Playstation Magazine wrote:A new era for the Metal Gear series will begin with Metal Gear Solid 4, so it's only fitting that the game is being developed for a new generation of videogame hardware capable of bringing Kojima Productions' grand vision to life.
Following months of speculation, we can finally and officially convfirm that MGS4 is being made exclusively for Sony's upcoming PS3 console. "Kojima Productions will concentrate their efforts and experience to take full advantage of the hardware capabilities of Sony's next generation console, infusing the world of Metal Gear Solid with completely new game design and concepts," according to Konami's official announcement.
The story of MGS4 will pick up where MGS2 left off, with players controlling Solid Snake and featuring the return of Hal "Otacon" Emmerich, Revolver Ocelot, Raiden, Vamp, and Snake's redheaded love interest, Meryl Silverburgh (not heard from since the original Metal Gear Solid). Kojima is keeping the game's plot as closely guarded as ever and this time around, the setting is just as big of a secret, if not bigger.
"MGS and MGS2 were about intrusion into man-made areas, while MGS3 was about intrusion into nature (survival). MGS4 will be about intrusion into a completely new situation," says Kojima. "It will be about intrusion into a place where typically there is 'no place to hide.' However, that doesn't mean there is no 'hiding.' It may just mean that a different way to hide may, perhaps, be needed," he adds coyly, finishing: "The theme of 'stealth' itself will continue to be present in the game, the the new MGS series will certainly go in a different direction than the previous MGS trilogy."
Kojima doesn't intend to reveal the setting anytime soon, which means months of speculation are in store for diehard fans. He has ruled out one possibility, however: "It isn't going to be in space or on another planet." Thank goodness.
There was never any doubt that a fourth Metal Gear Solid would eventually be made, but Kojima's involvement with the series has definitely been in question. For some time, he has expressed a desire to hand over the reigns of director to someone else, and, several months ago, announced that he would serve as executive producer on the game, which, at the time, didn't have an officially named director. MGS4 is director-less no more: Shuyo Murata, director of Zome of the Enders 2: The 2nd Runner and co-writer of MGS3, will direct this sequel alongside Kojima himself-similar, in a way, to the directorial collaboration of Sin City creator Frank Miller and director Robert Rodriguez. So, for now, MGS4 has two directors. Series art director and character designer, Yoji Shinkawa, is returning for duty , as evident in the accompanying first-ever key art of Solid Snake and character sketches.
It would take an MGS-scale sneaking mission to get any more details on the game at this point, but Shinkawa's key illustration certainly sets the imagination ablaze.
First of all, Snake's definitely older...and scruffier (as if that were possible). However, the other key characters don't appear that much older, so we're betting MGS4 doesn't take place too long after MGS2. Then there's his new sneaking suit, which looks eerily familiar. Oh, that's because it shares some design elements with the Cyborg Ninja's armor from MGS1 and MGS2. New ways to hide, huh? Active optical camouflage, maybe? Maybe - but it would need to be inplemented right or we'd have a broken game.
Meryl's back! We missed her, and she evidently missed Snake (since he made only a passing codec reference to their relationship in MGS2). Notice that she's also sporting a similar suit/armor style to Snake. Raiden, love him or hate him, does as well. Evidently still fond of the HF Blade, you'll notice that he's also carrying a small child in a sling around his neck. Could this be Olga's baby? It's possible, but unless MGS4 takes place very soon after MGS2, he/she'd be out of infancy (unless the young Gurlukovich has been in suspended animation or something - hey, this is a Metal Gear plot we're talking about!).
Otacon took off with Snake at the end of MGS2, and, despite his step-sister Emma's nasty death, doesn't seem to be in the loony bin.
In case you didn't catch it during the ending of MGS2, Vamp isn't dead, and his reemergence would indicate he has a much larger role in the grand scope of things than the previous game's story led us to believe.
That leaves us three characters, one of who has become, over the course of three games, probably the most pivotal figure in the MGS universe. WE are, of course talking about Revolver Ocelot. What crazy quarduple crossing scheme he's hatched this time, we shudder to think.
So who's the lady in the trench coat? Our money's on Dr. Naomi Hunter, part of Snake's support team from MGS1 and sister of his ex-comrade (and Cyborg Ninja) Grey Fox (Frank Yeager). We put our chips on her having unfinished business concerning the double-death of her brother to deal with.
Last, but incredibly far from least, is the naked man with the eye patch who just happens to look like a much older Solid Snake. Wait a second...looks like Snake, eye patch, really old...nah, it can't be Big Boss. He died. Liquid Snake was going to nuke America to get his remains in MGS1. Why didn't the US just hand over his remains, though, if he's dead and all? In the MGS universe, as we've seen many times now, the dead rarely stay that way!.
