Few video games series are held as highly or considered as influential as the stealth-action pioneer Metal Gear Solid. The brain child of gaming icon Hideo Kojima, each new instalment was seen as a new watermark in the world of gaming. Well, until things turned sour between Kojima and publisher Konami and the series all but fell apart. But, at least we can revisit always some of the greatest games of all time in Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1.
Rising Star
And what a mouth-watering collection it is. Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, as well as the VR Missions for Metal Gear Solid.
Plus, if that wasn’t enough you also get the NES version of Metal Gear. You also get its much derided standalone sequel, Snake’s Revenge.
Read More: Pivotal Decisions in Gaming History – PlayStation 2 and DVD Playback
Also included are the motion comics of Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2: Bande Dessinée. There is also a mine of game guides and a decent selection of music from the series.
The package serves as a bit of a history lesson for fans and newcomers. Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 features the titles that truly defined the adventures of Solid Snake and company.
Incomplete but Room for More
While it doesn’t have absolutely everything bearing the name as far as Metal Gear Solid 3, it does have two key titles titles that even the biggest series fan may have missed. Not many have had the chance to play the original duo outside of Japan, where the MSX birthed the series.
There are a few omissions from Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1. Metal Gear Acid 1 and 2, and Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops may be part of Volume 2.
Read More: The Enduring Legacy of PlayStation 3
Or they may have been left out for being side entries on a handheld system. Volume 1 still feels somewhat complete without them, seeing as the home computer and console core is present.
Headline Titles
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 is headlined by the first three core 3D instalments. And that’s fair. You’ll spend most of your time with Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.
The collection also features the most complete editions of each game on show. For example, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty has its rare European Extreme difficulty mode.
Read More: The Enduring Legacy of PlayStation 1
Worth noting though, the games are not remasters, technically. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater are ports of the builds seen in the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection on the 360 and PS3. So, those looking for the level of upgrade coming to Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater may be a little let down.
On the flip side, this is the first time ever Metal Gear Solid is available on Xbox. And this is a big deal for the green corner.
Preservation
And staying on the flip side, the games are largely faithful to their original forms. In a sense, this fidelity serves the historical vibe of the package.
However, there is one improvement. The games run at 60FPS and have next to no loading times. The only issue players might have on the gameplay side is that the controls will take you a bit of time to get your head around the huge changes between the titles.
Read More: Five PS1 Classics Best Enjoyed on Other Platforms
The three headline titles are timeless classics that millions of gamers could spend hours, if not days, gushing about. The Metal Gear Solid games drove gaming to new heights in cinematic presentation. Their meandering tales offered thought-provoking moments and casually stirred politics and philosophy into gaming.
But, MGS, MGS 2 and MGS 3 also let you do a rake of fun stuff with its imaginative mechanics. There were set-pieces that have been seared onto gamers’ brains, like the Psycho Mantis battle or The End face-off. It spawned the term ‘stealth action’ and then kept breaking ground with the formula.
Read More: The Enduring Legacy of PlayStation DualShock
These three titles are ‘must play’ experiences as well as a real trip down memory lane for those who haven’t donned their bandanas in a few years.
Metal Gear Extras
The extra goodies will be a real draw for series fans. Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection is, in many ways, a work-in-progress Metal Gear Museum. The Master Books bring a truly deep dive into the games. It’s full of details on characters and backgrounds. The screenplays are also a nice touch and are fully voice acted too.
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 brings a slice of gaming history a modern generation, while giving the old guard something new and interesting to sink their teeth into. This collections fills us with hope that a Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 will be on the way to complete the saga.
From breaking into a nuclear facility in Alaska, to being knee deep in the jungle dodging poisonous frogs. The three headline games are worth the price alone. The rest is a somewhat loving tribute to its humble beginnings and its ascendancy to video canonhood.
It also serves as a heartbreaking reminder that these days of the series are truly gone now. Thanks to the very public falling out between Konami and Hideo Kojima, the series will likely never reach the highs seen here (and in Metal Gear Solid IV: Guns of the Patriots) again.