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Buy Metal Gear Solid 4 for a bargain price of $1,000

by Justin McElroy { Jun 29th 2009 at 11:10AM }

We get pretty nervous when publishers start testing the waters with higher price points, so we like to think our sticker shock at seeing this $1,000 listing for Metal Gear Solid 4 is forgivable. But it is a pretty good game and we would like to have a second copy, just in case. Plus, there's only one left in stock!

But just as we were about the make the purchase, we noticed that shipping price. $7.99?! What, are we made of money?

[Thanks, Christopher]

Metal Gear Online gets '!' worthy bikini pack

by Randy Nelson { Jun 15th 2009 at 5:30PM }

Konami has a whole week of "surprises" lined up for the one-year anniversary of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots' release. So, surprise: Metal Gear Online has received an unlikely update in the form of bikini-clad babes. Rather than draw form the series' pool of female characters, the pack lets players roll their own originals, complete with sultry -- even scandalous! -- "taunts."

The DLC is free for players who already have the GENE expansion pack purchased and installed. No amount of money will get your dignity back after friends catch you testing the ladies' over-the-top "jiggle simulation." (Or simply watching the video of others doing it after the break.)

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MGS4, Ratchet, others $30 as PS3 'Greatest Hits' starting June 16

by Alexander Sliwinski { May 28th 2009 at 10:03AM }

Old Snake, domestic partners Ratchet & Clank, glam goth Nero and others will be offered up as PS3 "Greatest Hits" for $30 starting June 16. This will be the second round of discounted best-selling software for the console, as the first batch hit at around the same time last year. The latest additions include:

Army of Two
Battlefield Bad Company
Devil May Cry 4
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction

With almost all those titles (maybe) prepping for sequels in the near future, if you haven't checked them out, there's some quality in the offerings.

Joystiq live from Hideo Kojima's GDC 2009 keynote

by Christopher Grant { Mar 26th 2009 at 2:45PM }

Well, yet another Konami event without any peep of MGS4 on Xbox 360 and, if you follow Kojima's chart of Metal Gear progression, it doesn't sound like it's ever happening. Next up is a new project -- "the next MGS" -- coupling Western development techniques, with an advance in hardware and game design to hopefully create Kojima's apparently-still-unfulfilled goal of bringing us "the ultimate stealth game." Maybe then, Kojima will be able to finally leave the Metal Gear series behind.

Head past the break for complete coverage of the Kojima keynote (updated from bottom to top).

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Metal Gear Online makes a SCENE (expansion) March 17

by Randy Nelson { Mar 5th 2009 at 3:51PM }

Konami has revealed -- via the PlayStation Blog -- that Metal Gear Online's latest expansion, "SCENE," will be available in North America beginning March 17. (Hold on, we'll type louder so you can hear us over the cricket sounds.) Alright. So, the pack will be available via PSN and Konami's own online shop for $9.99; with the previous "MEME" expansion for $14.99; or as part of the full add-on pack -- "MEME," "GENE" and "SCENE" -- for $17.99.

The expansion, which adds MGS4 characters to the mix along with new maps and a "Solo Capture" mode, can be pre-ordered via Konami's e-store, which is offering an exclusive in-game cardboard box headgear (sure not to get you noticed) for those who make the early comittment. Of course, you get a whole bunch'a wacky stuff just for buying the pack. Clown paint, anyone? Anyone? Crickets?

SEE Metal Gear Online SCENE in action

by Andrew Yoon { Feb 26th 2009 at 2:00PM }

You ready to dance like Vamp? To get your ninja skills right as Raiden? Metal Gear Online's third expansion pack -- SCENE -- adds new playable characters and new maps. Of course, you knew that already. The upcoming DLC will be available in March, but you can take a first look at the new content in this Japanese trailer. Like most everything Kojima-related, it's filled with some truly zany moments.

Gallery: Metal Gear Online: SCENE Expansion

Monster Hunter tops Japan's 100 best-sellers list in '08, MGS4 best-selling PS3 game

by Majed Athab { Feb 17th 2009 at 3:50PM }

The results are in for Japan's Top 100 software sellers for 2008 and the data is certainly unsurprising. Rising to claim the #1 spot is Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G. The PSP phenomenon has been topping the Japanese software charts for most of last year, and is, in fact, still selling hotly in Japan.

The PS3's best-selling game in Japan, Metal Gear Solid 4, barely scratched the top ten as it ranked in at #11. It was knocked out of the top ten by nine Nintendo exclusives, which include the likes of Super Smash Bros. Brawl at #5. But wait, Solid Snake is also in that title ... In a way, you could say he infiltrated the top ten. Back to your old tricks, Snake? And here we thought you had retired.

Metal Gear Solid 4 going Platinum on March 5

by Griffin McElroy { Feb 16th 2009 at 1:30PM }

Unsurprisingly, Konami's grandpa-spy sim Metal Gear Solid 4 sold extremely well across the globe -- so well, in fact, that the game has reached the ever prestigious Platinum Range in Europe, an honor bestowed to titles that reach sales upward of 400,000 within their first year on the market. A Platinum edition of the game will hit European store shelves on March 5, bringing with it some slightly updated box art and a discounted price of EUR 29.95 (or GBP 19.99).

Hopefully, the game will follow suit by qualifying for Greatest Hits status in North America, an honor that brings a similar discount to $29.99, as well as a provocative crimson jewel case. We've begun growing our unsettling math teacher moustaches in feverish anticipation.

Kojima to speak at GDC for first time

by Alexander Sliwinski { Feb 10th 2009 at 2:27PM }

Hideo Kojima will sneak into the 2009 Game Developers Conference this year and get his keynote on, according to Gamasutra. It'll be the designer's first presentation at the event, with his debut titled "Solid Game Design: Making the 'Impossible' Possible."

GDC Event Director Meggan Scavio notes that the group has asked Kojima to keynote almost every year "for as long as [she] can remember." She's curious to see how the "revered and elusive" creator will inspire attendees. The presentation is scheduled for an hour, but given the designer's inability to edit, don't be surprised if it lasts 8 hours, with two 90-minute cutscenes and a couple of codec conversations included.

Konami game revenue up in Q3

by Alexander Sliwinski { Feb 5th 2009 at 6:00PM }

Whipping up some numbers to report, Konami announced that its net income for the games division during the first three quarters of the fiscal year reached ¥13.3 billion ($148.3 million). The figure represents a 5% increase from the same time last year; however, for its full fiscal year, the company estimates to bring in ¥18 billion ($200M), a slight decrease from last year's ¥18.5 billion ($206.3M).

The financial fortunes in the division were driven by (gasp!) Metal Gear Solid 4 and the Pro Evolution Soccer series. With all the negative news coming out of other publishers, Konami's ability to weather the current global financial crisis is about as good as it gets.

[Image]

NPD: Console exclusives performed with mixed results in '08

by David Hinkle { Jan 28th 2009 at 3:56PM }

According to the NPD, a good exclusive does not necessarily equal good sales. The group has collected data for 2008's exclusives on each platform and, well, there have been some under-performers. On the Xbox 360 side, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts was a disappointment, selling only 140,000 units. The other exclusive on Microsoft's console, Fable 2 (Joystiq's GOTY), was more of your traditional success story with a respectable 1.2 million copies sold.

And what about the industry-leading PS3? We already know MGS4 sold extremely well, but the same cannot be said (yet) for LittleBigPlanet and Resistance 2, both of which seemed to perform lower than expectations; LBP sold 611,000 copies in North America while R2 unloaded 600,000 units.

As for Nintendo, well ... it won. It always does. Last we heard, Nintendo stopped making games and was in the process of building a Kirby-shaped Death Star to orbit the planet.

LittleBigPlanet leads in AIAS award nominations

by Andrew Yoon { Jan 23rd 2009 at 4:20PM }

The game industry's closest approximation of Hollywood's Academy Awards has to be the Interactive Achievement Awards. The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) has revealed its nominees for 2008, and LittleBigPlanet has managed to run away with ten category nominations, the most of any game this year.

Ahem. And the nominees are:

Overall Game of the Year:

Fallout 3
Grand Theft Auto IV
Left 4 Dead
LittleBigPlanet
Metal Gear Solid 4

Console Game of the Year:

Fallout 3
Gears of War 2
Grand Theft Auto IV
LittleBigPlanet
Metal Gear Solid 4

See the rest, after the break.

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NPD: MGS4 sells over 1 million in US, Tomb Raider left undiscovered

by Ross Miller { Jan 21st 2009 at 3:43PM }

Now that we've seen the real list for 2008's top-selling games, Gamasutra has taken a look at some of the high-profile titles that didn't make the cut. Thanks to data from the NPD, we now know Metal Gear Solid 4 has passed the one-million threshold in the US with 1.08M in sales -- 775K in June, 301K since then. It's worth noting that the figure doesn't include copies sold in the MGS4 PlayStation 3 bundle. Globally, Old Snake has enlisted over 4 million soldiers. As for LittleBigPlanet and Resistance 2, they sold 611K and 598K stateside in 2008, respectively.

Here's the bad news: Tomb Raider: Underworld has managed only 246K across three platforms since launching mid-November -- indeed a disappointment, but also a lowered bar for Naughty Dog's Nathan Drake vs. Lara Croft claim. To its credit, TRU has done better elsewhere, selling 1.5 million worldwide. Meanwhile, Prince of Persia did 483K in December, with at least 213K of those going to the PS3 version. While that puts it on par with Sony's first-party titles last month, it also means the Xbox 360 version saw relatively disappointing sales.

Metal Gear Solid 4 and LittleBigPlanet were both "honored" (if you can call it that) in our Best of 2008 awards. See what else made the list.

Kojima picks 15 films that influenced Metal Gear Solid

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Jan 20th 2009 at 3:38PM }

Though you could never tell from his numerous games, Hideo Kojima is quite fond of movies. In fact, the Metal Gear auteur considers 15 films in particular as inspirational components of his epic stealth series. According to Siliconera, Japanese media store Tsutaya is running a new promotion highlighting all 15 flicks (seen above), complete with trivia (Hal and David? Those names come from 2001: A Space Odyssey!) and easily clickable purchase links.

But ... wait a minute. Where's Escape from New York?

[Via Siliconera]

Fan makes MGS4-inspired M1911 gun out of LEGO

by Majed Athab { Jan 18th 2009 at 11:00AM }

There's only one way to show appreciation for any given object of desire and that is through the loving building blocks of dreams known as LEGO. Yes, LEGO. Metal Gear Solid 4 fan Samuel Lafleur knows this one simple truth in life and has made a worthy tribute to his beloved game. He has made, out of LEGO, Solid Snake's preferred weapon of choice: the M1911 Operator pistol.

It's a rather gorgeous design; he's even got several modifications to it on his web page, so check out all the pics over there. Also, Sam, can we make a request for a full-sized Solid Snake bust which is opening up its mouth ready to shoot itself with that Operator? Only then will your tribute be complete. Well done.