Metal Gear Monkeys

Earlier today we learned that special forces piposarus have taken control of Metal Gear, and from their impregnable Fort Banana are demanding 10 billion bananas in 72 hours or else.

Yes, it looks like Sony's reciprocation of Hideo Kojima and Konami's Ape Escape mode within Metal Gear Solid 3 has finally taken shape. Called "Mesaru Gear Solid" (brilliant), this mini-game from the forthcoming PS2 platformer Ape Escape 3 sees Piposnake, a piposaru fed with Solid Snake's tactical data, sneaking around with banana pistol and silencer at the behest of Colonel Roy Campbell.

See, Campbell wanted Snake to go and deal with the pesky simians, but apparently our usual hero was nowhere to be found, so instead Campbell was forced to call upon erstwhile Ape Escape professor Hakase, an old school chum would you believe, to help him. Kind of up there with asking the bloke who packed your bags at Sainsbury's to rescue a deer from the jaws of four hundred lions.

Anyway, Mesaru Gear Solid, which is but one of a number of mini-games to be found in Ape Escape 3, will be based around MGS's usual tenets of sneaking around and having loud radio conversations whilst crouched on one knee.

And, frankly, we cannot bloody wait to play it. If only to see what the semi-naked ape posters on the inside of lockers look like. We're not making that bit up either...