There’s a reason the Metal Gear Solid series is beloved by fans. It blends stealth and action superbly. There are mind-blowing action scenes and emotional moments that engage the player right until the end. There’re also a ton of cut scenes that for some might be too much. However, most fans will applaud Kojima and Konami’s commitment to telling fascinating stories about espionage, betrayal, and power amidst the backdrop of real-world events. Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol.2 includes the most epic of all Snake’s stories, and it was so good to dive back in after all this time.
The first Master Collection felt packed to the rafters with content as well as titles. Three huge entries that kick-started the series, along with the very first two titles to feature Solid Snake and Metal Gear. While this doesn’t have the same number of games, it features what many consider two of the best. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. Two excellent titles told across two different time periods, with both still holding up today. MGS4 is by far the better to play now, as some of the controls in Peace Walker feel a touch archaic.
Getting into a CQC tussle and trying to throw an enemy took me far more time to get used to than I’d have liked. Aiming a weapon and launching a grenade also took a while. Once I had reminded myself of the controls, it was like riding a bike. The HD Collection version of Peace Walker is a different kind of game to the others. Missions feel like skirmishes rather than a flowing campaign. There’re base-building elements and staff management, as well as weapon and item research that would become the foundations for what we saw in Phantom Pain.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is still just as incredible as it was when it released on the PlayStation 3. I’ve longed to play it since then, and I have such fond memories of it. Meeting familiar friends that featured in the original title, settling in for a 71-minute cut scene, and embracing the craziness and excellence of its story. I know games are sometimes made by hundreds of people, and I don’t want to keep praising one man, but the ideas we see in MGS4 from Kojima changed the way games were made, and it is still just as captivating and fun to play all these years later.
It would have been great to see Ground Zeroes and Phantom Pain be a part of this collection. Yes, they’re both native to current platforms, but including these would have made the MGS saga feel complete through both volumes. Regardless, they are two fantastic titles that hold up much better than MGS1, 2, and 3 do now. As a bonus, Metal Gear Solid: Ghost Babel is included. Originally released on the Game Boy Color in 2000, it’s far from essential, but it’s still a neat little addition. Just expect to play a few minutes and then realise it’s probably not worth playing again.
Also included is the Master Book; a fascinating deep dive into every facet of both titles, offering plenty of background information on the history and stories of the games. There is so much lore to Metal Gear Solid, but they do a fantastic job of explaining absolutely everything. They also make you realise just how complex and crazy its history is, while at the same time understanding the depths it reaches across the many decades it is set. There are screenplays for both games, as well as soundtracks that feature music from the games.
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol.2 feels like the almost complete package. Despite not including the main final entry in the series, it still has two excellent titles that hold up even now. For the fans, the Master Books are worthwhile spending time with, fleshing out the lore along with your own grasp on their rich history. MGS is one of my favourite franchises of all time, and getting to replay Guns of the Patriots has been something I’ve wanted for many years. This is a near-perfect collection for anybody who’s willing to give it their time.
