Metal Gear fans breathed a sigh of relief today as the Metal Gear Solid 4 gameplay was finally premiered by Hideo Kojima. This was the first time anyone had seen the gameplay on the PS3 hardware.

According to 1up.com, the audience got to see Snake using his camo suit to disguise himself as a bronze statue, as well as hide in barrels and trash cans. And now you don’t even have to blow your cover to disable the enemy. Snake was seen knocking soldiers down while rolling around in the barrel.

The most exciting part is that an online multiplayer mode will be included in the game, and more details will be announced next week.

Oh, and the most interesting tidbit was Snake “reviving” himself as he is given a female idol magazine. Is this a masturbation reference?

There was much mystery surrounding Konami’s press conference announcement today but as Mark Franklin took the stage there was little hint of what was to come. Initially the company began with the expected – two new DDR titles (Wii and 360) and a next gen entry to the popular Silent Hill series. Interestingly this Silent Hill seems to take a far more active character to the fray in the haunted locale – centering on Alex a former military man who is searching for his brother.

The military character is a break in the series. Silent Hill has always centered on showing the every-person in a dangerous situation reacting to the events in the psychological town. Also it is being developed by Westerners, not Konami in Japan so we’ll have to wait for more information to see how the story develops.

Other titles announced include Hellboy, Contra 4 for DS, Dracula X Chronicles and Silent Hill Origins for PSP,

Hideo Kojima took the stage moments after the general announcements and the crowd exploded. Then the same trailer shown at the Sony event earlier today for MGS4 rolled. Yes, it is the last Kojima MGS game. Yes, it is delayed. Yes, it is still PS3 exclusive at the launch of the title. Oh and Kojima wants the old E3 back, he says this year is all business and boring.

So what was the big mystery? Silent Hill 5. As psyched about this as I might be it doesn’t have as much impact as the build up insinuated.

The Sony conference has just ended and not surprisingly a sizable chunk of the show was devoted to the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Hideo Kojima, the famed director of the series, took the stage to discuss the game and unveil a new trailer, along with a tentative release date of “Early 2008.” We should have the trailer up here soon, but it mostly revealed some more of the story with the usual vague references and foreshadowing. Unfortunately, the trailer did not have any gameplay footage — just a cut scene — but Kojima stressed that he would be showing off a demo in Tokyo next week. It seems the plot will revolve around Snake and some pals (including Meryl from MGS1) being hired to assassinate Liquid, who of course seems to have taken over Revolver Ocelot’s body entirely. There was also a surreal fight scene between a ninjafied Raiden and Vlad from MGS2, in which they both get horribly sliced up and broken, but still continue fighting. One noteworthy surprise during this scene too was at one point when Raiden slashes off the leg of a smaller Metal Gear, exposing flesh and blood. Be sure to check back here to see the trailer; it seriously gave me chills.

Sadly, Kojima also made the announcement that this game will end the story of Solid Snake, and that it will be the last game from him in the series. I doubt this is the last we’ve heard of him in the gaming world, but it’s still unfortunate to lose such an influential visionary from the ground-breaking franchise.

*UPDATED*

In what may go down as one of the most critical holiday seasons in gaming history, the major players in the console market are swinging for the fences. This list is a venerable who’s-who of major gaming titles. The list itself is staggering, with more than 60 titles represented. (That’s not to mention the titles that I omitted for lack of popularity). Just glancing at this list makes my wallet burst into flames.

Disclaimer: For purposes of this list, the holiday season starts 8/1. I checked multiple sources for verification of these release dates. Nevertheless, most of these release dates are not 100% confirmed. If I missed a title you are eagerly anticipating (And no, MGS4 is not coming out this year) be sure to let me know, I’ll try to update the list if necessary.

Two Worlds – 8/2/07
Bioshock – 8/21/07
Blue Dragon – 8/28/07
Eternal Sonata – 9/19/07
Halo 3 – 9/25/07
Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation – 10/25/07
Lost Odyssey – 10/30/07
Tom Clancy’s Spinter Cell: Conviction – 11/15/07
Too Human – TBD ‘07
Mass Effect – TBD ‘07
Project Gotham Racing 4 – TBD ’07
Alan Wake – TBD ‘07

See the rest of the list after the jump:
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Rumors have been flying around that the highly anticipated Metal Gear Solid 4 might be heading to the Xbox 360 as well as the PS3. So what did Konami have to say about this? Well, unfortunately not much really. Digital Spy recently tried to get an answer out of them, but were only told that the idea was just “speculation.” So they didn’t confirm the rumor, but they didn’t deny it either; so there’s still a chance it could happen. My guess is that maybe the idea of bringing the game to the Xbox after it’s had a run on the Playstation is currently in talks. We’ll just have to wait and see.