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Metal Gear Solid 4 in late 2007, hopefully -- new trailer for now
According to a Famitsu report, Hideo Kojima estimates that Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots will need at least another year's worth of development time before it's finished. While Kojima had previously promised to deliver in 2007, he's narrowed that window to late 2007 -- at the earliest. For now, Konami is offering a new trailer, which is currently premiering at Tokyo Game Show.The new trailer -- partially captured in bootleg form from the show floor here & here -- is allegedly 100% gameplay, although Konami has tweaked the camera perspective for clarity. At just 6 minutes, it's significantly shorter than the E3 presentation, but reveals new gameplay elements, including stealth items (e.g. an oil drum), the Octocam suit, and a shift from stealth-orientated missions to player's choice gameplay (i.e. you have a goal and are free to decide how to achieve it).[Thanks, nijah]
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]
Will Wright is a pr0n star, blogs lowly game designer
Derek Daniels, a low-ranking designer on the God of War team, recently broke the industry down like this:"In the videogame design world you have Miyamoto, Kojima, Will Wright, David Jaffe, and a handful of others that have risen to the top that have a little more control of their future. Then you have the other faceless designers that no one knows working on games doing some downright nasty things that I'm sure their mothers do not want to hear."Sounds like the porn industry, right? Well, that's Daniels' point at least. He reckons that videogame design is a young man's gamble, with a lifespan about as long as a girl doing porn. And when you finally burn out and leave the game behind, you're left with "a skillset that cannot be applied to anything else in life." [Thanks, Art]
Zone of the Enders on PSP
Breaking news happens, even at 2 in the morning. Jeux-France revealed that Dengeki magazine has blown off the covers of yet another Kojima Productions title: a new Zone of the Enders game. The franchise is known for its incredible graphics and intense mech battling. Chances are, you missed out on playing this oft-forgotten gem, but if it does appear on the PSP, you'll have no excuse.I can't wait for more details.
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.]
Raiden unplayable in Metal Gear Solid 4
You probably read that headline with a smile on your face. Even so, Kojima-san has revealed the infamous Raiden will not be a playable character in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. But he is going to be pretty integral to the overall narrative.He also goes into detail about the story. Nanotechnology, military strength, Senior Citizen Snake... it's all there. Older characters will be making an appearance as well. Naomi Hunter, Campbell and even Meryl Silverburgh will be along for the ride. One of the best quotes is from when Kojima stated why he's even bothering with this new game when MGS3 was supposed to be his (and Snake's) last title: "I decided to make MGS4 because so many mysteries still remained, and I couldn't ignore all the people who had requested a new game." So keep the requests coming and he won't be able to refuse! Check out the Show Maybe? publication to see the original.
Calling all Metal Gear fanboys: Kojima Productions wants you!
If you're interested in developing the online gameplay of Metal Gear Solid 4 or Metal Gear: Portable Ops, and not getting paid isn't a concern*, now's your chance -- join the 'improvemgsonline' club at 1up.com. You'll be able to vote in polls and post your gameplay ideas, which theoretically, could be chosen by Kojima Productions. There's already a plethora of suggestions blossoming on the forum, so you best get those 'gears' in motion!*Technically, you could receive exclusive Metal Gear Solid wallpapers.
Kojima speaks out some more on MGS4!
So if Afrika didn't do it for you and nothing else tickles your fancy on PS3 just yet, then you know there's always Metal Gear Solid 4 to look forward to. Hideo Kojima shared some great information about the gameplay for the upcoming title in an interview with PSM2. One of the things he talked about was the "octo cam" suit. This puppy can adapt by changing color and form based on your surroundings. Of course that will happen on the fly, and most interestingly enough is only possible on the PlayStation 3 (the graphical effect that is, according to Kojima). He also talked about the destructible environments. Only certain things will have that potential, so don't expect everything to just go down in flames. He wrapped it up with his infamous sign-off stating that this would be his last Metal Gear title ("No guys I'm serious this time...").
MGS4 to be Kojima's last Snake outing (seriously)
So Hideo Kojima has sworn off future involvement with the Metal Gear series... again. But like the Rolling Stones or a comeback tour that won't go away, he's sure to return! Or maybe not. This wouldn't be the first time he's called it his last, but he says he's for real when talking about MGS4."Well, I say this every time but this is going to be my last Metal Gear... so you could say that the hidden theme here is that I want Snake to die so that I can move on." Strong words from a true visionary. Anyone taking bets on how long it'll be before he's back?
Portable Ops: MGS on PSP sans card battles
Since we didn't get into Konami's keynote this afternoon (they had a little tantrum when we didn't remove a post at their request) we're linking to Gamespot's coverage of the latest installment in the seminal Metal Gear Solid series: Portable Ops for the PSP. What makes Portable Ops special? No card battles, that's what!According to Gamespot, Ops is "even more intriguing than [they] would have expected." Errr, okay. Whatever that means. We will say that it features that same MGS action that console gamers have come to love, packaged in a convenient portable factor. Taking place in 1970, six years after the events of Snake Eater, Ops will detail Naked Snake's fall from grace ... we're talking Big Boss people. Plan on getting some portable sneaking on winter '06. Awesome.
Kojima's offering shown at E3
Gamespot recently received a postcard from Kojima productions inviting them to a E3 press conference. The team over there suspects that this invitation, which is located directly above this chunk of text should you have missed it, is directly tied to an interview Kojima had with Japanese gaming mag Famitsu where the man himself revealed he was working on a Revolution Wii title that would be a brand new IP and geared towards girls. Thankfully, there isn't much time left to speculate and come close to this time next week, we'll all know for sure just what this perplexing invitation is all about.
