MGS post-TGS: more revelations from Kojima

Hideo Kojima is acknowledged as the master because he created not just a series of games, but a universe that these games inhabit, that ties these games together and provides a continuous storyline of conflict and war that stretches from the Cold War to the near future. This universe still holds secrets yet to be revealed, however – some secrets which will be revealed in the upcoming Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (MPO) and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.

Apparently, not all the secrets lie in the preview of these two eagerly-awaited titles. IGN reveals that Kojima has a few tricks left up his sleeve, tricks he recently revealed during a TGS 2006 stage event and reported by Japanese game sites.

First, if you happen to be a fan of Hideoblog, you will be glad to know that it will soon come out as a book form. The print will be published by Gentosha, but beyond that, there were no further details on its expected release.

Now, on to the games themselves. Since MGS4 is a sequel to MGS2, the second Metal Gear Solid: Sons of Liberty digital comic will tie in, story-and-content-wise, directly with Guns of the Patriots. Kojima-san would like you to read – er, play the comic before moving on to MGS4.

Portable Ops is also directly connected to Guns of the Patriots. “If you change the Ops story, you have to change 4. If you change 4, it also becomes necessary to change Ops. Until Ops is finished, 4‘s story can’t be finalized.” Gameplay is, however, indeed finalized. “The gameplay systems are in a pretty much fixed state, and now all that remains is to add more content,”

You MUST read after the jump: Master Kojima set up us the bomb!

Pre-Order: [Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots]
Pre-Order: [Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops]

Hideo Kojima is acknowledged as the master because he created not just a series of games, but a universe that these games inhabit, that ties these games together and provides a continuous storyline of conflict and war that stretches from the Cold War to the near future. This universe still holds secrets yet to be revealed, however – some secrets which will be revealed in the upcoming Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (MPO) and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.

Apparently, not all the secrets lie in the preview of these two eagerly-awaited titles. IGN reveals that Kojima has a few tricks left up his sleeve, tricks he recently revealed during a TGS 2006 stage event and reported by Japanese game sites.

First, if you happen to be a fan of Hideoblog, you will be glad to know that it will soon come out as a book form. The print will be published by Gentosha, but beyond that, there were no further details on its expected release.

Now, on to the games themselves. Since MGS4 is a sequel to MGS2, the second Metal Gear Solid: Sons of Liberty digital comic will tie in, story-and-content-wise, directly with Guns of the Patriots. And Kojima-san would like you to read – er, play the comic before moving on to MGS4.

Portable Ops is also directly connected to Guns of the Patriots. “If you change the Ops story, you have to change 4. If you change 4, it also becomes necessary to change Ops. Until Ops is finished, 4‘s story can’t be finalized.” Gameplay is, however, indeed finalized. “The gameplay systems are in a pretty much fixed state, and now all that remains is to add more content,”

MPO will also come in a PSP bundle. Besides the game and the standard black PSP unit (hmm… we were hoping for camo – wait, that’s more Snake Eater), it will also include pins and a case (We think IGN means memorabilia pins. Hey, all they said was “pins”).

And finally, Kojima Productions will put up a “Metal Gear My Page” portal. “Here, fans will be able to create a Metal Gear database and write original stories,” explained Kojima. “I think that around ten years from now it would be great if we could make Metal Gear Solid 5 with the support of fans.”

Hmmm…what happened to “Well, I say this every time but this is going to be my last Metal Gear… so you could say that the hidden theme here is that I want Snake to die so that I can move on” from the post-E3 1UP interview? On the very bright side, it’s nice to know that Kojima thinks of the fans, too, especially when he’s actively encouraging fan-submitted content that he may think about including in any future MGS game. Now you know why we acknowledge Kojima as the master. (QJ writers simultaneously get down on their knees and bow down to him: “We’re not worthy! We’re not worthy!”)

Pre-Order: [Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots]
Pre-Order: [Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops]