Decoding the Metal Gear Solid 4 Marketing Machine

May 31st, 2008

metal gear solid 4 marketing

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is a very important game or the Sony and their stable of Playstation 3 games. Not only will MGS4 showcase the capabilities of two of Sony’s finest assets (Blue-Ray and the Cell Processor) but it should also be the killer app that this console needs. Because of the imminent release date and importance of this title Konami have stepped up their MGS4 marketing into overdrive.

Despite my enthusiasm for this game there are numerous cracks starting to show in Sony’s grand plan. Cracks that are giving plenty of eager fans, like myself a sore headache. I’m talking about the in game advertising, limited shipments and awful pre-order communication (within Australia). I did a lot of on field research into what is under the “A Little Bit of Communication Please” heading so please take a read.

In-game Product Placement

A few weeks ago Konami didn’t just announce they showcased some of the new in game product placement to be featured in MGS4. To summarize; Snake can use an iPod while on the mission, in game characters sport new Japanese mobile phones and Snake has his eye of some sort of energy drink.
Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Analysis | Comments (2)
Tags: konami, marketing, metal gear solid, playstation 3

DP’s Gaming Wallpapers

April 30th, 2008

Oh boy, this is somewhat embarrasing. As mentioned in the previous post I am interested in graphic design and also photography, you can find some of my work on my deviantART page and on my flickr account. Many years ago I created a few video game based wallpapers when my design skills weren’t too crash hot. Even though it is painful looking at these pieces now, some of them, the more recent ones (2 years ago) aren’t too bad. Since I don’t have anywhere to upload these wallpapers to, I thought that I could make this site their last resting place. So below are the wallpapers that I am talking about. Also I apologise for scrolling on the main page, Wordpress’ awful formatting has my hands tied.

You will find that some of them are tagged, I should explain this. Firstly Raven is an old screen name *giggles*, some of the wallpapers were volunteraly made for the Advanced Media Network, a site in which I use to post at quite a bit (the forum that is) and Nexus and Ravens Domain is something of a portfolio site with work from myself and my twin brother. Anyways, I think that the majority of these wallpapers are quite crude but if you like them then…yeah, let me know. Click the titles for a full view.

Advanced Media Network Wallpaper - 1024×768

advanced media network wallpaper

Bowser Sprite - 1024×768

bowser sprite wallpaper

Day of Disaster - 1280×1024

Fierce Deity 2006 - 1600×1200

Gamecube Advanced - 1024×768

Kirby - 1280X1024

Lost in Blue - 1600×1200

Super Mario 64 DS - 1024×768

Mario Kart DS - 1600×1200

Playstation Portable - 1600×1200

Paper Mario 1024×768

Paper Mario #2 1024×768

Paper Mario Dragon - 1600×1200

Pokemon - 1024×768

Raven (Fire Emblem) - 1600×1200

Super Mario - 1024×768

Wario Ware - 1600×1200

Winona (Pokemon) - 1024×768

Zelda - 1280×1024

Zelda #2 - 1024×768

Zelda #3 - 1024×768

Posted in Visual Connection | Comments (7)
Tags: day of disaster, fire emblem, gamecube, konami, lost in blue, mario kart, nintendo, paper mario, Pokemon, super mario, wallpaper, Wario Ware, wii, zelda

Why You Should Buy the Original Metal Gear Solid over Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes

April 3rd, 2008

metal gear solid the twin snakes compare

With the pending release of Metal Gear Solid 4 for the Playstation 3 and the recent release of the 20th Anniversary pack discussion has reignited about which version of Metal Gear Solid should players new to the series pick up. On one hand there is the original PSone classic and on the other hand there is the Gamecube remake; MGS: The Twin Snakes.

It’s a fair question and one that has been met with some confusion. So as a fan of this franchise I wanted to share my thoughts in the hope to level out any confusion. Personally I dislike the Gamecube remake; The Twin Snakes. I feel as though between the conversion from PSone to Gamecube many of the original game’s strongest assets were simply lost in translation. Which is why new players ought to experience the original game in all its low resolution glory. Thats not to say that TTS is a bad game by any means because it’s not, I just feel as though it does not provide the full, 10/10 Metal Gear experience. So to further back this up I want to elaborate on what I feel is wrong with The Twin Snakes.

Lacking the Polish

When developing the original Metal Gear Solid game for the PSone, Kojima and team wanted to make their game the best game on the console. Which is a tough call considering the number of AAA titles on the PSone. This drive ensured that Metal Gear Solid was arguably the most polished game on the system. The story telling, mood setting, stealth action gameplay were all so finely tuned that the original stands as a testament to the team’s effort and a testament to what the PSone is capable of in the right hands.

So when Silicon Knights stepped in to transfer this legendary title onto the Gamecube they had a difficult task ahead of them. Having any developer, let alone a recognized developer like Silicon Knights attempt to remake such a classic would undoubtedly lead in some disappointment. Although, realistically The Twin Snakes really is a faithful port of the original game one thing remains vividly clear as you make your way though the story. The polish and sheer perfection of delivering such a story is just severely lacking. The impact is weakened, effectively losing the game’s strongest assets in translation.
Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Critique | Comments (6)
Tags: 3rd party, konami, metal gear solid, nintendo, playstation, psone, silicon knights

« Older Entries