This will have a massive launch, but will have virtually no legs given its departure from core (mainstream) gaming into hardcore (niche) gaming

 Why is it becoming niche gaming? Surely as this game is more easy to play as just a shooter, it would appeal to a wider market

They do. These are their sales, after all -- they have the exact numbers in the same way that Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony know exactly how many consoles they've sold to retailers (shipped). Knowing how many units you literally sold to retailers is basic.   This is what they're talking about with preorders.

Large numbers are vague? Can you explain this to me?

@munkeh

he's a troll.

 What I mean is that they only know the sold to retailers, but do not want to confuse it with the sold to consumers figures that we are interested in

@ darth, we all know

I'm a troll? Am I? I seem to be the only one not resorting to namecalling as a response. Mine is a simple theory and one looking to be more and more supported by European reviewers.

MGS4 is a game thats becomming all the more dependent on cinematic cut scenes, its nearly 50% game, 50% movies, this doesn't appeal to the same wide array as more interactive games like its predicessors did or games like GTAIV or COD4 do. This is the ADHD online gaming generation. While this is an appreciative artistic angle on Kojima's part (and in all fairness something he has said he's always wanted the games to be) the mixed consensus of the story's quality coupled with 15-45-75 minute cutscenes with broken pockets of gameplay... this is not a formula exactly working to the advantage of this game's mass market appeal.

MGS4 has refined the franchises appeal to suit the tastes of excentrics and franchise loyals not the market as a whole. Luckily for MGS4 the majority of buyers for this game will have no clue of what is in store for them and this game will sell phenomenally well its first week or two, but don't expect legs worth noting beyond that point.

I'm not even saying its going to be a bad game Darthdevidem, but I hope you don't plan on investing the same amount of energy on everyone else as you are me right now when the game is finally released WW and the communal disection begins.

I think you are somewhat underestimating this game, onimusha.

Yes, it has that weird thing where it focuses heavily on cinematics as well, but seeing how I've seen (on a forum in my country) that a LOT of people who have never played MGS will now buy the game, it shows that this game will appeal to a broader audience than before.

And a broader audience means that more people will hear about it from friends.  And after a couple of weeks, I don't think it's the hardcore gamer that still needs convincing whether or not to buy this game; it'll be the mainstream gamer who is going to doubt whether to buy this game or not.

Consider then the visuals, the presentation, the multiplayer ability, the mouth-to-mouth advertizing, and the fact that you could replay the game to play it in another fashion (attack straight on - stealth - average), would make it more accessible for a larger audience, meaning it'll appeal to more people, creating longer legs.

Hell, even I couldn't care less about MGS and I'm interested in this game, even though I don't have a PS3      

Perhaps I am, but I can't imagine a game that idles the players so frequently and for such lengths of time to really showcase the same success as a more convential game.

Time will tell, I can only offer but my theory.

1/3 of the game is cinematics, anyway, they are skippable, and people can choose to just play it is a standard shooter instead of what it really is

Yeah, I honestly think the franchise is even less niche now than it was when MGS3 came out. The media has been covering it non-stop and it is more like a FPS than ever now. I think the political content of the game is more relevant than it was in MSG3 as well. Its not quite at a GTA or Halo level in terms of universal appeal, but I think the franchise has opened up more than it has closed itself off in more ways than one.