Konami and the much renowned game designer Hideo Kojima have recently hosted an event in Tokyo to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the long-running Metal Gear Solid series. And what an exciting anniversary party it was. As promised, the host unleashed a great deal of new information on its upcoming MGS games for the PS3 and PSP.

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus (PSP)

Announced at Sony’s Playstation Premiere last week, MGS: Portable Ops Plus is an expansion to the critically-acclaimed PSP original. This multiplayer-focused update will improve upon the original’s online offering with new stages, new gameplay modes, plus new characters, including Old Snake and Raiden. Offline portion won’t be left untouched either, as a new mode called Infinity Mission will be added to the already extensive single-player experience.

Metal Gear Solid Digital Graphic Novel 2 (PSP)

It looks like MGS Digital Graphic Novel for PSP has been quite a commercial success, as Konami unveiled at the event that work is underway on a follow-up. The sequel will be based on the events of MGS 2: Sons of Liberty and will build upon the first one by featuring full voice acting, instead of just speech bubbles.

Metal Gear Online (PS3)

Thanks to the well-received multiplayer part of MGS 3: Subsistence and MGS: Portable Ops, an all-new entry in the Metal Gear franchise is being developed for Playstation 3. Unlike any other iteration, MGO will focus solely on online multiplayer. With up to 16 players supported, the game is built around MGS 4’s engine and will thus feature new control scheme, characters, and environments. Since this is a Metal Gear game, the gameplay will be all about the “hide and seek” mechanic. In order to strengthen team play, a feature called the SOP system will be incorporated. This feature will be used to learn about your teammates’ location by being able to look through walls, and their battle condition, among other things.

It is unknown whether Metal Gear Online will be a downloadable title or a retail release. The game was previously thought to be the multiplayer portion of Metal Gear Solid 4, but is now scheduled to release on its own. According to the press, MGO seems to be further into development than one might expect, as witnessed by its solid visuals and polished look.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3)

The most anticipated moment of the event was no doubt the promised showing of Metal Gear Solid 4. For this special occasion, Kojima gave a 15-minute walkthrough of in-game presentation, demonstrating the new features that MGS 4 will bring to the table. While face-to-face with his enemies, Snake can now take away their weapons and then do a quick checkup to see if they hold any useful items. When sneaking up on them, Octo-cam technology allows him to seamlessly blend in with the surrounding environment, making him very hard to spot. However, being practically invisible to your enemies won’t be enough this time around, since sense of smell will also play a role.

The game will be playable in first person, as well as third person, giving players a choice to suit their needs. Gone is the ability to hide in a box and then catch your enemies by surprise. Well, just the box bit, as you’ll be now hiding in barrels. While barrels definitely aren’t as cool as boxes, they do have one advantage over the classic, that is barrel-rolling. However, in case the new attack is overused, Snake will throw up, the animation of which acts as a stun effect. Last but not least, the MG Mk. II robot from the first trailer will be controllable via SixAxis tilt controls.

Let us know what you’re looking forward to in the comments section below.