OMG Metal Gear.com

Reuters recently posted an article in which they weigh the impact of Metal Gear Solid 4's PS3 exclusivity. Ryan Payton, the assistant producer of Metal Gear Solid 4, stated:

"We're telling our fans that if you want to play 'Metal Gear Solid 4', you have to buy a PS3. The PlayStation brand has always been good to us, and we're pretty bullish on the PS3."

Payton went on to admit that the title must sell a million copies on day one in order to make up for the overwhelming cost of production. Why does Kojima Productions remain loyal to Sony despite the difficulty in creating a profit? Maybe Kojima realizes how highly anticipated his title is and thinks a million copies will be an easy number to reach on day one. I think there's a good chance MGS4 will sell a million copies on day one, considering its simultaneous world-wide release. But maybe there are other reasons. How does PS3 exclusivity affect the design of MGS4? Hit the jump for my take.

Alright, well, since MGS4 is exclusive to the PS3, Kojima Productions can focus on that specific hardware. This means that the team has much more time and effort to invest in the quality of the game. That means there's a higher probability that MGS4 will take full advantage of PS3's advanced Cell processor. Also expect Sixaxis controls that you'll actually like using.

On the other hand, MGS4 will not be able to capitalize on the advantages the Xbox 360 provides. For instance, MGS4 will not use Xbox Live, a superior gaming network to PSN. I'm willing to bet that MGS4 will, at some point, be ported to the 360. And, like MGS Substance and Subsistence, I bet it'll come with additional content. Chances are that won't happen for a while, though.

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