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Metal Gear Solid 4: The San Francisco Launch
Posted by Flynn De Marco at 7:00 PM on June 12, 2008
Just a scant hour ago I made the trek down to the Powell Street GameStop to take in the midnight launch of Metal Gear Solid 4. Upon arrival, I was greeted with a line that went halfway down the block and around the corner. Roughly seventy five to a hundred and people waited patiently for the doors to open so they could once again get their hands on their beloved Solid Snake. First in line was lucky Kiattikhun Ratanatharathorn, known as "Bank" to his friends (pictured after the jump) who had been waiting for his prize since 6pm. He was accompanied by his friend James Demonico who wasn't actually there for the game but he owed "Bank" money so he came along for the ride (now I guess we know why they call him "Bank").
This particular store sold all of its MGS PS3 bundles at 10pm to people who were waiting in line although the GameStop employee I spoke with refused to divulge how many systems they received. I asked him if they had received lots of pre-orders and he informed me once again that he was not allowed to talk about it. Given that the line was quite long and everyone there had to have a pre-order, I would guess that their list was rather extensive. A nearby Best Buy that was also doing a midnight launch sold out of their twenty five PS3 bundles within a a few minutes after announcing them around 11:30pm. Apparently their employees have no such non-disclosure rule when it comes to numbers.
There were three local outlets doing midnight launches, but one store was conspicuously dark. The Sony store in the Metreon Centre didn't hold a midnight launch. This is due to the fact that it's in a mall and the cost of keeping it open past hours would make it not quite worth the while. So if you live in the SF area and are keen to get your hands on a bundle, all your hopes lie on the Sony Store's door. A door that will open at 10am PST Thursday morning. Good Luck!
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
hello98vg
Posted 7:45 PM 12/6/08
can't wait to get this, best game ever
and all i got are trailers to watch
how boring but still can't wait and i'm
gonna kick Ocelots ass.
hello98vg
FauxVyse
Posted 7:38 PM 12/6/08
That's the best Ocelot I've ever seen.
FauxVyse
Atheist Jew
Posted 7:34 PM 12/6/08
OH MY GOD
Second picture, guy in the middle. That's Lorenzo! He called me. I missed his call! SHIT!
Oh well, I wasn't there anyway. Screw MSG 4. That's right, I said it.
Atheist Jew
Artdeux
Posted 7:32 PM 12/6/08
Sony's going to be laughing all the way to the bank.
To take out another loan to build more PS3s.
Artdeux
EzeeT
Posted 7:31 PM 12/6/08
I would love to play this game but alas I never will. Fuck Fuck fuck. Why can't Sony and Microsoft just get along. If I'm feeling this bad about MGS4 then how bad am I gonna feel when Gran Turismo comes out. Fuck.
EzeeT
McDung
Posted 7:30 PM 12/6/08
Why is that guy in the first pic dressed as Brian Crecente dressed as a pirate(eye patch) wearing a lab coat and combat shoes?
McDung
Witzbold
Posted 7:19 PM 12/6/08
Ocelot wins!
Witzbold
icegoat
Posted 7:18 PM 12/6/08
Man I still have near ten hours til my gamestop in Hawaii opens.
icegoat
jaws3people0
Posted 7:13 PM 12/6/08
this makes me worry/happy about the kojima signing... thats line will be huge!
jaws3people0
TheApprentice
Posted 7:10 PM 12/6/08
it sucks to live in a 3rd world country :(
TheApprentice
rathorial
Posted 7:08 PM 12/6/08
Got the limited edition of MGS4. I brought my friend along with me, and after seeing the game on a demo station, he actually wanted to buy a PS3.
Thanks to that Walmart ad you guys posted, I told him and he bought it an hour ago :)
rathorial
bobtheduck
Posted 8:05 PM 12/6/08
I was at the West Hollywood launch...
Firstly, I saw Adam Sessler. A couple of the guys jokingly threatened to jump him... He looked really really old (balding, and gray hair and skin spots)
He was the only one I recognized when I looked in the party section (any kotaku writers there?)
Then came the line... I was in the next group to go in the door when the bastard manager of the best buy says no more signing...
Says they said so 40 minutes ago, but NO ONE came out to the line... Where were they saying this? Inside the bloody store?
Yeah, there were a LOT of pissed off people... Screaming and people were about to rush the manager and shouting "F*** you!" and rightly so... We weren't warned... We were in that damned line for hours...
Completely wasted night.
bobtheduck
Antiterra - No Country For Old Snake
Posted 7:59 PM 12/6/08
Ladies and gentlemen,
after Solid Snake, Naked Snake and Old Snake, I give you...
CHEECH SNAKE!
Antiterra - No Country For Old Snake
rathorial
Posted 7:57 PM 12/6/08
Just starting playing the game, it's amazing!
Also, suprised as hell to find Phil LaMarr voiced Vamp. Didn't know his voice could sound that deep and cold.
rathorial
Leepox
Posted 8:36 PM 12/6/08
wohoo got my copy today :D
Leepox
santoki22
Posted 8:30 PM 12/6/08
I think I'm going to try to go to the Kojima signing with a friend... I'm expecting to have to throw some elbows to get through the line, though XD
santoki22
SumDum_Guy
Posted 8:28 PM 12/6/08
In the last photo, why does it look like that dude in the trench coat is examining his "package" ... and the two others in the red and black hats are gazing at his "package"?
SumDum_Guy
DragonSphere
Posted 8:28 PM 12/6/08
@bobtheduck: damn. stories like this make me think twice about heading out to the SF signing this weekend...
@Hey Flynn (or anyone really): do you know if for the Metreon signing that Kojima and co. will only sign products bought IN store? As opposed, for example, to bringing the LE MGS4 that I just picked up not too long ago? Everything I've read seems to point to the former :(
DragonSphere
Jackel2072
Posted 8:27 PM 12/6/08
Ahh! i can't get the game until Saturday, then i can't play it until Sunday! oh man how will i survive? Rock Band don't fail me now!!!!
Jackel2072
bubble-bee
Posted 8:27 PM 12/6/08
Mgs is getting boring. And this cameleon camo feels more old than the first stealth camouflage systems. Whats the difference between a suit that becomes the color of the scenario or a suit that becomes "transparent" or invisible and shows the scenario?...
bubble-bee
PepsiPerfect
Posted 8:43 PM 12/6/08
I can't be the only one who thought that Naked Snake in the first picture was Crescente at first glance!
Only, a more badassed, eyepatched Crescente.
PepsiPerfect
FauxVyse
Posted 8:42 PM 12/6/08
Ok, it's the 12th, what's this "surprise" Kojima was talking about?
FauxVyse
Darascon
Posted 9:20 PM 12/6/08
That dude standing with Crescente looks like a poor man's M. Bison. Where's his cape? Way to recycle your costume.
Darascon
Jer1ch0
Posted 9:48 PM 12/6/08
erggh, I pick mine up in 2 hours and had booked the day off but got called in for an emergency meeting...gah...stupid work and stupid emergencies. If only I could get someone to harass me so I could sue the company and not go to work today....
Jer1ch0
jBusiness
Posted 9:40 PM 12/6/08
I'm counting the hours. My store had no midnight opening and I already have a PS3, otherwise I would have jumped on a gunmetal one. I already called in to work and everything. This should be rad.
jBusiness
SilentAssassn87
Posted 9:34 PM 12/6/08
*Sigh* My GameStop opens in about 2 1/2 hours... I'll be pissed off if the line is long...and If they DON'T have enough bundles...
SilentAssassn87
YUYU
Posted 10:30 PM 12/6/08
@rathorial: Phil Lamarr's voice cures cancer.
*sigh* I would have loved to go dressed as Fortune.
YUYU
everybest
Posted 10:17 PM 12/6/08
This doesn't sound good for the signing on Saturday... Ugh, I don't really want to get up early. Maybe, though...
everybest
ChimDeathmonkey
Posted 10:12 PM 12/6/08
I was going to take off today, but my boss took off instead. Very odd....
ChimDeathmonkey
karateka
Posted 10:01 PM 12/6/08
That guy looks like the artist formerly known as Prince rather than solid snake.
karateka
DreamcastRIP
Posted 10:58 PM 12/6/08
Had my copy a day before official release day as I ordered it online and they either posted it too early or the postal service got off their asses for once!
DreamcastRIP
Salen
Posted 10:45 PM 12/6/08
There's a distinct lack of cardboard boxes in these pictures, and that makes Baby Revolver Ocelot cry.
Salen
DesmondHume
Posted 10:35 PM 12/6/08
my mgs4 bundle was shipped the other day from circuit city, and should be here today,tomorrow at the latest. easy as pie, and no worrying/waiting in line.
DesmondHume
everybest
Posted 10:32 PM 12/6/08
I bought a LE edition online, and 2 more to fund for my first one. For the strangest reason, people are paying $130 for it on ebay when all other online retailers still have them for sale.
everybest
Rookerith
Posted 11:29 PM 12/6/08
So, as a trade for giving PS3 Bioshock, 360 is going to get MGS4 next year, right, right?
*sighs*
Rookerith
lonesn1per
Posted 12:26 AM 13/6/08
i didnt make it to the powell street store launch but ill pick my copy up today.
i would have went last night as OLD SNAKE but i wasnt sure how many were going to be cosplaying.
i should have gone!
lonesn1per
ibelli
Posted 1:40 AM 13/6/08
Maybe this is a tipping point for the PS3.
ibelli
oneasianthug
Posted 2:10 AM 13/6/08
greatest game in the world so far bought it at 10pm broke street date teehee played it for 6hours really got to remember to hit the L1 button during the cinematics.
oneasianthug
excel_excel
Posted 1:53 AM 13/6/08
@ibelli: Tipping point for the PS3, thats exactly what MGS4 is!! For me I can already see the PS3 has some great games, but MGS4 puts that want for the PS3 over the damn edge!
Also that Ocelot is AWESOME
excel_excel
wallapuctus
Posted 1:45 AM 13/6/08
I don't see a single girl in that line. It's a bigger sausage party than the D&D 4th Edition release.
wallapuctus
kingmanic
Posted 2:53 AM 13/6/08
@everybest: Internet sales laws. For instance Amazon.com isn't allowed to ship some items to Canada while Amazon.ca can. I've run into this as many games go out of print before I've got time to go get them. Amazon.com seems to have a bigger stock of these limited releases (Mostly Atlus). But won't ship it to Canada (Bastards!). So I have to deal with ebay or other retailers. So it might be state or local laws making it hard for a large retailer to ship items thus they resort to ebay.
kingmanic
Alski
Posted 2:36 AM 13/6/08
That dude in the first pic looks like Crecente.
Alski
excaliburps
Posted 2:30 AM 13/6/08
@McDung: I knew I wasn't the only one who thought he looked like Crecente...
excaliburps
Samos42
Posted 5:31 AM 13/6/08
I'm really tempted to get the MGS4 bundle but I'm a bit low on cash and I can just barely afford it so I'm gonna have to pass. If something like Jak or Kingdom Hearts is announced though as coming out soon, I'm gonna have to buy one...
Samos42
yashichi8bit
Posted 8:23 AM 13/6/08
one of my local best buys said they got 24. Most of the other shops around town only got 3 or 4!
yashichi8bit
OutsideTheBox
Posted 3:34 AM 13/6/08
I don't think the guys in the first picture are for the launch event. I mean, I can see people dressed like that every night on the streets of SF. :-)
OutsideTheBox
Talleh
Posted 11:46 PM 12/6/08
Wow, this looks bigger then the gta4 launch.
Talleh
sex-target
Posted 9:30 PM 12/6/08
I honestly wish I would have taken the time off of work to head out to a midnight launch, but living in Kentucky I can assure you it would have been nothing like any of these. Anyone else calling in sick just to have a three day weekend to play? Times like this make me miss being in high school.
sex-target
KFJ
Posted 9:24 PM 12/6/08
Crecente should be appointed king of cosplay, harr.
KFJ
dagreatest
Posted 7:39 PM 12/6/08
damn the pictures are already up? I was RIGHT THERE! (the guy with the hat in the 3rd pictures from top). If I knew an editor from Kotaku was there I would have stopped by for a little chat (oh well)...got my 80GB PS3 BUNDLE!!! I just started playing the game an hour ago and it's f***ing amazing. anybody who owns a PS3 MUST BUY this game.
dagreatest
Cagey_B
Posted 7:35 PM 12/6/08
Holy crap, there's already footage of the Crying Wolf fight on YouTube.
Must...not...view...spoilers...
Cagey_B
dagreatest
Posted 7:33 PM 12/6/08
haha damn the pictures are already up? I was right there in line at GameStop from 8 (I'm the guy with the hat in the 3rd picture from the top). got my 80GB bundle and started playing MGS4. I've only played it for 30 minutes but it's hella sick.
dagreatest
Sodergren
Posted 7:32 PM 12/6/08
Ocelot! Thats some sweet cosplay right there :o
Sodergren
GogolGants
Posted 7:22 PM 12/6/08
@TheApprentice: Wah! Me too! We only get it on friday...if we're lucky...and if we behave ourselves. They won't even release the LE here!
That guy's Young Ocelot outfit looks great! I wish I had geeky friends who would do cosplay with me. None of my normal friends would be caught dead lining up for the midnight release of...well, anything.
GogolGants