I am a Metal Gear solid diehard fan & was so happy to play MGO... I'd tried to purchase the gene expansion of Metal Gear Online but first...the server was 'down' (as usual)...then when they 'fixed' it...u can only purchase the expansion from only selected countries...I live in the Middle-east, & they don’t except any online credit purchase in their site from my country...

I tried to create an American Konami ID use so I can purchase the expansion...and...doesn't work... I tried to contact Konami for help.. But I couldn't find any. I mean... why can't they just put it on the PSN... it's much easier & we will not face any server issues like we usually see in on MGO servers

After Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 Online disaster on the PS3... And these MGO problems... I began to believe that Konami sucks when it comes to online play.
So guys... if there any way to purchase the gene expansion... any trick any thing... please... tell me...I am so desperate

Apparently, there are thirty countries that Konami will not accept credit card purchases from. Hit the jump for those:

Andorra
Bahrain
Bosnia Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Egypt
Estonia
Gibraltar
Hungary
Iceland
India
Israel
Jordan
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Malta & Gozo
Monaco
Montenegro
Morocco
Oman
Poland
Qatar
Romania
Russia
San Marino
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
Turkey
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
Vatican

You can register for the tourney all day today and a chunk of tomorrow, but they only have a set number slots to fill, so if you're interested get to it. The tournament itself will kick off Friday at 12:30 p.m. and wrap up Saturday night.

More importantly Hideo Kojima will be around Friday at the booth from 10 a.m. to noon to autograph things. Hit up the jump for the full schedule, game setting and break-down of prizes.

ROOM LOCATION:
Metal Gear Online Tournament
Mezzanine Level Room #16A

DATES AND TIMES:
July 24, Thursday
SHOW HOURS 9:00AM - 7:00PM
All day (until full) MLG, MGO Tournament registration, at booth front desk

July 25, Friday
SHOW HOURS 9:00AM - 7:00PM
All day (until full) MLG, MGO Tournament registration, at booth front desk

• 10:00AM - 12:00PM KOJIMA, MGO Tournament Room Signing for Kojima

• 12:00PM - 12:30PM KOJIMA, Kojima intro at beginning of tournament

• 12:30PM - 6:30PM MGO Tournament play

• 12:30PM - 1:00PM Round 1 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 1:00PM - 1:30PM Round 2 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 1:30PM - 2:00PM Round 3 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 2:00PM - 2:30PM Round 4 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 2:30PM - 3:00PM Round 5 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 3:00PM - 3:30PM Round 6 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 3:30PM - 4:00PM Round 7 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 4:00PM - 4:30PM Round 8 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 4:30PM - 5:00PM Round 9 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 5:00PM - 5:30PM Round 10 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 5:30PM - 6:00PM Round 11 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 6:00PM - 6:30PM Round 12 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

July 26, Saturday
SHOW HOURS 9:00AM - 7:00PM

All day (until full) MLG, MGO Tournament registration, at booth front desk

• 10:00AM - 6:30PM MGO Tournament play

• 10:00AM - 10:30AM Round 13 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 10:30AM - 11:00AM Round 14 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 11:00AM - 11:30AM Round 15 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 11:30AM - 12:00PM Round 16 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 12:30PM - 1:00PM Round 17 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 1:00PM - 1:30PM Round 18 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 1:30PM - 2:00PM Round 19 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 2:00PM - 2:30PM Round 20 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 2:30PM - 3:00PM Round 21 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 3:00PM - 3:30PM Round 22 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 3:30PM - 4:00PM Round 23 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 4:00PM - 4:30PM Round 24 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 4:30PM - 5:00PM Round 25 (2 matches of 8 players simultaneous)

• 5:00PM - 6:00PM Finals setup

• 6:00PM - 7:00PM Finals (8 players, 1 round of FFA deathmatch, up to 3 round of team [4 ea])

July 27, Sunday
SHOW HOURS 8:45AM - 5:00PM

MGO GAME SETTINGS:

ROUND SETTINGS:
Rule type: Deathmatch
Map: Midtown Maelstrom
Round Time: 20mins
Max Number of Characters: 8
Rounds: 1
DP Enabled: No
Skills allowed: No
User characters allowed: No

FINALS SETTINGS:
Rule type: Deathmatch
Map: Midtown Maelstrom
Round Time: 20mins
Max Number of Characters: 8
Rounds: 1
DP Enabled: No
Skills allowed: No
User characters allowed: No

FINALS TEAM EXHIBITION SETTINGS:
Rule type: Team Deathmatch
Map: Ambush Alley
Round Time: 15mins
Tickets: 99
Max Number of Characters: 8 (4v4)
Rounds: 3 (best 2 of)
DP Enabled: No
Skills allowed: No
User characters allowed: No

PRIZE PACKAGES:

Finals Winners:

1st place:
• Metal Gear Solid 4 Limited Edition PS3 hardware bundle

• Special Metal Gear® Online Poster

• $1000

2nd Place
• Limited Edition Metal Gear Solid 4 game

• Special Metal Gear® Online Poster

• $500

3rd Place
• Limited Edition Metal Gear Solid 4 game

• Special Metal Gear® Online Poster

• $250

Team Exhibition winners
• Special Metal Gear Online poster

All finalists
• Metal Gear Solid 4 Strategy Guide

• Metal Gear Solid 4 T-Shirt

• Metal Gear Solid 4 Dog Tags

Round Winners
• 2 winners each round - $50 gift card

• Metal Gear Solid 4 Dog Tags

A full report and apology for the problems surrounding the release of Metal Gear Online "Gene Expansion" expansion pack [Metal Gear Online]

Konami's solution to some of these issues was to restrict random IP ranges from accessing the shops, in an effort to lighten the load.

The company has also cancelled all Metal Gear Online "Survival" battles planned for this weekend, promising to have a new hamster wheel installed to power the servers as soon as is technically possible.

Metal Gear Online Support [Konami - thanks, Shakir!]

The championship tournament is set to take place at the Tokyo Game Show in October, and is open to players from North America, Europe, Japan and Greater Asia. Those four territories will hold regional championships, and the top teams therein will get a free ride to the Tokyo finals.

The tournament kicks off at San Diego Comic-Con, where players can register and compete for prizes. Details for the regionals themselves in North America will be announced soon.

Full details after the jump. Anyone here tournament-worthy?

KONAMI ANNOUNCES THE
METAL GEAR ONLINE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2008

The Best Players From The North American, Europe, Japan and Greater Asia Regional Championships To Descend On Tokyo Game Show This October For the Title of Best MGOnline Team in the World

Konami Also Reveals First Details for the MGOnline™ Expansion Packs That Will Be Available
For Download Starting July 17

Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. is excited to share with you the first details of the Metal Gear Online World Championship 2008. Taking place at Tokyo Game Show this October, the Metal Gear Online World Championship 2008 is open to the best players in North America, Europe, Japan and Greater Asia. The top teams from Regional Championships in all four territories will receive all expenses paid trips to the MGOWC08 Finals in Tokyo, Japan. To kick off the event Konami will be hosting an exhibition tournament at this year's ComiCon in San Diego, CA. Gamers attending ComiCon can register to enter this exhibition and compete for prizes. More details on the North American Regionals will be announced at a later date.

Additionally, Konami will release MGOnline™ expansion packs - Gene Expansion and Gene Expansion Plus — available for download beginning July 17. Available at an SRP of $11.99, Gene Expansion will contain a vast amount of new content including new maps, two new special characters, the ability to play as a customizable female character, and more. Available at an SRP of $14.99, Gene Expansion Plusinc

METAL GEAR ONLINE GENE EXPANSION [Konami - thanks, Tw3nty0ne!]

Metal Gear Online gets patched with new mode, host option [Ars Technica]

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]

Metal Gear Online Standalone [Rakuten via ２ちゃんねる Thanks, Muu!]

Metal Gear Solid 4 is Kojima Productions' series swan song, an epic denouement that's dripping with metaphor and complex narrative, one that will most likely leave you ultimately satisfied rather than thoroughly confused. Getting to that point, we found, was a hell of a ride.

Loved
A Happy Marriage Of Art & Technology: Metal Gear Solid 4 is without a doubt the best looking PlayStation 3 game yet. A masterstroke of high quality art direction and technical prowess make it a feast for the eyes. Characters are modeled and animated beautifully, and the game's varied environments are expertly crafted. The attention to detail is simply stunning, with some of MGS4's clever product placement seemingly getting extra care. The frame rate may not be ideal, but given what's happening on screen, it's hard to quibble.
Being In Control: One of my biggest personal complaints about the Metal Gear Solid series was its complicated control scheme. MGS4 doesn't dumb things down, but introduces more context-sensitive actions and a tightened layout, resulting in less crab-clawing of the DualShock.
Gorgeous Direction:The bizarre and beautiful avant garde intro from Logan may leave players puzzled, but the Kojima directed in-game cinematics rarely stray into art house territory. Outside of a ludicrous breakdancing battle and some melodramatic emotional scenes, they're engaging and unparalleled in their production values.
Fan Service: MGS4 doesn't just dip into two decades of Metal Gear history, it bathes in it. Kojima fans will likely go wild with the game's extensive references to games past—and not just from twenty years of Metal Gear, but from other Kojima helmed titles, like Policenauts and Zone of the Enders. Many beloved characters make repeat appearances, even if some are just in flashback form. There are deviations from standard gameplay that might just blow your fanboy mind.
Great Gadgets: OctoCamo and Otacon's mini-Metal Gear are welcome additions to Snake's arsenal, as is the multifunction Solid Eye system. Upgrading weapons is a breeze, thanks to a generous and easy to use shopping system.
Robust Multiplayer Modes: Metal Gear Online may have initially seemed like an afterthought, but with six modes that range from straightforward Team Deathmatch to Sneaking Mission—in which one team member plays as Snake, another as Metal Gear Mk .II—it's clear Kojima Productions took multiplayer seriously. A fine replacement for the now-dead original MGO.
Comic Relief: Cola swilling monkeys aren't the only source of laughs in this generally gloomy chapter. Kojima and crew poke fun at themselves perfectly, with a welcome dose of MGS in-jokes and toilet humor that, believe it or not, actually makes sense plot-wise.

Hated
Obscene Cut Scene Length: Kojima Productions needs an editor. One portion of the game has the player mostly hands-off for close to an hour, with unnecessarily long cinematics flanking a hard drive install. We like Kojima's blend of action and narrative and often find his self-indulgence endearing, but there is simply no need to see some of this stuff. Gameplay feels like it takes a backseat to long-winded monologue at times, which is a shame, since the mechanics are so masterfully honed in this chapter.
Getting Metal Gear Online Online Is A Hassle: The Konami ID system is overly complicated and confusing, something we can't imagine doing via DualShock. MGO itself was somewhat unstable, resulting in three failed attempts at downloading a software update and occasional server disconnects.
Loading.... There is a somewhat lengthy install at the beginning of the game, plus additional smaller installs prior to each act. Potentially more aggravating are numerous loading screens that break up the action, with one particular thrilling chase sequence suffering most.

Metal Gear Solid 4 is a fascinating specimen, equal parts video game and interactive digital cinema. It is both aided and hampered by Kojima's predilection for extensive dialogue and exposition. It's so thematically layered, so steeped in Metal Gear lore that it might be intimidating to new players—having skipped out on Metal Gear Solid 3, I was concerned about being completely lost—but it shouldn't be. There are at times I wanted to throttle Kojima for his seemingly endless script, wanting to just play the damn game—something you do less and less as the game wears on—but there's still a certain charm to the game's thickly interwoven themes of the economy of war, familial strife, the role of science, and the toll that time takes on the mind and body.

Metal Gear Solid as a series, we hope, is over. It ends on such a high note—despite its numerous flaws—and so succinctly wraps up its voluminous, twenty-year long narrative that we'd hate to see an even older Snake give it another slog. Playing through Metal Gear Solid 4 again, however, is a different story. It's worth another shot.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots was developed by Kojima Productions, published by Konami. Retails for $59.99. Available on PlayStation 3. Played single player campaign to completion on "Solid Normal" difficulty. Tested all Metal Gear Online modes and extras.

Thanks to Marcus and Ernesto for the heads up.

It's great.

MGO Character [Akayuki]

Or don't! The official Metal Gear Online news page stresses that the beta launch "may change due to unforseen [sic] circumstances." There is a tiny glimmer of good news, as the beta has been pushed on the back end, closing on May 11, instead of the fifth, as previously planned. So... Friday it is. Commence breath holding!

Metal Gear Online Official Site

...we regret to inform you that due to extraordinary levels of traffic from all around the globe, we have been unable to run the service to the level we expected. As a temporary measure, we will be deferring the start of the US public beta test until we are able to stabilize our server. We would like to apologize for all inconveniences as well as confusion caused.

Thanks to all who sent this in.

To start, we have been getting reports that some of you are receiving partial digit UPVC's Metal Gear Online Beta on the "Metal Gear Saga Vol. 2″ DVD inserts. We are aware of this issue and are working hard to remedy. If you've been affected by this issue, please contact us at http://www.konami-data.com/support/. Please be sure to include your partial code, and any other pertinent details (like a return email address, etc). We thank you for your patience.

Currently, the extraordinary levels of traffic levels are causing great difficulty for our customers in accessing the page.
In order to solve the problem, we will be carrying out emergency maintenance work on the site from 04/18/2008 at 20:00 (GMT+9h).
During maintenance, the KONAMI ID portal site will be taken down and therefore will be inaccessible.
We would like to apologize for any inconveniences caused.

Metal Gear Online at FilePlanet [FilePlanet - Thanks Abel!]

From: コナミカスタマーサービス
Date: 2008/4/16
Subject: NOTICE: KONAMI ID Deletion/KONAMI ID登録の取り消しのお知らせ
To: SOME DUDE

この度は、KONAMI IDをご利用頂き、誠にありがとうございます。

ご登録いただきましたKONAMI IDに於きまして、虚偽の情報によるご登録が確認されました。

これは、KONAMI ID基本利用規約「2.4 禁止事項」に該当する行為となります為、同規約「2.2 登録者情報（3）」に従い、登録の取り消しを実施いたします。

このメールを受信以降、ご登録いただきましたKONAMI IDをご利用いただく事はできません。

KONAMI ID基本利用規約は「https://id.konami.net/pc/agreement/agreement.jsp」から
ご確認いただけます。

本メールに関するお問い合わせは、KONAMI IDお問い合わせフォーム
「https://id.konami.net/pc/InquiryForm/index.jsp」よりご連絡ください。

なお、「METAL GEAR ONLINE PREMIERE β」参加をご希望される方は、お住まいの地域のベータテストの参加方法をご確認いただき、改めてKONAMI IDを取得の上、ご参加ください。

Thank you for using KONAMI ID.

However, we regret to inform you that your KONAMI ID has been deleted due to the registration of false information. We would like to add that this is in direct breach of the KONAMI ID Basic Terms and Conditions of Use clauses "2.4 Prohibited Conduct" as well as "2.2 Registrant Information".

Your KONAMI ID will be deleted once you have read this mail.

For more details on the Terms and Conditions of use, please refer to the below web address.

https://id.konami.net/pc/agreement/agreement.jsp

Should you have any further inquiries, please contact us from the below page.

https://id.konami.net/pc/InquiryForm/index.jsp

If you wish to take part in the "METAL GEAR ONLINE PREMIERE BETA" test, we would recommend that you obtain a KONAMI ID for the region you live in provided that the public beta test is open to you.

Yours Sincerely

KONAMI ID services

Thanks MP for the tip! [Pic]

Upon launching and going past the main menu, you'll see that you need to sign up for a Konami ID. What is a Konami ID you ask? It is Konami's service that has actually been around for a while in Japan, which basically allows for a unified account and access across various Konami products and services. Konami ID will be used for the first time in MGO for the US, and using the Konami ID allows for some of the really unique features we plan to offer the community with MGO. Once you hit the Konami ID sign up menu option, you should notice something subtle, but really cool: MGO launches the PS3 web browser from in-game and takes you to the Konami ID registration page. You can also simply visit http://id.konami.net from your favorite Web browser right now and sign up as well, to get a head start!

After the simple registration process, you will attain your Konami ID as well as GAME ID for MGO (the GAME ID is your MGO specific ID, basically).

To accompany the launch, the PLAYSTATION Store will see an exciting selection of content available from 17th April, consisting of the launch of the Metal Gear Online Premiere Beta, building up to the launch of the next chapter in one of PlayStation's most loved franchises, Metal gear Solid: Guns of the Patriots. Also available will be Warhawk™: Operation Broken Mirror, a great new addition to the hugely popular Warhawk experience and Lair™: Diabolical Dragons Pack and Skyguard Upgrade pack, offering new and exciting features and functions. There will also be a collection of trailers including the latest for GTA IV, as well as a Sega Superstars tennis demo.

I expect a similar announcement from SCEA later today, mostly because they said yesterday their would be big news today.

Enhanced PLAYSTATION®Store Launches on 15th April [SCEE]

Europe will get Metal Gear Online beta [Eurogamer]

You may want to harass your local GameStop employee by phone before hoofing it down to your local shop, just to make sure they have it in.

Got my Metal Gear Saga Vol. 2 / Online Beta disc [IGN Boards]

The multiplayer beta test for Metal Gear Online will kick off in April for those who pre-order the game. Run, do not walk, to your local retailer and bring a fiver with you.

According to the magazine, MGO will support 16 players in Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, King of the Hill and Team Sneak. Curiously, though, the official mag writes that it's "expecting five maps in the Starter Pack that will provide the basic setup to get your MGS multiplayer fix moving."

Wait, Starter Pack? That doesn't clear it up at all. Do Kojima Productions simply have plans for downloadable content or is the MGO included in MGS4 simply a teaser product?

We're contacting Konami and Kojima Productions reps to learn more.

Confirmed: MGS4 and Metal Gear Online Join Together! [VGBlogger]

Just before that, contradicting information we'd heard from Konami of America, Kojima told us that while Metal Gear Online is a totally independent game, sold separately from Metal Gear Solid 4, the single-player release will feature partial online play. We're not sure if that means Kojima and crew are planning to include just a demo for Metal Gear Online or if it will feature some other facet of the online component. According to the translation, it sounds like the ultimate decision is still up in the air.

Hopefully, we'll be able to catch up with Kojima at Tokyo Game Show to learn more details.

With Metal Gear Solid 4 a totally offline affair, it's up to Metal Gear Online for the PLAYSTATION 3 to pick up the multiplayer slack (and, of course, help defray the cost of that pricey PS3 development). This first look at the now-gen MGO comes courtesy of Gamer.tv who caught up with Kojima Productions producer Ryan Payton to chat about all things Snake.