With less than a month before Metal Gear Solid 4’s June 12th release, Konami is gearing up for launch, but not by dropping further hints as to the game’s story, characters or plot twists. Today, it’s all about the periphery — including the overpriced MGS4 Limited Edition bundle, an MGS4 sequel (!) and the original Metal Gear Solid’s move to a mobile phone near you.
1.) We’ve already warned you against the gimped, 40GB Metal Gear Solid 4 Limited Edition bundle, for which Konami began accepting preorders yesterday evening. Apparently, there was little need for that warning; Kotaku discovered last night that Konami has once again greatly underestimated the power of a dedicated internet fanbase to wreak havoc upon unprepared servers, and it’s very unlikely any of our readers got through. But even if you did, chances are you were put off by the (likely glitched) $500 additional fee Konami was reportedly charging for insurance.
On the plus side, perhaps some of the eBay scalpers will give up, having realized that it’s not worth their trouble either.
2.) In order to clear up a bit of confusion surrounding reports that Metal Gear Solid 4 will be the last title in the series, Konami associate producer Ryan Payton revealed to MTV Multiplayer that it’s merely Solid Snake who’s coming to an end:
Fans can stop worrying, though; this isn’t the last “Metal Gear,” explained associate producer Ryan Payton in an interview with MTV Multiplayer. “I think there’s been some misconceptions that this is the last ‘Metal Gear,’” said Payton. “This is really just the last chapter of the saga of the Solid Snake story.”
If Mr. Payton is reading this, we’d like to respectfully inform him that GameCyte would welcome his clarification on any and all future projects at Kojima Productions.
3.) Nokia and Konami announced today that the Nokia N-Gage platform will feature a variety of Konami mobile titles, but they’re not talking Frogger — the flagship title will be Metal Gear Solid Mobile. While it appears to be the same title announced in March as a Verizon Wireless exclusive, that doesn’t change the fact that it looks sweet, won two International Mobile Gaming Awards, and comes with Kojima’s stamp of approval — the last of which you can find in the press release, immediately below.
Espoo, Finland - Nokia and KONAMI, a leading global developer, publisher and manufacturer of electronic entertainment properties, today announced that KONAMI mobile titles will be added to the N-Gage mobile games platform. The mobile version of the award-winning METAL GEAR SOLID® will be the first title in the games line-up. METAL GEAR SOLID® MOBILE has received top honours at the 2007 International Mobile Gaming Awards (IMGA), taking both the Grand Prix and Operator’s Choice Awards.
The new version of the classic game features original content that can only be found on the mobile platform. METAL GEAR SOLID® MOBILE includes never-before-seen dramatic 3D art displays and camera work. The detailed in-game graphics capture the atmosphere of the METAL GEAR SOLID® series and create a depth that completely draws the player into the game, and pushes the capabilities of the mobile platform. Players face the extreme tension of solitary infiltration in this version of the tactical espionage action game developed in conjunction with Ideaworks3D and utilizing its Airplay 3.5 SDK. An in-game camouflage system utilizes colour samples from the scenery of the real world captured by the handset’s camera. Moreover, additional controls are introduced that are made especially for mobile devices.
“We’re excited to see KONAMI tap into the performance and community features we’ve built into the N-Gage platform,” said Gregg Sauter, Director, Third Party Games Publishing, Nokia. “METAL GEAR SOLID® on N-Gage will raise the bar with respect to graphical detail and made-for-mobile features. We look forward to the launch of this great franchise on N-Gage.”
“It is my sincere hope that global Nokia N-Gage users will experience the appeal of “METAL GEAR®” that has been brought to the mobile platform in the form of “METAL GEAR SOLID® MOBILE,” said Hideo Kojima, Executive Producer of Kojima Productions, Corporate Officer of Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. “I believe that this cooperation between Nokia and KONAMI will form the perfect match to share the vast potential of mobile entertainment content with users all around the world.”
KONAMI provides premium content to mobile devices with its large portfolio of mobile entertainment including games, wallpapers and ringtones of many popular franchises.
Editor’s Note: We know it’s not Monday anymore, but considering two-thirds of our news came out yesterday, the moniker seemed appropriate. Besides, Metal Gear Tuesday just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
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