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Fans of Kojima and Zone of the Enders rejoice! A third is born...
There's always that one game series that pleases whoever plays it, but it doesn't exactly pop up in daily "I wish..." conversations. It's sort of an... unspoken respect, or something. Zone of the Enders is like that. They're great games (even though many, many people bought the first game for the included Metal Gear Solid 2 demo...) but they don't exactly get voiced as such. The silent masses? Well, time to let your voice be heard -- Zone of the Enders 3 is officially in development.Over at the unofficial Metal Gear Solid website, they've posted a scan of the lastest PSM3, detailing what little news other than the confirmation of ZOE3 is available. It's time to hype this one up as another great robot battle royale with twisting storylines and intense, almost seizure-inducing, visuals. Let's do this by recounting our favorite ZOE and ZOE2 moments. If your moment consists of popping in the MGS2 demo and tossing the first ZOE aside, then... well, whatever floats your boat, but you missed out. Scheduled for 2007, though? Doubt it. More on this as details surface.
TGS: Bootlegged MGS4 trailer given clarity
The Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer we reported yesterday is now available in higher quality. Enjoy with more clarity Snake's oil drum-rolling antics (Snakes in a Barrel anyone?) and an incident involving bird poop and what might be Gray Fox / Frank Jaeger. The video is embedded below for your convenience, compliments of Game Videos.
TGS 06: MGS Portable Ops has best trailer ever [Update 2]
Words can not express how amazing the new Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops looks. Stream the video by clicking above and watch your jaw drop, with saliva literally gushing out.[Via IGN Boards][Update 1: Now embedded after the cut.][Update 2: New gameplay video added.]
Yeah... this is the last Metal Gear Solid game...
It's sad, but series creator Hideo Kojima seems adamant about this being the last MGS title before he retires from the series (but that means there's another Metal Gear series, right?! No? Ah, well...). Here's a couple of things to expect from the game, aside from sheer awesomeness: The Octacamo -- Snake's new sneaking suit that allows him to blend into any surrounding so long as he remains motionless. You know, some people don't even need a camo suit to remain "unseen". Oh, sorry, was that too emo? Anyway, even pressing against a wall riddled with bullet holes, Snake will also appear to have such holes. Neato. Your enemies and allies will be determined by how you play the game, it has been noted. Liquid Ocelot is, of course, your ultimate villain, but normal soldiers are give or take. Factions within the soldiers' ranks may prove a useful tool to exploit... You can scare enemies (a la Batman in Batman Begins, maybe) to the point they actually submit to your will and, yes, pee their pants like they mean it. So many characters making an appearance! Will they all get enough screen time? Will their individual stories reach a satisfying conclusion? Let's hope so. Essentially, this game is going to be fun. It just is. Even though this blogger's record with the Metal Gear franchise has been rough (oddly enough, after purchasing the game, they're barely touched until exactly one year later, when they're completed in a mad rush of "ohmigosh I gots to plays this games it's so cool"... yeah, it makes no sense, but it's practically tradition), it's still a very, uh, solid looking game and we can't wait to get our hands on it!
Metal Gear Solid case free with pre-order
You're probably going to get Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops anyways, but if for some crazy reason you're still on the fence, Konami has offered one of the cooler pre-order bonuses I've seen in quite some time. Pre-order the game at Gamestop and you'll get a case for your system for free. Not just any case, though. A pretty spiffy-looking silver case with the image of Snake giving a salute. This is some classy stuff, and is sure to be as eye-catching as the $500 Signature Edition PSPs.[Via Gamespot]
Metal Gear Solid 4 is still lookin' good
Normally, articles about new screenshots are pretty foolish, but when it's Metal Gear Solid 4 and some wallpaper-esque screens, it's worth a mention (and a look). Of note at the Neogaf forum is the notion the graphics were downgraded from what was shown at E3. Not so! From a long history of video-game dissection (rolling your eyes is acceptable), it seems more like these shots are actual gameplay and not the super-fancy polished bits from E3. Even so, look at that truck getting blown up! Awesome. Some textures do need touched up (the picture of the two soldiers) but that's not too big of a concern.What else is there to say? Not very much. Check the screens and let's talk about it. Think these are gameplay, or simply less polished screens than what we're used to? Were the old ones gameplay? Answers going both ways are everywhere! Regardless, the game is looking like it'll be fun.
Kojima to design Snake's Smash Bros. Brawl stage
Sparked by remarks from a Nintendo Power contributor, reports indicate that Hideo Kojima will design Snake's stage for Wii's Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Nintendo Power's Chris Hoffman recently commented, "If you want to talk about something big, how about the news Hideo Kojima, Snake's creator, is designing Snake's level in Brawl? Snake's inclusion means we're not only getting one of the best characters in gaming, but one of the best developers as well."With Sakurai at the helm and Kojima lending, not just Snake, but his actual development talent, are we anticipating the ... Best. Smash Bros. Ever?
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?
Kojima creates more PS3 analogies
A recent panel interview was held at IGN between Metal Gear guru Hideo Kojima, MGS4 art director Yoji Shinkawa and Square-Enix's own Tetsuya Nomura (pictured right) regarding their take on the PS3. Having likened it to many things before, Kojima had a lot to say about Sony's new box o' tricks, saying "If you think about the future of the industry and game creators, I get the feeling that the winner had better be the movie theater -- or, the PS3. No one will say that the price is cheap." He adds later on that his optimal choice of gadgetry would have been "a PS3 with controls like the Wii."How about Nomura's take? Final Fantasy games were a huge selling point on the PSX and the PS2, not to mention other fantastic Square-Enix RPG's, so his opinion will carry a lot of weight in the Japanese RPGamer crowd. He felt that "as a game machine, it's too expensive." But he softened this typical argument with "Thinking two to three years from now, the PS3 will be the most appropriate."The three also joked about another Zone of Enders title. Maybe they weren't joking -- those were some pretty good games. Either way, it seems the big names at Konami and Square-Enix are voicing their support of the PS3. Whether it hits big right at launch or creeps its way to the summit of the mountain in a few years, they seem to feel the PS3 is going to be it.[Edit: added a reference for the picture, clarifying that it is Tetsuya Nomura -- Should have made that more clear.]
Kojima loves analogies
The latest issue of Official Playstation Monthly featured a short interview with Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima. After comparing the three next-gen systems to food in a rather famous quote a year ago, Hideo now has a new view on the subject."Now, the PlayStation 3 is like a movie theater for people who want to see this movie on the big screen with THX and 5.1 audio, even if they have to pay a high price. The Xbox 360 is DVD. Basically, you don't know what movie you want to see, so you go to the store and see if you can pick up a good one. The Wii is like a TV for when you're home and you don't know what you want to watch but you [want to] have that variety."Yeahhhhh. Not really sure what that means, but Hideo has shown some major love for the Wii in the past, so it must be good. Anyone have some of their own interesting analogies they'd like to share?
Metal Gear Solid movie confirmed definitively
Metal Gear Solid creator, Hideo Kojima, has already ruled out Uwe Boll ("it's impossible") as a directorial candidate of a possible cinematic adaptation of the celebrated series, without confirming that such a project was even under way ... until now, that is. Gamespot reports that the Kojima Productions spoof of the E3 Show Daily, dubbed "Show Maybe," teases, "In a late-breaking surprise announcement, director Hideo Kojima revealed that his most famous creation -- Metal Gear Solid -- is getting the live-action treatment."On the back page Kojima writes, "I have received many offers to adapt Metal Gear Solid. It has taken a long time, but we have finally settled on an arrangement ... False facts aside, a movie project is underway. I have finalized a Class-A contract with a party in Hollywood." Now that the cat's out of the bag, expect periodic updates leading up to the 2007 release of Metal Gear Solid 4. Who's directing? Whose starring? For once, fans can't complain about lengthy cut scenes!
Kojima's DS game touts vampirism and meteorology
If you spend a good deal of your time watching classic Dracula movies or, uh, the Weather Channel, you would no doubt be interested in Hideo Kojima's new DS game, Lunar Knights. Featuring loads of snarling vampires and weather effects, Gamespot notes that the game follows the adventures of two warriors looking to spill the blood of some blood-suckers. The stylus is used for plenty of actions in the game, just as you'd expect, but the interesting part comes in with the use of the DS' top screen. As your characters traverse the bottom screen, the weather above them (so to speak) will change and affect their abilities to successfully fend off the vampires plaguing the planet. If the thought of umbrella-wielding heroes slaying in the rain doesn't appeal to you, you are most likely dead inside.
Metal Gear Solid 4 -- final logo
After leaping over a fence, running frantically from security guards and dodging an intricate series of traps, the Joystiq team infiltrated the hallowed walls that house E3. Mysterious barriers and surly men barred us from progressing much farther, but we were able to sneakily snap some pictures of the banners and signs hanging about. Hovering over the Konami booth was this Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots logo, which demonstrates a departure from the previous design and a strange obsession with upside-down sevens. With Kojima having his hands on this title, we can only assume that there's a deeper meaning to be found here.Our guess: Snake will be battling an elite and mostly psychotic team of soldiers called the Seven Deadly Sims. They'll be post-modern virtual entities meant to illustrate how life has become a neo-classical pastiche and how technology is....yeah. We have no idea what it means. Expect Kojima to reveal the truth at the Konami press conference on Tuesday.
Audio-only peek at the MGS4 E3 trailer
As promised, the Kojima Productions Report podcast has "pirated" the first 90-seconds of the Metal Gear Solid 4 E3 trailer's audio. The bad news: it's all in Japanese. The good news: there's an English translation of the audio (.mp3) at their website!Since we can't see what's happening, let's use our ears to tell us what's going on. Mostly, for non-Japanese speakers, not much. Just don't expect Snake to be cutting any throats in the first 90 seconds. Alright, so the audio isn't really telling us anything besides there are two dudes talking (go figure, in MGS?). Let's move onto the transcript.Alright, those two guys are none other than Snake (Solid we presume) and Campbell (still a Colonel?). Standard MGS dialog ensues but then ... what's that? Who runs the dummy corporation that controls the five largest private military corporations (PMCs, natch) that have become a serious threat to the world and the US military hegemony following the Manhattan incident?!Who else? This is gonna be good![Thanks, David and Mike]
Metal Gear Awesome cartoon is SO awesome
This Flash cartoon hosted at deviantART, titled Metal Gear Awesome, is funny enough to warrant a pants wetting warning. Fans of Kojima's original PlayStation masterpiece will revel in the in-jokes, like Meryl's always popular posterior (pictured), her secret codec number, and all things DARPA chief. This cartoon is very NSFW, not only because of the excess of violence and profanity, but chances are your snorting laughter will arouse the curiosity of your nosy coworkers. Note: We are aware this is almost two years weeks old so, if you've seen it before, watch it again![UPDATE: It wasn't as old as we thought! However, since it doesn't come from the future, some will inevitably complain that it is still, in fact, too OLLLDDDDD/lame/yawn!][Thanks, Ludwig]
Kojima on Uwe Boll: "It's impossible"
The Kojima Productions Report, the English companion to Hideo Kojima's audioblog HIDECHAN, released its second installment today, and it's already bearing fruit! Host Ryan Payton delivers a message from Kojima-san dispelling recent "nasty rumors" that Uwe Boll is being considered to direct an upcoming Metal Gear Solid movie. Says Kojima:"Absolutely not! I don't know why Uwe Boll is even talking about this kind of thing. We've never talked to him. It's impossible that we'd ever do a movie with him." Ouch! Kojima sounds pretty confident that Konami isn't sidestepping his authorial control anytime soon, even if Boll did receive a copy of the script. Oh, and Uwe, congratulations on that recent Razzie nomination; we know you have what it takes to bring home the Golden Raspberry!
