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Konami code: 'Altaired' Snake password
It started out as a tantalizing April Fools gag, and then evolved into a grueling Metal Gear Solid 4 unlockable. Wanna play as Snake dressed up as the 12th century assassin? Sure thing. Just earn the Assassin's Emblem: Beat the game with 50 or more knife kills, 50 or more CQC holds, and 25 or less alerts.That's the honorable way to do it, at least. But what if we told you there was an infinitely easier way to drape the cloak of the Assassins Order over your Old Snake? Would you risk being shamed by your peers? Would you utter the magic word...?
Famitsu reveals Metal Gear Solid 4 password for Altair's costume
Gaming bible Famitsu has revealed a password that allows for Altair's costume without the assassin's emblem. The password is "aottrykmyn" and you can enter it from the camouflage menu after you get the Metal Gear Mk. II. Another password that you can enter in this fashion is "jmsotsynrn" which will yield the Type 17 pistol. Have fun![Via Siliconera]
Metal Gear Solid 4 gets recreated with thumbs
It's Metal Gear Solid 4 ... meets "Thumb Wars." This lengthy ad does Kojima Productions justice by taking a humorous concept and running with it ... all the way. Clocking in at almost four minutes, this thumb-recreation of MGS4 is in fact, an ad for the upcoming Japanese mobile game, Metal Gear Ac!d Mobile.[Thanks, Gambit07! Via Kotaku]
MGS4 helps boost Konami's first quarter earnings
Konami is in a good mood. Well, you would too if you were touting number spikes like a 116 percent jump in net revenues. Konami is reporting massive positive growth in its first quarter earnings and no doubt a huge chunk of that is due to the success of Metal Gear Solid 4 -- which has shipped three million units worldwide on its first week. Konami stated that sales for the PS3 exclusive Solid Snake adventure were "sensational" with sales still "steadily increasing." As for all the final numbers for Konami's first quarter earnings for the period ended June 30, here they are: ¥70.8 billion ($654 million) in net revenues, operating income climbed over 165 percent to ¥11.6 billion, and net income grew about 47 percent to ¥5.66 billion ($52.3 million). Konami expects these numbers to rise to ¥330 billion, ¥45 billion, and ¥26 billion respectively for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2009.
Metal Gear brings in solid profits for Konami Q1
Konami announced that Solid Snake's final (?) adventure gave the company a nice macro-injection of cash. GameDaily reports the publisher saw revenues jump 116% to $656 million in the first quarter, with net income rising 47% to $52 million. Although Konami isn't just in the video game business, the company states sales of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots are "steadily increasing," noting that the games division contributed the most to its revenues.Konami continues its positive outlook for the rest of the fiscal year (ending March '09) with $3 billion in revenue and a net income of $240 million. Imagine how much more the company can make if giggle-inducing rhythm-game Rock Revolution is a hit and it wins the Rock Band lawsuit?
Get your Snake camo for Snake in Metal Gear Solid 4
Konami's newest camo is named Snake and you can download them from the Extras section of Metal Gear Solid 4's main menu. The Snake camo resembles snakeskin and "it allows you to knock normal soldiers unconscious with one hit, eliminates stress from carrying heavy weapons and items, back pain and screw ups when rolling." All of this for the price of a 10% decrease in your Camo index. The question now is, will it be also be your symbol of your individuality, and your belief in personal freedom? [Thanks, lee!]
Kojima hints at 'a Snake for a new era'
It was only a short time ago when Hideo Kojima and his team unleashed Metal Gear Solid 4 to the world. It's meant to be a farewell to the ten years of entertainment Snake has provided us. "One decade has passed since the release of Metal Gear Solid," Kojima explains to The Cut Scene. "I believe that fans have shared these past 10 years with Snake. The final story of Snake equals closure for these fans. Therefore, the Snake that has existed over the past 10 years could have only existed during this time."Of course, what's next for Kojima? We don't know yet, but if it does involve some tactical espionage action, it will involve a completely different kind of character. "If there ever were to be a new Snake (might have a different name), he will be a Snake for a new era."[Via Joystiq]
Three new MGS4 t-shirts available at Konami Style Japan
With 100% of the PS3 Fanboy E3 team donning multiple UNIQLO Metal Gear Solid 4 tees during E3 week, it's clear that they're popular purchases (or that we really are fanboys). Konami Style in Japan has decided to take advantage of this by releasing their own set of MGS4 related t-shirts. These shirts are to commemorate the worldwide tour that Kojima and company engaged in to publicise the new game.The t-shirt on the left is a replica of those worn by the production crew during the tour, including the list of destinations on the back. For $40, you have to be pretty a pretty big fan of the game to grab one. But we know our commenters. We can almost hear you opening your wallet and tapping in your credit card details right now.Are we tempted? Of course we are. All that's missing to make this a done deal are the words "limited edition."[Thanks Kristopher; Via Wired]
The heartwarming tale of a child's brand switch to PlayStation 3
Looking for a sickly-sweet bedtime story? How's this for you: Jane Wells over at CNBC offers up her "ultimate proof" that Sony is winning this 'console war'. You could read her story if you'd like, or if you're in a hurry, read our truncated version. Wells' 16-year-old son is an Xbox Fanboy. He had a PS-One, but when the Xbox came out, he stuck with the Microsoft console ever since. We don't blame him -- he was the perfect age to grow up with Halo and the like. To him, Sony didn't have the great games. Until he watched the Sony Press Conference from E3. He heard about what's coming up and finally got a good look at Metal Gear Solid 4. That was enough. He packed up his 360 and all his games and traded them at Gamestop for the PS3 and a copy of MGS4. An Xbox fanboy actually dumped his favorite line of consoles because of a single press conference. Has anyone else experienced, personally or through a friend, a complete brand switch like this?
Konami apologizes for Metal Gear Online problems, has no solution yet
Have you been playing Metal Gear Online? Experiencing some major technical difficulties, login problems, or getting overcharged on the MGO shop? Konami has apologized for all of these hiccups, not expecting the game to get such overwhelming traffic on a regular basis. The "Gene Expansion Pack" is the cause of many issues and those overcharged in the shop have had their money refunded. Konami, however, has "no permanent solutions we can announce at this present moment" in regards to the technical snafus the game has run into. They are working on it, and plan to resolve the issues in the quickest amount of time possible. So, if you're having troubles, don't worry. A patch will come, but no date is set.
June NPD figures: over 400k units for PS3, MGS4 best selling title
Guess what? PS3 sold pretty well because of this "Metal Gear" game. The PS3-exclusive and limited edition 80GB bundle accelerated sales to over 400k. PS3 sold 405,488 systems, 84% higher than the Xbox 360. Year-over-year sales in June went up 311%, and month-over-month growth went up 94%.Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots was the best-selling video game, with 774,647 units sold. More than 2.4 million software units were sold for PS3 in June, representing an increase of more than 300% from this time last year. (Software totals do not include software units sold as part of the Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots PS3 retail bundle).The incredible success of the PS3 this month shouldn't come as a surprise. We really hope that Sony will be able to continue the momentum of the PlayStation brand in the coming months with its upcoming holiday lineup. Sony's official word, after the break.
New camos for MGS4 will leave you crying and screaming
In addition to new DLC for MGO today, Konami has released two camouflages for your OctoCamo in Metal Gear Solid 4 for those of us who wish to keep our adventures offline. Like the Laughing and Raging camos, the Crying and Screaming camos are each imbued with the respective emotion. When Snake puts one of these babies on, approaching an enemy and placing them in a CQC hold and letting them go will result in either crying or screaming. You can download them from the Extras section of MGS4's main menu. Have fun![Thanks, Vivas K.!]
Metal Gear Online free and paid expansions available today
Today's PSN update will feature the Metal Gear Online "Gene Expansion." It will come in two varieties, starting at $11.99. The basic expansion will add Meryl and Akiba as playable characters, and three new maps: Coppertown Conflict -- Wide streets, underground passages, and rooftop areas that are ideal for close to medium range combat. Tomb of Tubes -- An intricate labyrinth of underground passages that are ideal for close to medium range combat. Virtuos Vista -- An outdoor map with natural terrain that is ideal for medium to long range combat. In addition, there will be a new "Survival Mode" and you will be able to create a custom female character. For $14.99, players will also get an additional character slot.If paying money doesn't suit your tastes, Konami is still adding free DLC to the Metal Gear Online experience today. Metal Gear Online will also be updated with MGOnline Reward Points and an in-game shop. By playing the game, filling out questionairres and winning tournaments, players will earn Reward Points which can be used to unlock new gear for your character. This will be available for all players of Metal Gear Online.%Gallery-12719%
Deal: Guns of the Patriots for $50, with $10 gift card
So if you haven't heard, Metal Gear Solid 4 is a pretty amazing game. If for some reason, you read this blog, and you don't have this game (why is that?!), this deal from Circuit City should help you get Solid Snake's latest adventure. The retailer is offering the game with a $10 discount, making it only $50 -- but they're throwing in a free $10 gift card for good measure. This is an incredible deal for such a recent release.[Thanks, Juan S.!]
Konami continues MGS4 DLC support with new music
As if Metal Gear Solid 4 weren't impressive enough, Konami continues to add small bits of free DLC into the title on a regular basis. Boot up the game, and go to the Extras section -- you'll find a new song for your in-game iPod awaits. "Battle of Highland" is "designed to accompany battles in South America. Different from the game's South America combat music, it possesses a more ethnic tone."The last MGS4 update added two new camo for Snake to use, and that was less than a week ago. How long will Konami keep on sending us these digital treats?[Thanks, Martin S.! Image Source]
Fan-made animated short pays tribute to MGS
This fan made animated short was created by a group of creative and really bored minds called the Duo Group. Titled Metal Gear Solid: Cold Blooded, we're taken through quite an impressively produced piece that pays tribute to the Metal Gear Solid series -- specifically the era of games in which you play as Big Boss. We liked it very much and thought all of you would like to watch it as well. Enjoy.[Thanks Graham!]
New York Times review thinks Metal Gear Solid 4 isn't a game
Seth Schiesel of the New York Times declared twice in his review of Metal Gear Solid 4 that it "isn't really my kind of game." He started off by stating his prejudices early; blatantly telling the reader that his "favorite games provide a sort of social framework within which the players set their own storylines" and that he favors one-player games like SimCity that deliver open-ended gameplay. Surprisingly though, he still claimed MGS4 is very much enjoyable.Schiesel saw MGS4's production values and attention to detail as quasi-negatives, which lead him to "pretty much stopped caring about playing the game." He then gave a backhanded compliment to the game by saying the "combat scenes ... are just as good, if not better in their intensity, than anything I have ever seen in a film. No lie." Because ultimately, Schiesel thought it is too much like watching an interactive film. According to him, the player lacked control over the storyline. He though it's "Mr. Kojima's world, and you are just passing through for the moment." He ended the review on fully negative note, with an implication that MGS4 isn't even game: "By the time those credits did roll, I was ready for the MGS4 experience to be over ... I was ready to play a game."Schiesel also thought MGS4 as-it-is would not be possible on the Xbox 360 and that "the PS3 has more pure silicon horsepower under the hood" which will eventually result in "Microsoft ... playing catch-up." Perhaps by lavishing praise on the hardware, Schiesel thinks he will sound neutral. We can't help but think his view on MGS4 is from a guy who walked into a restaurant ordering Omakase from a world-renowned chef whose specialty is an ingredient he is mildly allergic to.
Video: David Hayter at Anime Expo
David Hayter spoke rather candidly about playing the role of Snake in the Metal Gear series this weekend at Anime Expo. Hayter has made it clear that he'd want to write the Metal Gear movie script, and he's expressed some of his criticisms of the series' storyline. Thankfully, Zac from Kotaku has captured a majority of the panel through shaky-cam. The first series of videos can be seen above -- the rest at Kotaku. For any Metal Gear fan, hearing the famed voice actor speak so bluntly and freely will come as a refreshing treat.
Hayter discusses MGS film, Kojima creative differences
It seems that David Hayter really wants to pen the script to the Metal Gear Solid movie. He has been recently trying to get fans of the series behind his banner by asking them to email Sony and make it happen. Now, over at Anime Expo in Los Angeles, Hayter chats things up with 1Up, taking time to talk more about his vision for Solid Snake's cinema debut and even divulging about a bit of frustration with Hideo Kojima's over-the-top direction."Kojima and I have different styles," said Hayter. "But I've certainly learned things from him, especially about ambiguity and telling a story without giving all the answers." While he can appreciate Kojima's work, there are quite a lot of areas where Hayter just couldn't agree with what was going on with Snake. In particular, he refers to Snake's suicide tease in previous MGS4 trailers: "I didn't buy it at all." He believes that Snake, with all his years, shouldn't have to hesitate. "If he knows it's time, then it's time."Another folly in his eyes was a fan favorite scene from MGS1. "It's a delicate thing to discuss love blooming on the battlefield with Otacon," he said. Another one was the alternate ending with Otacon: "It felt like it was written to be romantic. It was just humiliating." So what does Dave have in mind for MGS: The Movie? He'll obviously avoid doing any of the above nitpickings. With that in mind, it would be interesting to see where he would go with the film.
New MGS4 camo DLC hits with LOLs aplenty
We were starting to think that the new camo patterns available for download via Metal Gear Solid 4's "Extras" screen were going to be fairly mundane. Silly us! This is Hideo Kojima we're talking about here, and behind his stoic stare the guy has quite the sense of humor.Case in point: the two new OctoCamo patterns available today. Called "Laughing Camo" and "Raging Camo," they cover Snake in text when equipped (which doesn't exactly sound like the best thing for, you know, stealth gameplay). These patterns aren't about hiding from enemies, though ... their effects are actually seen when you get near them. They cause PMC soldiers and other foes to break out into laughter and howling on sight, rendering them temporaily stunned. (Making the new camo settings something you'll want to use only on your second, third, fourth, or fith play-through, lest you ruin a "pure" first-time experience.) Taking on The Patriots and getting kooky with Kojima? That's what we call a fun way to spend the Fourth.
