PS3 Fanboy

It sounds like Hideo Kojima is once more hard at work after his post-Metal Gear Solid 4 vacation. In an interview with Japanese magazine Famitsu states that he's directing two new games simultaneously within Kojima Productions. While one game, which is destined to be announced first, is being developed in the traditional Kojima Productions style, his second title is being developed by a newly restructured team within the company and will be focused more towards the Western market.

Kojima wants his studio to, as 1UP puts it, "compete with the best of the best in America and Europe." We say he's been doing this for years now, but if he intends to up his game even further and make even better titles in the future, who are we to complain? As for his two new projects, we can't wait to hear more about them. What's at the top of your personal Kojima wishlist?

Stop reading and watch the video after the break. Don't worry, we'll wait. Done that? Good, now that you're sufficiently excited about the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 4 LittleBigPlanet DLC packs we can give you a few more details, courtesy of the PlayStation Blog. There's a lot to cover, so pay attention.

First, the character packs, which you've already seen. They're $1.99 each or $5.99 for all four (essentially giving you Raiden for free). Remember how we were saying we wished the "level pack" actually included a level of two so we could collect all the goodies as we progressed? It looks like we got our wish -- and then some. The level pack contains six new levels and a lot of booty. Not to mention the Trophies which were revealed yesterday.

Inside the level pack you'll also find a new costume (Gurlukovich soldier), 72 stickers, 12 materials, 10 decorations and 18 objects. Not only that but there's four new music tracks (one background and 3 interactive), a new sound object, a new "plasma ball danger element," a new "laser sight gadget" and a functioning searchlight. Oh, we almost forgot about The Paintinator and the new switch that comes with it. All this can be yours on December 23rd and it'll cost you $5.99.

Okay, we've run out of space, so go visit the PS Blog for more info.

Metal Gear Solid 4 was by far the biggest third-party title exclusive on the PS3 this year. It's the end of the line for the Solid Snake tetralogy, and it's a milestone that every hardcore Metal Gear fans should already have in their collection. However, more cash-savvy fans know Kojima Productions likes to re-release MGS games, possibly leaving some to wait out the usual extra year or so for a souped up version.

If you find yourself in the latter category and haven't tried the game out yet but want to, the demo that's available on the Japanese PS Store should give a taste of Snake's last adventure. The 1.4GB download can only be grabbed off the Japanese PS Store (so far, since the other regions have not updated yet); so make sure you've got an appropriate account.

[Thanks Amish G. and Mike!]

The new Meme expansion pack for Metal Gear Online was announced not too long ago. Along with it comes the addition of new maps and two playable fan favorites: Liquid Ocelot and Mei Ling. Both of whom stand tall in this new Meme expansion trailer from the Tokyo Game Show.

The TGS 08 trailer also shows off the new maps revealed before: Silo Sunset, Forest Firefight and Winter Warehouse. Also, we get to see some all new customizable parts for your characters. Want an Ocelot stache? Maybe you want to wear that flower Sunny always wears? If those options don't float your boat, you could always put on a blond fro or croc helm.

Thanks to the game's M rating we've placed the trailer after the break. So make sure you're of age before taking a peek. We'll be watching!

Ryan Payton has already left Kojima's stable, but that won't stop him from talking more about Metal Gear Solid 4. Speaking to 1UP, Payton reminisces on the development of MGS4, going back to the challenges of tying up all the loose ends and making things stick. "The stories of MGS2 and MGS3 were truly written without any backup measures if the series continued, leaving dozens of confusing and unexplained plot elements in the wake," stated Payton. After sorting through all that, he also took the liberty of "setting the record straight" by imposing a few corrective changes. For example, removing Mei-Ling's Chinese accent because she is in fact American born.

It's tiny idiosyncrasies like that, that have landed Payton in a boiling cauldron amongst so called rabid fans. The very same fans whose reactions were a tad much: "I got dozens of hateful messages from fans including a 2,000 word short story depicting my execution." It's sad to see how one man's work at doing the right thing is reflected so negatively by a blind mass. In the end, Payton's choices were right on the money, and after reading his full thoughts, we couldn't agree with the man more.

[Via Joystiq]

Ryan Payton, assistant producer on Metal Gear Solid 4 and Kojima Productions' token gaijin, has decided to leave the company. "... It feels like this is how it's supposed to be. It's fate," he said in an interview with Kotaku. Working in Japan and being away from family is hitting him hard; so, when he heard some "pretty heavy news concerning [his] mom," he realized that sticking close to family was all too important.

Most people will probably not remember the name 'Payton' as much as 'Kojima,' but keep in mind that it was Payton who helped develop MGS4 into a more Western-friendly title -- opening the traditionalist Japanese crew to more Western influences (which is why MGS4 plays like a charm). We wish you the best of luck Ryan in your future endeavors and hope you continue to help make amazing games. We guess you'll always have the memories ... and that awesome shirt.

Have you been playing Metal Gear Online? Experiencing some major technical difficulties, login problems, or getting overcharged on the MGO shop? Konami has apologized for all of these hiccups, not expecting the game to get such overwhelming traffic on a regular basis. The "Gene Expansion Pack" is the cause of many issues and those overcharged in the shop have had their money refunded.

Konami, however, has "no permanent solutions we can announce at this present moment" in regards to the technical snafus the game has run into. They are working on it, and plan to resolve the issues in the quickest amount of time possible. So, if you're having troubles, don't worry. A patch will come, but no date is set.

Konami has revealed today that Metal Gear Solid 4 has sold tremendously in Europe since its launch. In less than two weeks a million units of the game have been sold, with strong demand coming from all corners of the continent. A large number has been shipped out to retailers in order to meet the high demand. Meanwhile, only 25,000 limited edition SKUs were made available, all of which barely touched the shelves before being snapped up by eager fans.

Ryan Payton may have been misquoted saying that MGS4 needed to sell a million copies on launch day, but it got us thinking. To be honest we weren't convinced the game would sell that fast, and we certainly never expected to see a million units sell in Europe alone in less than two weeks. Kojima Productions should be proud -- if any game deserves it, it's Metal Gear Solid 4.

The Metal Gear Solid 4 hype machine seems to have kicked into full gear these past couple of days. MGS4 news has seemingly plastered our blogging wall daily with flash games, peripherals, and more gameplay news. This time, we're continuing the coverage with these new screenshots that look distinctly different from what we've seen before.

Most of the previous MGS4 screenshots depict the center of wasted Middle Eastern city. These new screens, however, show a bit of grassland and rocky terrain as well as some indoor shots, too. There's even a shot of Snake controlling Mk. II with a DualShock 3. The picture above suggests you'll be tracking down your stats such as Headshots and CQC take downs. Most interesting is the "flashbacks viewed" stat. Does this mean there will be several playable flashbacks to previous MGS games ... like this one of Shadow Moses?

Did you really think the flood of Metal Gear news had already ended for today? Well, it hasn't. As the MGS4 Completion Ceremony came to a close in Japan, one final audio clip of Ocelot on the phone suggests that plans for a new Metal Gear game are already underway. 1Up translated Ocelot's phone call monologue and wrote down the Russian triple-spy's exact lines: "By the way, what should we do about The Project?" and "It's about the sequel."

1Up suggests that the new title may be MGS5; however, we think that with Solid Snake out of the picture, the Metal Gear series will continue with a whole new moniker. Metal Gear Raiden anyone? Perhaps Metal Gear La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo?

The Metal Gear Online beta is now fully operational. Another (thankfully, smaller) update has been released which will need to be downloaded first. Once done you will be able to play -- as long as you can connect to the server. Obviously they're being hammered right now, so it make take a few tries to get on. Didn't take us more than three attempts, so persevere. Once in, you can create a character and start your training before heading into a proper online game. Be sure to let us know what you think. Enjoy!

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

It makes so much sense for Konami to build hype (as if it needs any more) for Metal Gear Solid 4 by releasing Metal Gear Solid for the PS1 onto the PSN Store. So far, however, it's only confirmed for the Japanese market with no word on a European or American release. This is nothing new - Japan has been receiving large numbers of PS1 games twice a month since the store opened. (The last PS1 game the EU store saw was Reel Fishing. Oh dear.)

There is still hope, however. Ryan Payton, on the latest episode of the Kojima Productions Report podcast, stated that they will be gauging the response in Japan and seeing how many people download it. If interest in high then it could be released elsewhere. Considering we're putting our hopes in a nation who hates digital distribution, chances are you may want to just grab a copy of the Metal Gear Solid Essential Collection. Just in case.

It really should go without saying, but aside from Metal Gear Solid 4 and Metal Gear Online, Hideo Kojima has been hard at work figuring out his next move, outside of the Metal Gear franchise. Rumors have been swirling for a year now; everything from a collaborative sequel to Snatcher with Suda51, to a remake of Policenauts, to the heavily anticipated and partially expected Zone of the Enders 3. So, what's he working on?

We won't know until 2009, apparently. A formal announcement isn't to be made until after Kojima finishes penning the new title's scenario. This won't happen until after Metal Gear Solid 4 is released and Metal Gear Online given a big push. So, maybe if things go particularly well for Kojima, we'll hear something near the end of the year, but we'll just safely assume we won't know if any of the aforementioned games are coming around until 2009.