The iconic Metal Gear Franchise is back with the launch of Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol.1 from Konami, but is this collection any good and worth the asking price or even your time?
I doubt there’s anyone who has played any of the Metal Gear Games from Solid onwards who could ever forget those terrified screams at a Game Over scream. They’re probably just as iconic as the character whose death has horrified the listener on the other end of the comms. Solid Snake is, after all, one of gaming’s most iconic and beloved action heroes, in no small part due to the phenomenal voice work from actor David Hayter.
Snake! Snaaaaaakkkeeeee!
The Metal Gear Solid franchise, with its dastardly deeds of genetic engineering and backstabbing courtesy of the military-industrial complex, has engaged gamers for nearly thirty years, with Metal Gear Solid bringing Hideo Kojima’s stealth infiltration series spectacularly into the limelight. That Metal Gear Solid is a groundbreaking, landmark moment in gaming can’t be denied so the ability to play it, and its sequels and spin-offs across a variety of hardware is always welcome, not least because it means that these games are been preserved for the future.
This brings us to the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol.1 from Konami which, as the title says, collects a bunch of Metal Gear games in one easy collection. What you’re getting in this package are: Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2, Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2, Metal Gear Solid 3 and some extras. The question is, is this a collection worthy of a “Master” title, or should you rather just dust off your old consoles and discs and start sneaking that way?
The first thing to notice with Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol.1 is that there isn’t one installable file along with a wraparound to select which game you want to play. Instead, there are five installation files. One for Metal Gear 1 and 2, separate ones for Metal Gear Solid 1, 2 and 3 respectively and another for the two motion graphic novels. This is an inefficient way to present these games, regardless of whether or not you’re running from a physical or digital edition.
It’s also silly that there are still some optional extras that need to be downloaded after installation, specifically language packs and missions for MGS. Why they aren’t included already in the installation package is a mystery.
Metal Gear 1, 2 and Solid are emulated here. Now I haven’t played Metal Gear 1 and 2 before so I can’t say how accurate they are to their original versions, but they run perfectly fine here and are solid (no pun intended) games if you can put yourself into the mindset of the era from which they come.
Now Metal Gear Solid is exactly as I remember it, emulated to PS1 perfection, including the warping textures, seams in polygons and slowdown when popping into first-person view. Well at least on the Pal version. You see, pro tip, when starting the game, choosing your language setting determines which regional version of the game you’re playing. So English UK gives you the Pal version while English US starts up the NTSC version.
The performance difference is very noticeable. Rounding out the package are both sets of VR missions and the Japanese Integral version of the game. Sadly what’s missing from this collection, probably due to licensing issues, is the Gamecube MGS remake, Twin Snakes.
For MGS 2 and 3, Konami has slipped the Bluepoint remasters from the Metal Gear Solid HD collections into this package. There’s nothing wrong with that as both games look good, even at 720p, and run well, though it would have been nice had Konami removed the HD Collections logo from loading screens. Bluepoint has consistently proven itself with stellar work so I can’t argue that this isn’t the way to go. That said, I would have liked the original PS2 versions of each included as well for posterity.
Over the last couple of years, retro collections and anthologies have really upped the game in how these collections are presented and in what they contain. Usually stuffed between the various quality-of-life additions are a smorgasbord of production and behind-the-scenes material which seems to have become a standard. So it’s a bit of a shame that, outside of the additional graphic novels, the only additions to each of these games are a game world glossary, strategy guides, music selection and the screenplays themselves.
Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 does remind me somewhat of the early days of HD Collections during the PS3 and Xbox 360 era. It may be slim on content but it does do what you primarily want it for, and that is to play these classics again without having to unpack your older machines and discs, assuming you still have those, or diving into the world of emulation.
Konami could have put in more effort to bring Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 up to modern standards, along with a higher resolution and frame rate, but I can’t deny that playing MGS 1 on my Series X didn’t bring a nostalgic smile to my face. It may not be the Master Collection that Solid Snake deserves, but it’s at least one we can play now without any issues.
Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Trailer
Read more reviews here https://invisioncommunity.co.uk/category/review/
You must be logged in to post a comment.