There will also be an exciting new “Patriot” feature available to all players, starting on May 26th. This feature will select a few lucky players every week starting from the 26th, and give them exclusive access to a 5.56mm Hand Rifle with infinite ammunition and no reload. Players will have access to these unique “Patriot” features until the next ranking update. You’d better watch out when a “Patriot” joins your game!

These new features are open to all players, but there’s even more content available in the three MGO Expansion Packs: SCENE, MEME, and GENE. All three are available via Metal Gear Online’s in-game shop and Konami’s shop. Along with all regular methods of payment, you are now able to use the PlayStation Network Wallet payment system.

Stay tuned for updates in the coming weeks, as the one-year anniversary of the launch of Metal Gear Solid 4 approaches, we’ll be revealing even more awesome stuff to celebrate!

As part of what is included in SCENE, you can acquire three new Skills.

The First of these is CQC (Close Quarters Combat) EX. In order to obtain this skill, you have to execute a CQC maneuver 200 times with CQC Mastery Lv3 equipped. Once you have this skill, your character will automatically counter an opponent’s CQC attack.

You can also gain Toughness, by receiving a knockback, knockdown, or blow away type attack 100 times. Once you have this Skill, your character will be able to endure knockdown attacks and recover time will be decreased.

The third Skill you can gain is Charm, by getting distracted by a magazine 100 times. It’s similar to Mei-Ling’s special skill, where holding the salute pose will have the same distracting effect as a magazine. The salute motion will also change to one of three different exclusive random animations.

There will also be some new Top Elite emblems in the SCENE Expansion. If you earn the emblems, you’ll receive a free in-game t-shirt! Here are two to check out, the Fighting Fish, which you can unlock by playing a series of Death matches, and Arctic Skua, which you can unlock by playing through a series of Solo Capture missions.

I also have some detailed overviews of the new maps included in SCENE: Hazard House, Outer Outlet, and Ravaged Riverfront.

Hazard House

Basement

1st Floor

2nd Floor

Duct Area

Outer Outlet

Basement

1st Floor

2nd Floor

Ravaged Riverfront

Basement

Waterway

1st Floor

2nd Floor

3rd Floor

Just looking at those maps, I can already see some intense battles playing out in a few key areas. Where do you think the most action will be?

SCENE comes out tomorrow, March 17, 2009, don’t miss out on the latest Metal Gear Online expansion pack for the ultimate squad-based, tactical shooter based on the Metal Gear Solid franchise!

All players who pre-order SCENE will receive the special “cardboard man” head gear for free, so don’t wait to jump on these great deals!

Only one week left until SCENE is released, but there’s even more cool stuff yet to be revealed, so stay tuned!

I know many of you are curious to know each of the new special character’s (Raiden and Vamp) weapons and abilities, as both characters display incredible talents in the Metal Gear Solid 4 single player campaign. You’ll be happy to know that many of their same abilities will be available in Metal Gear Online.

Raiden is quite agile, can run very fast and uses a High Frequency Blade. Much like in the single player campaign, he is best at close-range hand-to-hand combat. He will be able to jump to high places where ordinary soldiers would need a co-op boost, and can also fall from high places and land without taking damage. Naturally, he can use his High Frequency Blade, which can be used to deflect frontal attacks when drawn, in addition to attacks. He can also choose to use it in a non-lethal mode, by using the back of the blade. He also will have Throwing Knives available, and can headshot other players by using them. He also has a special VISOR that, when in the closed position, will be able to detect traps. As he does not have nano-machines implanted into his body, he will be unable to use the SOP Link, SOP Destabilizer and the SOP system information gathering skills such as scanning, etc. All SOP related abilities and affects are therefore nullified when using this character.

Vamp, master of knives, is agile, runs incredibly fast and excels at close-range hand-to-hand combat, especially when using his Combat Knife and Throwing Knife, which he can use to headshot other players, like Raiden. He will be able to jump to hard-to-reach places, fall from high places without taking damage – but will be able to utilize the SOP system and fall victim to it, unlike Raiden. His unique nano-machines will also make him seem immortal, every time he is defeated during the game, he will be resurrected in the same location.

There will also be a new game type opened to all MGO players: Solo Capture (SCAP). SCAP is a FREE-FOR-ALL Match with no team divisions. Capturing the Kerotan frog will make that player’s timer begin to decrease. The player who can keep possession of the Kerotan frog the longest, and allows their timer to reach zero first, will be the winner. If a player who isn’t holding the Kerotan is killed, no points will be awarded, but that player’s timer will be reduced.

Also included in SCENE is a great deal of new gear that you can use to customize your character, including the Bikini Outfit, Clown Face Paint, Haven Trooper Uniform Set, Resistance Uniform Set, Hockey Mask, Mohawk Wig, Short Cut Wig, Shirtless, and Robbie (Silent Hill character).

There’s still a lot more cool stuff in SCENE yet to be revealed, stay tuned to the PlayStation.Blog for more updates in the coming weeks!

You can also download this trailer for free from the PlayStation Store later today. Remember to stay tuned here in the coming weeks, there’s more cool stuff on the way!

First, I’m excited to announce that now, in order to make the SCENE Expansion more accessible, players will be able to use their PayPal account, along with their PlayStation Network Wallet, if they so choose, to purchase the SCENE Expansion.

For those players that want to get a head start on the action and pre-order SCENE through Metal Gear Online’s in-game shop or Konami’s shop, there’s a special gift in store. Once the pre-order period starts, one week before the release date, all players who pre-order SCENE will receive a special “cardboard man” head gear for free. It should definitely provide ample cover for any bad hair day.

Now for the stuff I know you all are most excited about, the new maps and characters!

The first new map is Outer Outlet, an all new environment that takes place in a commercial mall area made up of lots of buildings and subterranean areas. Multiple floors with openings onto the areas above and below will offer many unique vantage points from which to stage the action, while the décor will provide plenty of unexpected places to seek cover. It should be ideal for medium to long range battles.

Second is Hazard House, set in a huge three story mansion – a take on the one seen from Act II of the MGS4 single player game. Lots of doors, hallways, and blind corners, will make for intense claustrophobic combat.

Third is Ravaged Riverfront – a take on the Eastern European environment from Act III of the MGS4 single player game – with a large clock tower surrounded by lots of underground and underwater areas. Lots of clear space, perfect for long range attacks.

SCENE will also bring two long awaited, much requested, special characters to MGO – Raiden and Vamp, both with impressive special abilities and offensive power to spare! First is Vamp, knife-expert extraordinaire. You may be able to defeat him once, but that’s no guarantee he won’t be back for more! Second is Raiden, whose appearance belies his extraordinary skill and agility in combat. They are formidable opponents, or one of them can be a great ally to have on your team. Yes, you will indeed be able to have a multiplayer battle between Raiden and Vamp, which is a fun as it looks! More specifics about their abilities will be revealed soon!

Next week, we will be releasing a trailer for SCENE on the PlayStation Network and the PlayStation Blog, so please look out for that. There’s even more on the way with the SCENE Expansion – stay tuned to the PlayStation Blog in the coming weeks for more details!

Of course, the launch of MGS4 is just the beginning – with it now in your hands, surely you are finding that there is much to discover within the game itself. It’s packed with so much, in fact, that there is bound to be new revelations, strategies, and details in the coming months as everyone makes their way through every nook and cranny. Add in Metal Gear Online, with its endless and deep multiplayer game play, as well as new downloadable content forthcoming – there is truly so much more to come, with our continued support of MGS, that will extend well through this year.

With that, we are happy to reveal a very special surprise, upon the PLAYSTATION Store update tomorrow (Thursday June 19th) we will be releasing the Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Database!

The MGS4 Database is a free, downloadable interactive application that contains the official knowledge base of everything that is Metal Gear, reaching all the way back to the very beginning of the franchise. Including complete storylines, character profiles, relationship diagrams, and much more! The MGS4 database is a great way to catch up for someone new to Metal Gear, as well as a useful resource for any veteran of the series, with complete official details on every aspect of the intricate Metal gear lore.

The MGS4 Database also contains a special feature – if you want to make use of the database, but have not yet fully played through MGS4 yet and are worried about spoilers – all MGS4 spoilers are “blacked out” until you’ve beaten MGS4. Give it a try!

But that’s not all, within MGS4, check out the EXTRAS option of the main menu (if you haven’t already). There’s already new, free downloadable content available for the game – with new camouflage and a new music track for the in game iPod. There will be more forthcoming, so be sure to check this often!

First, we have numerous midnight launch parties and signings in NY, LA, and SF. Below are all the details!

LOS ANGELES

WHERE: Best Buy
1015 N La Brea Ave
West Hollywood
(323) 883-0219

WHEN:
Wednesday, June 11
11:45 pm – 1:00am

TALENT APPEARING:
David Hayter – Voice of Solid Snake
Kenichiro Imaizumi – Senior Producer
Ryan Payton – Associate Producer

NEW YORK

WHERE: Virgin Megastore
1540 Broadway
Bet. 45th & 46th Street
(212) 921-1020

WHEN:
Wednesday, June 11
11:45 pm – 1:30am

TALENT APPEARING:
Mr. Hideo Kojima
Yumi Kikuchi – Model

SAN FRANCISCO

WHERE: PlayStation Store at Metreon
101 Fourth Street
(415) 369-6000

WHEN:
Saturday, June 14
4 pm-6 pm

TALENT APPEARING:
Mr. Hideo Kojima
Kenichiro Imaizumi – Senior Producer
Ryan Payton – Assistant Producer
Yumi Kikuchi – Model

You should definitely arrive early. You will be able to purchase a standard edition version of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots at the events. You can also see a complete list of what launch events are happening on a global scale for MGS4, here.

Next, we’d like to point out that the third and fourth parts of GameTrailers amazing Metal Gear Retrospective are posted. As previously mentioned, these detail everything in the series to date, and contain MAJOR SPOILERS, so be warned.

More after the jump!

If you haven’t checked it out yet, the official MGS4 site is live! It contains a ton of original interactive content, including playable training and special missions – essentially distilling some of the core game play mechanisms of MGS into a Flash game – that can prepare you for what awaits in MGS4!

As a special MGS4 launch week treat for the devout Metal Gear fans among you, we are releasing the passwords to unlock a ton of secret characters in Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops + for the PSP! Here we go…!

With this post, we end Metal Gear Mondays – and would like to thank you for joining us these past few months, as we counted down to the launch of MGS4. But that’s not all! There’s much more to come in the following days, weeks, and months ahead! Stay tuned!

We’ve noticed in the comments that some of you have been requesting more specifics on the gameplay of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Who better to provide that than someone who’s writing the strategy guide? Presenting his top 12 tips for MGS4 is James Price, part of the team at Piggyback finishing up Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots: The Complete Official Guide.

*****

James Price, Piggyback Interactive Limited:
We’ve been playing MGS4 every day for the past ten weeks, and the good news is: we’re still enjoying every minute of it. If we had a dollar for every time that someone on the team has said “Did you see…?” or “Have you tried…?”, we could probably fund Hideo Kojima’s next project, and still have spare change to buy a nice holiday home – like, say, in the Bahamas.

Okay: so that’s perhaps a slight exaggeration. But really, MGS4 has more secrets and subtle features than most games have… well, game.

MGS4 is a game built from the ground up for repeat play. As the story draws to a close, you are awarded with one or more secret emblems that acknowledge (and, in effect, rate) your performance and style of play. Usually, even veteran gamers only unlock one, perhaps two on their initial playthrough. There are a ton of these accolades in total.

Though it contains a handful of situations which have the potential to stop even hardcore players in their tracks (including one audaciously excellent boss fight puzzle), Metal Gear Solid 4 is defined not so much by what you do during play, but what you haven’t done. When you pass through a checkpoint your first reaction often isn’t to focus on what lies ahead, but to reflect on how you could have approached the previous area in a completely different way. MGS4 constantly inspires the question “What if…?” – even as the final credits crawl by, you suspect that you didn’t so much “beat” it as simply reach the end. Precious few games evoke this kind of response, and it’s a big part of what makes Kojima-san’s opus so very special.

Kojima Productions has packed MGS4 with an incredible range of hidden weapons and items, Easter eggs, dialogue sequences, post-game rewards and other such “optional” features. When you take the sheer number of tactical options into account, you realize that many players could reach the conclusion of MGS4 a dozen times, and still not have fully explored the possibilities on offer. There are gadgets and weapons that a player might completely neglect to try out (or, indeed, find), even after twenty or thirty hours of play; later, using some of them is a revelation as you realize the new strategic options they offer. Others are just fun, pure and simple.

In the meantime, check out these 12 exclusive tips to get you started with your own tactical espionage action:

1. Life Gauge

Keeping the Life Gauge topped up is vital, but it’s just as important not to panic and keep filling the gauge unnecessarily with precious items. Though you can replenish it with healing objects such as Rations and Noodles, you should take care not to waste them – especially on higher difficulty levels. Using a Ration when Snake’s Life Gauge is 80% full, for example, is plain foolish. You usually don’t need to even think about refilling the gauge until it drops below 25%. During boss fights or difficult skirmishes, you should instead equip Rations, Noodles or Regain and position them as an “active” item. Once Snake’s health reaches zero, these will be automatically used until your stocks are exhausted.

One other method of restoring Snake’s health is simply to find a safe hiding place and let him stand still. After a few seconds the Life Gauge will slowly start to creep back up. If you crouch or go prone, it will refill more quickly. If you have good cover, you’ll find that this even works during boss battles. This can be a great way of refilling your Life Gauge for free – essential when playing on a high difficulty level. Note that recovery speed depends on the condition of Snake’s other main gauge, the Psyche Gauge; the higher the Psyche Gauge, the quicker the Life Gauge refills. (Incidentally, if you have an extended break from playing MGS4 that lasts for more than 24 hours, you may notice that Snake’s Life and Psyche gauges are refilled by 20% per day. It’s hardly necessary, but a nice touch nonetheless.)

2. Psyche Gauge

The Psyche Gauge is situated directly below the Life Gauge, appearing as four separate blocks. This represents Snake’s psychological wellbeing, which has a direct effect on his performance. Essentially, the more stressed Snake is, the less effective he becomes. Keeping him as calm and focused as possible should be your main goal in terms of managing this meter. The Psyche Gauge can be refilled with certain healing items, such as Noodles; dedicated Psyche-related objects such as the Compress do not directly refill the gauge, but instead temporarily increase the speed at which it is replenished. Cigs can also be equipped to regain Psyche, but to the detriment of the Life Gauge.

As with the Life Gauge, the Psyche Gauge can also be refilled simply by staying still, and more quickly by crouching or going prone. The better Snake feels generally (not too cold, hot, wet, dirty, or overloaded) the faster his Psyche will replenish. You can tell when he’s not feeling great by observing his behavior or murmurs of discontent – if he starts feeling his age, it’s usually a direct sign that something is wrong. Finding solutions to assuage these symptoms is usually just a matter of common sense. If Snake is freezing in cold water for instance, get him out of there; if he’s overheating in direct sunlight, find some shade where he can cool down. One of the major effects of a low Psyche Gauge is that it will severely hamper Snake’s ability to aim accurately. The more stressed and hyped up he is, the more his aim will be impaired; this can have a particularly detrimental effect when he’s using a sniper rifle. Try using a scope when Snake is overanxious and you’ll see how his unsteady hands make it thoroughly difficult to make a clean headshot. The Pentazemin item can be used to temporarily improve his marksmanship when required, but preventative maintenance is always better.

3. Stress Level & Combat High

The Psyche Gauge is affected by, which is depicted by a number that appears underneath it. If Snake is sweltering in a hot, evil-smelling location, or alternatively shivering in a freezing location, his Stress level will rise. He will also become stressed if his equipment is too heavy (over 70 kg), or during an Alert phase. When Snake’s Stress level exceeds 50%, the display will turn red and he will begin to lose Psyche. As his Stress rating continues to increase, his Psyche will diminish at a great rate. However, as long Snake is not experiencing a Combat High, his Stress level can only reach a maximum of 80%.

A Combat High will kick in if Snake shoots with a gun more than 100 times during the Alert phase. Notification that he is currently experiencing a Combat High will appear next to the Life Gauge. During this enhanced state, Psyche does not decrease, and any damage caused by enemies is halved. But it’s not all good news: during a Combat High, Snake’s Stress level can shoot up as far as 100%. It’s a short-term boon, but the repercussions can be painful.

4. Choosing your Equipment: Weapons

When it comes to selecting weapons, you have two important choices to make – which five weapons you have available by pressing the R2 button (which you decide in the pause menu), and which one of these five weapons you will actually wield (which you decide in the weapons window). Your chosen five should always be balanced. A good configuration would be to have a silenced weapon, a powerful submachine gun for close-range action, a sniper rifle, a grenade type, and one diversionary item such as an empty Magazine. The weapon you actually hold should obviously always reflect your immediate needs.

There are many ways to obtain new weapons or ammo. The most obvious is to search for “hidden” collectibles and pick up weapons from the battlefield, but you can also search corpses or pay a visit to Drebin’s Shop.

5. Choosing your Equipment: Items

As with weapons, you have two important choices to make here: which eight items you will have available to you by pressing the L2 button (which you decide in the pause menu), and which one of these eight you actually use (which you decide in the items window). The eight that you choose should also be balanced, although this decision is less critical than with weapons. However, the one “active” item you opt for is very important. At first, you will probably tend to equip the Solid Eye most of the time, because it gives you a better understanding of your surroundings. As you eventually acquire the knack of using the Threat Ring instead of the Solid Eye, though, you’ll soon be able to free up the item slot for something else – such as a Ration during boss fights.

To obtain new items, you can either pick up any that you find (as shown on the maps in this guide) or search bodies. You can’t buy any from Drebin so take great care not to waste anything (especially healing items such as Rations).

As Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots inches closer to its release date on 06.12.2008, the media pours in…

From our recent Konami Gamer’s Night, in case you missed it, we are happy to present this stunning “movie-style” Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots cinematic trailer. It has the “movie guy” voice and everything!

Also, we’ve released a bunch of new screenshots from Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots that reveal new locations, and much more. WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!

Many more here.

With just a couple of weeks left until launch of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, things are going to heat up even more! Stay tuned right here on the PS Blog and at Konami.com!

Once again, happy holiday!