MGS4 is PS3 Exclusive

[Kagger]

Gamespot (http://www.gamespot.com) has the scoop. Hideo Kojima confirmed that Metal Gear Solid 4 will be a PS3 Exclusive title (http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/06/15/news_6127573.html).

Of other interest, Kojima had a very interesting comment at the end of the article.

"The age when people are intimidated by the transition from 2D to 3D or being able to play [games] online has ended," he said. "This is when our skills [as developers] will begin to get tested. Up until now, game making was like creating sets for movies. We prioritized on [rendering] the visible areas, and the rest was left blank. But no matter how realistic it may be, a set is still a set. So instead of a stage set, I want to make a real world. I'm planning on advancing from realism to naturalism."
Very cool news, and an extremely interesting quote at the end. Just yesterday someone was saying how MGS4 is third party and could be brought to any system, which I thought made the beginning very interesting.

Editor: True that. Go Kojima!

[kokyunage]

Like it or not expect more of these exclusives to be announced, especially once we near the launch of the 360. Sony will need something to keep the public interested during the launch of the xbox360 and grabbing exclusives is one way.

[Blue]

This would fully seal the deal in my picking up a PS3. Not that there was really any question about it as I'd like to own all of the next-gen machines, but still - this just means that Sony will most likely get my money first (despite it coming out after the 360). I love me some MGS and Hideo most definitely interested after reading that little snippet. Of course, he does say something about "realism" in there and one might argue his villains have never really fallen into the "realistic" catagory :)

Either way, this'll be an interesting addition to the so-called Console Wars. Not that MGS 4 Substance won't come out for the 360 shortly thereafter.

[bobbler]

Exciting times ahead for all gamers, no doubt.

[sickfallout]

Hideo Kojima, make your own console with exclusive MG titles and NOTHING else, and I'll buy it and worship it as the Lord of Lords.

[Adam Blue]

Surprised? Care? Nah, MGS was a neat little game AT FIRST. The rest have been boring soap-operas with dull characters. The only thing neat is the way the 90% of the game was made. Like a movie.

[Liquidize105]

Like a movie.
That's exactly what MGS is.

[Deadend]

So... why isn't there going to be a port later on... like for every other MGS game that ends up coming out on a system that isn't a Playstation? I remember playing MGS2 on Xbox, and MGS1 on GC, and MGS 3 is coming to Xbox.

I really think MGS4 will be ported X360's way within 6 months of release.

[InstaPete]

I don't have any idea how to ask this without sounding like I'm trolling, so you'll have to take my word for it, but what's the appeal of the MGS series? I bought MGS2 for Xbox after hearing so much about it, and I really had no idea what was going on, or how to play it properly. should I be playing it like Splinter Cell? a more action-y SC? something else entirely? I also tried Twin Snakes for GC, and I got about the same thing.

Is it like Resident Evil, where if you like it, you love it, and if you don't, you don't? I really tried hard to like these games, because so many people do, and I didn't want to miss out, but I just didn't understand. I am 100% willing to give it another shot, if I'm missing something.

[thecrazyd]

It's a different kind of game than SC. It is like arcade stealth. It is a wacky, over the edge, stealth game. I love the game play, but hate the stories. If only they could hire a decent writer.

[Zeal]

Citing the PS3 trailers shown during Sony's pre-E3 conference, Kojima said only a limited number of developers will be able to make games that actually play in real time with a similar quality of graphics.

This is actually the most interesting quote of the article.

[Chandler]

in my opinion, I loved it cause I could crack people's necks!

yup this is more action-y than SC, of course you can play stealth but i rambo'ed through it lol. MGS has more input flow to it, you are really moving solid snake. In Splinter Cell, its very sticky, you do pre designed moves like the swat turn and all that jazz. Sure, its more realistic, but it doesn't feel as fun as MGS. Plus it helps if you are interested in Hideo's view of nature vs nurture, which is what the story is really about.

MGS3 isn't going to be on xbox by the way. Cool quote by Hideo there, never really looked at the present day of gaming in that view.

[Tyrant]

After reading Kojima's analogy relating next gen consoles to food, I'm kind of surprised that he decided to go exclusive with the PS3, what with it being a food that one only eats on rare occasions.

[bobbler]

After reading Kojima's analogy relating next gen consoles to food, I'm kind of surprised that he decided to go exclusive with the PS3, what with it being a food that one only eats on rare occasions.

I think you're sort of missing the heart of the analogy (others probably are too).

He isn't saying people will only eat it rarely...

This is how I understand it (I can't remember the exact food examples he used for each of the three, forgive me if I make a mistake):

With the PS3 you could have the rare elegant meal (whatever he said) every night.
With the Xbox2 you could have your nice big sunday dinner every night.
With the N-Rev you could have your nice family meal every night.

It's all a matter of what you feel like, none of them are inherently better than the others -- they just offer different things. Regardless, I think we can all agree this guy is a little bit loopy ;)

[dr_qwandry]

Best teaser for a game, EVER.

[score]

The rest have been boring soap-operas with dull characters

While the admitedly, the MGS series isn't everyones cup of tea what with their lengthy cut scenes and sometimes strange stories but the main characters are far from dull:

Revolver Ocelot.
Raven.
Sniper Wolf.
The dude who controls your mind.
Cyborg Ninja.

Thats just one of the games from the series.
C'mon... Those are pretty cool designs :)

[Vandenh]

Does anybody still care about MGS?

[*Legion*]

While the admitedly, the MGS series isn't everyones cup of tea what with their lengthy cut scenes and sometimes strange stories but the main characters are far from dull:

Revolver Ocelot.
Raven.
Sniper Wolf.
The dude who controls your mind.

Dull was probably not the word he should have used.
"Hopelessly silly", though, fits.

[TRiLoGY]

Does anybody still care about MGS?

I do, I've enjoyed all the MGS games that i've played..

[SBKidJamX]

The dude who controls your mind.

The whole Psycho Mantis fight is one of the greatest moments in gaming, in my opinion. The first time he said, "You enjoy Castlevania, don't you?" shocked me to no end. Then he made my controller vibrate with his mind! And the way you had to switch to the second controller port so he couldn't read your mind...just great stuff.

[Heretic Machine]

I think Arcade Stealth really is the best way to describe the series... It's not a bad thing, they're really fun games. The stories are crap though :p

[TrackZero]

That's exactly what MGS is.

Yup. I found his quote funny "Up until now, game making was like creating sets for movies.". Maybe someone should have told him that was pretty much just his design style, other developers weren't like that.

As for this being PS3 exclusive, no surprises there. It'll be ported to the other platforms a year later with bonus content, just like every other time. Konami's not about to turn away bags of money just to keep something exclusive forever, which they've proven in the past.

[Furious Wang]

This article is just sensationalist reporting to generate click throughs. No where does HK say that MGS 4 won't be coming out for other systems. In fact, he leaves the door wide open:

"Metal Gear Solid 4 is only scheduled for release on the PlayStation 3 at the current time," he told the Japanese game magazine.

If 360 sells, it will be ported. Just like the others.

As far as the naturalization quote, I hope that doesn't mean more "mini-games" like removing bullets and sewing up wounds in MGS3. That was the worst feature I've ever seen in a game. It draw you out of the game on a regular basis, it was annoying, had no redeeming fun value, and was ridiculous that you could just do major surgery on yourself in the middle of a massive firefight.

"Time out! Time out! Hold on for a sec, Ocelot. Let me get out that bullet you just shot in me."

Did anyone think that system added anything to the game?

And what's up with Subsistee? If its not going to be budget priced then its kind of a crappy move to pull on your fans.

Anyway, a definition of subsistence is:

A means of subsisting, especially means barely sufficient to maintain life.

Probably not the best word to use to describe a game in your franchise.

[Kefkataran]

Furious: I agree that the whole surgery thing didn't add much to the game. If anything it detracted by forcing you to go through a bunch of boring menus. I still loved the third game, but that just did nothing for me.

I'm surprised at all the MGS-haters here. I mean MGS totally isn't for everyone, but what's the point of coming into a news thread specifically about MGS and saying shit like, "Does anyone care about MGS any more?" Judging by Kojima's huge fan following and how successful the latest game was, I'd say probably.

Anyways, I'm one of the proud few who actually love the MGS stories. They aren't traditional by any means, but they're extremely complex and well-done.

[TRiLoGY]

I'm surprised at all the MGS-haters here. I mean MGS totally isn't for everyone, but what's the point of coming into a news thread specifically about MGS and saying shit like, "Does anyone care about MGS any more?" Judging by Kojima's huge fan following and how successful the latest game was, I'd say probably.

Well Said! :)

[Royal Fool]

As far as the naturalization quote, I hope that doesn't mean more "mini-games" like removing bullets and sewing up wounds in MGS3. That was the worst feature I've ever seen in a game. It draw you out of the game on a regular basis, it was annoying, had no redeeming fun value, and was ridiculous that you could just do major surgery on yourself in the middle of a massive firefight.

"Time out! Time out! Hold on for a sec, Ocelot. Let me get out that bullet you just shot in me."

Did anyone think that system added anything to the game?

Personally I didn't hate it, it was a pretty humorous way to sustain your life and added a slight bit of strategy... or it would have, had the game not always made sure to stock you full with medical supplies. I think the system was also just part of the unique MGS humour and the game's way of reminding you of how it's really just a game. :)

And what's up with Subsistee? If its not going to be budget priced then its kind of a crappy move to pull on your fans.

Currently, the 'Subsistence' expanded version of MGS3 will only be coming to PS2, unlike the Substance version of MGS2 which was released for PC, Xbox and PS2. I think this ties in somewhat with MGS4 being exclusive for PS3... so far, at least. Kinda sad about it, since Subsistence basically steals all of the PAL-exclusive stuff and dumps it into a new version of the game, along with even more extras. And now PAL fans will have to pay full price for it again... and wait through they delays. Again. But the sad thing is that I'll be buying it anyway, because I'm such a MGS whore.

:(

[Achilles]

Just yesterday someone was saying how MGS4 is third party and could be brought to any system, which I thought made the beginning very interesting. Yep that was me. I'll post actual announcement since Furious Wang didn't put up the whole thing. Metal Gear Solid 4 is only scheduled for release on the PlayStation 3 at the current time. Of course we could port it to other consoles, but doing so would require additional staff and research and development costs. If I were to make games for the Xbox 360 or the [Nintendo] Revolution, I'd rather create original titles that match each console's audience, instead of the Metal Gear Solid series. That’s about as close to exclusivity as you can get without actually saying it’s exclusive. I'd say this is a pretty big win for Sony, especially when it comes to maintaining the Japanese market. Though it seems like he’s asking for money for it to be ported over, what with mentioning that it could be done if only the costs weren’t there.

I’m terrified to see what he’d make that he thinks would appeal to the 360s audience, especially given how past FPS efforts out of Japan have turned out. Plus the last thing the 360 needs is another FPS, they have that market more than covered. What it needs is things which the Xbox didn't have to draw in new people (like all the MGS fans on this board for example).

[Kefkataran]

Very interesting, well-thought-out post Achilles.

I'm pretty much interested in seeing anything that comes out of Kojima Production. I'm pretty sure, possible MGS ports aside, that with anything he develops for 360 or Revolution he's not going to be concerned with what's going to draw new people to the 360 or Rev, as he made clear, but what he thinks makes a good game on that system.

[mister_slim]

I'm pretty much interested in seeing anything that comes out of Kojima Production. I'm pretty sure, possible MGS ports aside, that with anything he develops for 360 or Revolution he's not going to be concerned with what's going to draw new people to the 360 or Rev, as he made clear, but what he thinks makes a good game on that system.
Yeah. Boktai is a good example of working with the system (MG:A less so, apparently).

[Blue]

Yeah. Boktai is a good example of working with the system (MG:A less so, apparently).

MG: A is my favorite of the Metal Gear titles and I hate turn based card-type games. Something about it grabbed me and I think they made a heck of a port game within the MGS system. MG: A was perfect for the PSP and a much better choice than an "actual" MG game.

[zsears]

MG: A is my favorite of the Metal Gear titles and I hate turn based card-type games. Something about it grabbed me and I think they made a heck of a port game within the MGS system. MG: A was perfect for the PSP and a much better choice than an "actual" MG game.
I also love MGA, but I could by no means say it is better than the other MGS games. It can't even compare. I mean there isn't any CG or voice!