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Strangelove joins MSF and works with Huey on Metal Gear Zeke, an AI-controlled mech later armed with Peace Walker's recovered nuke. Zadornov also escapes several times, forcing Snake to repeatedly recapture him. After his seventh escape, Big Boss finds him at the shooting range and kills him in self-defense. Snake is suspicious because Zadornov's escapes point to an [[wikt:inside job|inside job]]; Kaz then warns Snake that Zeke has activated.
Strangelove joins MSF and works with Huey on Metal Gear Zeke, an AI-controlled mech later armed with Peace Walker's recovered nuke. Zadornov also escapes several times, forcing Snake to repeatedly recapture him. After his seventh escape, Big Boss finds him at the shooting range and kills him in self-defense. Snake is suspicious because Zadornov's escapes point to an [[wikt:inside job|inside job]]; Kaz then warns Snake that Zeke has activated.


Paz turns out to be at the controls and identifies herself as Pacifica Ocean, an agent of Cipher. She plans to launch a nuclear strike at the US East Coast, then frame the MSF as a terrorist cell responsible. Snake destroys Zeke, only for Paz to warn Snake he will eventually be seen as an international criminal; Zeke then detonates, the blast throwing Paz overboard. Although she is believed dead, Big Boss speculates she survived the explosion and fall.
Paz turns out to be at the controls and identifies herself as Pacifica Ocean, an agent of Cipher. She plans to launch a nuclear strike at the US East Coast, then frame the MSF as a terrorist cell responsible. Snake destroys Zeke, only for Paz to warn Snake he will eventually be seen as an international criminal; Zeke then detonates, the blast throwing Paz overboard. Although it was believed she was supposedly to be dead, but she wasn't. She was found alive by a Brazilian fisherman who came across her drifting in the Caribbean. Shown in the offical trailer for Metal Gear Sold: Ground Zeroes at the 2012 Eurogamer Expo on Saturday and Sunday September 29-30, 2012.


Following Zeke's destruction, Kaz admits knowing Pacifica and Zadornov's identities and purposes well beforehand, and that "Cipher" is Major Zero, who perpetrated the whole plot and indirectly triggered and funded MSF's expansion. Although Snake is angry at him, Kaz explains MSF set a new trend in military operations with their actions and predicts that the end of the Cold War will give rise to regional conflicts where MSF can thrive. Since MSF disrupted the global military [[Balance of power in international relations|balance of power]], Big Boss warns that certain forces will definitely try to take them down, hence their need to continue operating outside of society as an independent force.
Following Zeke's destruction, Kaz admits knowing Pacifica and Zadornov's identities and purposes well beforehand, and that "Cipher" is Major Zero, who perpetrated the whole plot and indirectly triggered and funded MSF's expansion. Although Snake is angry at him, Kaz explains MSF set a new trend in military operations with their actions and predicts that the end of the Cold War will give rise to regional conflicts where MSF can thrive. Since MSF disrupted the global military [[Balance of power in international relations|balance of power]], Big Boss warns that certain forces will definitely try to take them down, hence their need to continue operating outside of society as an independent force.

Revision as of 20:31, 13 December 2012

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
Cover art of Peace Walker released in North America, Oceania and parts of Europe.
Developer(s)Kojima Productions
Publisher(s)Konami
Director(s)Hideo Kojima[3]
Producer(s)Hideo Kojima
Designer(s)Hideo Kojima
Artist(s)Yoji Shinkawa
Writer(s)Hideo Kojima
Composer(s)See Music
SeriesMetal Gear
Platform(s)PlayStation Portable
PlayStation 3
Xbox 360
Release
April 28, 2010
  • MGS: Peace Walker
    PlayStation Portable
    MGS HD Collection
    PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
    • NA: November 8, 2011[2]
    • JP: November 10, 2011 (separated title)[1]
    • AU: February 16, 2012
    • EU: February 3, 2012[2]
Genre(s)Stealth, action, third-person shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, cooperative multiplayer

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (Japanese: メタルギアソリッド ピースウォーカー, Hepburn: Metaru Gia Soriddo Pīsu Wōkā) is a video game produced by Konami and Kojima Productions that was released for the PlayStation Portable in 2010.[4] Peace Walker is the eighth main entry in the Metal Gear series, and the fourth title released for the PSP. It is also the first game in the series for a portable platform to be directed by series' creator Hideo Kojima.[3] Due to the game's intended audience, Peace Walker is the first major title in the Metal Gear series to receive a "Teen" rating from the ESRB. Peace Walker was originally intended to be the fifth numbered entry in the series, but was later renamed.[5] The development team that worked on Peace Walker was as large as the team that worked on Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.[6]

Set in 1974 in Costa Rica, the game follows the exploits of returning protagonist Naked Snake, now known as Big Boss, as he runs the mercenary unit that would eventually become Outer Heaven.[7]

Gameplay

Sample of gameplay screen during a Co-Ops mission. The image had Naked Snake in Naked camo hiding from a Peace Sentinels soldier, armed with a M60 GPMG. The player's partner is barely seen hiding on the other side of the truck

Some changes are made to the standard Metal Gear Solid formula. Movement is done on the analog stick; actions such as co-op actions use the directional-pad; melee actions, which include multiple throws into crowds of enemies, use the R button; and weapons use the L button with the R button. Players will be unable to move or shoot while lying down and while pinned on a wall. The player can set the control system according to that of Portable Ops,[8] Guns of the Patriots, or Capcom's Monster Hunter.

The Comrade System from Portable Ops has been removed in favor of cooperative gameplay, with two players in main missions and up to four players in boss missions, called Co-Ops. Players can choose one of a number of different load-outs including one's camouflage.

  • Naked — wearing only light clothing, players using Naked uniforms move fast at the cost of lower stealth, weaker defense, and fewer items. The swimming suit outfit allows the player to move faster than any other uniform, but restricts the player to only one primary weapon.
  • Jungle Fatigues — A balance of stealth, defense, weapons, and inventory. Available in multiple camouflage patterns.
  • Sneaking Suit — A different version of Snake's uniform from Portable Ops, the Sneaking Suit allows players to move without generating foot noises and have higher camouflage compared to other suits while moving, but restricts them to five items and six secondary weapons.
  • Battle Dress — A heavily armored variant, players equipped with the suit can carry a third primary weapon and absorb heavy firepower, but at the cost of carrying fewer items, having slow movement speed, and having a lower camouflage index.
  • Tuxedo — wearing a tuxedo, players using the Tuxedo can carry many items, but with a low camouflage index.

There are several actions that can take place when two Snakes are next to each other. 'Snake-in' allows players to hold on to each other as one player leads the way, also allowing the players to fire on the move. Other co-operative actions include holding up closing doors, performing CPR on fallen comrades, sharing items, and acting as a spotter for other players whose vision is obscured. The game adopts certain mechanics from Metal Gear Solid 4, such as the ability to move while crouched, the over-the-shoulder shooting view, the CQC system, and the ability to search held-up soldiers. The truck from Portable Ops, where players can bring subdued enemies for recruitment, has been discarded in favor of the Fulton Skyhook, which players attach to subdued soldiers and prisoners. The Wi-Fi recruitment system from Portable Ops has been modified that instead of tapping the Circle button to obtain a strong enough signal from an access point, the player will have to knockout soldiers using CQC to accept them. The cardboard box used to hide from enemy soldiers is now available in two-man versions called Love Boxes, which have different variants. The Surround Indicator in Portable Ops can also be used only when it is equipped in the item box and players will also develop and use an early version of the Soliton radar system from Metal Gear Solid. The game features the camouflage index system from Snake Eater, but the player will not have the ability to change camouflage uniforms during a mission as the point index will be entirely based on movement, position, and the size of the weapon equipped in the weapon box. The player can also use marking devices to call in artillery strikes or resupply drops.

Some of the game's cut-scenes will require button inputs from the player to advance the plot and can count towards the rating for completing a mission.

The crew management system from Portable Ops also returns through a feature called the Mother Base, an abandoned OTEC research platform in the Caribbean that serves as the MSF's headquarters. Aside from managing the combat, medical, intelligence, and technology research teams seen in MPO, the player can assign personnel to the mess hall crew to feed the troops and keep up their morale. Rebellious or injured personnel can be brought to the brig and sickbay, respectively. The player will also have a chance to capture military vehicles that appear in the game as minor boss opponents, such as armored personnel carriers, tanks, and attack helicopters. Up to 350 soldiers can be recruited; excess staff caught in a mission must be discharged and up to 50 vehicles can be captured over the course of the game.

Outer Ops

Outer Ops is a new game mechanic where players can deploy their combat unit soldiers (with the exception of Snake and other unique characters) and captured vehicles on certain missions against computer opponents. Each assault force codenamed from Alpha to Hotel has eight slots for assigning vehicles or soldiers, who can gain combat bonuses such as additional hit points and Psyche points, and generate income for the team. Depending on the scale of the enemy's firepower, MSF soldiers who are defeated during the battle can either die or be brought to sickbay for treatment. Vehicles that show damage in one mission will still show damage unless they are taken off the front for repairs, while decommissioned vehicles will be stricken from the inventory.

Extra Ops

Extra Ops are a series of stand-alone challenges which will be unlocked as the game progresses. The 128 challenges vary from shooting exercises to full-blown battles featuring more powerful custom versions of the game's bosses. Some of the missions, which are set in a nearby mythical island, feature monsters from Capcom's Monster Hunter franchise, the Tigrex and Rathalos, where players will be rewarded with unique items.[9] Completing the Extra Ops missions would also help in expanding the Mother Base modules.

Versus Ops

Versus Ops are multiplayer matches played over special versions of certain maps. The player has a choice of whether to organize individual or team deathmatches, base capture and quetzal capture missions. Certain items or weapons unlocked in the single-player campaign can only be used in the mode. Each match can gather up to six players with restrictions included, such as life and Psyche points not regained and limited time for CPR revivals.

Plot

Fictional chronology
in Metal Gear

Peace Walker is set in Costa Rica in November 1974, four years after the events of Portable Ops and ten years after Snake Eater. Snake (Big Boss) returns as the main character and is running his own mercenary unit after he decided to break away from The Patriots group founded by Major Zero. A mysterious group equipped with the latest weapons, called the Peace Sentinels (PS), has been deployed in-country. Despite the PS being equipped with the firepower equivalent to that of a land army, the Costa Rica government cannot do anything about them because the country's constitution does not allow the creation of an armed forces. The PS presence threatens to endanger the balance of power between the East and West.[10]

Characters

Main article: List of Metal Gear characters

The game's main protagonist is Naked Snake (Akio Ōtsuka/David Hayter), who is leading a new mercenary group called the Militaires Sans Frontières (MSF) after leaving The Patriots which was under the command of Snake's former CO Major Zero. He is assisted in this endeavor by MSF deputy chief Kazuhira Miller (Tomokazu Sugita/Robin Atkin Downes). They are eventually joined later in the game by Sandinista rebel leader Amanda Valenciano Libre (Romi Park/Grey DeLisle) and her kid brother, Chico (Kikuko Inoue/Antony Del Rio), Paz Ortega Andrade (Nana Mizuki/Tara Strong), a student at the University of Peace; Hal Emmerich's future father Huey (Hideyuki Tanaka/Christopher Randolph),[11][12] and French ornithologist Cécile Cosima Caminades (Yu Kobayashi/Catherine Taber).

The game's main antagonists are Hot Coldman (Mugihito/H. Richard Greene), who is the CIA Central America station chief, and Ramon Galvez Mena (Hōchū Ōtsuka/Steve Blum), Paz's instructor. Dr Strangelove (Yumi Kikuchi/Vanessa Marshall) is a British AI expert whom Coldman hired to work on the Peace Walker Project and is later attracted to Huey.

The game also features flashback scenes from Snake Eater, particularly the final battle between Snake and The Boss, plus the audiotape that EVA (Misa Watanabe/Suzetta Minet) left behind after Operation Snake Eater. Through a set of audiotape briefing files unlocked upon completing the game, EVA also provides Snake with new information about The Boss' activities during a period where Snake was unable to keep in touch with her. Kikuko Inoue and Lori Alan also reprise their voice roles as The Boss in the flashbacks and as the voice of the Mammal Pod AI construct modeled after The Boss. Trenya from Monster Hunter also appears as Snake's transporter to a mythical island.

Story

Prologue: An Army Without Borders

At Colombia's Barranquilla Coast on November 4, 1974, MSF deputy commander Kazuhira Miller introduces Naked Snake to Paz Ortega Andrade and Ramón Gálvez Mena, two potential clients. Since Costa Rica has no army, Gálvez tells Snake the Costa Rican government authorized him to purchase the MSF's services in stopping an invading armed group. Kaz and Snake, who believe the invaders to be CIA, accept the offer, and are provided an offshore platform in the Caribbean as a base. Though initially reluctant, Snake agrees to the deal when given a recent audio tape containing The Boss' voice.

A few days after the meeting, Snake arrives at a beach in Costa Rica to check out a supply base where Paz claims she was tortured along with a friend; it is here where he overhears a radio conversation about "spears" being loaded onto a barge headed for Mount Irazu. From the previous radio conversation and supplies of film badges, Snake suspects that the CIA is bringing nuclear weapons into the country.

Chapter 1: A Country Without An Army

Worried about another potential political crisis, Snake recalls Gálvez' briefing and decides to contact the Sandinista rebels he mentioned to gain more information. After rescuing a Sandinista cell from mercenaries, their leader, Amanda Valenciano Libre, briefs Snake about the CIA presence and the route of the barge he is following.

When an aircraft abducts some of the rebels, including Amanda's brother Chico, they follow it to a plantation factory. Drones then try to abduct Amanda and, after Snake shoots down the drone, Amanda falls and breaks her leg; Snake, on Amanda's request, is then sent to rescue Chico and the rebels. Freeing Chico from his captors, he points Snake to a base in Irazu. Infiltrating the base, Snake overhears Dr. "Huey" Emmerich arguing with Hot Coldman over launching a nuke. The heated argument ends with Coldman pushing the wheelchair-bound Huey down a flight of stairs; Snake comes to his aid, only to miss Peace Walker, a nuclear mecha, being transported. Shortly after, Snake battles the Pupa AI weapon, which he destroys.

After the battle, Huey briefs Snake about the Peace Walker Project; Peace Walker is a mobile, fail-deadly nuclear deterrent system capable of striking from anywhere and eluding pre-emptive nuclear attacks, which, if mass produced, grants the owner exemption from mutually assured destruction. Huey advises that Snake reach a nearby lab where Peace Walker will be installed with AI components.

Chapter 2: The Phantom Hero

Snake decides to infiltrate the base using Huey's access card; while sneaking through the forest, he stumbles upon a scantily-clad woman who has escaped the base. The woman, Cécile Cosina Caminades, explains that she was captured for recording Quetzal sounds inside the ruins, not knowing that there was a base inside. When Huey's passcard does not work, Snake finds a guard who found the one Cécile used to escape, allowing him to enter the facility.

Inside, Snake encounters Dr. Strangelove. She explains that she has duplicated The Boss' personality in a massive AI core, called the Mammal Pod. She details that the pod can enable a nuclear retaliation without hesitation, and that The Boss' decision-making skills are most suited for the task of planning the attack. Snake enters the Mammal Pod and talks with the AI, which turns out to be the voice in Gálvez's tape. Shocked at the misuse of Big Boss' legacy, Snake attempts to take out the main parts of it. Inside the pod, Snake passes out and wakes up in a large courtyard, where he sees a helicopter carrying the Mammal Pod away. A flying AI, named the Chrysalis, is sent to deal with Snake, but is defeated. Kaz informs Snake about Peace Walker's testing location — an underground base disguised as a strip mine.

Chapter 3: A Nation Reborn

Finding The Boss' old horse, Snake travels to the quarry, only to set off an alert; after defeating the guards, Snake then dispatches another AI called the Cocoon. Snake sneaks through the base and reaches Peace Walker's hangar, where he slips through to the Mammal Pod and interrogates the Boss AI about Operation Snake Eater. Before he can destroy the AI, Snake is surrounded and captured. Coldman explains that the Peace Walker Project is part of a plan to reclaim US strategic superiority lost during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the various arms control treaties established ever since. Coldman also admits to being the mastermind of Operation Snake Eater. Before being taken away, Snake can surprise and kill the several soldiers around him; if successful, Snake charges Strangelove and, rather than attacking her, steals her ID card before being knocked unconscious by more soldiers.

Now captured, Snake is tortured by Strangelove about the Boss' ideals, only for Snake to unwittingly give her the answers she needs by his silence, allowing her to perfect the Boss AI. Later, Snake escapes his cell by using a jigsaw blade hidden in his chest scar (or Strangelove's ID if stolen), and returns to the hangar to find Paz in Coldman's hands. Coldman reveals he plans to have Peace Walker fire a nuke at MSF's Mother Base, thus proving its capabilities to the global superpowers. Peace Walker is brought to the surface, where Snake fights it; not long into the battle, however, Coldman attracts Peace Walker's attention, allowing him to escape with it along with Paz and Strangelove. Snake pursues Coldman on The Boss' horse to the Nicaraguan border, only for it to collapse, forcing Snake to euthanize it.

Chapter 4: The Illusion of Peace

Determined to save Paz, Snake follows Peace Walker to an American missile base near Lago Cocibolca, only to find Soviet soldiers inside. With the MSF inbound and the base on red alert, Snake fights his way to the communications tower and confronts Coldman, who is ready to launch Peace Walker's nuke. Coldman explains that, since Peace Walker is only a defensive system, reverse-engineered false data will force it to choose the coordinates of MSF's headquarters as the ideal "retaliation" location.

Before Coldman can input the launch code, the Soviet troops suddenly turn their guns on Coldman as Gálvez appears, who reveals himself as KGB operative Vladimir Alexandrovich Zadornov. Zadornov reveals that, while working with Coldman all along, he was using him to his own ends, and blackmails Strangelove into changing the false data to target Cuba; since a Soviet ally will be attacked from a South American US base, the backlash will result in Soviet sympathy that will divide the Americas, granting in KGB influence. Zadornov also reveals he hired MSF to help the Sandinistas become a formidable force, allowing him to later instigate a revolution that will guarantee the overthrowing of the Somoza government. Zadornov, after failing to persuade Paz into shooting Coldman, critically wounds Coldman himself and attempts to assassinate Snake to make him a martyr akin to Che Guevara; before he can, the Sandinistas and the MSF overpower the Soviet forces and capture Zadornov. After Zadornov, Paz, and Coldman are flown off to Mother Base, Strangelove apologizes to Snake for torturing him.

As he dies, Coldman inputs the Peace Walker activation code, keeping Cuba as the target; however, he also sends fake data to NORAD, making Peace Walker launch both a genuine attack on the Communists, and a false one on the US. In the absence of the President and Vice-President, NORAD initiates a DEFCON 2 alert, and Huey urges Snake to destroy Peace Walker. Snake damages the unit enough to stop the genuine launch and immobilize it, but the false data transmission continues. With the US getting closer to nuclear retaliation and Peace Walker being too heavy to force into Lago Cocibolca, Huey patches Snake to the National Military Command Center to convince the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs not to launch. Despite Snake proving his identity to the Chairman, some of the Joint Chiefs do not believe Snake and take over the authority to launch.

After another attack on Peace Walker, the Mammal Pod then opens itself to allow Snake inside to pull it apart; however, the data is still transmitted utilizing the Reptile Pod as a backup. As the fake impact approaches, Peace Walker, synching the remains of both AI pods, begins singing, and starts "thinking with its heart"; Peace Walker then drowns itself to stop the signal before US retaliation, proving The Boss' innocence through her AI duplicate's non-violent choice. As Peace Walker sinks below the lake, Snake comes to terms with his past, but feels betrayed by The Boss hoping for peace; as a result, he throws away her old bandanna and finally inherits the title Big Boss from her.

Chapter 5: Outer Heaven

Strangelove joins MSF and works with Huey on Metal Gear Zeke, an AI-controlled mech later armed with Peace Walker's recovered nuke. Zadornov also escapes several times, forcing Snake to repeatedly recapture him. After his seventh escape, Big Boss finds him at the shooting range and kills him in self-defense. Snake is suspicious because Zadornov's escapes point to an inside job; Kaz then warns Snake that Zeke has activated.

Paz turns out to be at the controls and identifies herself as Pacifica Ocean, an agent of Cipher. She plans to launch a nuclear strike at the US East Coast, then frame the MSF as a terrorist cell responsible. Snake destroys Zeke, only for Paz to warn Snake he will eventually be seen as an international criminal; Zeke then detonates, the blast throwing Paz overboard. Although it was believed she was supposedly to be dead, but she wasn't. She was found alive by a Brazilian fisherman who came across her drifting in the Caribbean. Shown in the offical trailer for Metal Gear Sold: Ground Zeroes at the 2012 Eurogamer Expo on Saturday and Sunday September 29-30, 2012.

Following Zeke's destruction, Kaz admits knowing Pacifica and Zadornov's identities and purposes well beforehand, and that "Cipher" is Major Zero, who perpetrated the whole plot and indirectly triggered and funded MSF's expansion. Although Snake is angry at him, Kaz explains MSF set a new trend in military operations with their actions and predicts that the end of the Cold War will give rise to regional conflicts where MSF can thrive. Since MSF disrupted the global military balance of power, Big Boss warns that certain forces will definitely try to take them down, hence their need to continue operating outside of society as an independent force.

In a later address, Big Boss tells his troops that their group will serve under anyone regardless of nations and ideologies, and they will soon build a nation they can call their own, named Outer Heaven.

Promotion

On March 27, 2010, Japanese beverage firm Suntory released a special line of eight cans in Japan that have images of various Peace Walker characters for the Mountain Dew and Pepsi Nex lines.[13][14] The drinks are promoted in the game as health items, with Snake possibly getting a Mountain Dew shirt after the player inputs a special code found in the actual cans. Japanese apparel brand Uniqlo is also running a similar promotion. However, the labelled products were only available in the Japanese version; their counterpart in the North American and European versions will have generic names and the MSF logo. The player can also use various incarnations of Sony Walkmans to listen to the game's background music.[9] Sony also released a limited-edition W Series Walkman, the NWZ-W252CAMO, which comes with special game codes, six exclusive tracks from the game, and a special camouflage skin.[15]

On April 1, 2010, Konami released a short promotional video with Patrice Desilets, the creative director of Assassin's Creed II. The clip, which was an April Fool's Day joke, features Snake performing Altaïr's leap of faith dive into a large pile of hay (the Assassin's Straw Box) and stealthily knocking out enemies. The Easter egg is part of the game as a special Love Box that players can use to capture enemies, but it can also deteriorate with repeated use.[16] Konami and Ubisoft earlier produced an Assassins Creed-themed April Fool's Day joke for Metal Gear Solid 4 in 2008, which featured Snake wearing an Altaïr costume.[9]

On April 7, 2010, Konami and Square Enix unveiled a new line of action figures based on the game. Released under Square's Play Arts Kai series, the line features the Sneaking Suit and Jungle Fatigues Naked Snakes and the game's main boss machines - Chrysalis (the VTOL aircraft featured in the original E3 trailer), Pupa (a derivative of the Shagohod), Basilisk (the mech being carried by Chrysalis in the TGS09 trailer), and the Cocoon (a large mobile fortress with multiple turrets). In addition, parts of the Peace Sentinels mechs, plus special game logos, can be transferred to Front Mission Evolved for use in the Wanzers.[17][18] The line has since expanded to add figures of Battle Dress Snake, Miller and Metal Gear Zeke, which can be accessorized with certain parts packaged in the Peace Sentinels mech figures.

To build interest for the game's North American release, Konami, Best Buy, and Sony Online Entertainment launched a code-collecting contest on May 5, 2010. The "Code Hunt", which was exclusive to United States customers of PlayStation Home, will have teams of five contestants scouring locations for elusive Peace Walker codes, each of which gets them closer and closer to the grand prize. The promo ended on June 2 with the winners announced on June 29. The prizes included $10,000 in cash and Peace Walker Big Boss Bundles.[19][20]

With the game's Japan release on April 29, Konami embarked on a world tour to promote the game. The Asian leg started simultaneously in Tokyo and Yokohama, followed by events in Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka, Seoul, Taipei, and Hong Kong. The U.S. leg had events in Los Angeles and New York, with the European legs held in Paris and London, to coincide with the EU release of the game.[21]

Demo Ops

A nine-minute video was shown at Gamescom, which strongly emphasized its co-operative play (the term Co-Ops was used frequently, obviously mirroring Portable Ops, which utilized a solo sneaking motif for its story mode).[22] The game made its playable debut at Tokyo Game Show 2009, and IGN released a Japanese-language demo version.[23]

On December 17, 2009, the official English demo of the game was released on the PlayStation Network, containing the levels from the 2009 Tokyo Game Show Japanese demo along with an all-new boss battle.[24][25] A survey was made available on Konami's website for the rest of the month after December 17.[26]

Versions and releases

Two Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Bundle versions have been released in Japan, one consists of the game with a camouflaged PSP-3000, leather pouch, leather wrist strap, cloth, dog tags, numbered collectible stands, and a booklet for ¥36,980 or US$404 with 1,974 copies only being made when the game is released on March 18, 2010, from the Konami Style Store.[27][28][29] The other bundle offer includes the camouflaged PSP-3000, a pouch, a wrist strap, a camouflaged cleaning cloth and the Peace Walker UMD for ¥26,980 or US$295.[27]

For North and South American players, Sony released a special GameStop exclusive Big Boss Pack that featured a camouflaged PSP-3000 with the UMD game, a downloadable movie voucher for the PlayStation Network, a code to unlock special in-game content and a 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo.[30] This pack was released on June 8, 2010 for US$199.[31][32][33] Among the exclusive items included, is a FOX Unit camouflage and a Stealth Gun.[30]

Additional content

After the release of Peace Walker, additional content could be downloaded through the Network function in the extras menu. Additional content included extra uniform camo patterns, additional music for the Walkman, new AI boss voices, extra Vocaloid songs (which have since been removed) and additional magazine covers and two comic magazines (Japan only).

Players could also use the NetVocaloid services to create their own Vocaloid files, which could be used as voices for Metal Gear ZEKE, Co-Ops communications, song lyrics, and other uses. However, on February 14 2012, it was announced that the NetVocaloid services would be discontinued as of February 28, 2012.

Due to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, the Metal Gear Servers that host the additional content and NetVocaloid services were taken offline in order to conserve power. They are currently back online and can be used as before.[34]

HD Collection

On June 2, 2011, Konami confirmed that the game would be ported to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 as part of the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, a high-definition remastered version which also includes Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Peace Walker is only included as part of the North American and European releases of the collection; in Japan the remastered version was released separately.[35]

While Kojima stated that Peace Walker is not included in the PSP Remaster series, however he said the game will also be the first to take advantage of the new "Transfarring" system, which allows PlayStation 3 Peace Walker players to transfer their saves to the PSP and continue playing while on the move.[36]

The game is not part of the HD Collection released for the PlayStation Vita. Kojima Productions employee Sean Eyestone explained on the Kojima Productions Report that this was because the original PSP version can already be downloaded on the PSN Store, that they should 'save their resources' and the Vita does a "pretty good job of upscaling Peace Walker anyway"[37].

Music

The Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Original Soundtrack was released on April 14, 2010.[38] The soundtrack is primarily composed by Kojima Productions' Kazuma Jinnouchi and Nobuko Toda, while Akihiro Honda provides the orchestral theme and the theme songs, "Heavens Divide" (performed in English by Donna Burke) and "Koi no Yokushiryoku (Love Deterrence)" (performed in Japanese by Nana Mizuki). GEM Impact's Norihiko Hibino, Yoshitaka Suzuki and Takahiro Izutani as well as Soundelux Design Music Group's Todd Haberman and Jeremy Soule also provide compositions to the soundtrack.[39] The game also features music from other Metal Gear Solid games, such as Portable Ops's "Calling to The Night", which can be played in the game's Walkmans. The Carpenters ballad "Sing" is sung by Cindy Asada on a taped recording and by the Boss AI as Peace Walker sinks under Lago Cocibolca. The game also utlilized the Vocaloid software.[40]

Reception

Peace Walker has received very positive reviews, with an aggregate of 88.75% on GameRankings based on 34 reviews.[48] It was given a perfect score of 40/40 in the May 5, 2010 issue of Japanese magazine Weekly Famitsu;[49] making it the fourteenth game to achieve a perfect score, as well as the first title for the PSP. However, gaming blog Kotaku pointed out that there is potential conflict of interest for Famitsu in giving the review because the magazine appears in the game and former Famitsu Editor-in-Chief Hirokazu Hamamura appears in print ads and on a Konami website actively promoting the game.[50] PSM3 awarded the game 91%, commenting on the game's ability to "take the best bits from every Metal Gear Solid game — the recruitment tricks... from Portable Ops, the camouflage and multi-player from MGS3: Snake Eater, the stripped-down controls from Metal Gear Solid 4 and the bonus missions... from VR Missions".[51] IGN gave the game a score of 9.5/10, stating that it "is probably the biggest game in the Metal Gear series, and it's only on Sony's smallest system".[52]

Sales

Despite critical acclaim and initial hopes from Konami that the game would become an international hit,[53] sales of Peace Walker have been very poor outside of Japan. In Europe the game failed to chart in most countries and placed 13th in the UK its first week,[54] and by its third week had fallen out of the top 40. In America the game similarly failed to make the top 20 during its first month,[55] selling only 52,000 physical UMD copies, a markedly worse performance than Metal Gear Acid.[56] However, with the PSP's digital content delivery option through PSN, it's been noted that perhaps sales on the PSP should be counted differently since digital downloads on PSP and PSPgo are not counted.[56] Industry analyst Mike Hickey told IGN that poor sales of the PSP platform itself was likely "the main cause" for Peace Walker's unimpressive sales.[56] However, Konami has stated they have a profit of $15 million from sales of Peace Walker and Pro Evolution soccer games, but they did not provide sales figures for Peace Walker. They have however, said Peace Walker sales helped Metal Gear games sell 1.27 million copies for the quarter.[57].

Awards

Peace Walker received the Best of Show and Best PSP Game awards during the 2009 Tokyo Game Show. IGN later put the game in its Best of 2010 list, garnering awards for Game of the Year,[58] Most Addictive Game,[59] Best Visuals,[60] Most Bang for Your Buck,[61] Best Story,[62] Best Co-Op[63] and Coolest Atmosphere[64]

References

  1. ^ a b [1][dead link‍]
  2. ^ a b c d http://www.konami.jp/mgs_pw/en/index2.html[dead link‍]
  3. ^ a b Arendt, Susan (June 2, 2009). "Liveblog: Sony's E3 Press Conference". The Escapist. Retrieved June 2, 2009. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ "Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Announced". Edge. June 2, 2009. Retrieved June 2, 2009.
  5. ^ "Kojima's blog" (in Japanese).
  6. ^ "N4G.com: Peace Walker's Development Team as Big as MGS4's".
  7. ^ "Metal Gear Saga page from the official Metal Gear Portal" (in Japanese).
  8. ^ "Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Preview: Competitors, Take Notes". Kotaku.com. 2009-09-24. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
  9. ^ a b c Gantayat, Anoop (2010-04-07). "Konami Announces Mountain of Metal Gear Tieups — PlayStation Portable News at IGN". Psp.ign.com. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
  10. ^ "Kojima talks Peace Walker". 25 September 2009.
  11. ^ "Kojima talks Peace Walker-PSP News at Gamespot".
  12. ^ "『メタルギア ソリッド ピースウォーカー』2010年3月18日開戦 - ファミ通.com" (in Japanese). 車椅子に乗った科学者風の男性。胸にストレンジラブと色違いの認識票をつけていることから、同じ組織の所属だと思われる。時代的にはオタコンの父親あたりの世代だが......。
  13. ^ Josh Tolentino (2010-03-23). "Metal Gear Peace Walker gets Mountain Dew Peace Walker". Destructoid. Retrieved 2010-04-01.
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  23. ^ Miller, Greg (2009-09-23). "TGS 2009: Get The MGS Peace Walker Demo Right Here — PlayStation Portable News at IGN". Uk.psp.ign.com. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
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  25. ^ "Internet Archive Wayback Machine". Web.archive.org. 2010-01-15. Archived from the original on 2010-01-15. Retrieved 2011-10-20. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  26. ^ "Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. : METAL GEAR SOLID: PEACE WALKER". Konami.com. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
  27. ^ a b Dale North (2010-01-20). "Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker PSP bundle details". Destructoid. Retrieved 2010-04-01.
  28. ^ Brian Ashcraft (2010-01-21). "First Good Look At New Metal Gear Solid PSP Bundle". Kotaku. Retrieved 2010-04-01.
  29. ^ Spencer (2010-01-21). "Glamour Shots Of The Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker PSP". Siliconera. Retrieved 2010-03-31.
  30. ^ a b "Sony Announces Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Bundle". 1.UP.com. 2010-04-08. Retrieved 2010-04-28.
  31. ^ by JC Fletcher on Apr 8th 2010 4:30PM (2010-04-08). "MGS Peace Walker PSP 'Big Boss Bundle' is a GameStop exclusive". Joystiq. Retrieved 2010-06-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  32. ^ Spencer (2010-03-30). "Mexico's Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Bundle Has Japan's Camouflage PSP". Siliconera. Retrieved 2010-03-31.
  33. ^ Michael McWhertor (2010-03-16). "Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Shows Its "Spirited Green" Side". Kotaku. Retrieved 2010-03-16.
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  51. ^ "Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker review - 91% in PSM3".
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