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Texas professor offers Metal Gear Solid and Philosophy course
You know gaming has become an accepted part of popular culture when a professor at a university decides to include the political and philosophical allusions contained in video games into their class schedule. Specifically, Metal Gear Solid. This professor over at the official PlayStation Forums created a Wiki page dedicated to Metal Gear Solid 2 and philosopy.What does this have to do with the PS3? Not much, really. But it's a positive showing for Hideo Kojima and gives us hope that MGS4 is not just a system seller to gamers, but for people who enjoy thinking about what they're playing as well. Did that sound a little like BS? Maybe it was. We just thought this was really cool.
Metal Gear Solid 4 delayed until Q2 2008
Geriatric neck-snapping spy news now, with Konami of Japan announcing a delay in Solid Snake's arrival on the PlayStation 3. The press release coldly increments the previously expected Q1 release of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots to Q2 2008, sparing little thought as to the taste of bitter tears and follicle-wrenching pain we had to endure whilst reading it. There's some consolation to be found in the assurance that the delay will allow "further improvements to the quality of the game and provide even greater enjoyment for more customers worldwide."Konami further promises that pushing Metal Gear Solid 4 into the April-June arrival window will ensure it "meets everyone's expectations." We certainly hope so, as our expectations have been sitting at the airport with nothing to do for years now but read interviews with Ryan Payton.[Via PS3 Fanboy]
Metal Gear Solid 4 has over 200 developers
How much manpower is Hideo Kojima throwing at Metal Gear Solid 4 to ensure quality? Over 200, according to Kojima Productions' Ryan Payton. In an interview with Gamasutra, Payton noted how important the game is to Sony, remarking that "the way things are turning out, this could be the first 'must have' PlayStation 3 title on store shelves. Or, if not the first, then the second or the third."For clarification, Payton said that the massive team are all working in the same location on the same title, making the size all the more impressive. He did note, however, that following the release of MGS4 the team size will likely get "a little bit leaner and meaner."Although not confirmed, we suspect Kojima Productions currently has the following quote written above its front doors: "No retreat, no surrender. That is Kojima law. And by Kojima law, we will stand and fight...and die. A new age has begun: an age of freedom. And all will know, that 200 developers, gave their last breath to defend it!"
Rumors ahoy: Parasite Eve and Konami and bears, oh my!
It's time to get back into the business of speculation and rumors that don't consist of different PlayStation SKU's. While everyone loves talking about the convoluted and outright confusing backwards compatibility issue with the new 40GB model, we think it's better to continue pushing forward and offering some rumors that have surfaced in the latest EGM.Konami and Hideo Kojima might be working on another PS3 exclusive, first off. We know what you're thinking, but no, supposedly the game is not the third Zone of the Enders title. We wish we had any more to say, but that's all we know. Secondly, long time fans of the amazing and amazingly under-appreciated Parasite Eve titles cried foul when it turned out a new game was being made exclusively for mobile phones. Square Enix is apparently listening to these cries and have begun work on a console version, though the consoles it will appear on is unknown. We don't see why they wouldn't continue shoving Aya onto Sony platforms -- exclusive or not. Thirdly, bears are frightening, unless qualified by a humorous story. That is all.[Thanks, Joe!]
Konami assures fans Metal Gear continues, with Kojima
Hideo Kojima loves to tease us. When he wrapped up Metal Gear Solid 3, he said he was done with the franchise -- leaving it in the capable hands of his dev team, while he oversees production from a much farther position than usual. Yet, he returned to the helm to navigate Metal Gear Solid 4 into next-gen seas. He said this would be his last, along with the final title with Solid Snake. However, Konami thinks otherwise.Konami's marketing VP Anthony Crouts sang a different tune, assuring us Kojima is " ... never going to let go of Metal Gear Solid-trust me. [Snake's] a big character, so as a franchise I think he'll always hold it near and dear to his heart ... In one capacity or another, he will always be involved in the Metal Gear franchise." We personally think both Crouts and Kojima are correct -- Kojima will stick around for more Metal Gear, but will take a backseat to the development. We do think this is the final story for the Solid Snake arc, though. He's getting old, fast. Literally.
Metal Gear Solid 4: PS3 exclusive, like it always was
At Sony's conference, a lot of games were spotlighted. We mean a lot. While we'd love to go over the 15 first party exclusives, you all know them already, we're sure. So, we're going to move along and debunk the most annoying rumor we've had to put up with for the past year. Metal Gear Solid 4 was announced as a PlayStation 3 exclusive during the conference, met with a loving nod by our favorite Hideo Kojima (we know about twenty, but this one is our favorite). Hopefully this dispels rumors completely. Set for an early 2008 simultaneous worldwide release, MGS4 has come along nicely and has a new trailer up on the PS Store, as you may know. Well, get ready to hear all the "timed exclusive" rumors now, which we're a little more ready to agree to. But not happy about.
Kojima Productions announces new MGS4 trailer at E3
This post serves as a sort of double-whammy. A really cool new trailer of Metal Gear Solid 4, rumored to be voiced in English, will appear at E3. This trailer will appear at the "Sony and Konami Conference" portion of the Electronic Entertainment Expo. This will probably be the only place MGS4 will pop up, so, sorry 360 owners, but we don't think you'll get that MGS4 on 360 announcement just yet.The trailer is, as we've said, supposedly voiced in English, but also will detail an entirely new environment. We'd been wondering when Snake and the gang would get out of the dismal, cow-robot overrun city. Chances are, though, it won't be horribly different from what we've already seen. It's rare that Kojima and crew show off later parts of a game before the release, but we might get a glimpse of what to expect. Perhaps something a little more futuristic than a middle-eastern city? Like ... a space station! That'd be a change.[Thanks, TheGuy!][via NeoGAF]
Kojima considers MGS4 Limited Edition tin
You've seen the new video, so no doubt your excitement for Metal Gear Solid 4 has once again reached the dizzy heights it did after last year's E3. Now CVG is reporting that Hideo Kojima is currently contemplating releasing a Limited Edition. Sounds like a fun idea to us. Make it so, Hideo! While nothing more has really been said since it was mentioned in his latest "HIDECHAN Radio!" show, two weeks ago, that doesn't stop us from pondering on what such a tin could contain. Game? Check. Soundtrack? Would be nice. Artbook? Always fun to have. Replica bandana and dogtags? Why not! What would you like to see in there, if it ever materialises?
Here we go again with the MGS4 defection rumors ...
We've danced the dance of Solid Snake "defecting" to the Xbox 360 for ages now. Every week Kojima has to fend off more unsubstantiated rumors about Metal Gear Solid 4 deciding to take a multiplatform route, stating time and again that the title was built for the PS3 from the ground up. Anyway, this latest rumor comes from the, oddly enough, Xbox forums, referring to a Swedish magazine called "Super Play" that supposedly confirmed the multiplatformizationism of the hotly anticipated game.From the translation given on the Xbox forums: " ... sole owners of Wii and Xbox 360 would have to do without [Metal Gear Solid 4]. Fortunately, Konami isn´t completely blind to the fact that more gamers deserve to play this epic title, and it is now confirmed that Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots for the Xbox 360 will launch a year later in November 2008. It will come with new content additions including VR missions and other bonus gameplay like Snake Tales, which lets you go on more objective-based missions -- some quite lengthy. So, there's no question that Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots for the Xbox 360 comes packed with more content than the original PS3-version."To this we ask, "really?" and tilt our heads coyly. We've been told so many times how it's been tailored just for the PS3 and couldn't be done elsewhere. Yeah, that's PR spin, but we'd like to believe it. Timed exclusives aren't that bad, but giving Microsoft the extra content? Will we be able to download it for free? We're not saying this rumor is true or not, but we're guessing not. Here's why: Super Play is a small, independent magazine. There are no quotes from Konami publishers. This news isn't hitting the internet like a wildfire confirmation. So, to us, it's crap until Kojima nods or dissents. You?
Gamestop says no Metal Gear Solid 4 until 2008
Uh oh. Looks like gaming behemoth Gamestop/EB Games is sending a dreaded email to gamers who preordered Metal Gear Solid 4. According to an email sent earlier today, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots been delayed from its tenative September 1st, 2007 date and is now expected March 1st, 2008. This isn't the first time a high-profile title hits a sudden postponement, but we were gearing up in anticipation for this title to hold us over through the holidays. Without the hugely anticipated title expected until 2008, it could cause Santa's little helpers to drop off something else under the tree. Lets all hope this one doesn't quite pan out as the email indicates.
Kojima working on a Snatcher sequel?
Hideo Kojima and Suda 51 (Goichi Suda) recently murmured about a project they've been plugging away at, aptly titled Project S. Rumors abounded that this project was, in fact, a sequel to the cult classic Snatcher by Kojima himself. Turns out the rumors are true -- this project is indeed based on Kojima's Snatcher title, but this project isn't actually a game. Oof.Turns out the project, re-named Snatchers, will be a radio drama written by Suda 51, who will also appear as a voice actor in said radio drama. Yep... radio drama. Seems we've taken a step backwards in time. There are other parts of the overall project, but Suda and Kojima are remaining hush-hush... let's see if a game is hidden between the secret decoder rings we'll need to solve the puzzle in the radio drama. More Ovaltine, please!
Kojima apologizes for lack of edible koalas in MGS3 [update 1]
At GO3, an Australian gaming conference of import (that's fancy speak for importance, not goods entering a country), Hideo Kojima had a little speech planned out where he discussed "game technology evolution" and proceeded through the Metal Gear series up to MGS4's current progress. We'll get to that.Before we go there, though, Kojima offered up an apology for the jungle in Snake Eater: "looks more like your backyard than a jungle," he joked, then apologized to the audience in Japanese for not letting koalas be an edible food source in the game. Would koalas even taste good? They'd probably taste like what they eat -- eucalyptus leaves. Anyway, on to MGS4 not-so-news.In line with the rest of his speech on innovating gameplay, he and his team knew that they "exhausted the concept of the space, so why not create a situation, rather then a place where Snake had to sneak in" and decided on a battlezone. He explained the possibilities of the battlefield setting -- how there are two sides fighting and one isn't necessarily Snake's enemy, moral ambiguities, et cetera. Then he showed the latest, but already viewed by many, trailer for the game. So, nothing new on the game, but it's nice to read about how Kojima has evolved the franchise across time.[update: changed the koala's dietary properties to eucalyptus leaves...]
Core Metal Gear Solid 4 cast announced: Hayter's a player again
As if hearing the collective cries of those tossing and turning in their beds, gripped by the nightmare of having the English Metal Gear Solid 4 cast be comprised of Pauly Shore, Gilbert Gottfried and Macy Gray, comes Konami and their announcement of the game's core voice cast. David Hayter, whose vocal chords can effortlessly grind cinder blocks to dust, unsurprisingly reprises his role of Solid Snake, lending some world weariness to the protagonist as he strangles inept soldiers, babbles into his codec and asks why nobody is telling him the damn truth. (You can sample the man's voice for yourself in the latest Kojima Productions Report podcast.)Returning as Roy Campbell is Paul Eiding, who will once again regale you with tales of "the famous purple stuffed worm in flap-jaw space with the tuning fork," as well as mention his unusual and unexpected desire for scissors. Rounding out the core cast is Christopher Randalph playing Hal "Otacon" Emmerich and Quinton Flynn portraying the widely reviled, androgynous nudist-turned-ninja, Raiden. With Metal Gear Solid 4's over-the-top plot still a closely guarded secret, no other English character voices have been announced. Cam Clarke ("Liquid?") seems a sure bet, as do most of the great actors from the previous games. After all, there's no indication that Hideo Kojima's PS3 game ("so far") will be anything less than an "expertly crafted and customized" experience.(See? Our clever choice of video still leaves us in the clear in case it's a disappointment.)[Via press release]
Virtually Overlooked: Snatcher [update 1]
Update: screens!Welcome to our new weekly feature, Virtually Overlooked, wherein we talk about games that aren't on the Virtual Console yet, but should be. Call it a retro-speculative.This week, we'd like to talk about Snatcher, a Sega CD game from Konami released in the US in 1994. The game was also released in Japan for the MSX2, PC8801, PC Engine CD-Rom, Playstation, and Saturn.Why the game hasn't been announced for Virtual Console yet: Not too long ago, the obvious answer to this question would have been "because it is a graphical text adventure." Luckily, however, the DS has changed that, bringing an era where graphical text adventures are the subjects of rabid fandom. What hasn't changed is that Snatcher is a Sega CD game, and Nintendo has made no announcements regarding support for CD systems. The size of the files may be prohibitive, although it would be possible to save space by compressing the sound and music.
Metal Gear movie backed by Sony Studios -- so, PS3 exclusive?
Stop and think about the subject line for a minute. The Metal Gear movie is being backed by Sony Pictures. Would Sony really want to fund such a large, high-profile project like this if Konami and Kojima were going to stab them in the back and move onto multiple platforms? We think not. While it is indirect and no more than an assumption, it makes sense. You wouldn't see Sony backing the defunct Halo movie, or Microsoft spearheading a Shadow of the Colossus film (there isn't one).For those curious about the film itself, Kojima himself gave this the go-ahead, so you know there will be quality somewhere along the line. Vice-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, Yair Landau, said: "It's a very cinematic game, it really lends itself to movie telling. But the question is, 'How do you translate Snake's experience into a full arc that conforms to what audiences expect on the large screen?" Good question, but that's what Kojima's here for! Ask him for help. There are also talks, he said, of an Everquest movie. Let's not talk about that.[Thanks a lot, Colin!]
Sony Pictures producing Metal Gear Solid movie
Shortly after delivering his convergence keynote at this year's D.I.C.E. summit, the vice chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment confirmed to Gamespot that Sony's film studio would be responsible for dragging Metal Gear Solid into the cinema. "We're working with the Metal Gear guys," says Yair Landau. "It's a very cinematic game, it really lends itself to movie telling. But the question is, 'How do you translate Snake's experience into a full arc that conforms to what audiences expect on the large screen?'" Lead Metal Gear guy, Hideo Kojima, announced the film at last year's E3, though barely any details have surfaced since then. Apart from crushing the hopes of Dr. Boll, Kojima and co. have said nothing with respect to casting, directing or script. A safe assumption sees Solid Snake strangling inept soldiers and battling at least one psychopath with a penchant for babbling about the philosophical hangups of dropping nuclear bombs ... on the rainforest. The real trick will be to provide a film more entertaining than the infamous Metal Gear Awesome (embedded after the break for old time's sake). Landau also hinted at an Everquest movie from Sony Pictures, but declined to name the supposedly esteemed producer attached to it. If it winds up being an epic tale of elven mana dealers and over-the-top dragon chases, we'll know it was Jerry Bruckheimer.
Fan-translation of Kojima's Policenauts nears completion
While most American gamers know Hideo Kojima as the man behind the blockbuster Metal Gear Solid franchise, the two games he worked on before breaking out with MGS are considered forgotten masterpieces. One, Snatcher, saw a limited U.S. release on the ill-fated Sega CD. The other, Policenauts, has never been available in English. That seems poised to change, though, as Kojima fan-site Junker HQ has just announced the completion of a five-year project to translate the game's text. Only some technical work remains before the translation is released as a patch on the newly relaunched policenauts.net, currently targeted for the second half of 2007. Theoretically, the patch will require a CD-R, an official Japanese version of the game and a modded PlayStation to work, but emulator-compatible ISOs are sure to leak out for the less scrupulous among us. While you wait, check out the game's Wikipedia entry to get some idea of what made the game so special. [Via MetalGearsolid.org]
MGS4 creator wants to develop on 360
In a recent interview with GamePro, Metal Gear Solid creator, Hideo Kojima, intimated that he wants to develop for the Xbox 360. When asked about the possibility of developing for the Xbox 360, Kojima states that he is interested in the idea, and notes that the 360 is selling very well in areas outside of Japan (in other words, 360=Money). Kojima also says that he's a fan of Gears of War (wonder what his Gamertag is ... BigBoss69 maybe?). Adding fuel to the undying rumor-fire that is Metal Gear Sold 4 on the 360, Kojima uses interesting wording regarding the game, "MGS4 is only for the PS3 so far."Did you see that? "So far." In PR terms, that leaves many windows open for Metal Gear Solid 4 to appear on other platforms. Granted, it's not an assurance that it will happen, but as hungry fanboys, we'll take what we can get.[Via Joystiq]
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.]
See where MGS soldiers are hiding
As you can see from the map above, Hideo Kojima's plan to launch a secret army in Japan is working quite well. A new service uses Google Maps to show you the points of interest you'll want to hit in order to recruit new characters via Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops' unique and innovative GPS mode. Although an English language version of this service is supposedly "coming soon," I wouldn't be surprised if it never saw the light of day: certainly, it would be a far more demanding undertaking to travel across the entirity of America in order to unlock as many characters as possible.Of course, the true Metal Gear fans have already started their cross-country trek.[Via Pocket Gamer]See also:Unlock all of MGS:PO's unique characters
