The trend actually went upwards in Japan specifically.  MGS3 sold the most out of the bunch.  As for MGS3 being substantially lower in the US, it could be because it was never rereleased as "Greatest Hits" here in the US (I'm not sure about Europe).  They just dropped the remaining stock to $19.99 and eventually $9.99.  It never recieved the advertisement nor stock replenishment that games that go GH do.

There are only four MGS games, excluding handheld titles.

MGS1 for the ps1

MGS2: Sons of Liberty for the ps2
MGS2: Substance, a  rerelease of MGS2: SoL with minor extra content

MGS3: Snake Eater for the ps2
MGS3: Subsistance, a rerelease of MGS3: SE with minor extra content

MGS4: Guns of the Patriots for the ps3
MGS4: ________ (we all know its coming)

Whenever discussing the sales of either MGS2 or MGS3, the sales of Substance and Subsitence should be included in the totals for either.

I'm not trying to be ingnorant, if it comes out that way i'm sorry. I'll try to reword it

"Games like uncharted really apeal to me, from what people tell me, it sounds really good. And MGS4 also looks like a very good game, and it is a series that I wouldn't mind getting into, but like ZenfoldorVGI said, it will not improve sales of the PS3 by as much as people think it will. (That was what I wanted to discuss here)"

And I was technically looking at the other games, as different games altogether, thank-you makingmusic476 for correcting me.

 Its in decline

@ __XBrawlX__

MGS4 will sell well because it has to, it will probably be the PS3's first game considered AAA. It will sell well because this game FF and GT that most people brought a PS3 for. I personally think its not that great, but I've never liked the MGS4 series in the first place, to much unfunny cinema, intended to be funny, but don't take my word for it..

to me is seems like sony is over-hyping ever game they release. Some games obviously deserve it but some would be just average games on any other console. I think sony is trying to make their line-up look better and fuller than it actually is.

that being said, i think MGS4 is going to be a good game. but when you look at the sales of the previous games i think it's obvious that it won't be quite the system seller that Sony would like you to believe.

I`m not big fan of MGS games, but every MGS game is a masterpiece.
The game is soo polished. And overall, it`s a great experience. =)

@ kitler53

I think your right, but I think it will sell a lot of units, compared to other PS3 games but I don't think it will sell systems. I almost brought a PS3 after seeing some of the games advertised this last holiday season, but playing them, and I can name many made me not really care that much, at the moment at least.

will it increase ps3 sales? imo people who want mgs have already a ps3, don't they?

@op, Because Kojima is a god amongst men when it comes to art direction, tone, setting, mood etc etc. The man is an absolute genious when it comes to story telling, he blends fiction and reality like no other. In my opinion MGS series is the staple example of the inbetween of movies and video games. I feel for the characters, I laugh, I cry, I get angry, there is just so much bewonderment to the way he work.

His games are usually un-rivaled in terms of actual quality, when MGS2 was first shown, people didn't think graphics like that were possible, then Kojima not only showed that it was, he brought it forward with no framerate issues, no control flaws, no out of place polygons, and an unprecidented ammount of needless detail that no other game at that time could even hope to rival. (remember the ketchup bottle that could break off in like 10 different sections lol)

So when Kojima says that his next game is comming out on a new platform, if your looking for anyone to be able to push technology without fail, he is the man to look up to. MGS4 has a TON of hype riding on it's back, and rightfully so. Kojima offers something, Kojima delivers.