As anyone that has played a Metal Gear game knows, the story of each game is as much a part of the game as the actual gameplay is. Metal Gear games don’t have generic cookie-cutter story arcs either, they’re long drawn out complicated webs of story-telling, intertwined at multiple levels and throughout the multiple games.

For folks playing Metal Gear Solid 4, Kojima has ensured you can still play and enjoy it without having played the previous games or knowing the story, but it’s clear from the many references to Fox Die, the Shadow Moses Incident, and other “events” and characters that you might find yourself wanting to know more about the Metal Gear universe. Well folks, Kojima and Co. have you in mind with their latest treat. In today’s Playstation Store update, we’ll be given the Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Database. A single application that will serve as the Encyclopedia Kojima-ca for all things Metal Gear.

Details, after the jump!

Not only will be such a reference be made available, but it will be absolutely free. Sure, it can be seen as a marketing tool, possibly even a gimmick, but for those that have seen and/or played MGS4, they don’t need to be marketed to or convinced any more. They know the game is amazing and short of playing through it 5-6 times (which they very well may still do), they will be able to spend some time in the MGS4 DB and learn things they didn’t realize as they played through the game.

Kojima carefully guarded the many secrets of MGS4 before its release, ensuring there were virtually no spoilers leaked and the MGS4 DB is no exception. It analyzes your MGS4 saved game and if you haven’t yet completed the game, the MGS4 DB will not allow you access to spoiler information. That’s a pretty nice touch right there. This isn’t intended as a cheat or strategy guide, it’s simply to fill in the cracks in your knowledge of the characters, previous notable events and such. I’m hoping other developers of long running franchises take note of what Kojima has done here.  Giving a little back to the fans and strengthening your game universe at the same time.  Solid Snake may come to an end in MGS4, but one thing’s for sure.  I hope Kojima revisits the Metal Gear universe again.  Wow.