In the autumn of 2004 the gaming world was witness to the third title in the epic saga of Solid Snake hitting the shelves while simultaneously hearing news that the fourth title would be on its way. This resulted in a worldwide sigh of ecstasy from fans of the series and immediately speculation began about when the game would arrive.

Then in 2005 at E3 a bit more information was revealed with press booklets containing character concept art and a giant screen showing only “MGS4″ and “PS3″. The past four years have been a vicious waiting game for those waiting to see the final chapter in Snake’s story. We saw a trailer for the game at E3 2006, then the next year another trailer with a bit more to show off, but the sad news that the game would be delayed until 2008.

Those of you with your camouflage bandanas and eye patches should probably sit down, because the game finally has a release date and it’s coming sooner than you think. At Destination Playstation, a retailers-only conference for all things Playstation related, it was announced that Metal Gear Solid 4 would arrive on June 12th, 2008. As if this news was not exciting enough, it was also announced that Sony will be releasing the game in a bundle that features MGS4, an 80 gig Playstation 3, and a Dual-Shock 3 controller all for $499.

So polish your combat knife, let your five o’clock shadow grow in, and get ready for one of the most anticipated games of the year because Snake is going out in style.