Metal Gear Solid 4 hasn't even been out a month and a half, but according to Japanese sites, it's hitting the Sofmap "wagon sale" bargain bins where it joins the likes of Virtua Fighter 5 and SEGA's PSP brain trainer. The Konami stealth game was originally released for ¥8,800 (US$82), making it one of the pricier PS3 titles. (Expensive third party PS3 titles tend to book for around ¥7,800 or $72.) Here, what seem to be new copies of MGS4 are going for ¥3,980 ($37). We're not sure if this is an isolated Sofmap store or if other shops in the Sofmap chain are picking up on this price slashing or if this is just a Sofmap summer sale thingy. Amazon Japan has new copies going for slightly above ¥7,000, while the Special Edition is going for ¥5,980. Who knows.

What we do know is that the game sold a ton when released, already placing it in the top sellers of 2008. And it got great reviews in Japan. And it is a great game. So don't think of this as a bad thing! Even if Konami is losing money on these remaining copies, Japanese gamers have less of an excuse to pick up the title. Could help the game sell a million copies eventually. So this is all good, really.

Source: Kotaku.com

god damn this frigging sucks... how come the japanese always get all the cool stuff or cheap games?. well im glad thats just an offer exclusive to japan i would be really pissed if they were selling MGS4 in 30 bucks already in america bc i had to pay $64.99 like 2 weeks ago.

Gears of War 2 made an appearance at the Comic-Con today and some interesting news was dropped, announcing that Gears 2 would get “linked achievements”. What exactly is a “linked achievement”? Well simply put, things you achieved in the first Gears of War game will have an affect on your play through the much anticipated sequel. Cliffy B gave some examples of what he meant by linked achievements:

- Complete Act One in Gears Of War, unlock a playable Anthony Carmine in Gears of War 2
- Find 10 COG tags in Gears Of War, unlock Minh Young Kim in Gears of War 2
- Kill Raam in Gears Of War, unlock a playable Raam in Gears of War 2

This is a great way to promote players to play through the original title and promote continuity between titles. This is an interesting and innovative idea that should be incorporated into more sequels especially since there are so many sequels coming out soon. Curious what if any other “linked achievements” might get added later?

[Thanks for the info from the show ZiCommisar]

Source: loot-ninja.com

well i think this is kinda cool more games should try to do this. like Being Elite in RSV1 gives you extra stuff on RSV2. but anyways this is good news for me bc i wanned to play the whole campaign all over again on my new tag. so this gives me a reason why to do it besides bc i wanned to lol.

The Playstation 3 version of Namco Bandai’s fighting em up, Soul Calibur 4 doesn’t support trophies. It has an in-game achievement system called required honor. Basically when you unlock something, it will pop up on the screen notifying you that you’ve unlocked what you’ve just achieved. To view the achievement you need to head over to the meseum at the battle records.

Also, there is no support for custom in-game music.

Source: TalkPlaystation.com

this is uber frigging lame dude Sony released the update a few weeks ago and theres no games that support the trophies system besides SuperStar Dust HD. i mean wuts the point of having trophies if theres no games that support em and yes dont gimme that "oh the patches are on its way" crap. sony should have at least patched their games (uncharted, heavenly sword, warhammer, folklore). but well thats just me. wuts yer 2 cents?

Sex sells. We know it does. And when the target audience consists mostly of men it's a no-brainer that wrapping some rudely inviting breasts, a cute ass and a killer pair of pins around any game-related product is going to turn heads. Certainly it's guaranteed to get more attention than an unsexed alternative. A promo shoot for a racing car game without a near-naked maiden draped over the hood is just, well, a picture of a car. No matter the horsepower, it lacks aesthetic va-va-voom. here are a few examples.

Game design must be super, super hard. What else can explain the number of shortcuts being taken in almost every one? Genres are repeated, environments are recycled and storylines all begin to sound the same.

Most copied, however, are the characters. Dreaming up an entirely new personality with entirely new traits is a daunting task, so the majority of folks you meet in games end up feeling identical to the folks you met in previous games. If they don't look alike, they act alike. If they don't act alike, they at least talk alike. The only things that change are the name and the background. Maybe.

The Half Naked Woman

Description: Behold the most shameless - and least surprising - character cliché of all time. Yes, in the fictional worlds of gaming, clothing is apparently in short supply and temperatures are clearly scorching. Why else would 99% of the women - from spies, ninjas, vampires and sorcerers to reporters, golfers, mechanics, archeologists and high school students - choose to dress up like a bunch of Las Vegas strippers?

Common characteristics:

*Skin.
*Skin.
*More skin.
*Um, some other stuff like a weapon... or a face... i think?

The Stereotypical Black Guy

Description: Movies and television still receive a lot of flak over their less-than-diverse portrayal of minorities, but videogames - the youngest and most immature of the three media - has got to be the worst offender The Stereotypical Black Guy Evident in games from America, Europe and Japan, he is always a tough, trash-talkin', no-nonsense bruiser. Which sounds cool, until the lazy cliché gets repeated over and over with no variation or acknowledgement that many other types of "Black Guys" exist in the world... Then it becomes a big part of the problem.

Common characteristics:

*Bulging, almost inhuman arms with biceps the size of basketballs and veins the size of garden hoses.
*Absolutely no sleeves. Tear off by hand if necessary.
*Fists clenched and ready at all times.
*Deep bass voice that speaks primarily in slang or swear words.
*Tattoos, of course.
*Chains, of course.

The Mistery Masked Man

Description: What better way to hide a generic character than under an even more generic helmet! After all, rendering an inert dome of glass, metal, plastic or futuristic space shit has got to be easier than animating a human face, what with the eyes and the mouth and the hint of a soul. Plus, a mask adds instant mystique - without the inconvenience of having to write a logical origin story. Bam... done before lunch.

Common characteristics:

*Cool reflective visor. Check out that sun flare effect!
*Breathing apparatus for badass robot voice.
*Equally - and unrealistically - constrictive suit to match the hat. Gloves, chest plates and bulky shoulder pads a must; spandex and backpack optional.
*Random bolts, pipes, tubes and glow-y bits.
*Strategically placed dents, scratches and cracks (for extra manliness).
*Horribly scarred (possibly shy) human within. Or is there???

Pure Hearted love interest

Description: Every noble hero requires a beautiful damsel in distress, but God forbid she be given anything resembling a real personality. No, no, the Pure-Hearted Love Interest must maintain her saintly composure and untouched dignity at all times, waiting for her prince to pluck her like the delicate flower she has always been and shall always... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Common characteristics:

*One dainty hand held to the chest or shoulder in a gesture of reserved humility. "Oh! Me? You think I'm pretty? Tee hee."
*Hair pulled back in a demure braid, held in place by a jeweled crown or blown ever so gently by the warm spring breeze.
*Innocent face turned up - towards heaven, of course.
*Eyes (preferably blue) gazing wistfully into the distance, waiting for a  flash of shining armor.
*Shoulders either bare (but that's all you're gonna get, buster!) or covered in billowy blouse sleeves.
*Occasionally followed by inexplicable showers of falling flower petals.

The Brooding Pretty Boy

Description: A mainstay of role-playing games for as long as we can remember, the Brooding Pretty Boy is capable of impossible extremes. He is both softly feminine and ruggedly masculine. With a tortured and mysterious past, he can play either hero or villain. And although one of the most attractive and popular characters in the game, he usually acts the most depressed and downtrodden. To some, he is an intriguing enigma; to others, a big self-pitying baby.

Common characteristics:

*Pensive expression, with eyes cast downward in deep and oh-so-very-important thought.
*The slightest of frowns. Is he angry? Hurt? Or just getting a widdle sweepy?
*Elaborately coiffed hair that wouldn't look out of place in a modern art museum (preferably silver, yellow or blue).
*Desperate attention seeking through flamboyant and unnecessary accessories like capes, cloaks, feathers, ruffles, upturned collars, metal jewelry and oversized zippers.
*A ridiculously large weapon to overcompensate for all of the above