–Jan 20, 2009, 19:05, Tokyo–Media retailer Tsutaya kicked off a campaign today in celebration of Metal Gear Solid 4 and Hideo Kojima. The retailer has set up a corner showing off the fifteen films that Kojima lists has having influenced the MGS series .

For those without access to Tsutaya shops, the online arm of the retailer is taking part as well and has opened a special campaign site.

According to the site, Kojima selected the following titles as having had an influence on the award-winning series:

• The Guns of Navarone
• The Great Escape
• Goldfinger
• 2001: A Space Odyssey
• Planet of the Apes
• The Deer Hunter
• Dawn of the Dead
• Full Metal Jacket
• Predator
• Die Hard
• Heat
• Black Hawk Down
• Children of Men
• The Bourne series
• Casino Royale

At the Tsutaya page, Kojima offers short comments for these movies. He says that the 007 series had the most influence on Metal Gear’s birth. Black Hawk Down was used as a reference for the lighting, color and atmosphere in the opening Middle Eastern section of MGS4. Regarding 2001, he notes that Snake and Otacon’s real names, David and HAL, come from the Kurbick classic. Die Hard offered hints for the conversion to 3D with the original Metal Gear Solid. Regarding The Deer Hunter, he says that while many believe Snake’s bandana comes from Rambo, it’s actually from Robert De Niro’s character in this movie.

The online site is also holding a present campaign. Interested parties can fill out their name and address information at the site to win a special MGS4-themed head-phone set, MGS4 t-shirts, and MGS4 character stickers.

The site also has one inactive section that’s listed as "coming soon."

To view this campaign in the flesh, head out to one of the following Tsutaya shops:

• Tsutaya Sapporo Kotoni (Hokkaido)
• Shibuya Tsutaya (Tokyo)
• Shinjuku Tsutaya (Tokyo)
• Tsutaya Shinbashi (Tokyo)
• Tsutaya Nishi Gotanda (Tokyo)
• Tsutaya JR Nakano Station (Tokyo)
• Tsutaya Sbisubashi (Osaka)
• Tsutaya Bellparle Route 1 (Osaka)
• Tsutaya Abenobashi (Osaka)
• Tsutaya Matsui Yamate Station (Kyoto)
• Tsutaya Commercial Mall Hakata (Fukuoka)
• Tsutaya Fukuoka Tenjin (Fukuoka)

(source: andriasang.com )

It appears a new flash site has gone up on Konami’s K.P.’s website. The site is nothing more than the Konami logo fading into the above image with text that reads "A Next Metal Gear Is…" with the symbols referring to..? Kotaku speculates  Since there is an "i" and an upside down "i." Does that first "i" refer to the "iPhone?" Apple’s products appear throughout the last Metal Gear Solid. Better yet, the "i" could refer to the "DSi" or even the "Wii" they think.

One more significant point is the fact the the url for this new site contains "mgst" which could refer to really anything but more likely to what the game is actually called. You’re guess is as good as mine. More to come I’m sure.

A Next Metal Gear Is…

Konami has announced that it’s adding Old Snake and BB Corps to its Japanese cell phone wallpaper service Kisekae Changer. One download will run users ¥525 (US$5.16).

The publicity for MGS4 really must one of the longest PR campaigns (if not longest) for a released title. Guess that’s not a bad thing for those who are really into Metal Gear Solid 4, no?

(source: Kotaku Famitsu)

 

KONAMI ANNOUNCES METAL GEAR™ ONLINE’S SECOND EXPANSION PACK

EL SEGUNDO, CA - October 6, 2008 - Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. today announced the second Metal Gear Online expansion pack - MEME Expansion — will be available for download later this year. Soon to be available through the Metal Gear Online shop, MEME Expansion will contain a vast amount of new content including new maps, special characters, new skills, tournament lobby and more.

Please find below further details on the new content in the expansion pack:

3 New Maps

• Silo Sunset - One of the most popular stages in the handheld Metal Gear Solid® Portable Ops has been renewed for the world of Metal Gear Online.
• Forest Firefight - Taken from Metal Gear Solid 3, this dense jungle gives players a new tense atmosphere with plenty of camouflage options.
• Winter Warehouse - An original stage created for Metal Gear Online, players will have to search for suitable cover, in and around, this dilapidated factory blanketed in snow.

2 New Special Characters

• Liquid Ocelot and Mei Ling
• Additional Rules and Settings - These can be selected without purchasing the second expansion pack
• Avatar Parts - Players can adorn their avatar with new accessories.

In one of his final interviews as part of Kojima Productions, Payton looks back at MGS4.

from 1up~

Metal Gear Solid 4 has been out for several months now, and a lot has happened in that time. PlayStation 3 sales were bumped up for a while, the game has gone cheap in some Japanese stores, and one of the game’s most outspoken producers, Ryan Payton, has left Kojima Productions. Before Payton left, though, we were able to nab the following afterthoughts interview about his experience working on MGS4 for EGM.

Check out the full interview below the cut for word on how Payton was threatened by some especially hardcore fans, what parts of MGS4 required the most tweaking, and how satisfied he is with the project as a whole. Just be careful if you haven’t taken the time to finish MGS4 yet, because spoilers abound.

Stay tuned for Friday, when we’ll publish a new video interview with Payton from the Penny Arcade Expo. One of his final Kojima Productions interviews and one of his first after leaving the company, close together for your reading and viewing pleasure.

Click below for the entire interview

Metal Gear Solid 4 Afterthoughts with Ryan Payton

(source: 1up)

The MGO patch is finally out and has fixed some old problems as well as DP costs. Full details below.

"MGO Ver.1.12 Update information Ver.1.12 Update information

The following problems have been fixed

When a host leaves a game, the position of host is automatically forwarded to someone else. When someone else filled the free 16th slot, the player would be invisible to the new host.

The game would sometimes freeze if a player would invite a Clan Member while in Survival mode.

The day of the week of "Match Time" was not correctly displayed when viewing the rules in the Survival Lobby.

The following game specifications have been changed:
The motion of reloading the shotgun cannot be canceled by equipping a box or changing weapons.

Change of weapon specification:
Saiga 12’s cost changed from 8000DP to 5000DP.
G3A3’s cost changed from 5000DP to 4000DP.

Change of skill specification:
"NARC" Lv2’s cost from 1 to 2
"NARC" Lv3’s cost from 1 to 3
*With this change, all skills will be temporarily removed, but players will be able to put them on again with the existing skill points they have."

(source: Konami.co.jp)

Reported earlier today on Kotaku, Ryan Payton has left Kojima Productions. Ryan joined Kojima Productions back in 2005 where his ideas were brought to many Kojima Productions games, as follows:

2005：PSP "METAL GEAR AC!D²" International Coordination
2005：PS2 "METAL GEAR SOLID 3: SUBSISTENCE" International Coordination
2006：DVD "METAL GEAR SAGA VOL. 1" Director
2006：PSP "METAL GEAR SOLID: DIGITAL GRAPHIC NOVEL" International Manager
2006：PSP "METAL GEAR SOLID: PORTABLE OPS" International Manager, Lead Editor, VO Director
2007：NDS "LUNAR KNIGHTS" International Manager
2007: RADIO "THE KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS REPORT " Producer
2007：PS3 "METAL GEAR SOLID 4: GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS" Assistant Producer

Ryan Payton was a important ambassador for the Western Development team. Many will miss his podcasts not to mention his advise, talents, and influence he had on recent titles like Metal Gear Solid 4 which were for the better. Ryan’s departure will be a huge loss for KP and team but I really hope the best for him and his family.

Here is the interview he had with Kotaku:

Why did you leave Konami and Kojima Productions?

Back when I joined Kojima Productions in 2005, I hit the ground running and didn’t stop until we shipped Metal Gear Solid 4. Then, for the first time in three years, I wasn’t working on any games and I had a three month vacation ahead of me. I went back home to my family’s place in Washington state and literally three weeks after MGS4 launched we were hit with some pretty heavy news concerning my mom. I don’t think I need to go into details, but all of this has reminded me about how important family is. So this past month I decided to leave Kojima Productions and look to continue my career working closer to my family in North America.

It’s not easy leaving my other family (the MGS team), but with everybody taking time off and not having any other big projects to shift focus to, it feels like this is how it’s supposed to be. It’s fate.

What did you gain from the Kojima Productions experience? How did you change?

Working on MGS: Portable Ops and MGS4 has been a life changing experience. I feel so lucky to have worked with such a talented and passionate team.

As a person, I’ve developed a very critical eye when it comes to game development, which was no doubt inspired by my colleages. On the not-so-bright side, I’ve also developed that fabled Japanese work ethic. Now hearing about friends’ twelve-hour work days sound like a piece of cake to me.

Any memories that standout?

Our midnight launch of MGS4 in Hollywood was something I’ll never forget. There was more than 500 people lined up outside to buy the game and get our autographs. Talking to all of these passionate MGS fans really put it all into persepctive — something you can lose when you’re stuck in a Tokyo office building working on the game for three years.

Is there something that you wish you could’ve done at Kojima Productions, but didn’t?

I’m pretty satisifed with all I’ve accomplished at KP. I set my goals and hit almost every one. The dream has always been to get an original game concept green lit, but that’ll have to wait until I find a new home. The good news is that I’ve got plenty of exciting ideas that I’ve been keeping close to my chest.

It’ll be hard not being involved in MGS5, but I’ve got the utmost confidence that Hideo Kojima, Ken Imaizumi, and our amazing team will put together another blockbuster game. I’ll be cheering from the sidelines.

What’s next?

Word travels fast, so I’ve been getting a lot of great offers lately. But the plan is to take it easy, spend time with my family, and carefully decide where I land next.

This is a big loss for Kojima and his team. And a big gain for whomever hires him! Funny, that.

(source: Kotaku)

This summer, GameBattles is proud to host the North American Qualifying leg of the Metal Gear Online World Championship, which will offer the two winning teams a trip to Tokyo, Japan! The ladder competition kicks off on August 18th, and is free to all GameBattles users. Ladder-play will conclude on September 8th, and will be closely followed by an online tournament in order to determine the top two Metal Gear Online teams in North America. From there, both teams will be flown to Tokyo, Japan on or about October 8th -12th in order to battle it out with gamers from across the globe in the Metal Gear Online World Championship at the Tokyo Game Show! In addition to the winning a trip to Japan, there is $8,000 in cash and additional prizing from Konami up for grabs for the winners of the North American Qualifiers! Competition is sure to be fierce! In order to enter you must be at least 18 years of age. What are you waiting for? Get out there and prove you’ve got what it takes to represent in the Metal Gear Online World Championship!

Official Sign up link: http://gamebattles.com/konami/

Official Rules: http://gamebattles.com/ps3/metal-gear-online/ladder/konami-metal-gear-online/rules

(source: Gamebattles/MLG)

Kotaku reports~

"For the Metal Gear Solid fan who wants to wake up in style, Konami has created the "GA-KO Alarm Clock", a full-service recreation of the egg timer made famous in Metal Gear Solid 4. We suppose it could still be used to time your egg frying, but it looks like it feels more appropriate on a nightstand, with its adorable little face and sassy pose.

It’s limited to 2000 pieces — and importer NCSX says the GA-KO is currently sold out — but after peeping the extensive gallery at the retailer, which shows off the Metal Gear-esque packaging, you might want to check back. They say they’re getting more stock next week. Definitely do want."

TOY GA-KO Alarm Clock

(source: Kotaku/NCSX)

New MGS4 Designer T-shirts now available!

MGS4 FUGIMATE SWEET SNAKE Editorial supervision by Yoji Shikawa. Now I don’t know the story behind these, but I want one.. >.>

Lastly the METAL GEAR SOLID 4 GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS OFFICIAL GUIDE : THE COMPLETE is released on 8.21.2008

All of these and more can be found on the official Metal Gear Solid 4 website.

(source: MGS4 website)