US Metal Gear Solid 4 date and MGO beta
Euro announcement expected this week.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots will be released in North America in "late Q2 2008", according to SCEA, with a Metal Gear Online "Starter Pack" to launch "to support online gameplay".
Those who pre-order MGS4 in the US will also be guaranteed access to a "multiplayer beta test" in late April, although that statement doesn't seem to rule out other paths into the test.
Konami has confirmed the above to Eurogamer, but a release date announcement for Europe is not expected until later in the week.
Assistant producer Ryan Payton has previously said that a "simultaneous worldwide release" - albeit not on exactly the same day - is expected.
The news of MGS4's arrival emerged at a retail conference called "Destination PlayStation", with Kotaku reporting that the specific MGS4 date is 12th June - something Sony's press release is coy about.
Not that it's unhappy about the news, obviously; indeed, Sony plans to celebrate with a fancy US bundle consisting of an 80GB PlayStation 3, MGS4, and DualShock 3 for USD 499, which is approximately GBP 250 / EUR 330.
Check out our Metal Gear Solid 4 first impressions and indeed our Metal Gear Online first impressions elsewhere on the site so I can retire (see - it's win win).
