While Metal Gear Solid 4 is definitively the final chapter of Solid Snake’s story, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it has to be the end for Metal Gear Solid – say hello to prequels. (Again.)

In an interview with 1UP, MGS4 assistant producer Ryan Payton said there is “still a lot of room for filling in the gaps as far as Big Boss is concerned.” He added, “There are some misunderstandings that this is the final Metal Gear game. But it’s really the final chapter of the Solid Snake story. That’s all.”

That could certainly mean we see another game dive into the story of Big Boss as a prequel, just like Metal Gear Solid 3. Payton said he was glad that MGS4 wrapped up Solid Snake’s story, because had it kept going, it would have become less and less realistic — a comment I find quite amusing given the absurd events that have taken place in the MGS games.

“I’m happy we could wrap up Snake’s story in MGS4 because it gets to the point where if we continue on with Metal Gear Solid 5 with more Solid Snake adventures, we’ll get to the point where the game has absolutely no basis in reality. I do like the idea that this character has had four or five big missions and then that’s when it ended, rather than have 20 missions where there’s no chance in hell a secret agent could ever survive. He’s had four or five really big missions, and that seems a little more realistic to me.”

You can check out the full interview over at 1UP.

It’s Friday, and the 1UP Show is back. This week, the gang gets together to discuss Legendary: The Box, along with the game’s producer, John Garcia-Shelton. It’s essentially an FPS that has you fighting hordes of mythical creatures after they are unleashed from Pandora’s Box. Next up is Wheelman, based on the upcoming Vin Diesel movie, which is kind of similar to GTA, but with more emphasis on driving. They also take a look at the Metal Gear Solid 4 launch event and the Korg DS-10, which turns your Nintendo DS into a lean, mean, music-making machine. As always, you can download the show from Filefront by clicking the links below.

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I’m a big fan of Boom Blox; it’s one of my favorite Wii games, and certainly the most fun I’ve had with any third-party title on the platform. The overall reaction to the game was quite positive, as the game garnered solid reviews. But according to the NPD Group (via GameDaily), the game sold only 60k copies in May, coming in at #25 for the month — surely that’s not what Electronic Arts had in mind for their Steven Spielberg-branded game had in mind, particularly in a month where sales of the system were so high at just over 675k.

Analysts have been split about what this means. Ben Schachter said, “While overall hardware and software trends for the Nintendo Wii continue to be strong, we would like to see more third-party hits on the platform,” before adding, “To-date, Guitar Hero III, Sega of America’s Mario and Sonic: Olympic Games, and TTWO’s Carnival Games are the only third-party Wii games that have sold more than 1 million units to-date according to NPD, and there are many third-party Wii exclusives that have come-and-gone with minimal reaction from the market.”

Anita Frazier disagrees and simply believes the game was caught in a month where the attention was directed to things like Wii Fit and GTA, which is the theory I personally subscribe to. “It’s still really hard for new IP to breakthrough the noise in the market, and there has been a lot of noise so far this year. Between Super Smash Bros. Brawl, GTA IV, Wii Fit, Mario Kart and the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 4 (to name a few), there have been some really high profile game releases. The game was really well reviewed so I’m suspecting the marketing just didn’t break through the clutter to the extent that they were hoping for,” she said.

Earlier this week, however, EA CEO John Riccitiello told the audience at the William Blair Investor Conference (via MTV Multiplayer) that sales were actually on target, and that it had actually “met our expectations internally.” He also remains hopeful about the game’s future, saying, “A title like this one — can it do several hundred thousand or a million or more units? Sure, it’s just gotta keep selling.”

It’s another good week for the PlayStation Store this week — you’ve got a sizable game in Fatal Inertia EX ($30), the Metal Gear Solid 4 Database, a new course for Hot Shots Golf: Out Of Bounds ($5), new music tracks for both Rock Band and Guitar Hero III, and plenty more. There are also four new demos — a trial of Fatal Inertia EX, so you can see if the game is worth $30, as well as demos of NCAA Football 09, Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3, and Hail to the Chimp.

And, of course, a random assessment of other things, including some trailers for various games and movies, a theme, and a downloadable music track — the PAIN theme song. Hit the jump to check out all of the new content.

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I’m envious of everyone that’s gotten to play Metal Gear Solid 4; I’ve had the Limited Edition sitting on my desk since the game came out, but I haven’t gotten to play it yet because I refuse to jump in before I complete the first three games. I might have a way out, though, with today’s release of the Metal Gear Solid 4 Database — a free, downloadable knowledge base of all things Metal Gear that is now available on the PlayStation Store.

From PlayStation.Blog:

The MGS4 Database is a free, downloadable interactive application that contains the official knowledge base of everything that is Metal Gear, reaching all the way back to the very beginning of the franchise. Including complete storylines, character profiles, relationship diagrams, and much more! The MGS4 database is a great way to catch up for someone new to Metal Gear, as well as a useful resource for any veteran of the series, with complete official details on every aspect of the intricate Metal Gear lore.

There’s even a handy feature for people just like me who either haven’t played or haven’t completed MGS4, which will censor out any MGS4 spoilers. Could this be any more perfect?

For anyone who is playing the game, if you head into the Extras area of the main menu, you’ll find some free downloadable content, including a new camouflage and a new music track. There’s more in the works, too, so you’ll want to check in with that Extras menu often.

The first level of a game can tell you so much about what you’re in for. In classic Metroid style, it even gives you a glimpse of your ultimate powers that you’ll play through the game to actually achieve, since they’re (in)conveniently taken away from you just as you’re done getting a taste.

With the spirit of the first level in mind, 61 Frames Per Second came up with a list entitled “The Ten Greatest Opening Levels in Gaming History.” (found via MTV Multiplayer) The Tanker chapter from Metal Gear Solid 2 is on there, which is very difficult to argue with, as it’s just a phenomenal example of what Metal Gear is all about.

Likewise, Mega Man X’s Awakening Road (that would be the video above) shows off some classic Mega Man action before the franchise was literally milked to dehydration. That pesky boss brings back some bad memories though, as I have vivid memories of failing to kill it. About 300 memories vivid memories, to be more exact.

This is not your father’s Mega Man, says the opening stage of Mega Man X. Or it would, if it had a voice — but instead, it’s got a brutal snare roll leading into a heavy rock instrumental. It’s got a crumbling highway, complete with fleeing commuters (the latter of which ground the action in a more inhabited world than the NES Mega Man games ever featured.) And it ends with X almost getting scrapped by a mech-riding Boba Fett ripoff. Whatever our love for the classic Mega Man series, it never had this kind of drama

Check out the full list here.

Finally, the words many PlayStation 3 gamers have wanted to hear for quite a long time: the PlayStation’s version 2.40 firmware update will, at long last, add support for in-game XMB access, in addition to the achievement-wannabie trophies.

There’s no release date or further details on 2.40 yet, but Eric Lempel said we can expect the official details “shortly” on PlayStation.Blog yesterday, so those should be along shortly.

In more immediate news, the 2.36 firmware update is nearing its release, but will include much less exciting features such as improved system stability when playing original PlayStation games. Whatever — I already finished playing through Metal Gear Solid. Let’s just get to 2.40, already!

image via The Waking Badger

The Evil Avatar podcast featuring David Hayter, the voice of Solid Snake, might have contained some chitchat regarding Metal Gear Solid 4, but something interesting that was mentioned was that David is currently in talks with Capcom and Warner Bros to write a screenplay for a Lost Planet movie.

For those who did not know, David’s “other job” is that of a scriptwriter. He has worked on X-Men 1 & 2, The  Scorpion King, and the upcoming Watchmen.

It would be interesting to see how a Lost Planet movie would do considering how most of these type of movies pan out. If you would like to listen to the podcast, click here.

Via: Evil Avatar

Konami has canceled launch events for its new Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots game in the wake of an attack by a knife-wielding man that went on a stabbing rampage leaving seven dead. The company cited concern for public safety as the reason for the cancellation of the Japanese launch events, one of which was to take place in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, the site of the attack.

Players control a soldier armed with a knife and various other weapons who fights his way through a multitude of enemies by killing and disabling them in a variety of missions.

In the Akihabara knife incident, a 25 year-old man allegedly drove a two-ton truck into a crowd of pedestrians and then ran through the area stabbing and slashing bystanders before being arrested.

Sales of MGS4 in Japan will go on as planned and launch events elsewhere are still on.

via vnunet.com

For those of you who are not into the Metal Gear Solid Series and could care less about the the fourth installment causing a huge media storm across the globe, or if you happen to be a PC gamer who is lamenting the the fact that nothing really worth mentioning was released this week, there may be a demo or two here for you to play.

The following PC demos should keep you occupied until Spore Creature Creator Complete is released next Tuesday:

• Nancy Drew: The Phantom of Venice: In Nancy Drew’s most exciting adventure yet, players will work to uncover the mastermind behind a series of unsolved thefts that have taken place in Venice — one of the world’s most unique cities known for its interlocking canals and sleek gondolas.

• Fishdom: Build up and develop your Fishdom! Progress through challenging boards and solve immersive puzzles to earn cash. Use the money to buy eye-candy fish and attractive ornaments for your dream aquarium. Get accessories and supplies to create the perfect conditions for your finny pals and ensure their comfort. Win awards and upgrade your virtual tank as you perfect your aquarium design skills and have fun with the lovely fishy sims. Being a unique fusion of classic game play with brilliant new ideas, this game with unlimited replayability will bring you lots of joyful moments!

• GRID eBay Motors: Codemasters has released a free playable two track demo exclusively provided by eBay Motors featuring the eBay Motors Muscle Series.

• Aces of the Galaxy: Aces of the Galaxy is an old-school arcade thrill-ride! This pick-up-and-play game thrusts players into the midst of epic space warfare as they experience over-the-top action in a battle for survival! Play in the 3rd person viewpoint flying through intense dogfights. Take control of your spaceship and aim the reticule to vaporize waves of enemies.

• Legend of Zelda – Dragon Blade: Demo of a new Zelda game, created by Astral Gaming Corp. More info on this game can be found in the “read me” file, so I apologize for the lack of information on it.

• Supreme Ruler 2020: Supreme Ruler 2020 is a strategic and tactical geo-political game where direct control of the military and the policies of a nation becomes the key to survival.

• Simcity Societies: EA has release a demo for its latest city builder, up to date with the latest code after several patches, and includes a tutorial, a scenario and two major disasters.

Here are the latest patches to hit FileFront this week:

• Universe at War: Earth Assault Patch 3
• CoD4: Modern Warfare v1.6 Patch (Direct2Drive)
• Mount & Blade v0.955 Patch
• TrackMania Nations Forever Patch
• Race Driver: GRID v1.1 Patch
• Enemy Territory: Quake Wars v1.5 Mac Patch

As always, for the full list of demos and patches, click here and here.

See you next week.