Our Mission this week is to debrief you on the history of Konami’s Metal Gear series. Maniac Elephant (Ron) and Infamous Cockroach (Shawn) discuss their past experience with the Metal Gear missions and plan a tactical approach for the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 4: Twin Acid Sons of the Patriots Liberty Eater’s Revenge mission that is set to go into operation this coming Friday.

The two mission specialists also talk about a rogue military superweapon (The Incredible Hulk), a rogue government assassin (The Bourne Conspiracy) and a silly child’s game featuring a plastic college professor (LEGO Indiana Jones).

This weeks show is available by direct download here.

As always, you can get past episodes from our podcast page at http://podcast.filefront.com, and you can send your comments, questions, suggestions, or snarky comments to podcast@filefront.com.

File-N-Forget is also available on the iTunes Music Store.

You can get your own Metal Gear Codename by checking out the Metal Gear Name Generator.

With the release of Metal Gear Solid 4 on the horizon, it looks like rumors pertaining to the series are starting to fly. One of the latest of these purports that Konami may already be working on a new PSP title, called “Metal Gear 3: Revolver Ocelot.” Apparently, the game will take place between Portable Ops and Metal Gear 2 (note: that’s not Metal Gear Solid 2). The game will also play a lot like Portable Ops, but with Revolver Ocelot as the main character. Word is that Konami will be revealing this new game officially at E3 this year. I hope this rumor turn out to be true. I have a feeling I’ll be itching for more Metal Gear action once I finish up with MGS4.

Via GameRush

While Konami is gearing up for the big release of Metal Gear Solid 4 — the sole reason I will be at Best Buy way, way too early on Thursday — they may also have another MGS project in the works. Ripten recently received a tip that the original PS1 game could be ported over to the Xbox Live Arcade. The classic stealth game may even have a subsequent release on the PSN. Of course, such a transition is not going to be without its share of problems.

Obviously, there are some logistical issues going along with this announcement, not least of which is the question of size limitations. Microsoft may soon be raising the XBLA file limit to 35oMB, but that still may not be enough for MGS1, considering it spanned more than one disc originally. On the other hand though, Microsoft did publish the PC version of the game; and Konami managed to keep all of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night down to 95MB. We’ll have to see. What I’d really like though would be Konami to take Twin Snakes, Substance, and Subsistence and cram them onto one big, fat Blu-Ray to keep me warm through the winter.

Via Ripten

Personally, I love the Metal Gear Solid series. They’ve consistently had some great gameplay and enticing — though sometimes confusing — storylines. Everything about the games just seems huge, which unfortunately includes it’s “WTF” moments. Every one of those games had instances where you just sat back and asked yourself, “what the hell just happened?” And now, thanks to 1UP’s Scott Sharkey, we get to relive those moments all over again. Crotch grabbings, awkward relationship talk through codec, homoerotic sword fights: it’s all here. I think it was the revelation that Otacon slept with his mom that really weirded me out the most though (seriously, Kojima, what the hell?). I think I need to lie down now; it’s just too much terrible for one sitting.

Via 1UP

June is shaping up to be a pretty decent month in the way of gaming releases. Already we have been handed Kung Fu Panda, LEGO Indiana Jones, Ninja Gaiden II, The Bourne Conspiracy, The Incredible Hulk, and Summon Nights: Twin Age. But what else does the month leading into Summer hold for us?Plenty, and I have next week’s releases listed for you right here:

June 9

• Don King Presents: Prize Fighter – Xbox 360

June 10

• Deadliest Catch: Alaskan Storm – PC, Xbox 360
• Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit – PS3, Xbox 360
• EVE Online: Empires Age (Expansion) – PC
• Jake Hunter: Detective Chronicles – Nintendo DS
• Looney Toons: Cartoon Conductor – Nintendo DS
• My Fashion Studio- Nintendo DS
• NASCAR 09 – PS2, PS3,Xbox 360

June 12

• Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (Regular and Limited Edition) – PS3

All release dates are subject to availability, so some may be in stores on the day listed, the day before, or the day after so check with wherever you purchase your games because shipping times vary.

Ho…lee…crap. I knew the new 80GB PS3 bundled with Metal Gear Solid 4 was in high demand, but still, wow. At about 10 AM PST, Amazon.com began taking pre-orders again for the upcoming bundle. By 10:07, they were all gone; thousands of them in mere minutes. So many people flooded the site in fact, that it looks like Amazon.com is down for the moment. It makes sense really, considering you’re basically getting a system with a top-notch exclusive thrown in to boot, which is one heck of a deal. I was actually placing a pre-order myself earlier today, but didn’t want to wait the extra few days it would take for the bundle to arrive. I really hope I don’t end up kicking myself for that decision next Thursday.

Via PS3Fanboy

One of the main news bits sweeping through gaming sites this week has been the controversial restrictions placed on reviews for the game by Konami. Namely, the publisher required reviewers to sign a non-disclosure agreement stating that their review would not give details about the length of the game’s cut scenes and install time, which raised quite a bit of controversy (for good explanation of why, you should check out the Sessler’s Soapbox video on the matter). Well now Ryan Payton, Assistant Producer for Kojima Productions, has chimed in in hopes of setting the record straight. In a recent letter to Kotaku, Payton outlined exactly what restrictions were listed in the NDA and even flat out reveals the install time (8 minutes). He also went on to explain their reasoning behind the restrictions and stated that they were a little “outdated.” Their main concern, he says, was that revealing the length of cut scenes –or more specifically, which ones were the longest — would ruin the “experience” of the game for some players, as they would be expecting them. They didn’t mean for the subject of their length to be avoided entirely, but didn’t want them getting down to specifics about how long they are. Their argument for the install times follows the same logic of not wanting to ruin the game for people, as there are a couple of three-minute installs between acts. Finally, Payton added that reviewers are welcome to discuss the length of the cut scenes and install times, but to refrain from mentioning too many specifics.

He certainly makes a valid argument, but I’m still with Adam Sessler on this one. The length of the cut scenes really is something that a consumer might weigh into their decision on whether to buy the game or not, and using vague terms isn’t always going to get the message across. There’s a big difference between saying “the cut scenes are really long” and “there’s one 90-minute cut scene” (though that last point is still a rumor). I can understand Konami not wanting to spoil the game for people, but these restrictions kind of cross a fine line. Besides, just the mere act of reading a review is going to influence your expectations of a game anyway.

You can read Payton’s full letter after the break.

Read the full article »

Leave it to Adam Sessler to break down the main points surrounding the recent controversy stemming from Metal Gear Solid 4’s reviews. You’ve probably heard how Konami placed restrictions on what could be mentioned in official reviews of the game, particularly in regards to the length of the game’s cut scenes and install time. In this week’s Sessler’s Soapbox, he basically explains just what the big flippin’ deal is and why this sort of practice really only makes everyone uncomfortable. He probably should’ve also pointed out that these non-disclosure agreements are legally binding, so reviewers can’t simply ignore the publisher’s requests (that was my initial reaction until I thought about).

Via G4TV

The release of Metal Gear Solid 4 is so close now that you can almost get a hint of Snake’s old man smell. James Price of Piggyback Interactive has been working on the official guide for the game, and he’s provided his top 12 tips at PlayStation.Blog.

The Solid Eye

When you first obtain this item, you’ll find life in the field infinitely easier if you keep the Solid Eye selected in your items window most of the time. This gadget, which enables the Baseline Map radar function when active, has three modes: Normal, NV and Binos. When selected, the Solid Eye will display basic data for both enemies and allies, such as which faction they belong to. As it can be too easy to accidentally open fire on your allies during a hectic firefight, this information can be decisive. You’ll find that “friendlies” are much less likely to help you if you start spraying lead indiscriminately, and they may even turn on you if suitably provoked. The information shown is color-coded. Gold, the default color, denotes a neutral character, blue indicates an ally, and red signals an enemy. The Solid Eye is also invaluable in helping you locate hard-to-spot collectable items, as it increases their visibility by placing a digital frame around them.

The Solid Eye additionally has an intuitive radar system, which translates the vibes that Snake picks up from enemies, including sound and movement. It shows the relative location of all targets around you, but keep in mind that it also detects animals – which can be rather disconcerting if you’re in location filled with rats, for example. The NV or Night Vision mode is a special goggle that enables you to see more clearly in dark areas, as well as spot hidden items more easily. Scanning a dark room with NV active is sometimes the quickest way to assess its contents. If you wish to zoom in to view a distant point, simply select the Binos option, and then press up or down on the directional pad.

The rest of his tips can be found here, or you can pick up MGS4: The Complete Official Guide alongside the game on June 12.

GameVideos has a treat for you Metal Gear fans out there — there might still be a few weeks before the release of Metal Gear Solid 4, but in the meantime you can savor over the first 18 minutes of Metal Gear Solid 2: Bande Dessinee.

You’ll have to do some reading, though, as the novel has Japanese voices (sorry, Hayter fans) with English speech bubbles. It should serve as a good refresher on MGS2’s story, although it’ll help if you’ve already played the game.

Bande Dessinee releases on June 12 in Japan on DVD.