Sony Computer Entertainment America is gearing up to launch a massive ad campaign this weekend as it introduces its new 40G PS3 in the US.

Sony will be pushing the PlayStation Network service as well as the Blu-ray capabilities and new price point of the console and the line-up of available software this Holiday season.

“The games are here, the price point is now USD 399 and we wanted to make the news loud and clear,” said Peter Dille, VP of marketing for SCEA.

“Beyond the brilliant HD games that the PS3 delivers, you’ll also see a big focus behind the PS3’s Blu-ray movie capability and, for the first time, you’ll see a major focus behind the PlayStation Network and the exclusive gaming content available on the PlayStation Store, as well as break through services like Home,” he added.

The Public will be seeing 60 second commercials featuring Heavenly Sword, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction and Gran Turismo 5 Prologue as well as third party games including Haze, Burnout Paradise and Assassin’s Creed. Dille will be billing Konami’s delayed Metal Gear Solid IV: Guns of the Patriots as “the mother of all exclusives.”

“We have the 40GB PS3 ‘officially’ launching tomorrow at a price point that will appeal to a wider audience and the 80GB PS3 which is demonstrating phenomenal sales growth since we announced the USD 499 price point,” continued Dille.

“Add to that the inflow of great games and a PS3 brand campaign – our largest ever behind a hardware platform – and we think it’s going to be a great holiday season for PS3.”

via GamesIndustry.biz 

Fans of the Metal Gear Solid franchise have been eagerly awaiting Snake’s swan song in the form of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots since 2005. Originally slated for a November 2007 release, the PS3 exclusive was delayed until Q1 2008. Now, it looks like we are going to have to wait a little while longer. According to Konami, the game will still be released in Japan in the first part of 2008, but the rest of the world will have to waiting until Q2 – which means sometime between April and June.

A spokesperson for Konami has stated that: “Konami has decided to delay the title’s release in order to make further improvements to the quality of the game and provide even greater enjoyment for more customers worldwide.” They also stated that they will be working continuously on MGS4, so that it will “meet everyone’s expectations.

While I can find no fault with Hideo Kojima wanting to make sure that his baby is perfect, I – like many who have been itching to play MGS4 – am disappointed that I will not be able to get my hands on it sooner. However, in the grand scheme of things, there are many titles out there to keep us occupied until it is finally ready for its devoted followers. Metal Gear Solid fans would rather wait for a great sequel than be force fed a mediocre game any day – all that would do is make us angry and do an injustice to our hero Snake.

Thanks: GamesIndustry.biz

On the most recent Kojima Productions Report (the Kojima podcast, hosted by Ryan Payton), it was revealed that there’s currently no plan to bring a demo of Metal Gear Solid 4 to the PlayStation Network. The only opportunity you’ll have to play the game before it ships will be to attend the E for All event, which has already begun.

While plans could always change, it seems unlikely now that we’ll be seeing a demo of the newest Metal Gear Solid anytime before the game is released next year.

On the bright side, they did announce that Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops+ has a release date of November 13.

Kojima Production Report via Game | Life

Ah, SomethingAwful.com. It’s one of those sites that’s great to pass the time and relieve a bit of boredom, particularly with their Photoshop Phriday and Comedy Goldmine features. Last week though, they decided to post a list of “spoilers” (read: fake spoilers) for the Metal Gear Solid 4. Of course they contain hilarious revelations like how the whole twisted plot has just been a series of nightmares and the monkey seen in the trailers is actually the final boss. My personal fave:

“If you shoot an enemy soldier on his birthday, his ghost will follow you around for the remainder of the game, lamenting all of the poor life decisions that eventually led to you shooting him on his birthday. Ghosts can only be destroyed with the ghost gun, which is invisible.”

Oh, the hilarity.

Via Something Awful

Good news for players awaiting news on Metal Gear Solid 4. Ryan Payton of Kojima Productions told ThreeSpeech Konami has an English demo in the works.

“As of tomorrow, we’re going to start working on the English demo… Anything I say beyond what I’m going to say is going to incriminate me and people are going to know what I’m hinting at.”

Gaming Today will post more details as they are announced.

via ThreeSpeech

Where Are My Comrades?
Where Are Those Who Need My Help?
Where Are Those I Must Protect?
Where Are Those Who Will Fight With Me?
Where On Earth Is He Hiding?

All valid questions if you intend on playing Konami’s spin-off to the Metal Gear franchise, Metal Gear Online. Based on the technology behind Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Metal Gear Online was originally slated as a standalone multiplayer product (see below) for the Playstation 3, supporting up to 16 players. Straight from the MGO wiki:

The player can upgrade skills that the character can use such as hacking, CQC mastery, tomfoolery, enhanced lock-on, and more, all of which can be leveled up. The player can keep tabs on allies and enemies with nanomachines.

Players will have the ability to “hack” another player’s character to steal information from their nanomachines, such as the locations of his/her allies. This is is how the SOP system from Metal Gear Solid 4 is going to be implemented as a gameplay feature in MGO.

Currently, Metal Gear Online is being beta tested in Japan by about 3000 players. Since the page is in Japanese, it’s hard to tell what’s going on. Still, it looks to be a fun squad based multiplayer game. I also like the VR style hud it’s sporting.

According to CVG recently, it seems that MGO will come bundled with MGS4. No word on separate pricing or if anyone outside of Japan will ever get to play it.

When playing Metal Gear Online, the question I’d have a hard time not asking is:

Huh? What was that noise?

…or the Japanese equivalent. Groan if you must, it had to be said. You gotta love the man-catapult. I wonder what lucky person gets to pwn the n00bs as Snake? If you are AFK, will your online character make farting sounds while hiding in a barrel? Inquiring minds want to know…

Out of the Tokyo Game Show comes a brand spanking new trailer for the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 4. And in the general fashion of MGS trailers, it makes almost no sense, but it’s awesome.

The video introduces us to a number of new characters, including Liquid’s private army, the “FROGS.” Yeah, it’s a lame name, but they look to be pretty much a full squad of Ninjas (plus it looks like Raiden may be one of them !?). We also meet a mysterious military scientist who watches over a little girl and Drebin, a “weapons launderer.” There’s also apparently a new enemy in the form of “Big Mama,” who bears more than a passing resemblance to The Boss from MGS3. And is it just me, or does that guy with the mohawk look a lot like Fatman, the bomb specialist from MGS2? I won’t spoil the shocking ending to the trailer, but suffice it to say it starts to tie up a loose end from MGS2.

Dammit, Kojima, why you gotta force me to buy a PS3? And if the rumors are true, I may even have to get one before the year is out.

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Metal Gear Fans were sorely disappointed when Konami announced the release date was pushed back to Q1 of 2008. Well don’t hold your breath but it looks like a 2007 release date may just be back on. A banner ad for the Tokyo Game Show has the release date for Metal Gear Solid 4 Guns of the Patriots listed as Winter 2007. on the official website, there in a link for the Tokyo Game Show that is set to go live Sept. 20. Hopefully Konami will be announcing this officially tomorrow. For now, I’m ready to gear up this winter.

via Tokyo Game Show 2007 ; Kojima Productions Event Site 2007

Apparently, the latest issue of Nuts — a UK publication — has an interview with Christian Bale, where he states that he is in the running to play Solid Snake in the upcoming Metal Gear Solid movie. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the actual interview, but the movie is supposedly slated for a 2009 release. Personally, I’m hoping this rumor turns out to be true and he does get the role. Equilibrium, American Psycho, The Machinist, Batman Begins, The Prestige: the man certainly has played in some truly memorable roles, so there’s no doubt in my mind that he can pull off the character. The question remains though, can he pull off the mullet? We shall have to see.

Via PS3 Forums

Coming out of the Leipzig Gaming Convention is a brand new trailer for Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. This new video finally gives an in-depth look at some of the new Metal Gears in the game; and man do they look freaky. There’s one that resembles a wolf (complete with howl), and then three other types that look like robotic women with strange devices attached to the back of their heads: wings, tentacles, and six extra arms. You then get to watch these guys take out an entire squad of heavily-armed soldiers in yet another spectacular cut-scene from this game. Pair crazy videos like this with some of the gameplay footage we’ve been treated to, and this game has become my reason to get a PS3 before its early 2008 release date.