In what has been one of the most requested pieces of Metal Gear media to be translated to English, Metal Gear voice acting legends David Hayter and Robin Atkin Downes - who each voiced Snake/ Big Boss and Kazuhira "Kaz" Miller" in the Metal Gear Solid series - have released a fan service tribute that honors their time in "Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker", the 20th Anniversary of the release of "Metal Gear Solid", and "Veteran's Day" worldwide - the MGS Peace Walker Sauna Track or "Heiwa to Kazuhira no Blues/ Blues of Peace and Kazuhira".
Originally released on September 22, 2010 - the official CD Drama companion to Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker was written by Hideo Kojima and performed by Snake and Kaz's Japanese voice actors, Akio Otsuka and Tomakazu Sugita respectively. The CD contained remixes of songs released in the Peace Walker soundtrack, as well as "extended briefing file tapes" and other audio special to the release. Now, Snake and Kaz's US Voice Actors have released their version of the audio drama itself. Take a listen below.
MGS: Peace Walker Sauna Track English Dub (w/ Robin Atkin Downes and David Hayter)
This release follows two weeks after Hayter and Downes went live in Periscope and celebrated 20 years of MGS by havinga Q& A with the fans - which this writer, blogger, and MGS fan participated in. If you haven't seen it - here it is! I'm hoping they do get to visit in our shores some time!
David Hayter and Robin Atkin Downes Metal Gear Solid Q&A (Periscope Livestream 10/21/18)
Just as the title states, here are some nifty easter eggs videos I found on You Tube that spotlights treats found on what I consider to be one of the finest, if not THE BEST Playstation Portable game out in the gaming market today - Konami and Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker! Much like the previous installments of the series, the game is ripe with jokes and nods to things only fans of the MGS franchise would recognize. If you happen to be one of them, this is the treats to see. Be warned though, SPOILERS BE AROUND HERE, so if you haven't played the game (which you should), peel your eyes away from the monitor and skip this! Otherwise, enjoy!
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Easter Eggs Part 1
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Easter Eggs Part 2
Oh, on a related note, here's a "easter egg video" which foreshadows a tragic tale once told in MGS2.
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is a video game masterpiece, no doubt about that, and anyone who owns a Playstation Portable owes it to themselves to purchase the game if they're after some action and adventure on the go. For the past month since the game's release, I haven't had the luxury of rest when it comes to pacing on this game. There's just so much else to do even after finishing the proper story and extended scenarios of the game, and while that may be a good thing in terms of replay value, the amount of time invested on games like this will suck you dry and leave you mesmerized guaranteed. As I chronicled in my personal review of the game, this is a definite must have, and Hideo Kojima has redefined the way Naked Snake/ Big Boss and his army of mercenaries handle themselves when it comes to cooperation and teamwork in handling various missions.
Now with that said, what else can a MGS fan do to make his allegiance known? Why, grab something like this of course!
Yes my friends, that right there is Hori's accessory set for MGS: Peace Walker, and I gotta tell you, it literally works wonders! I picked it up yesterday with my friend Mark, and the package is literally a box containing everything for the definite MGS fan! Packed in this pricey but sweet deal is a custmized Peace Walker Pouch; A green Face Cover with the MSF Logo in it; A Cleaner Strap to wipe the Screen with; and 3 Decorative Stickers that can be placed at the back of the PSP. These accessories are pretty neat, but nothing top of the line if you have those extras packed with your regular PSP already. They're just supplemental stuff that will heighten the fandom one already has over another one of Hideo Kojima's excellent games, and that's probably the reason why I got this baby. What's more, there's a character code voucher included that will give players access to a soldier they can use in the game, but how it fares in my end remains to be seen.
So overall, if you enjoy Peace Walker as much as I have and want to give your PSP some "color", this is a decent package to consider. Like MGS? Snake in and grab this official product!
I've been around and about these past few weeks, and thanks to the gaming news storm that is E3, more of my time and updates are spent there, as you can very well see from the recent posts. Gaming has really gone up a notch with all of the exciting announcements made by the big three companies, and I'm looking forward to a lot of things this year and next.
On the flip side of the coin, I finished Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker a few days ago. As another installment that chronicles the saga of Naked Snake/ Big Boss, I thoroughly enjoyed this game, especially with all the tweaks and twists present to give me another excuse to play a Metal Gear game. Unlike Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots, this game is exclusively released for Sony's Playstation Portable, and it plays like a refined version of Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops - a game that series' creator Hideo Kojima only served as producer. Now back in the director's chair, Kojima takes the entire videogame community back to the past and sets the adventure 10 years after the events of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.
In the events of Peace Walker, Big Boss has established "an army without a nation" called the Militaires Sans Frontières or MSF in Columbia, which acts as a mercenary group on call to aid and assist anyone in need without answering to a state. This vision has led to their recruitment by a group of visitors from Costa Rica - a man known only as Professor Galvez, and his student, a young girl named Paz. Snake, along with his second in command Kazuhira Miller, are hired by the visitors to take care of a mysterious military force causing a ruckus in their country. MSF initially refuses, but when Galvez reveals his true motives in secret and plays a mysterious tape that has a familiar voice only Snake would recognize, the man now known as Big Boss makes up his mind to help the girl in need, and find out what exactly is going behind the scenes to give him peace of mind.
As with any Metal Gear game under Kojima's supervision, Peace Walker is another amazing adventure that focuses primarily on stealth, action, and subterfuge. Themes raging from the Cold War, Guerilla Warfare, and Nuclear Deterrence are laced into the whole narrative, giving another history lesson to the diehard plans playing this game. However, there are several exaggerated moments that will remind everyone that this is still a pure work of fiction, especially when Kojima inserts a lot of easter eggs that will have fans talking and remembering his name. Story wise, it continues the steadfast and emotional tale of Naked Snake's rise to power and the establishment of Outer Heaven that started in Snake Eater and Portable Ops, but it also has nods to the other Metal Gear games of the series, particularly the future in which the Sons of Big Boss fight and stand out. There are also plenty of supporting characters new to the series, as well as familiar names and faces that MGS affectionados will recognize immediately. Peace Walker also happens to be full of content that serve well into (and outside) the context of the story, with recorded "Cassette Tape" dialogue in the "Briefing Files" that take hours upon hours just to listen to and finish. The game is truly blessed with high production values, and as far as this reviewer is concerned, this is the first Metal Gear Solid installment since the first game to feature something of this caliber that is similar to the Briefing Files in MGS1, only without the animated cutscenes included.
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Characters Trailer
Among its aims to produce such a unique title, the core aspect of Peace Walker is still its stealth based gameplay. Unlike Snake Eater, things are trimmed down to make everything streamlined, to the point where Snake can no longer crawl and carry bodies around like in previous games. The CQC, running, shooting, and sneaking are still intact, and they work well for the most part using the PSP's control interface, save for some difficulties in sneaking and aiming, which takes some time getting used to. Acquiring weapons and gear in Peace Walker has also changed somewhat, since the game also takes a cue from Portable Ops and forces you to play army builder and base manager to your newly acquired Mother Base facility. Those assets come in when you have recruited a sufficient number of soldiers and POWs to your cause, which can be done by incapacitating them and whisking them away by helicopter using the Fulton Recovery System. This is one of the tools players will be using a lot in Peace Walker net to the Camera, so be sure to choose who to kill or recruit carefully. Soldiers hired successfully are then free to be assigned to a number of tasks, including Combat Ops, R&D, or even the Mess Hall. Attributes and levels then raise, allowing the base to flourish and open up new areas and abilities, such as the development of new gear and weapons (even a little secret project later). All in all, Peace Walker is about leadership as much as it is about action. Take note that during certain cutscenes, there's a certain amount of interaction and quick time sequences involved, so be sure not to just put the PSP down and admire the amazing artwork of Ashley Woods.
If most Metal Gear games had the player flying solo to fight a battle that's almost impossible, fear not, for the cavalry has arrived in the form of a new CO-OPs feature exclusive to this game. On certain adventures, 2-4 players can play alongside one another and take on certain missions and bosses together. They can hide in boxes fit for two, recover life together, or revive their partner who's in a temporary state of death via CPR. The possibilities are nearly limitless when in comes to cooperation gameplay, and even without online present, ad-hoc gaming in Peace Walker more than makes up for that absence. Heck, if you have disagreements with your fellow Metal Gear player, you can always take to the Versus Ops feature and duke it out, deathmatch style or otherwise.
If you're a Metal Gear Solid fan and deeply acknowledge that "Kojima Is God", you owe it to yourselves to pick up Peace Walker and play alongside your fellow Metal Gear fans. There is as much fun to it as there is resolution to the story of Big Boss, and while it's not a completely perfect game in itself, it's up there with the best in the PSP's greatest hits list. Boss fights could have been better if they meshed the grand mech fights with some person to person duels, but overall, it still gets the job done nicely. Also, Monster Hunter fans may want to check this out for Kojima's inclusion of the game's elements in certain Extra Ops missions. What that is, you'll have to find out yourselves, so take time to learn more about Snake and Peace and get this one... fast.
The Metal Gear Solid series is one of my favorite videogame franchises that I have had the privilege of experiencing from the moment it began in 1997, during the golden years of the original Sony Playstation. It can be said that Hideo Kojima weaved together a beautiful military drama masterpiece, rought with danger and laced with espionage themed action that would make even the most experienced player crack under pressure. I've gone through the motions of each installment, and arguably all of them have unique qualities about them that firmly establishes each one as a classic that stands the test of time. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for lead protagonist Solid Snake, who by leaps and bounds has sailed through his final and most tedious mission yet with 2008's Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots. That game, for the life of me, is sheer excellence when it comes to gameplay perfection, and it was practically the sole reason why I had to get Sony's monolith next and now current generation console, the Playstation 3. Now that it's done and finished, the adventures of Solid Snake have come to an end... but that doesn't mean the series is over. Fans have this baby to look forward to:
Oh yes, we've seen the trailers and previews these past few months, but here's a look at the official North American box art to Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker! Naked Snake, aka Big Boss and the protagonist of MGS 3: Snake Eater and the MGS: Portable Ops series, will be returning to the frontlines in this one, and will once again have to fend off enemies and avert a major crisis from happening. The great thing about this game, however, is that heavy emphasis will be placed on co-op and multiplayer, and that takes full advantage of PSP Capabilities. Up to four players can join in the fray, with two engaging in main missions, while four duke it out against powerful adversaries in boss missions. The standard MGS play formula has been tweaked slightly to adjust to this new gameplay style, and after playing Demo Ops alongside my fellow gamer friend Billy, I can attest how fresh and sound Peace Walker will feel and play upon its release this coming June. Stay tuned for more updates, and check out this new gameplay trailer for some insight on the cool things to come courtesy of Konami and Kojima Productions.
Many gamers out there can't wait to experience Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker for the Playstation Portable next year, but there's a demo out at least to tide fans over while Konami and Kojima Productions work hard to make the next chapter in the Naked Snake saga another epic game to remember. In the meantime, scope out some of these fine artwork from the game itself as posted in Kotaku. It's not only the future Big Boss spotlighting the visuals, the other characters are there too, and some of them will look EXTREMELY familiar to fans of the franchise.
Naked Snake... aka Big Boss himself. Not a clone, but the one and only original. Nuff said.
MERYL?! Nah... it's a girl named, but it looks like Ms. Silverburgh
From the way this guy looks, it's Otacon's grandpa or dad. Will he be helping Big Boss out too? Hmm...
Wesker?! Nah, it's Kazuhira Miller... better known as MASTER MILLER to MGS 1 Fans!
Check out more pics in the link above! MGS Peace Walker arrives for the PSP in March 18, 2010 in Japan, and
