Tonight’s a pretty big night. We, like every other PS3 owner, are gearing up for the launch of Metal Gear Solid 4 and clearing our calendars for the next few days. While June 12th may always be remembered among PlayStation fans as the day MGS4 blew us all away, June 11th is pretty special to us here at SCEA as well.

June 11th 2007 – the birth of the PlayStation.Blog

We knew from the very first post (600+ comments) that this was something you wanted – a direct-line between the people that create the games you love and those of you that play them. Hearing directly from industry decision-makers like Jack Tretton, Shuhei Yoshida, and Peter Dille was pretty unlikely a couple of years back, but we’ve done our best to make sure that is more the rule than the exception.

In just a year, we’d like to think we’ve become an important resource for both consumers and media seeking exclusive news, screens, videos, viewpoints, and tips from the world of PlayStation. For some of you, we’ve gathered that coming here to read up has become part of your daily ritual, and for that we thank you.

In speaking with bloggers in other disciplines – tech, travel, entertainment, dining – we’ve found that nobody is as engaged with the inner workings of their hobby than gamers like you. 300 comments on a post has quickly become common place here on PlayStation.Blog. 300,000 views of a video? You did it. In fact, the stats are pretty mind boggling – take a look:

Total number of posts: 437
Total number of photos: 1,200
Total number of videos: 80
Total number of links to the blog: 10,222
Total number of comments: 63,060
First commenter ever: Chris Grant of Joystiq!

Clearly, we wouldn’t be anywhere without such a passionate audience. And to give a little something back, we’d like to salute our top commenters – many of whom appear to have spent more time on the blog than any of us!

1. 40cal
2. gamesblow
3. Loucifer
4. blizzard182
5. Jeigh
6. joel
7. aaquib
8. Stoffinator
9. frito
10. Solace

The rest of the Top 50 can be found after the jump. Oh, and if you see your “name” here, keep an eye on your inbox – we’ll be tracking you down to send you a t-shirt in honor of your dedication. Wear it with pride.

Well that’s where we’ve been – here’s where we’re going in Year 2. We’re going to continue refining the look and feel of the blog, making it easier for you to find more stories with less effort. We’ve seen a surge recently in writer comment replies, and we’re committed to keeping those numbers up – and increasing. Third-party producers of PlayStation titles have recognized that *this* is the place to reach gamers – so expect more series of the Metal Gear Monday variety. And we’re speaking with our counterparts in Europe to bring more PlayStation news to you from that part of the world. We know you’re reading us from across the Atlantic, and we haven’t forgotten about you.

Once again, a sincere “thank you” to all of the readers and subscribers, the editors of other gaming websites who link to us, and everyone who’s taken the time to craft a post for the PlayStation.Blog.

Back to work.

Top 50 PlayStation.Blog Commenters

1. 40cal
2. gamesblow
3. Loucifer
4. blizzard182
5. Jeigh
6. joel
7. aaquib
8. Stoffinator
9. frito
10. Solace
11. deadxbabiesxinc
12. Ghostm
13. thechosenfew88
14. Kratos_ate_Snake
15. xplosneer
16. KnaveX
17. lakaihigh
18. Kedaro
19. darkiewonder
20. scorpio
21. Gregero
22. chase
23. zapruder
24. cmargary
25. gardea
26. nmc75
27. HanSolo
28. Lp47
29. scott
30. reson8er
31. stennex
32. Neil
33. MrCamo
34. foolio_67
35. saunderswan
36. Darkendless
37. Gunwing
38. CitizenInsane27
39. C-h-a-o-s
40. XxBigP123xX
41. thingg
42. Herby
43. NewYork214
44. EvoAnubis
45. leetfoo
46. Cagalli
47. OrganicShadow
48. WHAT
49. zookey
50. Violater