Metal Gear Solid 4 Preview: Everything You Need To Know Before Buying The Game

It's probably safe to assume that you're ready to buy Metal Gear Solid 4. You've probably saved up enough pennies to buy the game outright on June 12, its release date. You already know that the story stars a much older, rougher, and mustachioed Snake in the middle of a beautifully rendered war-torned country made possible by Sony's PlayStation 3. Instead of rehashing on common knowledge, I will present you with some MGS4 tidbits you may not have heard of. They range from simple fare, like what is in the Limited Edition, to the more outlandish, 90-minute cutscenes?!

The Limited Edition Box, $84.99

It seems like every game company out there is trying to get the most money out of your pocket. In gaming, the proof is all those "special edition" boxes that claim to give the fans what they want with toys, keychains, and other cheap game-related swag.

For an extra $25 on top of the regular retail price of MGS4 you can get a hold of the Limited Edition which will add two "making of" documentaries interviewing the series creator, Hideo Kojima, and a MGS4: Guns of the Patriots Soundtrack CD. Seems a bit pricey for video and audio that are sure to hit the Internet soon after, but fans should get a kick out of the authenticity.

A Blu-Ray Disc Can't Possibly Fit Everything In...

While Sony may tout their Blu-Ray format as having more space than a developer could ever want, Kojima came out and said in an interview to Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu:

"There's not enough space. We always talked about where to cut and what to compress."

Now, while it might seem like gamers will be missing out on some content...fear not. There will just not be Japanese audio in the English version and vice versa. Or is that missing out?

Dual Shock 3 + MGS4 + PlayStation 3 = Value?

In a move that will surely have plenty of PlayStation 3 early adopters hitting themselves, Sony has announced that they will be creating a couple of bundles for MGS4. But which one is best, you ask?

The plan is to make available two bundles:

1) $499 nets you a regular 80GB PlayStation 3, Dual Shock 3, and MGS4.

2) $599 gets you a fancy "Gun Metal Gray" 40GB PlayStation 3, Dual Shock 3, and MGS4.

Value-minded gamers will surely go for the $499 version as the bundle will include a bigger hard drive, but those in need of the special "gun metal gray" coating, can feel free to apply at the Konami website ">here.

Initial Download? Oh, Just a Few Gigabytes

PS3 gamers, by now, are used to installing games onto their hard drives. The last big game to use up some more of our sweet, sweet space was Devil May Cry 4 which required a 20-minute, 5GB install to take place before you can begin to enjoy the action.

Get ready to delete some videos, demos, or whatever else may be cogging up memory on your PS3 as MGS4 will require a 4.6 GB install as soon as you place it into your machine. Installs in the PC world are common place, but on consoles? A little wearisome. And by a little, we mean A LOT.

Bring on the 90-minute Videos

Many video game publications have reviewed MGS4 already and, for the most part, love the game. Perfect scores have been distributed in droves, gleaming with positive praise claiming that it beats GTA IV and BioShock in story narration.

Might their minds just be distracted by...90-minute cutscenes? The rumor is that the game features movie-length cinemas to tell its complicated story bits. Fans of the series are used to sitting through lengthy cut scenes by now, but will it unnecessarily break up the gameplay? You can pause and skip the scenes, but still, it should do you well to have popcorn on hand while playing the game.

Carlos Macias is a featured writer for Xomba.com, read more of his work here .