We’ll start the day off with a video game story, since summers in the tech industry are slower than Biggs’ metabolism.

Metal Gear Solid 4, in Japanese bargain bins already? Copies of Hideo Kojima’s opus have been found in such bins at Sofmap, a Japanese retailer. There, the game is going for the equivalent of $37; it was originally priced at $82, which is madness.

Don’t be quick to assume that the game is now on the cheap because Konami is having problems selling it, oh no. The game is currently hovering in the top sellers list, so it could be that this particular store is just crazy, like Eddie.

A big, shiny gold star goes to Konami for being cool about Metal Gear Solid 4 being sold before the June 12th release date. According to PlayStation Universe, “This week, a couple of Wal-Marts were reported to have sold the Metal Gear Solid 80GB PS3 bundles up to a week before the scheduled release of the title on June 12.”

Konami’s response to this happy little accident shows that the company realizes that time, as we know it, moves forward – not side to side or backwards.

“Unfortunately, these things happen. As much as we like see that no one breaks streets dates, no one can monitor every single moment that a title gets packed up for shipment and when its on its way to the stores.The store could be at fault as well, for letting someone get a copy before the street date.”

I’m not a betting man, but I’d guess that Wal-Mart has remedied the situation by now. If you’re bored and/or desperate to get the game early, though, swing by your local superstore during your lunch break to see if you can get your hands on a copy. It appears that you might have to buy the entire PS3 bundle but, hey, early MGS4, right?

Amazon’s site has been down off and on today, completely out of service. The company’s been mum on the topic, but it went down shortly after the Playstation 3/Metal Gear Solid 4 bundle the fans have been drooling over went on sale. Gamers in the PS3 forums have been speculating that the demand for the bundle is at fault.

It makes sense that the fanboys would be all trying to get their orders in, as there are only a limited amount of units rumored to be available. The game is going to be one of the hottest of the year, despite the 15 hour load time and 54 hours worth of cut scenes.

Until we get official word from Amazon, which might never happen, we’ll never know for sure, but it sure sounds like something that could happen when fanboys get into a tizzy.

Another Friday, another opportunity to share silly videos with y’all.

In anticipation of Metal Gear Solid 4 (remember, June 12!), 1UP has collected five of the most awkward moments from the at-times campy series. This one here is gives me the worst cause of what’s known as the “douche chills.” Some are sillier than others—1UP’s number one moment seems out of place—but you’re guaranteed to laugh a little, wince a little, and question your humanity a little.

I played Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2, which had more than enough preaching and grandstanding for my taste. I don’t own a PS3 (because I’m bitter, according to some of you), so I guess I’ll rely on YouTube and Game Videos to see MGS 4’s awful moments.

Earlier reports of feature-film length cutscenes have been denied by the game’s production company. According to Kotaku, Ryan Payton, assistant producer at Kojima Productions, said the following;

I’m surprised nobody has stepped forward to debunk this rumor. There are no 90 minute cutscenes in MGS4. The ending is long, but 90 minutes is a gross exaggeration.

And here I thought gamers liked long endings!

So there you have it. I’m sure the cutscenes will still be phenomenal, but at least you won’t have to change into your sweat pants just to watch them.

The longtime whispers of MGS4 coming out on the 360 have been smushed by a Konami rep, who says that it is indeed a PS3 exclusive and there are no plans to develop a 360 version. People thought that even with epic sales it would be impossible for the team to break even, given the enormous development costs of this gaming juggernaut. Thus the rumors were born and propagated — perhaps a later, expanded 360 release?

But no! The “sources” claimed by XboxFamily are clearly in error. Guns of the Patriots will be exclusively on the PS3, if it ever does come out.

Konami Denies Metal Gear Solid 4 on Xbox 360 [Shack News]