The snakeskin 3DS will be sold exclusively through the Konami Style store in Japan. But you can’t simply walk in to pick one up, you have to register for the limited edition 3DS before February 3 and hope to get picked in a lottery. Winning the raffle then gives you the opportunity to purchase the device for 22,980 yen or about $300.

If you’re amazingly lucky enough to purchase the device, you can expect to receive a copy of Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D game itself and two plastic school-style folders printed with Metal Gear Solid characters. Winners will be announced on February 10, while the game will be released on March 8.

[via Joystiq]

In the title Silent Hill: Homecoming, players were actually able to control the camera, moving it around when they needed to. Because of that, many people believed that the title was not as “claustrophobic” as previous releases, and therefore the fear was gone. And for a survival horror title, losing the fear that people experience while playing it means that a huge mark has been missed. According to MTV’s Multiplayer Blog, developer Vatra Games has chosen to go back to the franchise’s fixed-camera system. This should help scary moments return to Downpour, after the brief absence they’ve made through the last few titles.

But, the big addition to Downpour, according to Design Director Brian Gomez, is going to be sidequests. Vatra Games has apparently chosen to include additional “quests” that players will be able to take the main character on, if they choose to do so. It should open the town of Silent Hill even more than what we’ve seen in the past, and give more of a glimpse into the town’s history. Or, it could just be quests focused on the main character, and showcase more of his story.

As for the new main character, his name is Murphy Pendelton, but there’s no other details regarding him, or why he has shown up at Silent Hill. More details should hit in the coming weeks.

[via G4TV]

According to Game Informer, the next game will be titled Silent Hill: Downpour, and the developers are making sure that rain is an integral part of the game’s structure. And not just rain, but water in general, it seems. Details about the game are still sparse at the moment, but GI will have full details in their February edition of the magazine.

In previous installments, the Silent Hill world has been invaded by a rust-covered version of the town, where the monsters and main antagonists of the franchise lurk. Fog has played a huge role in the games as well. Most recently, though, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories utilized snow and ice, instead of rust and broken down buildings to imagine Konami’s other world. It will be interesting to see how water might play into the nightmares of the main protagonist.

[via Game Informer]

In South Carolina, a 23-year-old man was standing on the side of busy highway-123 in Anderson, when he decided to recreate Frogger, and dash across the lanes of traffic. Unfortunately, the young man was unable to judge the distance from him to the nearest SUV, and he was struck down. The event took place on Monday. Police responded to a 911 call, and arrived on the scene to see the man on the ground, after being struck by a driver of an SUV. According to witnesses of the event, the man waited until he yelled out, “Go!” before he dashed across the highway.

According to the police, the similarities aren’t a coincidence. The man was indeed recreating Frogger, a popular videogame produced by Konami, the house of the Metal Gear Solid series. The man didn’t die, though, thankfully, but he did sustain several head injuries.

[via Gather]

Once the 20 stages of the game have been completed, players have access to a new “Survival Mode” that lets them play the whole thing again, with the facility to skip the story images and ignore the life gauge.  If that doesn’t seem too much of a bonus (and we don’t blame you), you also get access to more than 30 different wallpapers that can be “bought” for Drebin Points acquired at the end of each stage.  These wallpapers include previously-unreleased Yoji Shinkawa character illustrations. 

Anyone already with the initial Metal Gear Solid Touch game on their handset can now upgrade to this new version for free.  If you didn’t leap when you had the chance, the game is now available for purchase; a free “lite” taster version will be released soon. 

Press Release:

KONAMI LAUNCHES FULL VERSION OF METAL GEAR SOLID TOUCH ON APPLE iPHONE AND iPOD TOUCH

Popular App Expanded to Include New Levels and Intuitive Touch Shooting Controls

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – April 23, 2009 – Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. announced today that the full version of METAL GEAR SOLID TOUCH has launched on the Apple App Store. Set in the immersive world of METAL GEAR SOLID 4: GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS and created with the concept of allowing players to “touch” upon the world of METAL GEAR SOLID, the highly anticipated full version of the game introduces eight additional gameplay levels to the iPhone and iPod touch.

Developed by Kojima Productions and designed specifically for the iPhone and iPod touch, METAL GEAR SOLID TOUCH unfolds in five chapters over a span of the 20 stages with familiar enemies attempting to keep Old Snake from accomplishing his mission. The characters featured in the latter eight stages of the story will feature new abilities, putting them in a class of their own. Powerful enemies, such as the remainder of the “B&B Corps” and the dreaded Gekko, along with unique gameplay mechanisms such as piloting Metal Gear REX in battle, will have players facing multiple challenges that can’t be overcome by mere “tapping.” The variety of new elements will test strategy and insight more than ever before.

Taking advantage of the iPhone’s capabilities, players can shake their iPhone during Mantis Boss Battle to attack. Once all 20 stages have been cleared, a Survival Mode is unlocked, which lets players skip the story images and play stages consecutively without replenishing their life gauge.

As an added bonus, players will have access to over 30 original wallpapers that are available from Drebin’s Shop. Drebin Points are awarded according to the score at the end of each stage. The wallpapers feature a variety of artwork that include unreleased illustrations by METAL GEAR SOLID character designer, Yoji Shinkawa, gorgeous 3D CG, as well as images that were designed using METAL GEAR SOLID as a motif.

Players who have already installed the initial release of METAL GEAR SOLID TOUCH can update to the complete version for free. For those who have yet to purchase the game, the complete version is available for purchase from the Apple App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/. For players who just want a “touch” of METAL GEAR SOLID, Konami will soon be releasing METAL GEAR SOLID TOUCH Lite, a free version that players can use to sample the game. For more information, please visit http://www.touch.konami.jp/mgst.

Performing well in the game will see players awarded bonus points; these can then be traded in for exclusive content such as MGS iPhone wallpapers.  Full details on the control interface are unclear, but from the two screenshots above expect fingertip sniper-rifle targeting.

According to Konami, Metal Gear Solid Touch will be available worldwide in Spring 2009.  No pricing details have been released, nor whether owners of the original iPod touch – which runs slower than the newer second-generation PMP – will suffer reduced frame rates.