Metal Gear Solid 4's Nude Actor Motion Capture

Metal Gear Solid 4 is a sexy game. It's got it all — sexy posing, sexy stone penis grabbing, sexy skin-tight outfits and sexy nard punching. At the recent MGS4 signing session in Tokyo's Shinjuku, Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima joked that it sure seems like, with what Snake's ass-clenched sneaking suit and the Beauty and the Beast Corps tush-hugging outfits, there was a "butt depiction obsession." Sure seems like it! Kojima continues, "Originally, we were planning to have the Beauty and the Beast Corps appear buck naked." Character designer Yoji Shinkawa, who was also at the Shinjuku event, added:

Honestly, we asked the motion capture actors to do the motion capture nude, but of course, we couldn't use this in the actual game.

レポート：トークショウ [Gpara via My game news flash]

Metal Gear Online Stand Alone Confirmed, Access Numbers Announced

Over the weekend, MGS4 creator Hideo Kojima did a whirlwind autographing tour of Japan. After hitting America and Europe, we've covered this plenty! New bits: At the Yokohama Yodobashi Camera event, Kojima talked up Metal Gear Online, saying:

Domestically, the one-day peak time is 11pm with 12,000 players playing online simultaneously. Worldwide, we've seen about 100,000 connect [to MGO].

Famitsu confirmed the standalone version of Metal Gear Online, which goes on sale for ¥1,800 (US$17) on July 17th.

横浜で"MGS4 ワールドツアー in Japan" [Famitsu]

Alert reader Jonny L. was watching the bonus features disc that came with Metal Gear Solid 4, thought he spied something funny, backed up a few frames, and grabbed the above: Why, that looks like an Xbox 360 devkit on someone's desk at Kojima Productions!

Now what on Earth would he need that for? Kojima Productions has produced all of about zero titles for the 360; he's flatly said MGS4 isn't meant for that platform, and MGS4 openly disparages (spoiler, kinda) the HD-DVD format in a codec call.

Maybe he was just using it for "research." That's the excuse I give when the credit card company asks me to validate certain, uh, Interwebs purchases.

Jonny says the above frame came from the segment "Hideo Kojima's Gene" in the bonus features disc, for those who have it and want to watch. The large size version, without graffiti, is after the jump, if you want to get down and sleuth this and argue the details of the frame.

For those who missed meeting Hideo Kojima in the States and Europe and for those living in Japan, listen up. Konami has announced dates and places for the Metal Gear Solid 4 autographing spectacular. Kojima, illustrator Yoji Shinkawa and actress Yumi Kikuchi are slated to appear with signing pen. The dates and places and times are:

June 28th, Saturday
•Yodobashi Camera Shinjuku 10:00AM - 11:00AM
•Sofmap Omiya 2:30PM - 3:30PM
•Yodobashi Camera Yokohama 5:30PM - 7:00

June 29th, Sunday
•Nagoya Station Bic Camera 10:30AM - NOON
•Osaka Yamada Denki Labi1 4:00PM - 5:30PM

Seems like signatures are mostly being limited to game packaging (Premium Pack is okay!), so that means no Kojima signed cigarette boxes. Bummer.

GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS　ワールドツアー　in JAPAN [IT Media] [Pic]

Hideo Kojima Appears On National Korean English Test

Hideo Kojima doesn't just make video games like Metal Gear Solid 4. Oh, no. Hideo Kojima also appears in an English test! Above is a national English aptitude test for Korean high school students, which mentions the famed game creator. The text selected is dated and is from circa 2002. Anyway! From the test:

The events of 38-year-old Hideo Kojima's life prepared him to design the amazing video game Metal Gear Solid 2. As a child growing up in Kobe, Japan he played outdoor games like thief-and-detective, peeking around corners in much the same way as Solid Snake, the hero of MGS2, does today. In middle school he wrote five 600-page science-fiction novels. When one of his friends brought a camera to school, Kojima took up filmmaking, using his camera. Then he charged neighborhood kids 50 yen each to see his own movies. By the time he reached college, he had worked for Nintendo to develop video games using film techniques and became famous as a video game designer.

Wait, wait. So little Kojima stole some other kid's camera to make movies and then charged other children 50 yen to see his movies? That explains a lot!

Hit the jump for the Korean text.

Reader maxax caught an interview with Hideo Kojima in Spiegel Online, the website for German-language Der Speigel, one of Europe's leading mainstream news magazines. Maxax translated it to English on his blog and so we offer up to you here, too.

Kojima explains his brand of antiwar sentiment, which is more or less circumspect about the reasons and results of war rather than outright pacifism. He also pines for a future where smaller, art-house productions are comparatively viable, among a world of titles that are increasingly developed for blockbuster effect, like Grand Theft Auto IV and MGS4.

Kojima said that action, sex and gambling are the genres "immediately understood all over the world," and expands on that in a thought-provoking way.

"We use action and that is why our games become bigger and bigger - Hollywood big. It is however possible to make smaller, more personal games if you, for example, limit the target region, the gender or the age of the audience. MGS is a Hollywood blockbuster, like GTA. But maybe it is time for something like independent movies, with a smaller target audience, like movies for an arthouse movie theater.

And he gives a great one-liner when asked to explain MGS4 to a non-gamer. "It's a game of hide-and-seek."

Spiegel Online Interview: Hideo Kojima talks about pacifism, movies and GTA [Gaming in Germany, thanks for the translation maxax]

Best Kojima Autograph Ever?

While everyone else was pushing Metal Gear Solid 4 sleeves in Hideo Kojima's face, nervously anticipating his autograph, Ray—friend of Kotaku reader Andrew—went clever. At the New York City Uniqlo signing event, he opted to have a pack of Marlboros personalized by Hideo while everyone else was upping the value of their copy of Snatcher. Kojima seems to have found the situation quite amusing. Thanks, Andrew!

Hideo Kojima At NYC's Metal Gear Solid 4 Midnight Launch

This was the scene outside the Metal Gear Solid 4 midnight launch at the Virgin Megastore in Times Square, New York City. The epic crowds were here to get their brand-new copy of the game signed by Hideo Kojima, who was in attendance with the lovely Yumi Kikuchi, the voice and model for the "Beauty" Raging Raven.

The real madness took place inside, of course. Hit the jump for full details.

The When And Where On MGS4's Official San Francisco Launch Event

If you're anywhere near the San Francisco area and want to fulfill your lifetime dream of gifting Metal Gear Solid overseer Hideo Kojima a bouquet of long stem roses, make your way to the Metreon this Saturday. Kojima will be signing a limited number of autographs alongside the release of Metal Gear Solid 4. Also in attendance, Sharpies in hand, will be producer Kenichiro Imaizumi, associate producer Ryan Payton, and Yumi Kikuchi, model and "Beauty" inspiration.

The whole thing kicks off June 14 at the PlayStation Store in the Metreon at 4 P.M. Kojima and crew are whisked away at 6 P.M. We suggest getting in line early. As in fifteen minutes ago.

One last thing. Do NOT touch Kojima. And under no circumstances are you allowed to mock Ryan Payton's choice in hats.

Plenty of high praise has flowed to Metal Gear Solid 4, but N'Gai Croal offers a different take in his latest posting over on Level Up. The game, like others, makes timely use of Private Military Corporations (read: mercenaries) to create an environment players want to explore and a story they want to advance. But MGS4's true point lies in its "war economy," which governs or responds to the choices made by players.

If You're In Seattle or NYC This Week ...

Meeting Kojima (Only Signing Sleeves, No Pics Allowed)

So the Metal Gear Solid World Tour has kicked off! And how was it? Kotaku reader Ninjax blogs:

Whilst I was waiting, I readied my Metal Gear Solid collection to get signed.

I went up on the platform where it was my turn to get my sleeve signed. I get my collection out, only to be told by some random HMV employee who was supervising the signing that I'm only allowed to get the sleeve signed. I didn't know how to take it. So I just took out my sleeve, got it signed and shook Hideo Kojima, Yoji Shinkawa and Yumi Kikuchi (Raging Raven) hands. Which kind of made it better.

I wanted to take a quick picture of me with Hideo Kojima, so I shook Hideo's hand whilst my brother who came with me took a picture. For some reason, the man supervising the singing on the platform tried to stop my brother taking the picture, saying that no pictures allowed. But luckily my brother managed to take the picture before he could stop him.So now I couldn't take a picture of my brother and Hideo, which could be the first and last time they meet.

Very disappointing. I traveled such a long way, carried a very heavy bag of MGS games for nothing? It could be the last time I meet the man, and I've already gone through a long process of waiting, might as well sign all the games and let me at least take a decent picture.

Signatures after the jump.

Kojima Ready For New Things, Thinks Lucas Is A Genius

Just like with the Star Wars, Metal Gear Solid 4 ties up lose ends and explains things you are dying to know. But did MGS creator plan it that way? Heck no! He's just making this up as he's going along, flying by the seat of his Burberry pants. Says Kojima:

Yes, it wraps up all the stories of the past MGS games. I'm not a genius like George Lucas, I didn't have this story planned out. I always tried to finish the story in each game. But by some miracle in MGS4 I was able to resolve the mysteries left behind in past games and resolve the side stories from past games.

Lucas, a genius? We're guessing Kojima smartly chose to sit the Star Wars prequels out. But now that the franchise is all tied up, does that mean no more Metal Gear Solid? Ditto for heck no! As we've previously posted, Kojima is already started the MGS5 gestation. He clarifies his role in any upcoming MGS projects:

Kojima Signing MGS 4 Sleeves At London HMV

As a means to get a leg up on their busy, busy Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots launch duties, series creator Hideo Kojima and lead artist Yoji Shinkawa will be appearing at the HMV on Oxford Street in London, England next Monday, June 2nd, 19 days before the game releases. Rather than signing copies of the game itself, Kojima and Shinkawa will be signing exclusive HMV sleeves that will slide over your copy of MGS 4, available with your £5 deposit on the full game. Autographs will begin promptly at noon, with sleeves available from 9:00am.

While I suppose it would be much more appealing to have them signing copies of the game on launch day, it is nice to see Kojima and Shinkawa taking the time out of what is sure to be an extremely busy early June schedule to show the UK some MGS lovin'.

Kojima Is "Thinking" About Metal Gear Solid 5

Metal Gear Solid 4 isn't even out and whaddaya know, the game's creator Hideo Kojima is already thinking about Metal Gear Solid 5. While MGS4 was supposed to be Kojima's last entry the series, he seems to have had a change of heart recently. Isn't he ready to move on to other things? Dunno. What we do know is what he told Famitsu [*spoilers ahoy!*]:

Castlevania Dude On Kojima's MGS4 Decision

Konami's official Castlevania guy Koji Igarashi has been involved in something like 11 games in that franchise. What does Iga think about fellow Konami colleague Hideo Kojima closing the chapter on Solid Snake in Metal Gear Solid 4? Says whip-carrying Iga:

[Metal Gear] is something that Kojima-san has worked on for a long time... That’s his decision and I completely respect him for doing that. Maybe the franchise as a whole will continue. And that’s maybe something that Kojima is thinking about, right? Snake might be at an end, but it could continue in other ways. I don’t know exactly what he’s thinking, but let’s see what he does.

Okay, if you say so. Let's!
Koji Igarashi Isn't Tired [MTV] [Pic]

Metal Gear Retrospective: Part II

Gametrailers got up the second installment of its look at the Metal Gear franchise. This 20-minute clips picks up in 1995, eight years after the first Metal Gear, and five since the Japan-only release of Metal Gear: Solid Snake. Hideo Kojima has heard about this new "PlayStation" console and its capabilities, and sets to creating a sequel that will take full advantage of it ...

Metal Gear Retrospective — Part Two [Gametrailers. Here's Part One if you missed that.]