Konami announced today that the much anticipated PSP and PSP Go-exclusive Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker will be released on June 8, 2010. This direct sequel to Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is set in 1974 and features a new story written by Hideo Kojima. ”The Metal Gear Solid series is heading into exciting new areas, and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker unites the series’ key gameplay elements with even more tactical possibilities,” enthused Hideo Kojima, Head of Kojima Productions and creator of the Metal Gear Solid series. “We look forward to recruiting PSP users to Snake’s latest mission, as the Metal Gear Solid series returns in a guise that will constantly surprise the player.” The game will carry an MSRP of $39.99.

In other Peace Walker news, Sony has announced an upcoming North American PSP bundle featuring the new Metal Gear Solid title. Retailing for $199.99. Featuring an all-new Spirited Green colour, the bundle will feature the game with special in-game extras, a 2GB memory stick and an as-yet unannounced movie available for download in the US only. Presumably, Canadians will either get an added UMD movie, or the shaft.

The good PSP news keeps on rolling, as Square Enix unveiled details on the North American release of Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, a title coming exclusively to the PSP. Fans of the Final Fantasy/Disney mashup can look forward to this prequel title that reveals the origins of the Kingdom Hearts world. New Disney characters and worlds in this fifth entry in the series including Sleeping Beauty’s Enchanted Dominion, the Dwarf Woodlands from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Deep Space from Lilo and Stitch, plus revisited new stages in existing worlds like Peter Pan’s Neverland. The game features the stories of three characters, Terra, Ventus and Aqua, with the whole story only being revealed when you play through as all three characters. Look for Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep on store shelves in North America this summer.

Finally, in family gaming news, the video game tie-in to this summer’s Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore has been announced for the Nintendo DS. The game will feature over 45 covert missions as a variety of characters including a rookie canine agent, a super feline double agent or a streetwise pigeon, each armed with their own set of skills. ”Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore is a hilarious action-platformer game that draws upon the high-tech gadgetry and high-stakes espionage taking place in the eternal underground war between cats and dogs,” said Adam Kline, president of 505 Games. “With the immense success of the first film and the vast audience and following of the franchise, this game is sure to secure a prominent place in what will be a long future for Cats & Dogs.”