Metal Gear Solid goes to iphone; xbox fans resume hating

it's been the talk of the gaming world since it came out. "when is metal gear solid 4 coming to the xbox 360?" it was inevitable, right? the last of the MGS storyline featuring solid snake was only for PS3 and the tongues were out. "no way can MGS4 make back the money it took to make this insane piece of gaming awesomeness with it only coming the the PS3. it HAS TO come to the 360!" online blogs all but confirmed it. well, it didn't and MGS4 remainded the one exclusive PS3 game that xbox owners wanted more than anything. it's become somewhat of a urban legend of sorts.

once MGS4 came out, some 360 fans shit on it, rating it more of an interactive movie then a game. convincing themselves that such a game can't be all that was good in the gaming world and be on 'that' system. still, the legend lingered in the background. even when creator Hideo Kojima said that MGS4 couldn't be made on the 360 and it wasn't coming at all, 360 fans continued "360 has the greatest games. MGS4 can't be considered great if it's not on the 360!"

so, the rumor came back a few weeks ago with the now infamous teaser image. upon first sight, people jumped out of their skin. "it's in all green!!!11!!1 MGS4 TO #360COMFIRMED!!!111! ZOMG!1!11 SUK IT PS#3 FANBOIZ!!!!"

seems that that reaction was a little premature.........

so, it looks like MGS will be going to the iphone/itouch. to be fair, looking back at MGS4, no one should have been surprised. apple products were all over that game. it looks like apple just got a huge endorsement from konami. when a big developer is making a version of it's biggest game on your new system, it's a big deal. i'm interested in seeing how it's going to do. with all the iphones out there, it has to do pretty well. we'll see more, i guess, at macworld next month.

PS3 fans, no trophies. and don't hold your breath.

360 fans, you can resume calling MGS4 a shitty movie if it makes you feel better. gears of war 2 is still out. you could play games that...you know....actually ARE on your console.

blogs and video game news sites, time to write some more 'PS3 is doomed' stories. or start some more false hope about MGS4 coming to 360.


J.

Nintendo fan's Resonse to Why the PS3 is Dead (from a Sony fan)

Holy crap. It's crazy to read J assessing the situation like he is because he is the biggest PS3 cheerleader I have ever met, and has always had a fist full of reasons why the PS3 isn't as bad as everyone is saying. I'll admit that I got caught up in a lot of the anti-PS3 crap that swelled after the E3 ’06 showcase and the "599 dollars"/"hit the weak point for Massive Damage" debacle. But I reserved judgment on the system until J showed it to me, and what I saw, I liked. It’s possible though, as J suggests, that this stigma that has surrounded the PS3 from the beginning may have a lot to do with why it’s not selling so well now.

What's crazy to me is (not counting the Wii's runaway success story) how well the 360 is doing. Yeah, there's great graphics and excellent games; hell, even the online experience is worth paying for, but there are a lot of problems, many of which I’ve posted about (and some I've had to restrain myself from posting about). For example, back in October, after Microsoft tried to automatically bill me for an Xbox Live Account renewal ($49.99) and I didn’t have the funds, they sent me an email telling me they couldn’t seal the deal, the account would be canceled and I should renew it manually when I had the funds. Then, last week, right as my paycheck hits, BOOM! They hit me with a $49.99 charge without any warning nor any notification about my account status. That really helps my holiday shopping, thanks Microsoft! Anyway, the point is Nintendo would never charge my credit card without notice; meanwhile Sony’s online gaming is free. Additionally, Microsoft’s consoles break down all the time, but the only way they’ll fix ‘em for free is if you have the “Red Rings of Death,” otherwise, it costs you another $100. This sort of bad customer service and unreliable product should be the trademarks of the console in last place in the console wars this gen, not the one who continues to do well and gets exclusive blockbusters such as Left 4 Dead. Or gets to steal exclusives from the other camp, such as Final Fantasy XIII for that matter…

I haven’t kept up with the NPD, though I know Nintendo is doing well from random reports stating how pleased they are with sales. So I had no idea PS3 sales were down. However, with the economy and everyone cutting down on holiday shopping, video games aren’t guaranteed to sell as well as they have past during past holiday seasons and the situation will probably get worse with the economy for year round sales. Dustin just bought a PS3 and given a price drop, along with some games coming down the pipe (like DC Universe Online, God of War III and the next Team Ico project for example), I’m still interested in picking one up. Maybe Home isn’t all that (it always seemed a bit too ambitious) but there’s not much to love about the New Xbox Experience either (in fact Dustin, Rose and I are talking about collaborating on an article about all the things we hate about it!); Nintendo doesn’t even have an online community (yet anyway)!

Yeah, I’m a Nintendo fanboy; that’s who I am. But the Wii isn’t really a console suited to go toe to toe with the 360 and PS3. It can’t, and I can’t get my heart’s content of hardcore top-tier (in terms of graphics and online) gaming action with just the Wii. I got a 360 because it won me over with its slick graphics, great online and console features but the experience has been horribly tainted by all the disasters I’ve had to deal with owning a system—more than any other console I’ve ever had. Perhaps if I, and others like me, had tuned into the PS3 a bit sooner (and again, may likely later) there would be less frustration for the PS3—at least in terms of seeing poor sales of great games and developers uninterested in doing ports.

I’m not counting the PS3 out yet either, but reading both sales of systems and the clearly revolutionary Little Big Planet are less than expected makes me agree with J that there’s an image problem with PS3—and it’s not just a sign of tough economic times. While it’s great to know J will be joining the 360 community soon, it’s also a little worrisome, knowing the troubles I and others have faced with the system and lackluster service. But I gotta say I love J’s comparing the PS3 to past console underdogs; I was big fans of both the GameCube and the Dreamcast, and those consoles being way behind financially certainly doesn’t mean you’re last in the hearts of the fans.

Max

Why the PS3 is dead (from a sony fan)

i've been watching the console wars like everyone else. i usually try to stay away from the hype and hoopla the fanboys throw around. but after checking the NPD numbers this month and reading most of the responses to them, it pretty clear even to me.


the PS3 is over in the US.

now, hear me out. like most people do when subjects like this pop up, i'll qualify my statement by saying that yes, i do have a PS3 and no, i don't have a 360. my kid has a Wii that i don't play.

the problem isn't with the system itself. the PS3 is a solid system. dare i say the most solid of the three out now. wi-fi built in the system is something that shouldn't be taken for granted when the other major system wireless adapter is $100 still after three going on four years out. blu-ray, for all the belly aching about how much it is or isn't failing, it helps pack more features into the blu-ray movies and gets the best picture you can get for you're HDTV that you WILL have to have at some point around February. the downloadable games are very interesting and different then your generic shooter/arcade/student made games on the other system. online is free. the disc games are very good. what else could sony do?

everything about the PS3 is generally positive. so why is the PS3 selling less then last year? (depending on what sites you read and/or believe) the reason that the PS3 is failing to destroy the competition this time around doesn't have anything to do with weak games or exclusive games and DLC going to the 360 or PSN not being on par with XBL or home or any of that. why is the PS3 failing........


because the perception of the general public is that the PS3 has already failed.


think about it. with all the positive things about that PS3, (and unless you are a hopeless 360 fanboy, you have to admit that there are at the very LEAST some cool content on the big black box) the general consensus is that you are wasting you're money if you get a PS3. from all the internet memes about the PS3 sucking ass or not having any games or 4D graphics or the whole Lair fiasco....and Haze......and the orange box......and SOCOM......and (sigh) Home. see what i'm saying? just listing SOME of the missteps of the PS3 doesn't make people want to jump on board.

people have that that "biggest and best" mentality. we want the best of everything if we can possibly get it. and that goes for our video gaming system as well. you want the biggest and the best. the most badass, graphic blowing your mind, your friends are pissed that you have one and they don't killing machine in your living room. and that's the 360.

and it seeps in to every aspect of the PS3. console sales are down despite the great games that came out this holiday season. littlebigplanet not selling as well as it should despite the critical acclaim it got eclipsing other games. including gears of war 2, which most reviews basically saying "the story sucks, but shooting shit in horde is SO fun." the fact that no games on PS3 are selling a million in a week isn't that there aren't games that don't warrant that kind of buying craziness. LBP is a fun-loving, creative game that could have changed things for sony. MSG4 should have set the world on fire, but most people just said "it'll come to the 360 if it so great" sure, the price doesn't help when the other gaming consoles are hundreds of dollars less, but again, if there was the fervor over the PS3 was like the PS2, price wouldn't be a factor. people would be "working longer hours" to get one.

so there it is. PS3 is over this generation. that doesn't mean that the PS3 will dry up and blow away. gamecube lasted a LONG time and had some great games. the Dreamcast comparison is out there and people still love it to this day. it's not like the PS3 can't still produce awesome games. Killzone 2, Heavy Rain and the next Uncharted are proof of that. it's just as far as a "win" in console sales.....it's over. the best thing that sony can hope for is to make some money on the their current-gen entry and pump out more AAA games and support the PSN with interesting games that don't look like any games on XBLA.

that said, i'm likely getting a 360 soon.


J.