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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.
Nega-review: Metal Gear Solid 4
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/MGS4_Nega_review_A_Look_at_All_Bad_Comments_From_Reviews'; "Metal Gear Solid 4 is not the inclusive, universally entertaining experience it could have been." (7) It "is a frustrating, fractured game" (2) that "feels ... like a genie struggling to find enough goodies in the lamp, slave to the demands of everyone but itself." (1) "Metal Gear Solid 4 is, in most senses, the biggest Metal Gear yet. But the best? Maybe not." (2) "As the game starts, with its fairly generic next-gen textures and desert battlefield setting, you can't help feeling that you could be playing the latest Call of Duty, or Assassin's Creed." (3) "After a few chapters, [the] gameplay ... begins to mutate into linear action that feels like an afterthought amidst all the story." (4) "The relatively weak second act is more of the same in a much less compelling setting - a rather unconvincing, blandly designed South American backwater - and ennui starts to set in." (2) "More intuitive controls could have made the overall experience a better one." (6) "A new feature called 'Stress' isn't explained quite clearly enough" (5) and "the new Stress and Psyche meters don't really gel with the flow of play." (2) "You'll also spend a good deal of time poking through your inventory in the middle of boss battles and protracted firefights, which can occasionally disrupt the dramatic flow." (5) "Because control is ... complex, it's very easy to do something you didn't want to by accident, and it's painful to see the perfect setup blown in an instant." (6)
War has changed: a veteran's MGS4 experience
My experience thus far with Hideo Kojima's latest mega-game has been a bit different than that of my cohort Ross Miller's. Whereas Ross is a self-proclaimed MGS noob, I've been playing the series since its inception, having taken Snake (and Big Boss) through every game in canon and out. A major theme in MGS4 is how "war has changed," and, right from the get-go, I was noticing how MGS has changed in the process. So far, it's been largely for the better. Keep on reading for more impressions from the perspective of an old "Tactical Espionage Action" dog who's learning new tricks.%Gallery-23093%
Metal Gear Retrospective: Part Six tries to explain it all
So, we just finished watching the above 20-minute video, which concludes GameTrailers' Metal Gear Retrospective and sets out to methodically explain the Metal Gear story arc. For those who are just joining Metal Gear with the latest installment, it certainly helps to watch. Those afraid of audio/visual presentations can take solace in knowing we've created our own pictorial explanation of what players need to know before starting Metal Gear Solid 4. Now, a group of us are going to go get a drink and relax before we take a three hour quiz Ludwig has set up for us on Metal Gear lore this evening. Lowest scorer actually has to deliver Ludwig's copy to South Africa.
You have rookie eyes: a first-timer's MGS4 experience
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/playstation/You_have_rookie_eyes_a_newcomer_s_MGS4_experience'; I have a confession to make: this is my first serious attempt at playing a Metal Gear Solid title. Back at GDC 2007, my editor Chris Grant kept making references to the flash video Metal Gear Awesome. I was admittedly confused, and he thus dropped everything to show me the video. It took me a long time to appreciate all the humor.Cut to present day. Like war, a lot has changed. I tried playing the MGS remake Twin Snakes on hard mode, only to succumb to frustration two hours later. For today's Metal Gear Solid 4 release, I brushed up on Metal Gear lore, exhausted Wikipedia, and commissioned one of our writers to give me a crash course in the series. I got my copy last night, installed the game, and I was ready to play.This is Metal Gear Solid 4, through rookie eyes.%Gallery-23093%
Transport strike leaves Spain MGS4-less
Spanish citizens won't be getting Metal Gear Solid 4 this week due to the ongoing transport strike in the country. GI.biz reports Konami issued a statement saying that the strike obviously stopped shipments from getting to stores and that the company will update consumers as soon as possible.Just to give a wider picture of the situation, 90,000 Spanish truckers started striking Monday to protest soaring fuel costs, particularly diesel gasoline. The strike caused shortages of all truck-driven goods in the country (which is pretty much everything), but it appears the situation may be over soon.
Sagacious advice from the MGS4 install screen
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/playstation/Sagacious_advice_from_the_Metal_Gear_Solid_4_install_screen'; In case you were thinking of skipping the approximately 8-minute install (which also translates to 4 or 5 cigarettes for our aged hero) and making a sandwich, consider the little bit of humor you'd be missing. If you're still undeterred and plan to ignore the game while it installs, check out our gallery for the sagacious and spoiler-free advice. While some of it is a bit mundane, there are some rather humorous tidbits scattered about. For instance, how does one take a break every 15-minutes when cut-scenes run longer than that? [By pausing, you troll! - Ed]%Gallery-24974% Snake? Snaaaake? SNAAAAAAKE! Check out our Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots page for all things Metal Gear.
Yeah, we met Kojima in Times Square
Hideo Kojima stopped by New York City's Virgin Megastore in TImes Square to meet and greet fans at the Metal Gear Solid 4 launch. We got a number of signed copies ... maybe one will go to a lucky reader (if we feel generous enough!). Check out our gallery below, or some highlights, after the cut. Gallery: Metal Gear Solid 4 launch in Times Square
Metal Gear Solid 4 Limited Edition: The Unboxing
For those who didn't pick up the US Metal Gear Solid 4 Limited Edition, we've got a gallery of what you're missing. It's not much, and it's certainly a downer to note that this edition doesn't include a Solid Snake figurine. We'll add those pics when our European correspondents put their controller down long enough to grab a camera.%Gallery-24973% Snake? Snaaaake? SNAAAAAAKE! Check out our Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots page for all things Metal Gear.
PS3 Fanboy is live at the MGS4 Times Square launch event
If you can't make it to the big Metal Gear Solid 4 event in Times Square (or any of Gamestop's midnight launches, for that matter), our fine friends at PS3 Fanboy are live at the event right now, uploading pictures to share the experience with you. Go check it out.
Konami cancels Japan MGS4 launch events after Akihabara tragedy
Konami has canceled its three Tokyo launch event planned for Metal Gear Solid 4 following the tragic events in the tech-savvy Akihabara district yesterday when 25-year old Tomohiro Kato killed four people and injured ten more (via AP). One of the events was to be in Akihabara. Konami cited "safety of participants in mind" as its reason for the cancellations. The launch events planned for U.S. will proceed as planned, according to a representative.[Via PS3 Fanboy]
What you need to know before playing Metal Gear Solid 4
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/playstation/MGS101_What_you_need_to_know_to_play_Metal_Gear_Solid_4'; The storyline that's finally wrapping up in MGS4 has spanned six games and 20 years, so things have understandably gotten a little ... convoluted along the way. The series has seen some of the most oddly codenamed characters outside of G.I. Joe and more story twists than can be found crumpled up in M. Night Shyamalan's waste basket. For those of you heading into MGS4 fresh – or have simply lost track of who's who and what's what along the way (we wouldn't blame you) – we present this painstakingly pruned primer to the names you need to know, with the hope that you embark on Solid Snake's final mission excited rather than bewildered. Get started here! Snake? Snaaaake? SNAAAAAAKE! Check out our Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots page for all things Metal Gear.
Wal-Mart corporate confirms $100 PS3 gift card -- YES, even the MGS 4 bundle
We have confirmed with Wal-Mart Corporate Communications that the company is currently offering a $100 gift card this week with the purchase of any Blu-ray player. This applies to all PS3s, including the Metal Gear Solid 4 PS3 bundle (pictured above) available tomorrow. This re-confirms the information and documentation one of our reliable sources gave us two weeks ago.After we made sure to ask about the MGS4 bundle this morning, Melissa O'Brien, a spokeswoman for Wal-Mart, told us, "Any Blu-ray player. Blu-ray. All of them." She said that the deal is quite explicit in the Wal-Mart flyer for this week (an image of which we've placed after the break), and the deal is both online and in stores. We hope this clears up any confusion on the matter.
Metareview (UK Edition) -- Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3)
Well, this is certainly interesting. Though Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots has been getting positively glowing reviews from many UK outlets, there seems to be an undercurrent of ... dissatisfaction among many in the reviewing community. Completely unsurprisingly, it seems that most of the high-90s/100s reviewers are hyperbolically positive. (They've been saving up their good writing all year!) Regardless, it seems that general consensus is that fans of the series are going to have a ball. Read on: IGN (99/100): "If you've ever loved any one of the Metal Gear games, or any moments from the series, there will come a moment when MGS 4 will send your spirits soaring. If you've loved them all, well then there'll be many, many more. It's a masterpiece." PSM3 UK (95/100): "Will you enjoy it? Yes, definitely, but while most hardcore fans will adore it, a tiny minority may be left slightly deflated by the weight of their expectations, despite the game's unarguable quality." Edge Magazine (80/100): "MGS4 is not the game it could have been; nor is it the game it would have been had the series grown with the benefit of hindsight; nor is it the game it should have been if you believed that early trailer. But it is faithful to its fans, its premise and its heart, delivering an experience that is, in so many ways, without equal."
The (Big) Bosses of Metal Gear Solid
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/playstation/The_Big_Bosses_of_Metal_Gear_Solid'; A hero's true worth lies in his ability to overcome the greatest of villains. Metal Gear Solid's slithery protagonist, Snake, has conquered not only the greatest of villains, but the weirdest mustache-twirlers gaming has ever seen. Be sure to click on the above gallery and join us as we examine our favorite fearsome foes, kooky killers and big bosses. Snake? Snaaaake? SNAAAAAAKE! Check out our Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots page for all things Metal Gear.
Vid-splosion of Metal Gear Solid 4 gameplay
We've placed several recently released gameplay videos of Metal Gear Solid 4 after the break. We didn't notice any spoilers in the clips, but we also don't consider Snake being old or ... well, we didn't see anything megaton spoilerific in there.Of course, if the MGS hardcores do happen to check out the videos, we're quite sure they'll be commenting on whatever player was recorded for these clips. Seriously, even someone who knows next to nothing about MGS might scream at the screen and try to backseat drive the guy playing.
MGS4 fires a shot in the console wars
We realize that this post is going to conflict a lot of our readers. On the one hand, there's a large segment of our audience that grabs on to anything related to the console wars like a starving dog grabbing on to red meat. On the other hand, there's another group of readers that have devoted their lives in the past weeks to an extreme avoidance of anything that might even resemble a spoiler for the highly anticipated Metal Gear Solid 4.Readers at the intersection of these two groups are going to have to think long and hard about watching the below video, which includes a particularly clever dig at Sony's competition but also potentially spoils an inconsequential scene in MGS4 (rest assured, there are absolutely no story details revealed in the clip). This is a tough, intensely personal decision, and we wouldn't presume to judge you either way. Just look into your heart and ask yourself what feels right. The answer will come.[Via PS3 Fanboy. Image source.]
New games this week: Metal Gear Solid 4 edition
What, you're surprised? You thought perhaps we'd use the global Joystiq stage to feature NASCAR 09 or Deadliest Catch: Alaskan Storm? Nope, it's all about Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, finally being released on an unsuspecting public this Thursday.This is by no means a one-snake show though. The 360's getting Don King Prizefighter, and the somewhat intriguing Jake Hunter: Detective Chronicles is coming to the DS. But, of course, the biggest non-MGS 4 release has to be Snood Deluxe on the PC. Let us be the first to say: "Finally, we can pay money to play Snood again."%Gallery-23093%
Metal Gear Solid 4: A history of trailers
E3 2005 TeaserNeed a refresher on just how Metal Gear Solid 4 has been teased throughout the years? After the break, the first nine trailers – from Tokyo Games Show 2005 all the way to last month's "Courage is Solid" trailer.
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.
