Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is now playable from start to finish, and on track for a near simultaneous Q2 release in all major territories.

Having been delayed from its initially planned 2007 release, Kojima Productions developed PS3 exclusive Metal Gear Solid 4 has entered the “last push”, according to assistant producer Ryan Payton, and will release in the Q2 launch window with no significant delays between major territories. This is a major boost for US and European PS3 owners, as Konami has previously been somewhat vague over the game’s release timeframe outside of Japan.

The title, which will ship with a Metal Gear Online starter pack, is now playable from start to finish and is about to enter the bug testing phase, reports ShackNews (via Kojima Production podcast).

"Mr. Kojima of all people is really committed to [the date] because he really hates to disappoint people, and I know he is embarrassed by what happened with the 2007 slip into 2008," said Payton, who went on to add that the majority of the development team has now completed its work on the title, even if some late features may still be added to the game.

Shack also reports that Kojima Productions is planning a Gears of War-esqe "Emergence Day" marketing strategy, which will see the studio release a massive bundle of game info, along with cast iron release date/s and packaging info in one foul swoop.

Source: Next Generation