At last year's E3, Konami revealed that work on a live-action movie based on Metal Gear Solid is now underway. We all found out about this via a pamphlet for Studio Kojima, the development house headed by Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima.

Since then we haven't gotten much details about the project, much less any word on who will be will be working on the movie. This has changed recently as Sony Pictures Entertainment vice chairman Yair Landau revealed that his studio is developing the project. After Landau delivered a keynote address in Las Vegas, Landau told this to GameSpot:

We're working with the Metal Gear guys.... It's a very cinematic game, it really lends itself to movie telling. But the question is, How do you translate Snake's experience into a full arc that conforms to what audiences expect on the large screen?

Landau also hinted that the "Metal Gear Solid" movie may just be the beginning. Landau hints that they're working on ideas for a possible EverQuest movie.

The "Metal Gear Solid" movie is currently the highest-profile game-film project in Hollywood. Top spot used to be held by the Peter Jackson-produced Halo adaptation, which is now unfortunately in development limbo.

Given how much we've been burned before by Uwe Boll (we're not saying he sucks, that's a matter of opinion, we believe it's safe to say though, that we all expected a lot more from his films), we urge caution. Let's see...what else has Sony Pictures Entertainment done before? As a distributor, they've had their hands in the Spider-Man franchise. What else? Oh, and as a production company they've done what? Hmn...oh yeah, "Spider-Man 2".

We're now asking you folks: Should we all be hopeful? Should we expect something that is miles away from the fan-made film we embedded above?

Today, New Zealand. Tomorrow, the world?

Just in case you're a bit lost on what we're talking about, Japan may be DS territory, but in the land made famous by director Peter Jackson and The Lord of the Rings trilogy in the Pop culture arena, that's not the case. Apparently, the PSP and the aging console, PS2 top the New Zealand market, in terms of the October 30 - December 31, 2006 sales.

Gameplanet reports that according to the GFK sales tracking, the PS2 has 70.9% of the console market at their side while the PSP pocketed 73% of the handheld market. Hey, wherever it occurs, success is still success. General manager of sales and marketing of Sony Computer Entertainment, New Zealand, Warwick Light said:

With new platforms on the market, we stand by our belief that the gaming category is a long-haul race. The continued support and innovation of the PlayStation 2 platform shows that a console can enjoy a long lifespan and continue to grow its appeal to new audiences. Don't think that with the launch of our next generation console we will be forgetting about PlayStation 2 - far from it.

No surprise there, the PS2 has always been an overachiever of sorts. Hopefully, the PSP could follow the sales reputation of the PS2, not only in New Zealand but in other countries as well.

Hollywood and gaming are two industries about to reach a crossroad. Take for example Director Peter Jackson on the Halo Project and Star Trek's five captains doing voice overs. Today, that relationship becomes even stronger as Electronic Arts announced the inclusion of Hilary Duff in the list.

The actress/fashion designer/recording artist will be appearing in the upcoming Sims title, The Sims 2: Pets for the DS and the PSP. This apparently is the video debut for Duff and her blue fawn teacup chihuahua. "I've logged hundreds of hours playing The Sims games, so I jumped at the chance to be in The Sims 2 Pets," happily shares Duff.

Furthermore, EA Executive Producer for the Sims division Rod Humble claims that Hilary Duff is the perfect partner in making the game. "Not only is she a huge animal lover, but she is also a Sims fan," says Humble. The Sims 2: Pets is scheduled for release at the end of this month.

Hey Rod Humble! Paris Hilton's got a chihuahua too, right?

Activision announced today that Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Raven Software's highly anticipated action/RPG, has just been scored by a trio of award-winning composers.

Chance Thomas (Peter Jackson's King Kong, Lord of the Rings series), Cris Velasco (God of War) and Mark Griskey (Best of LucasArts Original Soundtrack) produced over 50 minutes of original music for the game, including the superhero and boss battle themes, multiple game level themes, and in-game cinematics.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance will be the first superhero game available this fall for all next-gen gaming systems. If you're interested in knowing about musical scores for other games, you might find this previous article interesting. Check it out.