on the PS3, you'll have to buy yourself a PSP. The two upcoming PSP-exclusive Metal Gear titles (Digital Comic 2, Portable Ops) will establish the story for the next-gen sequel. "We'd like you to definitely play it [the PSP games]," Kojima was quoted saying. "If you change the Ops story, you have to change 4. If you change 4, it also becomes necessary to change Ops. Until Ops is finished, 4's story can't be finalized." We'll all get a taste of the Guns of the Patriots' storyline when Portable Ops hits the system in December.[Via IGN]
The GPS games: more details revealed
The upcoming camera and GPS peripherals have been getting a lot of attention, most notably because they have the ability to extend the PSP's already impressive capability set, and interface with games in new, original ways. One of the more creative examples we mentioned earlier was Hot Shot Golf's communication with GPS that transforms the game into a personal golf assistant when you're actually on one of Japan's golf courses. According to IT Media, this can become the "golf tool of the new age." This will certainly bring in a very unique audience to the world of gaming: golfers, who might pick up a PSP just to get all the golf data they could ever want. (But we wonder, how many people will actually use this functionality? And: will it work on US golf courses?)Of course, Hot Shots Golf isn't the only game using PSP's GPS feature. Read on to see how other software is taking advantage of the device.
Multiplayer footage from MGS: Portable Ops
GameTrailers has just posted a beautiful montage of scenes from Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops' multiplayer mode. As expected, the graphics look sharp, and it appears the game will feature an abundance of gameplay modes and features. But, the video does show off some clunky gameplay; will controlling Snake via analog nub be as effective as I'm hoping it'll be? Portable Ops looks to hit our PSPs in December.
TGS 06: Every PSP game previewed
There are way too many PSP games at this year's Tokyo Game Show. Because not all of us have time to read all the impressions and previews of all the games coming out, PSP Fanboy has created this nifty guide for all the games that were previewed. You'll get a thumbs up or a thumbs down from the major video game news sites. If a game looks like it might be a real winner, we'll award it "The Official PSP Fanboy Entranced Korean Award." These are the games that'll end up in Korea on giant PSPs, luring people to their eventual doom. And, that's pretty cool. Read on to see all the previews!
