"From blog.wired:

If the Uniqlo line of Metal Gear Solid 4 t-shirts wasn't to your liking, maybe the new designs from Konami will be more your thing.

The "Konami Style" online store in Japan is currently taking orders for the three new tees. The black model is the same one worn by the Kojima Productions staff during the game's worldwide launch and signing events. It even includes tour stops on the back, like a proper tour shirt should.

All three designs are available in two sizes (M ..."

"Before Kojima Productions and Konami get Hideo Kojima that editor he so desperately needs, perhaps the company should hire someone who knows how to launch an online multiplayer game. The Metal Gear Online "Gene Expansion" was released yesterday and promptly melted Konami's servers, resulting in the closure of the game's MGO Shop and Reward Shop and difficulty logging in to the service. Some MGO players have reported paying for the new expansion and getting nothing in return.

Konami's solut..."

"1. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3) 774,600
2. Guitar Hero On Tour (DS) 422,300
3. Ninja Gaiden II (360) 372,700
3. Wii Fit (Wii) 372,700
5. Wii Play (Wii) 359,100
6. Battlefield Bad Company (360) 346,800
7. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) 322,400
8. LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures (Wii) 294,500
9. LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures (DS) 267,800
10. LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventure (PS2) 260,300


Oh, and just a quick note re the MGS4 figure: thos..."

"Metal Gear Online's first expansion pack - Gene - has been dated during Konami's E3 address yesterday. And that release date is...today, July 17!

The expansion will introduce a new gameplay mode (survival), three new maps, two new selectable characters (including Meryl) and a "reward shop", where you can spend the points you earn in survival mode on new gear for your character."

"Following fervent speculation that Metal Gear Solid 4 would follow Final Fantasy in becoming a PlayStation-associated brand that moves onto Xbox 360, SCEA CEO Jack Tretton has argued no other console could handle the technical demands of Konami’s the Konami title.

Speaking to assembled press at the platform holder's conference in LA earlier today, Tretton added that the Blu-Ray capabilities of PS3 had already seen of HD-DVD – and would now see off the company’s console competition."

"" The much awaited ""METAL GEAR ONLINE GENE EXPANSION"" is now available!! DO NOT miss this opportunity to become a part of the evolution that is MGO!! Throw yourself onto new and unconquered Maps!! Make use of a whole new set of gimmicks and Characters! Why not try out the awesome new game mode "Survival"!?

The ExpansionPack includes an amazing 3 new Maps!!
Ever wanted to play as a character from MGS4 on MGO? Now's your chance as 2 seasoned warriors join the ranks!

Reward Points you e..."

"10. Wii Play (Wii) 411,416 copies
9. Mario Kart DS (DS) 416,935 copies
8. Mario Party DS (DS) 497,547 copies
7. Wii Sports (Wii) 544,958 copies
6. Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3) 576,437 copies

Not sure which is more impressive: A month old game like MGS4 making it into the top ten or a two and a half year old game like Mario Kart DS doing it. YOU DECIDE! Hit the jump for the top five.

5. Pokémon Ranger: Battonage (DS) 576,467 copies
4. Wii Fit (Wii) 1,443,167 copies
3. Mario Kart Wii (W..."

"Solid Snake voice actor David Hayter was surprisingly candid at Anime Expo's centerpiece guest-of-honor panel, where he admitted to being frustrated at times with Metal Gear Solid series director Hideo Kojima's over-the-top scriptwriting and direction. He specifically called out the suicide scene highlighted in Metal Gear Solid 4 trailers, saying that Snake, a man who's killed thousands, shouldn't flinch at pulling the trigger on himself. "I didn't agree with that at all, and I begged them to..."

"Kojima, who lived in Osaka and Hyogo prefectures for 30 years from the age of 3, cannot forget the spirit of entertainment or comedy for which his home region, Kansai, is known.

MGS 4, too, is filled with giggle-inducing aspects. "I'm often asked not to include such elements in a hard-boiled game. But I can't help it," Kojima said with a laugh. "My ideal game is something that makes you want to come back to the world later. It is not enough only to make you enjoy the sense of tension. I w..."

"inspiration from the existing “Sneaking Mode”, which sees Snake use Octocamo to collect Dog-Tags from warring teams, this mode is a battle of two teams with different gear.

The mode consists of a Sneaking Team and a “Normal” Team going head to head. Like Snake, the Sneaking Team is stealth-equipped (thus virtually invisible) and to win must either eliminate all enemies or return KEROTAN or GA-KO to their goal. The defending team must defeat the sneaking team or keep KEROTAN or GA-KO safe t..."

"It takes more than a big time PS3 exclusive like Metal Gear Solid 4 to beat Nintendo. Way more. While MGS4 did give Sony a bump in sales, it wasn't enough, and the Wii outsold the PS3 in June. This is the seventh consecutive month that the Wii has come out on top in The Land of the Rising Sun. For those interested in the number crunching, data from Famitsu publisher Enterbrain has the Wii moving 235,990 consoles during June, while the PS3 shifted 139,494 consoles. In short: Even without a new..."

"According to translated Japanese gaming forums (citing information from the newest edition of Famitsu), the pack will retail for 1200 yen, with another option of a 1500-yen pack that gives you a new character slot. Both packs will feature Johnny and Meryl, the ability to make female characters, a new Survival Mode, and three fresh stages: Shadow Moses, Mei Ling's Ship, and the Heliport from the original Metal Gear Solid on the PS1. Furthermore, as of Friday, we can expect a couple new rules f..."

"Jonny says the above frame came from the segment "Hideo Kojima's Gene" in the bonus features disc, for those who have it and want to watch."

Narrative, dynamic game play, installs, awesome graphics? What are all these things? Fuchal of NextGG.com offers a satirical guide for Xbox Fanboys who may wish to explore their feelings towards Metal Gear Solid 4.

"According to Japanese news site IT Media, Metal Gear Solid 4 has been knocked down to number two by PSP game Super Robot Taisen A Portable. During its first week, MGS4 sold 476,334 copies — so says Enterbrain sales data. In its second week (June 16th to June 22nd), IT Media states the game's sales dropped to 68,000 copies. Still, an impressive number, but not impressive enough to overtake Super Robot Taisen A Portable, which went on sale June 19th. Good news: MGS4's sales have now topped 500,..."

"There was one MGS4 idea that we hadn't discussed that I thought was deserving of an NYT spotlight: How sad the game is. And how rare it is that we get a chance to play a sad game.

quote

So it was a bit strange when the first major MGS4 trailer premiered a few years ago and culminated with Old Snake finding a quiet spot of the battlefield away from the gunfire an placing the barrel of a pistol in his mouth. That's what feels so unusual about MGS4 even compared to the other MGS games. This is...

"

"The publisher says that the title has sold a million copies in Europe since its release on June 12th, and has shipped many more SKUs to its retail partners.

Konami also confirmed that 25,000 copies of the the Limited Edition were made available across Europe, but “were snapped up almost immediately.”"

"Konami has announced that a free downloadable add-on for Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots will be made available on PS3 on Thursday (June 26th) in Europe.

The Metal Gear Solid 4 Database is a comprehensive archive detailing characters, weapons and plot elements from 1987’s original Metal Gear title right through to the most recent title.

According to Konami, the system allows users to search via three central hubs: GENE (a glossary), MEME (which maps the relationships between ch..."

"The Metal Gear Solid 4 publicity machine keeps on trucking! Konami's even using its arcade games to publicize MGS4 Hobby Blog's Frankie points out. He tells us:

quote

Few days ago I found that the arcade game Magical Quiz Academy, while in demo mode, promotes METAL GEAR SOLID 4.
Basically, while everyone is talking about in-game advertisement, Konami has made a "game's in-arcade game promotion". I think this is a pretty smart move to reach hardcore users without speding a yen...

Cle..."

"Gamestation exclusive Metal Gear Solid 4 watch.

Only 500 units available worldwide, individually numbered 1 to 500 with a Konami certificate of authenticity and approved by Hideo Kojima.

Watch Gift box with MGS 4 print, black flock interior with matching cushion, Gamestation branding and black card exterior box with silver MGS 4 stamped logo.

This very limited and worldwide exclusive item will be £99.99 and a must have for all true Metal Gear Solid fans."

"If you're European, and ran to your PS3 this morning, clawing like a madman for the Metal Gear database that Japan and the US got, you'll no doubt already be sitting in a puddle of your own anguish, wondering aloud why SCEE couldn't follow suit and make it part of this week's downloads. Which they didn't. No doubt it's got something to do with translating Kojima's tangled storyline into 17 languages. If you've bothered setting yourself up with an American (or Japanese, it has an english-langu..."

"1. [PS3] Metal Gear Solid 4 Guns of the Patriots (Konami) - 465,000
2. [WII] Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo) - 38,000 / 1,444,000
3. [WII] Wii Fit (Nintendo) - 37,000 / 2,227,000
4. [PSP] Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball Portable 3 (Konami) - 27,000 / 187,000
5. [PSP] Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (Capcom) - 26,000 / 2,203,000
6. [NDS] Hisshou Pachinko Pachislot Kouryaku Series DS Vol. 2 CR Shinseki Evangelion ~Shito, Futatabi~ (D3 Publisher) - 22,000
7. [PS3] Dragon Ball Z Burst Limit (Bandai N..."

"What's included? Complete storylines, character profiles, relationship diagrams(!), plus "much more." The best part? Spoiler protection, as sensitive information that might ruin your MGS4 experience is "blacked out" until you've completed the game."

"As expected Metal Gear Solid 4 has rocketed to the top of the All Formats All Prices video game chart, knocking Activision's LEGO Indiana Jones down to No.2 and GTA 4 down to No.3

1: METAL GEAR SOLID 4: GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS
2: LEGO INDIANA JONES: ORIGINAL ADVENTURES
3: GRAND THEFT AUTO IV
4: MARIO & SONIC AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES
5: DR KAWASHIMA'S BRAIN TRAINING"

"Konami proudly announced partnerships with Apple, Uniqlo, and Triumph Motorcycles. The publisher also made a surprising deal with Playboy that gives Old Snake access to the magzine. You can “read” issues of Playboy by switching to FPS mode which benefits Snake by boosting his psyche. The item can also be used as a “weapon” by placing it on the ground in the path of a male soldier. Since the magazine is "guaranteed to arouse the interest of males ages 18 to 80" virtual copies of Playboy can be..."

"The launch of the brilliant MGS4 is "only the beginning" of a rush of triple-A PS3-exclusives, says Sony's seemingly pleased VP of product marketing, Scott Steinberg

With some of the console's big titles like Gran Turismo 5: Prologue, GTA IV and Singstar now out the door, Steinberg paints a positive picture for PS3 owners for the rest of the year.

"This is only the beginning of an ongoing software avalanche for PS3 that includes titles such as LittleBigPlanet, SOCOM: Confrontation, Moto..."

"Okay folks, I promised you all another announcement and here it is. This is really cool. As far as I know, this is the only one that will be on sale in the USA. Sam's Club presents ... SNAKE STATUE!

Once the auction goes live next week, you can go to the auctions page and search for "metal gear solid" to find this unique item. Once the bidding starts, we will be watching it closely. One Member will win this auction and own a portion of gaming history."

"Media Create has just posted the latest statistics on the Japanese software sales for PS3 exclusive, Metal Gear Solid 4. According to the sales records, the game has sold over 300,000 copies, not including the MGS4 PS3 bundles.

First day sales

PS3 Metal Gear Solid 4 Breakdown:
Normal Edition - 130,000
Limited Edition - 170,000
Total - 300,000
(Bundles not included)

Boasting these kind of numbers, Metal Gear Solid 4 should become one of the highest selling tit..."

"This week's charts, with data taken from June 12th, 2008, find Metal Gear Solid 4 leading worldwide PS3 software sales, while Lego Indiana Jones continues to do brisk multiplatform business in its second week of release. Data for "Saling The World" comes courtesy of the public sales information on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, and Amazon.co.jp, with sales split out for each platform and territory, and pre-orders disregarded.

This results in a true sense of what games are selling worldwide on t..."

"Metal Gear Solid 4 will drive more PS3 hardware sales than the mighty GTA IV did, say industry analysts, despite GTA IV having been the biggest-selling entertainment launch in the history of the universe.

Sales of PS3 are up 150 percent over last year and, according to Eedar's Jesse Divnich, this storming success will continue, and even accelerate, with the release of Konami's blockbuster.

"Sony's PlayStation 3 can claim a relative small victory as its hardware unit sales were up 150% ..."

"Metal Gear Solid 4 has launched pretty much everywhere. Well, everywhere save for Spain. The game hasn't yet launched there because of a transportation strike against the high price of gasoline. Konami Europe isn't able to get the game to stores. Here's the statement from Konami Europe:

quote

Konami Digital Entertainment Spain regrets to info of possible delays, through no fault of the company, may occur in the distribution of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots for PLAYSTATION 3 in th...

"

"During the 9-minute or so loading screen of Metal Gear Solid IV, gamers are treated to a close up view of old Snake sucking through cigarette after cigarette as game tips, warnings and public service announcements pop-up on the screen. They're certainly not worth sticking around to watch, but if you do you'll get two bits of wonderful hypocrisy. The first couple of times Snake taps his cigarette ash onto the unseen ground an message shows up telling you not to litter and to use an ashtray for..."

Discard silly rumors that say the Japanese aren't interested in MGS4, because the hundreds of people lining up for the launch of the game will gladly say otherwise!

Today, hundreds of people in Tokyo and Osaka queued at the front of game stores for hours, waiting for the doors to open and for the game to be released. Take a look at the groups of Japanese business men who will be late for work just to get MGS4 early!

With the release of Metal Gear Solid 4 comes the mad rush from businesses to profit from it. And Japanese clothing chain Uniqlo is no different. They have recently put some MGS4 themed shirts up for sale. Judging by the images, it looks like they're just obscure enough to not infringe on copyright laws too.

"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 pain..."

"The Associated Press is reporting that Konami is canceling its Metal Gear Solid 4 launch events after a deadly stabbing rampage. Tomohiro Kato, a 25-year-old factory worker, carried two knives on him when he was arrested. Kato used one knife to stab more than dozen people in Tokyo's Akihabara district, a popular destination for manga, anime and video games.

Kato began his rampage by crashing a rental truck into a group of pedestrians, killing three. He then jumped out of the truck and star..."

"Chances are, you've heard of this small PS3 game called Metal Gear Solid 4. Hunter217 sent us a few pics captured from the game ... and lo and behold, we see Sony's beloved handheld hidden away in the game as a small easter egg. Kojima's home is on the PlayStation systems, and it's nice to see the PSP isn't neglected in the upcoming console game."

"MGS4 makes last stand against casual games. Kojima worries about "death" of hardcore gaming - but do we need to take sides?

“We’re in the era of casual games, and it’s time to say ‘this is for the hardcore gamer’,” says Hideo Kojima, creator of Metal Gear Solid 4. “So it’s really, really important [MSG4] succeeds.” Has he got a point? With budgets spiraling (a decent next-gen title costs anywhere from $20-40 million) companies are becoming more risk-averse, keener on pumping out sure thing..."

"Konami look set to announce that the ultimate Metal Gear Solid experience, MGS for the PSOne, will be making its way to Sony's Playstation Network sometime in the next month, after the launch of Metal Gear Solid 4 Guns Of The Patriots. Along with further rumours that they are also planning to launch a software update with MGS4 to include cross media bar integration and those infamous trophies, it seems this is another rumoured aspect of the MGS saga.

The series has always been rumoured to..."

"With the release of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots upon us, speculation surfaces this morning that Konami may be ready to unveil a new Metal Gear title for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) at this year’s E3.

The rumor comes from Russian site StarSniper, which was down at the time of this writing. However, a member on the PlayStation.com forums dropped some information about the supposed upcoming PSP title.

“The game is titled Metal Gear 3: Revolver Ocelot and it takes place betw..."

"While the game doesn't go on sale until June 12th, Reader Snake-87 tips us that as of 10:00AM today his local shop had 500 copies of MGS4. Each copy is priced at 20KD (US$75) — and hey, that's pretty damn close to Japan prices! Certainly, this isn't the only store breaking the street date — just the only store we've heard of in Kuwait doing it! Hit the jump to see how well MGS4 goes with Kuwaiti license plates."

"Xbox 360:

Nascar 09

Don King Presents Prize Fighter

Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit

Deadliest Catch: Alaskan Storm

PS3:

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Nascar 09

Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit

Deadliest Catch: Alaskan Storm

Nintendo Wii:

Blast Works: Build, Trade, Destroy

Backyard Baseball '09

PS2:

Nascar 09

Jeep Thrills

Backyard Baseball 2009

Nintendo DS:

Looney Tunes Cartoon Conductor

Jake Hunter: Detective Chronicles

My Fashion Studio

PC Games...

"

"Despite the measurements taken by any publisher, high-profile games always seem to have one store, if not more, break their legal street date. This had been the case with many games before Metal Gear Solid 4 and it will be the case with many following it. This week, a couple of Wal-Marts were reported to have sold the Metal Gear Solid 80GB PS3 bundles up to a week before the scheduled release of the title on June 12.

Earlier in the week, Pete Stone, Konami's UK General Manager had commente..."

"Your first thoughts may be that the Metal Gear Solid 4 marketing juggernaut maaaay have gone a step too far this time. The offer? Buy a gunmetal or regular MGS4 bundle in Japan and (while stocks last!) you get this...bag. It's one of those cotton, canvas-y type bags that you all should be using to throw your groceries in instead of plastic bags. Which may sound boring, but seeing as it's big enough to hold a PS3 box in, it's also mighty practical! After all, most gaming trinkets are just junk..."

"Well, good job folks. We told you that amazon.com would sell the Metal Gear Solid 4 80GB bundle today. And you all listened. Thousands of you swarmed the site, got rid of their inventory in seven minutes, and best of all -- you killed amazon.com.

Demand for the Metal Gear bundle was so high, that the popular online retailer simply couldn't handle the traffic. If this is the fervor in just one store, imagine how well the bundles are going to sell when they release nationwide next Thursday."

"Q: You've indicated that this will be your last "Metal Gear Solid" game. Are you looking forward to other projects or will you continue to be involved in the series?

A: "MGS will ALWAYS be around. I feel a responsibility to continue this series as long as users demand it. But it doesn't mean I'm going to sit in completely. I'll probably take a different role in the next game. Maybe I'll sit in as producer and let the young staff take control of the new series. I really want to go on to new..."

"UK general manager for Konami Pete Stone made the statements to MCV following continued controversy at retail that saw Wii Fit drop out of the All-Format Charts due to stock deficiencies, plus the well-publicised cases of broken street dates for Grand Theft Auto IV.

Stone also commented on stock for the triple-A title: “With demand for MGS4 at such a high level, I am delighted to confirm that we are continually manufacturing stock to meet the phenomenal demand. We want to make sure that e..."

"Minor spoilers:

Laughing Octopus, Raging Raven, Crying Wolf, and Screaming Mantis comprise the B&B Corps, each with their own specialized abilities. Each woman was once innocent and beautiful, but due to the horror of war they have been mentally and physically transformed into beasts, continually emoting as they cross the battlefield. This trauma has made them more like machines of war than humans, which could prove to be quite a challenge for Solid Snake.

On top of these four deadly wa..."

"Speaking to MCV UK, Konami general manager Pete Stone mentioned that the publisher has very solid written agreements with retailers which safeguard against the early release of the much awaited PS3 title.

Here’s a quote taken directly from Stone as he explains Konami’s stand regarding the matter:

"We pride ourselves on working closely with retailers and have a continuation of the signed agreement system we used so successfully before. All major retailers are supplying written agreements..."

"

quote Ryan Payton

Believe it or not, I've been so busy working on a special surprise for MGS4 buyers (that not even those who have leaked copies of the game can spoil! Haha!), that I haven't had time to catch up on most of the pre-launch excitement.

A special surprise? I love surprises! What ever could it be? It's something that people with leaked copies of the game can't spoil, meaning probably DLC of some sort to kick things off? A special outfit? A new weapon? A cutscene only available t..."

"There seems to be two discussions going on about Metal Gear Solid 4. One is about the game's actual reviews, and the other is about actually reviewing the game. Rumors swirled that reviewers weren't able to talk about MGS4 cutscenes and installs — rumors that were later confirmed in IGN UK's MGS4 review and by EGM's decision not to review the game."

"The fourth installment of one of the most popular video game franchises of all time, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots features a cinematic experience and visual masterpiece that will break new ground for the stealth-action genre. The Metal Gear Solid series has been around for more than a decade, sold millions of units, and has garnered critical acclaim worldwide. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, a PlayStation 3 exclusive, pushes the graphics and gameplay of the franchise to ..."

"Yes lady and gents, now is the time to bail out of the internet. It seems a chap called Paul has leaked every single piece of information about the game as possible, including all the names of the patriots.

So please MGS fans, STAY AWAY FROM GAMING SITES FROM NOW ON."

"Metal Gear Solid 4 Assistant Producer Ryan Payton tells Kotaku that the 90 minute cutscene claim is a "gross exaggeration." Hit the jump for his full statement and POSSIBLE SPOILER.

quote Ryan Payton

I'm surprised nobody has stepped forward to debunk this rumor. There are no 90 minute cutscenes in MGS4. The ending is long, but 90 minutes is a gross exaggeration.

And here I thought gamers liked long endings!

So there ya go, no 90 minute cutscenes and a lengthy ending says Kojima Prod..."

"Margaret Robertson on how games and gamers are attracting more and more recognition.

Like many commuters, one of my milder vices is leafing through a free copy of Metro on the morning train. It rarely disappoints - cute animals rescued from improbable peril, TV stars revealed to be dieting hoaxers, lovelorn fugitives betrayed by sausage addiction - but it's rarely worth slowing down from a rapid flick.
Today, though, I was brought to a standstill, not by the enduringly inexplicable photo..."

"Somewhere out there someone has broken the worldwide street date for Metal Gear Solid 4.

Posts have appeared from a gamer going by the name of Paul-H-UK who claims to have a copy of the game in his possession and has photos to prove it. He's posted numerous pictures over in the official PlayStation Forums of the game in various states of undress, including images of it playing on a TV.

Quite where the game came from is something of a mystery. Paul-H-UK says he got it from eBay. From th..."

With the recent news surrounding Metal Gear Solid 4 about Konami restricting reviewers on what they can reveal in their reviews, it seems to have come to light that not all of the reviewers had any restrictions put on them.

Editors of Game Informer and Playstation: The Official Magazine were two who were not asked to keep quiet about any bit of the game that they played. Could the review by PTOM reveal exactly what was asked of the others to be kept quiet?

"Paul Fitzpatrick, The man behind the first review of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, shared some information of the game in an interview with Gamesradar. According to him the length of the game is around 29 hours before you reach the end of the game.

The game feels like a real MGS game, where the sneaking is still the most viable option. The cutscènes would be one third of the playing time."

What more could you want but for Piggyback Interactive, the authors of the MGS4 Guide, themselves to give you tips regarding Metal Gear Solid 4? The first thing to note is that this article is FULL of spoilers, and so you should read only at your own peril. In short the top 12 tips relate to:

1. Life Guage
2. Psyche Gauge
3. Stress Level & Combat High
4. Choosing your Equipment: Weapons
5. Choosing your Equipment: Items
6. Choosing your Equipment: Weight
7. The Solid Eye
8. The OctoCamo
9. The Threat Ring
10. The Metal G...

"The recent buzz online has been about thrashing anyone who has dared to give Metal Gear Solid 4 a review below 9.5 and EDGE and Eurogamer.net seem to be at the receiving end by daring to give the game a 8/10."

"1. The epilogue is an hour long.

2. Some cutscenes are 30-40 minutes long, but are extremely compelling.

3. hitting "X" during certain sequences will trigger flashbacks.

6. Liquid's position amongst the Patriots will be revealed.

8. Metal Gear Solid 4's story just defies belief with each passing act.

20. Actual gameplay time is not more than 10-13 hours which has been confirmed. The nature of Metal Gear Solid 4 is highly open ended, borrowing heavily from a very well known sand..."

"Konami are imposing restrictions on what publications can and cannot talk about when reviewing Metal Gear Solid 4. No mention of 90-minute cutscenes please, and while you're at it, no talky-talky about install sizes either, K? IGN are cool with that. EGM, refreshingly, are not. Due to "limitations Konami wanted to impose on our comments", the editorial team decided to refrain from giving the game a score, and in lieu of a "review" posted a lengthy roundtable discussion about the game instead...."

"Take your gaming to the next level with the 80GB PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system featuring PlayStation®2 backward compatibility***, new DUALSHOCK®3 wireless controller and the highly-anticipated Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots game."

"Hey guys and girls, in a follow up to all my other reports from my exclusive insider on 2.40, I have some small news on 2.40. You may have heard all the rumors about 2.40 arriving this month, with some even as going as far as stating a release on June 10th.

Some Points from videogaming 247:

• Sony’s currently going through PS3’s library to check whether or not in-game XMB’s full compatible. While it’s expected that the the new menu system, in-game messaging, and so forth, will work wit...

"

"While reporting MTV Multiplayer’s week-long series about game reviews I’ve heard from members of the gaming press about restrictions publishers place on game reviews. I’m familiar with some of these. It’s common for a publisher to specify plot details that they don’t want revealed in reviews.

What I heard about print reviews for “Metal Gear Solid 4” was different.

I’ve been told by two gaming media sources who asked to remain anonymous that Konami representatives had been asking print r..."

"The latest Famitsu featured some new scans of Konami's upcoming Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. In the scans, two new characters are revealed: Rosemary and Mai-ling."

"Metal Gear Solid fans have been met with confusion in the last few days as to whether Guns of the Patriots will include cutscenes that last for over 90 minutes.

The rumor began at PSW magazine who claimed:

quote PSW mag

"MGS4's story is massive. The videogame equivalent of all three Godfather
movies
on one disc,"

"As you'd expect, you'll spend a lot of time watching cut-scenes, so if you found previous games' story exposition laborious, then you'd better find yourself a nice cushion...

"

"From CVG today comes a pretty wild rumor about Metal Gear Solid 4: the penultimate title in the Solid Snake series will feature rather lengthy cutscenes.

How lengthy? Try 90 minutes. And that's not 90-minutes in total, that's a 90-minute cutscene.

Trouble is, it's not entirely accurate. Will MSG4 have lengthy cutscenes, like the 45-minute one in MGS2? Yes, says GamePro's own Sid Shuman, but nowhere near 90 minutes.

"I've beat the game twice, and am the author of the forthcoming [Game..."

"We know the Metal Gear Solid series is famous for its long cut-scenes, but this tops everything! Metal Gear Solid 4, the latest instalment in Hideo Kojima's seminal stealth series, has cut-scenes (note the plural) that approach the 90 minutes mark."

"Metal Gear Solid 4 isn't even out and whaddaya know, the game's creator Hideo Kojima is already thinking about Metal Gear Solid 5. While MGS4 was supposed to be Kojima's last entry the series, he seems to have had a change of heart recently. Isn't he ready to move on to other things? Dunno. What we do know is what he told Famitsu:

quote Kojima

I gotta start thinking about MGS5... Even though, well, Snake's story ends in MGS4.

...About MGS5, that would be something that Kojima Productions...

"

"Konami has temporarily ceased taking pre-orders on the Metal Gear Solid 4 hardware bundle, after a US deal launched on the official site yesterday went belly up.

Eager fans hoping to get hold of the limited-edition Gunmetal PS3 bundle, sold exclusively through the official online Konami Store, were greeted to "503 errors", according to Kotaku, who described the ordeal as "a cluster*bleep* of massive proportions".

The Store works at the moment. But it says the allocated pre-order stock ..."

"Unfortunately for UK Snake lovers, there will not be any MGS limited edition bundles coming to the British Isles, with a Konami UK spokesperson confirming to GameSpot UK today that "no bundles other than the limited edition Play.com figurine set have been planned for the UK.""

"The last adventure of Solid Snake is almost ready for gamers. It’s been a long time coming — more than four years of development — but on June 12, “MGS4″ will finally become a reality on PlayStation 3s worldwide.

Fans can stop worrying, though; this isn’t the last “Metal Gear,” explained associate producer Ryan Payton in an interview with MTV Multiplayer. “I think there’s been some misconceptions that this is the last ‘Metal Gear,’” said Payton. “This is really just the last chapter of the..."

"The gameplay itself is a different spin on the typical first-person shooter, and as such, it controls differently than you might think. If you're a fan of Metal control scheme, it should come pretty naturally, but players should run through some training levels first just to be safe. The matches provide a mix of slow and frantic gameplay scenarios, although when you get in a full lobby, the game types generally devolve into the same-old shooter gametypes you've played a million times (Deathma..."

"Hideo Kojima appeared on stage to announce the completion of his four-year long project.
"I'm very happy that we can announce the completion of MGS4 in front of everyone here today," he said, beaming.
"MGS4 has been an extremely difficult project. At one point, it was like an eternal spiral where the game felt like it would never get completed no matter how hard we worked on it."

Interestingly, Kojima also took the opportunity to make some comments on the current situation of the game..."

"During an interview with PSM UK, Kojima told them:

“I would like to say that Zone of the Enders is quite near the priority list… [after MGS4] it might be good to change to outer space or robots or things like that for a change”"

""

"That Ubisoft/Kojima April Fool's joke was pretty elaborate! Snake running around MGS4 dressed as Altair, looking for all the world like it was actually in the game...so would it surprise you to hear that it wasn't really a gag? Yeah, that's right. It was announced at the MGS4 wrap party today that MGS4 players will indeed be able to unlock an Assassin's Creed outfit for Snake"

"We've seen a teaser that suggests that Metal Gear Solid 4 will feature significant flashbacks to the story's early days, so it's possible that everyone's favorite tragic soldier-turned-despot will show up alongside the other blasts from the past. But Big Boss is dead for good, right?

Right?

It sounds farfetched, but then again, so does the idea of the President turning out to be a clone, or the late Liquid, evil Big Boss copy, controlling Russian jack-of-all-trades and gunslinger Ocelo..."

"Retail sources have informed us today that the Australian market will not be seeing the release of the Metal Gear Solid 4 PS3 bundle that was announced in February. The bundle in the US will include a limited edition 'hagane' coloured 80GB PS3, a Dual Shock 3 controller and, of course, a copy of MGS 4, all for $US 499.99.

Sources also told us that the recently released GTA IV 40GB bundle didn't fair so great in Australia on release, which may have influenced the decision (although that bun..."