Lolita Metal Gear Solid 4 Figurines

Metal Gear Solid 4 may been released earlier this summer, but that doesn't mean the merchandizing is gonna stop! This December, Konami is releasing a set of 7cm "Fugimate" MGS4 figurines. Priced at ¥2,940 (US$27), the set includes Snake, Raiden, Ocelot and Otacon — all as shoeless little girls with giant heads.

MGS4 Figures [Konami Style Thanks, Randy!]

Metal Gear Solid 4's Very Limited Duck Clock

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.

GA-KO Alarm Clock [NCSX]

The Power Of Video Game Suggestion - Mmmm, Eggs

Since playing through Metal Gear Solid IV, I've gone through a dozen eggs a week. I never used to eat this many eggs, but there I am, nearly every morning, cracking open fresh ones into a hot frying pan, pausing to watch the egg white turn from translucent to opaque, humming a little song to myself. Hell, I never really ate eggs sunny side up before the damn game came out. I was a scramblin' man. Quick, easy, no fuss. What has this stupid game done to me?

Is this an isolated case, or have you folks ever found yourself eating, drinking, or doing things a certain way after seeing it in a game? I'm not talking purchasing large baskets of Axe deodorant due to an in-game ad here - we've all done that. I'm talking more subtle things here. Going on a fresh fruit kick after a Pac-Man marathon, or getting really into curry after watching the marathon curry cutscene in Xenosaga II? How much power do video games have over our daily habits? If only we had a comments section in which to discuss such things.

Less Than A Month And a Half, MGS4 In Bargain Bins?

Metal Gear Solid 4 hasn't even been out a month and a half, but according to Japanese sites, it's hitting the Sofmap "wagon sale" bargain bins where it joins the likes of Virtua Fighter 5 and SEGA's PSP brain trainer. The Konami stealth game was originally released for ¥8,800 (US$82), making it one of the pricier PS3 titles. (Expensive third party PS3 titles tend to book for around ¥7,800 or $72.) Here, what seem to be new copies of MGS4 are going for ¥3,980 ($37). We're not sure if this is an isolated Sofmap store or if other shops in the Sofmap chain are picking up on this price slashing or if this is just a Sofmap summer sale thingy. Amazon Japan has new copies going for slightly above ¥7,000, while the Special Edition is going for ¥5,980. Who knows.

What we do know is that the game sold a ton when released, already placing it in the top sellers of 2008. And it got great reviews in Japan. And it is a great game. So don't think of this as a bad thing! Even if Konami is losing money on these remaining copies, Japanese gamers have less of an excuse to pick up the title. Could help the game sell a million copies eventually. So this is all good, really.

Hit the jump for a wider pic.

David Hayter Has "Massive Respect" For Hideo Kojima

David Hayter does not have problems with the Metal Gear Solid franchise or Hideo Kojima. Sure, he might've disagreed with the some choices, but hey, that's natural. Hayter's a creative guy, not some mindless drone, and there are bound to be times when people don't see eye-to-eye. Setting the record straight, Hayter writes over at the IMDB boards:

This is patently ridiculous. I love those games immensely and have nothing but massive respect for Mr. Kojima. I did mention one disagreement I had regarding the climax of the game, a question of character, but this is just par for the course when many people work on the same piece.

From the videos we posted, it certainly seemed like Hayter was joking. And besides, what's wrong about disagreeing? A man's entitled to his opinion, and Kojima is free to make the game however he sees fit. That doesn't mean there's any ill feelings! Hit the jump for the full message:

Does Metal Gear Solid Need A Movie?

They're making a Metal Gear Solid movie. And since David Hayter knows both Hollywood as a big time script writer and Metal Gear Solid as the English language voice of Solid Snake, he's probably a good guy to ask about the movie version — even if he's apparently not writing the movie. And what does David Hayter think?

Does it need a movie? No. Do people want to collect the money that would be made from a movie? Sure. [laughs] I think that any time that a property is as valuable as this one, they're going to do it. It's not a question of if there is a need for a movie, it's a question of how do they insure that the movie is good, and worth watching.

And how would Hayter make Metal Gear Solid a movie worth watching?

David Hayter Begged Konami To Change MGS4 Stuff

David Hayter isn't just some voice guy. He's a voice guy who's also a Hollywood screenwriter and has penned some big movies like X-Men. While Hayter did offer praise for Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima by saying he's "certainly learned things from him, especially about ambiguity and telling a story without giving all the answers", Hayter also pointed out creative run-ins he's had with the game designer. As far back as the original Metal Gear Solid, Hayter didn't always agree with Kojima's choices. What did Hayter think of Metal Gear Solid 4? Hit the jump for his opinion of where it went wrong — SPOILERS ahead!

Games Today: We Do Melodrama?

Hey, You've Got MGS4 In My Spore Creature Creator!

It takes more than a big time PS3 exclusive like Metal Gear Solid 4 to beat Nintendo. Way more. While MGS4 did give Sony a bump in sales, it wasn't enough, and the Wii outsold the PS3 in June. This is the seventh consecutive month that the Wii has come out on top in The Land of the Rising Sun. For those interested in the number crunching, data from Famitsu publisher Enterbrain has the Wii moving 235,990 consoles during June, while the PS3 shifted 139,494 consoles. In short: Even without a new, huge blockbuster title, Nintendo still sold 59 percent more machines than Sony. Guess Metal Gear Solid 4 didn't drive Japanese hardware sales as Sony had hoped.

Nintendo Wii outsells Sony's PS3 in Japan in June [Reuters]

Metal Gear Solid 4's Nude Actor Motion Capture

Metal Gear Solid 4 is a sexy game. It's got it all — sexy posing, sexy stone penis grabbing, sexy skin-tight outfits and sexy nard punching. At the recent MGS4 signing session in Tokyo's Shinjuku, Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima joked that it sure seems like, with what Snake's ass-clenched sneaking suit and the Beauty and the Beast Corps tush-hugging outfits, there was a "butt depiction obsession." Sure seems like it! Kojima continues, "Originally, we were planning to have the Beauty and the Beast Corps appear buck naked." Character designer Yoji Shinkawa, who was also at the Shinjuku event, added:

Honestly, we asked the motion capture actors to do the motion capture nude, but of course, we couldn't use this in the actual game.

レポート：トークショウ [Gpara via My game news flash]

Metal Gear Online Stand Alone Confirmed, Access Numbers Announced

Over the weekend, MGS4 creator Hideo Kojima did a whirlwind autographing tour of Japan. After hitting America and Europe, we've covered this plenty! New bits: At the Yokohama Yodobashi Camera event, Kojima talked up Metal Gear Online, saying:

Domestically, the one-day peak time is 11pm with 12,000 players playing online simultaneously. Worldwide, we've seen about 100,000 connect [to MGO].

Famitsu confirmed the standalone version of Metal Gear Online, which goes on sale for ¥1,800 (US$17) on July 17th.

横浜で"MGS4 ワールドツアー in Japan" [Famitsu]

Alert reader Jonny L. was watching the bonus features disc that came with Metal Gear Solid 4, thought he spied something funny, backed up a few frames, and grabbed the above: Why, that looks like an Xbox 360 devkit on someone's desk at Kojima Productions!

Now what on Earth would he need that for? Kojima Productions has produced all of about zero titles for the 360; he's flatly said MGS4 isn't meant for that platform, and MGS4 openly disparages (spoiler, kinda) the HD-DVD format in a codec call.

Maybe he was just using it for "research." That's the excuse I give when the credit card company asks me to validate certain, uh, Interwebs purchases.

Jonny says the above frame came from the segment "Hideo Kojima's Gene" in the bonus features disc, for those who have it and want to watch. The large size version, without graffiti, is after the jump, if you want to get down and sleuth this and argue the details of the frame.

For all you MGS4 gamers, reader Christine L. has a couple new cheat codes for you. These look new to us, so we're passing them along. With them you can get the .45 pistol and the Mosin-Nagant sniper rifle before they unlock in the game (which happens after you meet up with the Metal Gear Mark II.) It doesn't exactly rock the foundations of science, but it might be useful to some of you.

Metal Gear Solid 4 Ships Out 3 Million

During Sony's corporate strategy meeting, at which the company announced Life with PlayStation and showed off its video download service for the first time, PlayStation bossman Kaz Hirai provided some new numbers. Most relevant to this post's interests are the shipment figures for Metal Gear Solid 4, which has been deployed to worldwide retailers three million times over. Not bad for a couple weeks work.

Yes, hairsplitters, that's shipped to retailers, not sold through to customers. Still, we're fairly certain Hideo Kojima can flaunt that number to friends and probably secure a line of credit at his favorite silk shirt retailer because they know he's good for it.

Sony Corporate Strategy Meeting [Famitsu via IGN]