Some interesting new tidbits of info for the recently announced Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker PSP game was revealed during a Konami Q&A session with Hideo Kojima. He wants to make it perfectly clear that Metal Gear Solid has not ended, and that the “Metal Gear saga continues”.

Kojima also goes and gives a little more info about the Peace Walker mechanics. For starters, Snake can be customized to your preferences and you can also choose what kind of soldier he will be, such as a lightweight soldier who is quick on his feet or a heavyweight soldier who can more adeptly use a wide arsenal of weapons. The game will also have a “growth” feature that will allow your character to evolve as you go along. Quite frankly, it seems like Peace Walker is being h0pped up on some RPG influence juice.  I mean, customizing Snake on what kind of soldier he will be? It’s like choosing what character class you want in your party. And the “growth” feature? Just a fancy way of saying leveling-up.

Read the full Q&A below.

1) Many users had expected the next MGS5 announcement. When did you start this project?

I actually had the plan for this project in mind while working on MPO. Back then, I intended to place the project in the hands of the next generation of creators at Kojima Productions. However, in the end, I felt that it was still a little too early to leave it completely in their hands, so I decided to take the reins.

This game is an MGS5-class game. I am supervising, designing, producing, directing, and editing this title together with the MGS4 team. Therefore in that sense, “METAL GEAR SOLID” has not ended, and the “METAL GEAR SAGA” continues.

2) You have been saying for many years that your ultimate theme is “Anti-war and Anti-nuclear weapons”. Does this theme continue in this title?

Absolutely. The METAL GEAR SOLID series has always featured “Anti-war” and “Anti-nuke” themes. This title is no exception.

In the event of an attack from a neighboring country, I believe that finding a solution through diplomacy is ideal. However, the fact is that even peaceful countries with no intention of retaliating still maintain armies just for the sake of deterrence. I am sure there are varied opinions regarding this subject, but I believe that it is our generation’s role to “create peace through discussion.” What makes things complicated is that the youth of today have been born into a world where the current situation is the norm, so it’s difficult to convey this message. That is why my hope is to have players ponder and learn about why there are people who advocate the “need for armies, military power, and nuclear weapons” so that they may realize “why things turned out the way that they did” while they play this game.

3) I understand that it is a tactical espionage action game but could you provide some explanation for bringing this title to the PSP platform? I saw 4 Snakes in the trailer presented at E3, is this COOP?

The game will be stealth-action based. I can’t reveal too many details yet, but we are implementing features that can only be realized on the PSP platform that I believe everyone can look forward to. The game will be a little different from the METAL GEAR that players have come to know. However, the story can be replayed numerous times and the game is full of challenges to complete, so I feel that this title will really satisfy players with its long-lasting play time. Just as an example, do you recall the cardboard box at the end of the Peace Walker trailer? In addition to that two-man box, we are preparing a variety of other different cardboard boxes this time around.

To give a little more insight into the game, you can, how shall I say… customize Snake according to your preferences and determine what kind of soldier you will use prior to embarking on your mission. For example there’s heavy gear configurations that make a lot of noise, but that allow you to equip numerous weapons. Or, there are other configurations that won’t allow you to carry many weapons, but will allow you to be light on your feet. We will be preparing a variety of other types as well. Being able to make decisions and plot a strategy will be one of the really enjoyable features of this title.

We are also working on a “growth feature” as well, where your character evolves. It will be a new type of system, so I hope everyone will look forward to it!

4) You’re known for boot camps and on site checks. This time which part would you like to stress about the reality in terms of game quality?

We conduct research in many ways and then begin game production. In regards to the quality of the game, the main staff of MGS4 are producing it. They are aiming for PS3 quality because they were creating MGS4 on the PS3 not too long ago. In reality it is hard to maintain the same quality as the PS3 but we strive for it and we are expressing this in ways only we can express it in.

5) Regarding the KJP countdown teaser site, there were several signs as a message, could you explain what this message is all about?
5=it is an MGS5 class game
S=Snake
?=snake in Kanji
E=E3
R=Raiden
3=3 from 360 and E3
6=6 from 360
P and S=PSP and adding 3 makes it PS3

Aside from the Snake and Raiden visuals, we featured a total of 10 “symbols” and when all of these are rearranged, they form connections to the announcements that we made at E3.

The first symbols that appeared were the number “5? and the letter “S” for Snake that represented PW which, to me, is a “5? class title. “?” not only hints at the lowercase lettering of “E” for E3, but it is the kanji for the word “snake.” Also, the symbol that appeared at the very end is the kanji “?” and represents a sunny background and the sunrise that links to RISING.

The “RISING” of “METAL GEAR SOLID RISING” implies “the sun rising,” “the sun shining,” and “the sun shining on Raiden” that was revealed in the visuals on the HP. In addition, “RISING” also represents how “METAL GEAR SOLID” will be taking the next step up.

Going back to the symbols found on the HP, they also link to “the day of 360? and also to each of the titles that we announced at E3. When each of the symbols are rearranged, I think you’ll be able to recognize E3, PSP, PS3, 360 and others. So everyone, how did you like it? Were your predictions on the mark?

Well? Were they? It seems like everyone who made their predictions heard about the teaser site through the Internet were correct one way or another. Except for me, as I was stupidly hoping for a new Boktai game. Most people guessed that the site was teasing either MGS 5, an XBOX 360 MGS game, or a new MGS game featuring Raiden as the main character. As it turns out, everyone was right! I find it very interesting that the teaser site actually referred to more than just one of Kojima’s upcoming games. Just goes to show you that Kojima is a masterful troll.

Source: Kotaku

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Julius action, guest blogger, konami, psp 1 comment

So Natsume was the only booth with the balls to have stuffed animals at E3, and for that I applaud them.  Anyway, day 2 at E3 was a bit more laid back since I felt I accomplished a lot on the first day.  After taking a look around Little Tokyo only to discover nothing was open yet, I hopped on the shuttle back to the convention center, feet still raw from exploring the day before.  As the shuttle rounded the corner onto Figueroa street, I noticed some kind of commotion.

Once we got a little closer I could see that some protesters had gathered outside in front of the South Hall.  After reading their signs, I could tell pretty quickly that they were protesting EA’s upcoming action title Dante’s Inferno.  Once the shuttle dropped us off, I made a b-line for the protesters:

Their various signs, which I couldn’t help but laugh at, said the following:

• Hell is not a game!
• My high score is in heaven
• Play Dante’s Inferno – go to Hell
• Just say Infer-No!
• EA = Electronic Anti-Christ
• Trade in your Playstation for a PRAYstation

This was a great way to start my day and even though it should have made me angry, I just found it funny.

After going inside, I kind of gravitated towards Square Enix’s booth again.  I am not really sure why, it just had that effect on me.  While I was there, I noticed the display featuring some figures already in the works for Final Fantasy XIII.  Not sure how I missed this the first day:

There was every known main character as well as the summon Shiva appearing as Snow’s bike. If you are a fan of jewelry, it may also interest you do learn that Lightning’s necklace as well as a necklace featuring the glyph-tattoo on Snow’s arm will also be available.  The price for everything was TBD but the quality appeared pretty high.  I was really amazed with the detailed beading on both Shiva and Vanille’s skirt.  Also, I dig how the holsters for Sazh’s guns are functional, similar to those on the new Zidane figure.

After this, I made plans to meet with friends and some people in the biz who had previously only existed as e-mails/tweets to me so I basically took the rest of day two to meet up with them.  Hopefully some of my efforts will lead to employment somewhere down the road, but if not I had a great time just meeting everyone and getting to know Los Angeles.

Day Three

I really love this photo because there is a big fucking red thing walking around and every person in the photo is looking in a different direction.  It’s the simple pleasures in life, right?

Since this was the last day of E3, I tried to milk it for all it was worth and I could tell the various booths were throwing out their last efforts to attract people.  At this point, many games were marked as “Best of E3 Nominee” by popular magazines and what-not.  This helped decide what games to check out; popular opinion has been known to be right from time to time.  One game that initially caught my eye but I didn’t end up playing until day 3 was Silent Hill: Shattered Memories.

I played the demo for a while, which was pretty enjoyable.  In terms of exploring, I was reminded of the flashlight controls of Fragile: Farewell Ruins of the Moon, only this game featured a lot more running and no combat.

If you look carefully at the image, you’ll notice a disclaimer which reads: Psychology Warning.  Basically, the fine print says that the game learns how the player plays and actively reacts to it which is awesome.

I started by filling out a psychological exam which had a series of questions – including a few about my sex life.  I didn’t really feel awesome answering them in front of a gaping crowd but maybe they just assumed my lameness was actually a made up person testing the game’s programming… yeah.

As I was playing, a Konami rep asked if I wanted to take part in a round-table discussion on the game with some of the developers.  Oh yea, there was free food, too, so off I went.  A variety of decent questions were asked about the game’s different appearance and deviation from the series.  Basically all this was chocked up to “it’s Silent Hill.”

I asked about how the game reacts to the player and about the psychological exams.  I guess there are times when the player will arrive at a fork in a road or be forced to make a decision that affects certain unknown factors which in turn affect the story and events which follow.   The initial psychological exam was equated to rolling for stats in an RPG.  They got my attention there!

While I was at the Konami booth, I noticed that the trailers for the two new Metal Gear Solid titles were added to the huge screen they had.  The one for Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker is much more revealing than the one for Metal Gear Solid Rising, however it did confirm that Rising will not be exclusive to the Xbox 360.  Have fun trying to understand the story with one title, Microsoft fans.

Anyway, it looks like Peace Walker will have some multiplayer functions which will be loads of fun!  Leave it to Kojima to figure out a way where everyone can be Big Boss:

As expected, the story looks pretty awesome for Peace Walker.  The future is fun and all but I appreciate the fact that Kojima is taking us back into the past where things feel a little more concrete.  I really like the game’s setting of Costa Rica in 1974.  It almost seems like a play on the Bay of Pigs Invasion of the 60’s, only reversed… or better yet Kojima-ed.

This day ended with trying to load up on as much free stuff as possible.  Now that I am sitting on this mountain of swag, I am not really sure what to do with it all, but I guess I will start spreading it around.  A random person to comment on this post (that has their e-mail address included) will receive a free beta code for the Uncharted 2 multiplayer demo!  I will think of some other contests down the road as well.

E3 was a lot of fun and I am glad that because of Kotowari I was able to go.  I met a lot of great people and saw a lot of awesome new games.  Also, it was a nice vacation from my crap job.  I hope you guys enjoyed my coverage on the event, although I apologize it was a bit late.  I plan on having a few posts down the line that may go in-depth on some of the titles I didn’t mention in these posts (The Last Guardian FTW), so look forward to that!

Roy action, e3, figure, merchandise, nintendo wii, preview, ps3, psp, square enix, videos 4 comments

After completing Resident Evil 5 I found myself in a unique situation: not really having a game which I had to play.  On the rare occasions when this occurs, I usually flip through old games and either play a classic for nostalgia’s sake, or play a game I never got around to trying.

I had played Metal Gear Solid 1,2, and 4 and loved them all immensely.  For some strange reason, I had never played Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, which some would argue is the crowning jewel of the series.  I even remember a friend insisting that I borrow it when it came out, stating quite firmly that I needed to play it.  I think I ended up returning it about a year later untouched.  For Christmas, NutGarden05 bought me a Metal Gear Solid pack which included the complete version of Snake Eater dubbed Substance.

I went into the game with little knowledge or expectations.  All I knew really was that it concerned Big Boss and took place in Russia during the Cold War.  I admit part of me wasn’t expecting much, simply due to the fact that the game is over four years old.  In retrospect I realize how foolish this was…

Anyway, here is a rundown of what I liked:

Presentation – FoxDie is not for painting

First of all, the game’s opening movie and song are both very impressive and seem to really kickoff the game’s style and feeling.  I love the imagery of the ghost-like snake skeletons and the use of forest-y colors.  The song sung by Cynthia Harrell gets me every time I hear it (listening to it now).  It is used a few times throughout the game at important times which adds to the drama.  You can download it here if you would like to slap it on your iPod.

History – We go way back

I really enjoyed the story due in part to the history of the series I have knocking around in my head from the previous titles.  Knowing the future of various characters makes seeing their past that much more interesting.  Seeing Ocelot for the first time when he was a total nub was great.  Discovering that it was actually Big Boss who introduced him to the weapon he comes to have an unhealthy obsession with: the SAA (Single Action Army) is bitterly ironic.  I am only naming a few to prevent spoilers, but trust me, this game really ties things together.

Setting – A colder kind of war

I thought the fact that the game took place during the Cold War gave it a level of class and style most games focusing on any kind of gun warfare lack.  It felt a little like an old James Bond movie, without ever approaching that lame card-playing, fast-car-driving level.  I found myself really getting into Cold War culture, which I will admit is bizarre.  Something about the actual history of the times makes all the Kojima-fabricated-stuff sound like it could really have happened, which is pretty scary.  This game made me think about just what my country is/was capable of.

Bosses – Some are big

If you give Hideo Kojima a box, and tell him to think inside it, you are going to be very disappointed.  The bosses I fought in this game, known as the Cobra Unit, were very uniquely designed.  If that weren’t enough, the way the player does combat with them is even more unique.  Two battles in particular stand out in my mind:

The first was the snipe-off I had with an ancient sniper known as “The End.”  The battle takes place on a series of enormous woodland maps which makes things tricky since he is equipped with some decent camo.  I choose to fight fire with fire and hunt him with my sniper rifle.

I was shocked to learn that there are several other ways to kill this boss.  By entering the battle, saving, and waiting seven RL days, he actually dies of natural causes.  That is not a particularly glorious battle, but it’s still rather ingenious.  Another option is to snipe The End before you even get to the boss battle when he is first introduced.  Again, this is somewhat cowardly but very different.

The next battle (if you can call it that) took place in bizarre spiritual realm assembled by the next Cobra member who stood out in my mind: “The Sorrow.”  The Sorrow is actually deceased, so during the “battle” with him, he has no HP bar which totally threw me off.  Naturally, I had started by unloading on him like a sucker.

Anyway, all you do is walk through waist-deep water while The Sorrow summons phantoms of each and every unit you have killed throughout the game.  Every unit.  I was amazed at the attention to detail here.  People who I slit the throat of appeared with blood gushing from their neck, those who I allowed to be devoured by vultures appeared with vultures circling their heads, etc.  It was intensely spooky but has really stuck with me.

I especially like that this scene forces the player to remember every person you’ve killed.  It’s very easy to kill someone in a video game and not think much of it.  In fact in most games involving guns, success is measured in head shots.  I feel that this scene really changed the way I thought about video game killing, as strange as that may sound.  I did not want to kill anymore for the rest of the game unnecessarily.

Positive Female Characters – They DO exist

It doesn’t take long before the player is introduced to the individual who taught Snake all he knows: The Boss.  She and Snake co-created the CQC (close quarters combat) techniques which are so popular throughout the series.  However, The Boss is still just about everyone’s superior in terms of skills.  This becomes clear by the respect she commands from friend and enemy alike.  She is a very important part of the game’s story and the series as a whole.

The second impressive female is EVA, a highly trained spy who is working just about everyone over. Her skills in espionage are matched by her love for motorcycles.  In the end she ends up besting just about everyone in terms of espionage – including Snake.

I found it refreshing that both female characters contend with Snake on an even level, and in some cases actually surpassed him in skill.  This is contrast to the stereotype of female characters constantly requiring rescue, being the inspiration for revenge, or simply providing eye candy.

Conclusions – I haz them

I admit I am a bit embarrassed as both a gamer and a Metal Gear Solid fan to be appreciating this game so late in its life.  Still, I needed an outlet for me to express my appreciation for the game, so I hope no one minds.  I was thinking about my site and realized I tend to focus a lot on the future rather than the past.  This is probably because I don’t consider myself much of a retro-gamer, but I think a balance of past, present, and future is a good thing to have.

I really enjoyed playing through Snake Eater.  The game’s story and deeper connections now established from the other titles will stick with me for a while I am sure.

Roy action, konami, ps2, review, videos 2 comments

Metal Gear Solid Touch hit the App Store yesterday in Japan, a day earlier than previously announced.  In celebration of its release there was a presentation event held by Kojima and some Metal Gear fans.  Those in attendance included (from left to right) Kojima, fashion model Akina Minami, US born (now Japanese) actor Dante Carver and MGST producer Watanabe Yasuyo.

Minami and Dante both tried out the game for the first time and had some positive things to say about it.  They felt Metal Gear Touch was easy to play and a lot of fun.  Minami went on to say that she felt even girls would be able to enjoy the game.  Everyone seemed to think the game’s combat system was easy to understand, perhaps in contrast to the more complicated PS3 installment.

On a side note, Watanabe is the first female producer to work for Kojima Studios.  I think that is pretty cool, and MGST is looking like it will be popular so hopefully she’ll be around for a while.

I have been wanting a damn iPhone for a while now, but really just cannot afford it.  Metal Gear Solid Touch of course makes me want one even more, but no… Kojima couldn’t stop there.  He had to release a bunch of awesome MGS inspired air jackets:

You can check out the rest of them here.

I am not sure when these are coming out or if I would even be able to find them.  If so I may buy one in anticipation of eventual iPhone ownership.

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Roy action, iPhone, japan, konami, merchandise 3 comments

Konami announced recently several games they would be releasing for the iPod Touch/iPhone.  Among the 4 titles is none other than the previously teased about Metal Gear title, now revealed to be Metal Gear Solid Touch.

I had previously suspected that the teaser was concerning a Metal Gear title for the Xbox 360.  Many people also assumed that the title would be a continuation of the Ac!d series due to the use of the “!” in the bizarre teaser equation. It turns out the only element in the equation that mattered was the “i” for iPod, since the rest of the elements seem to have no purpose at all.  I guess I gave Konami too much credit.

The game takes place in the same world as Metal Gear Solid 4, but Konami said that there would be original content.  I am not sure if this means it will be ALL original, or partially original.  The touch panel will be used mainly for aiming and zooming in on targets (pictured top right).  The game will include 8 stages, and more can be acquired while playing.  Other goodies players can earn are wallpapers for their iPod and exclusive videos.

Among the other titles being released are Silent Hill: The Escape, Dance Dance Revolution S Lite, and Frogger.  I don’t know what is more exciting, iPod sneaking action, or iPod avoid-moving-vehicles-and-jump-on-logs action.

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Roy action, iPod, konami 3 comments