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In news unrelated to the E3 leak, Wired's Game|Life blog has heard a rumor that the original Metal Gear Solid was recently spotted on Microsoft's developer-only PartnerNet service, which is used to test upcoming Xbox Live games. If true, this rumor means the game will likely be released on XBLA sometime in the near future.

However, members of the NeoGAF forums quickly pointed out that the huge amount of audio in the game would make it nearly impossible to shrink the game down to the 350 megabyte limit on the size of XBLA games, meaning that Microsoft may once again increase the allowed file size to accommodate the game provided that the rumor is true.

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Konami confirmed this morning that the company has shipped three new games nationwide, headlined by Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection for the PlayStation 2.

The collection retails for $29.99 and includes the original PlayStation's Metal Gear Solid (as a PS2 disc), MGS2, and MGS3 with package artwork by series artist Yoji Shinkawa. You can view order details here if you're interested.

Following The Essential Collection comes Diary Girl for the Nintendo DS--the game functions as a PDA-lite and "provides girls of all ages the ability to interact with friends through their own customizable avatars, as well as organize a calendar and address book in their own password-protected electronic journal." Sounds spiffy.

And remember, ladies: it's not a game, it's a "lifestyle accessory". I'm going to keep that in mind any time I buy anything. Diary Girl retails for the standard $29.99.

And finally, add Lost in Blue 3 for the Nintendo DS to the list.


Lost in Blue 3 also retails for $29.99.

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For those of us who already own a PlayStation 3 but would still like a nifty Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots bonus, Konami is launching a pre-sell program in April that'll include a Metal Gear Saga 2.0 DVD.

The DVD features character biographies, trailers, a 20th Anniversary special, and a code for accessing the Metal Gear Online beta test.

The game includes the Metal Gear Online "starter pack" that allows for up to 16-player matches and is set to ship on June 12, 2008.

If you don't yet own a PlayStation 3, Konami has also teamed up with Sony for an MGS4 console bundle (MSRP $499) that includes the 80GB unit, a Dualshock 3 controller, and the game.

As an aside, I have no idea what this image means.

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Here's something unique for all you Metal Gear Solid fans, as Konami confirmed this morning that it is indeed releasing an MGS bundle for the PlayStation 2 in preparation for MGS4, entitled Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection.

The Essential Collection will feature MGS for the original PlayStation, the director's cut of MGS2 and MGS3 in a "commemorative package" with artwork by Yoji Shinkawa. The bundle retails for the wonderfully low price of $29.99 and is an excellent way to relive those nostalgic stealth moments while you eagerly await Guns of the Patriots.

"Since its inception, the Metal Gear Solid franchise has been one of the most successful game series in the history of video games, receiving worldwide recognition and praise," said Anthony Crouts, Vice President of Marketing for Konami Digital Entertainment Inc. "Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection represents a great value for gamers, bringing together three must-have classic titles which pioneered the stealth action genre."

Konami's MGS: Essential Collection is scheduled to ship on March 18 with the appropriate Mature rating. Feel free to preorder at the link.

Three cheers for backwards compatibility.

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Because nothing rings in a Tuesday quite like an official confirmation announcement, Konami has confirmed that Silent Hill Origins "is in fact currently in development for the PlayStation 2."

"Console gamers can now expect the same chilling, suspenseful and fear-filled experience that handheld gamers encountered when we released Silent Hill Origins on the PSP system," said Anthony Crouts, Vice President of Marketing for Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.  "This is their chance to learn more of the mystery and mythos surrounding Silent Hill that's been hinted at in earlier games and made the series such a success."

Hit the jump for a juicy tidbits from Konami. The release date as listed on Gamefly and Amazon is now squeezed in between March 4-6, but Konami failed to mention a ship date in its announcement. We'll keep you updated, though.

Continue reading...

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News has recently hit the Web that Konami's Silent Hill Origins is definitely headed to the PlayStation 2.

The game is currently listed on Amazon and Gamefly with a March release, though the two sources disagree on a specific date - Gamefly lists it as March 31 while Amazon's is much sooner at March 4.

As usual, Konami has yet to give any official confirmation. The game is currently available on the PSP and has an average rating of 78% on metacritic, though it also carries an 89% from average users.

We'll keep you posted.

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In the linked Reuters article, calling Metal Gear Solid 4 the last of the third-party single-platform exclusive games, Kojima Production's Ryan Payton says that the game must sell over a million copies on launch day to recoup the huge cost of development.

So far only two games have even hit the million-sold mark for the PS3. Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction, the so-far most anticipated release for the system, has sold under 100,000 copies currently.

There is serious doubt as to whether the game will be the financial boon that Sony needs it to be. Metal Gear has its fans, but the game lacks the widespread appeal of less complicated series such as, say, Ratchet and Clank. Then again, I suppose there are a lot of people who are holding off on a purchase of the last-place console until MGS4 releases, myself included, but are there really a million people ready to pony up $400+ for the sake of one game?

The most commercially obvious thing for Konami to do is release this game on a more popular platform so it might have a chance of making a profit, and the only reason we haven't heard an announcement of such a port is because Sony clearly has some kind of ridiculous exclusivity contract.

And I don't blame Sony for that. If MGS4 rolls off onto the 360 like previously-PS3-exclusive Assassin's Creed did, the PlayStation 3 obituaries will start coming fast. It's in their best interest to lock MGS4 down, but by tying the system's future to a game that newcomers to the franchise won't even understand, they may have signed their own death warrant.

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A while ago we told you about some problems with Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 on the PS3 when played on a standard-def (oldskool) TV. Their solution at the time was to play the game on an HDTV with HDMI cables. A nice, thousand dollar solution.

Fear not, dwellers of the technologies past, Konami has released a patch that will fix the problem, hopefully.

Oh how I love this age of downloadable updates to free developers from the requirement that video games work before they're released.

If you have a PS3 though and don't have an HDTV, you might as well have a PS2 for cryin' out loud.

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Contra 4 delivers the classic tough-as-nails gaming experience that children of the 80's look back on fondly but will probably be too unforgiving for those weaned on more contemporary titles. Relentlessly challenging but immensely satisfying, Contra 4 will reward those willing to undertake its masochistic demands.



Click here for an explanation of our review and scoring format.

One look at the box art for Contra 4 sums up the entire experience: explosions, two guys (presumably) causing this mayhem, menacing alien eyes staring at the bare-chested duo, and above all of it, a banner declaring the series' 20th anniversary. Contra 4 is all of those things - one or two-player 2D side-scrolling, alien-blasting action that hearkens back to its two-decade old roots. Contra 4 is certainly a balls-to-the-walls experience and Konami would lead you to believe from reading the box that its appeal is largely due to the Contra series' moniker as the video game equivalent of S&M: testosterone manifested as a DS game card.

But a closer look reveals a different story. From the explosively cheesy cover art, to the back of the box bulleting the famous Contra "spread shot" as one of the game's features, to the intentionally pun-tastic throwback to old Konami instruction manuals from the 80's, one thing becomes clear: Contra 4's appeal comes not from its manhood-grabbing nature but because it pulls at those emotional strings that reside within the recesses of your nostalgia.

Continue reading...

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In more game-issue news, Konami has commented on PlayStation 3 errors gamers are experiencing when playing Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 on the console via a new published faq. Problems include multiplayer issues (everyone's favorite) when trying to play online, "stuttering", and freezing.

The solution? Purchase an HDTV. And don't forget those HDMI/component cables.

Here's an excerpt from the faq:

My PES 2008 on PLAYSTATION 3 is not running smoothly


Talk about pushing the HDTV market...

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