PS3 Fanboy

It's Metal Gear Solid 4 ... meets "Thumb Wars." This lengthy ad does Kojima Productions justice by taking a humorous concept and running with it ... all the way. Clocking in at almost four minutes, this thumb-recreation of MGS4 is in fact, an ad for the upcoming Japanese mobile game, Metal Gear Ac!d Mobile.

[Thanks, Gambit07! Via Kotaku]

It was only a short time ago when Hideo Kojima and his team unleashed Metal Gear Solid 4 to the world. It's meant to be a farewell to the ten years of entertainment Snake has provided us. "One decade has passed since the release of Metal Gear Solid," Kojima explains to The Cut Scene. "I believe that fans have shared these past 10 years with Snake. The final story of Snake equals closure for these fans. Therefore, the Snake that has existed over the past 10 years could have only existed during this time."

Of course, what's next for Kojima? We don't know yet, but if it does involve some tactical espionage action, it will involve a completely different kind of character. "If there ever were to be a new Snake (might have a different name), he will be a Snake for a new era."

[Via Joystiq]

The character creation tools of Soulcalibur IV look to be rather robust. Kotaku's CB has created facsimiles of our favorite Metal Gear Solid characters, Snake and Raiden, using the in-game system. While not 100% spot-on, these renders do add a distinct Metal Gear flair to the classic fighter. Seeing these two fighting on the Death Star with Soulcalibur weapons ... well, that's the kind of stuff fanfics are made of.

[Thanks, Gambit07!]

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.

Guess what? PS3 sold pretty well because of this "Metal Gear" game. The PS3-exclusive and limited edition 80GB bundle accelerated sales to over 400k. PS3 sold 405,488 systems, 84% higher than the Xbox 360. Year-over-year sales in June went up 311%, and month-over-month growth went up 94%.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots was the best-selling video game, with 774,647 units sold. More than 2.4 million software units were sold for PS3 in June, representing an increase of more than 300% from this time last year. (Software totals do not include software units sold as part of the Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots PS3 retail bundle).

The incredible success of the PS3 this month shouldn't come as a surprise. We really hope that Sony will be able to continue the momentum of the PlayStation brand in the coming months with its upcoming holiday lineup. Sony's official word, after the break.

Today's PSN update will feature the Metal Gear Online "Gene Expansion." It will come in two varieties, starting at $11.99. The basic expansion will add Meryl and Akiba as playable characters, and three new maps:

• Coppertown Conflict -- Wide streets, underground passages, and rooftop areas that are ideal for close to medium range combat.
• Tomb of Tubes -- An intricate labyrinth of underground passages that are ideal for close to medium range combat.
• Virtuos Vista -- An outdoor map with natural terrain that is ideal for medium to long range combat.

In addition, there will be a new "Survival Mode" and you will be able to create a custom female character. For $14.99, players will also get an additional character slot.

If paying money doesn't suit your tastes, Konami is still adding free DLC to the Metal Gear Online experience today. Metal Gear Online will also be updated with MGOnline Reward Points and an in-game shop. By playing the game, filling out questionairres and winning tournaments, players will earn Reward Points which can be used to unlock new gear for your character. This will be available for all players of Metal Gear Online.

So if you haven't heard, Metal Gear Solid 4 is a pretty amazing game. If for some reason, you read this blog, and you don't have this game (why is that?!), this deal from Circuit City should help you get Solid Snake's latest adventure. The retailer is offering the game with a $10 discount, making it only $50 -- but they're throwing in a free $10 gift card for good measure. This is an incredible deal for such a recent release.

[Thanks, Juan S.!]

David Hayter, voice actor for Metal Gear Solid series' Solid Snake and Hollywood scriptwriter, has responded to the reports about statements that came out of the recent Anime Expo. " ... I have a somewhat acerbic sense of humor and occasionally, the things I say get taken out of context, or misinterpreted by the press or the Internet Community (I know that sounds hard to believe, but it happens.) Also, large crowds of people tend to freak me out," said Hayter.

1Up, who originally ran the story about Hayter's "frustration with Kojima," has posted a letter written from Hayter to 1Up clarifying that his words were taken out of context. "I made a joke about another "notorious" moment from Metal Gear Solid, the first game that I recorded, in 1998 ... Anyway, I referred to performing the scene as "humiliating," but if you watch the videos of the panel, I hope that it is clear that I was trying (perhaps failing,) to be funny."

Hayter continues, "I not only owe a huge portion of my career to Metal Gear, and to Hideo Kojima, the genius who created them, but I am also a rabid fan of the games. I have played through each and every one to the end. I have watched every cut-scene, listened to every codec conversation. I have Metal Gear posters on my walls." Read the full letter over at 1UP.

[Thanks, konungr!]

As if Metal Gear Solid 4 weren't impressive enough, Konami continues to add small bits of free DLC into the title on a regular basis. Boot up the game, and go to the Extras section -- you'll find a new song for your in-game iPod awaits. "Battle of Highland" is "designed to accompany battles in South America. Different from the game's South America combat music, it possesses a more ethnic tone."

The last MGS4 update added two new camo for Snake to use, and that was less than a week ago. How long will Konami keep on sending us these digital treats?

[Thanks, Martin S.! Image Source]

This fan made animated short was created by a group of creative and really bored minds called the Duo Group. Titled Metal Gear Solid: Cold Blooded, we're taken through quite an impressively produced piece that pays tribute to the Metal Gear Solid series -- specifically the era of games in which you play as Big Boss. We liked it very much and thought all of you would like to watch it as well. Enjoy.

[Thanks Graham!]

David Hayter spoke rather candidly about playing the role of Snake in the Metal Gear series this weekend at Anime Expo. Hayter has made it clear that he'd want to write the Metal Gear movie script, and he's expressed some of his criticisms of the series' storyline. Thankfully, Zac from Kotaku has captured a majority of the panel through shaky-cam. The first series of videos can be seen above -- the rest at Kotaku. For any Metal Gear fan, hearing the famed voice actor speak so bluntly and freely will come as a refreshing treat.

It seems that David Hayter really wants to pen the script to the Metal Gear Solid movie. He has been recently trying to get fans of the series behind his banner by asking them to email Sony and make it happen. Now, over at Anime Expo in Los Angeles, Hayter chats things up with 1Up, taking time to talk more about his vision for Solid Snake's cinema debut and even divulging about a bit of frustration with Hideo Kojima's over-the-top direction.

"Kojima and I have different styles," said Hayter. "But I've certainly learned things from him, especially about ambiguity and telling a story without giving all the answers." While he can appreciate Kojima's work, there are quite a lot of areas where Hayter just couldn't agree with what was going on with Snake. In particular, he refers to Snake's suicide tease in previous MGS4 trailers: "I didn't buy it at all." He believes that Snake, with all his years, shouldn't have to hesitate. "If he knows it's time, then it's time."

Another folly in his eyes was a fan favorite scene from MGS1. "It's a delicate thing to discuss love blooming on the battlefield with Otacon," he said. Another one was the alternate ending with Otacon: "It felt like it was written to be romantic. It was just humiliating." So what does Dave have in mind for MGS: The Movie? He'll obviously avoid doing any of the above nitpickings. With that in mind, it would be interesting to see where he would go with the film.

Here's an incredible deal on an incredible game: Metal Gear Solid 4 for $39.99. Unfortunately, it has two major restrictions. First, this must be purchased in-store so you must be in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, or Ohio and close to a Meijer. Secondly, this deal only lasts up till tomorrow, the 5th. Considering today is July 4th, the only chance you'll be able to get this deal is July 5th. Fortunately, if you live in these states you are most likely not far from a Meijer and some of them are open 24 hours. At this price, Midwesterners now have zero excuse for not having this certified triple-A title.

[Via FatWallet]

If auctioning a life-sized Snake yesterday wasn't enough for all you collectors, then here's one more Metal Gear Solid item that might be of interest. Pictured is a bottle of Andiera Cabernet Sauvignon which is specially labeled for the Metal Gear Solid launch way back in 1998. It was given only to the game's designers and business partners.

The bottle is being auctioned on eBay with a starting bid at around $250. Whether the actual beverage contained inside is actually quality wine, we don't know -- this blogger isn't a wine drinker. So make sure you know what you're getting into. Perhaps, on a light note, it might be a good time to pick it up; drink some slightly more aged wine and celebrate the end of Solid Snake's story. We couldn't think of a finer time for a toast.

[Via Gamesniped]

The most hardcore MGS4 players are going to go for the Big Boss achievement trophy emblem, which requires masterful play with no deaths, no alerts, no kills, no recovery items, no stealth suit and no special items. To get the emblem, the entire game must be completed in 5 hours, but Tyndis from YouTube has managed to do it in less than three hours.

Obviously, because the entire game can be seen in these videos, it should be obviously that this is one giant spoiler. If you haven't beaten the game yet, come back to watch it later. But for those that want to see Metal Gear greatness, enjoy.

[Via Joystiq]