Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 Review: War Hasn't Changed

Metal Gear Solid is arguably my favorite video game series of all time. Since first playing the mainline games for myself back in 2008, I have often cited Konami's stealth-action franchise as my favorite in all of gaming. As such, I'm always looking for a reason to replay these titles once again and have been loudly expressing my desire for multiple years to see Konami bring all of its Metal Gear titles to modern hardware. With Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1, this wish has finally been fulfilled (at least partially). Sadly, rather than be thrilled to now have these games easily accessible, I've been disappointed to see how little effort went into this release. 

As the name suggests, Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 is the first release of likely two bundles that Konami will release. Vol. 1 happens to contain many of the earliest installments in the series that begin with the original Metal Gear and runs through Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Personally speaking, my favorite Metal Gear games happen to be included in this collection, so having them all in one convenient location is a big win. 

What's not as thrilling, though, is that Konami has done virtually nothing to improve these games. Nowadays, remasters and remakes are incredibly common and have established a general baseline of what's expected when older titles are brought to new platforms. Rather than taking advantage of what current consoles and PCs are now capable of, however, Konami has chosen to simply port these games rather than remaster them in any way. None of the Metal Gear titles included here run at 4K, which is perhaps the biggest oversight of all, given that upscaling them to this resolution shouldn't be too difficult. Additionally, the original Metal Gear Solid is locked to 30fps no matter where you play, while MGS 2 and 3 hit 60fps depending solely on what platform you're on.   

This is something that Konami didn't necessarily hide when promoting Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1, but it's still proven to be greatly disappointing upon booting these games up and seeing them in action. What's worse is that Metal Gear fans over the years have already created various mods and emulations of these titles that look better than what Konami itself is releasing. It's a pretty poor look when the official license holder of a game isn't able to release a product that outshines what everyday people have cooked up in the past. Not to mention, this only further suggests that Konami doesn't seem to have much interest in its AAA properties any longer, which has been a common complaint from many fans over the past decade. 

Even though I'm pretty negative on the fidelity seen with Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1, not everything here is bad. Outside of the actual Metal Gear games included, Master Collection Vol. 1 also has a number of other bonus features that have been added. None of these additions are worth buying this Master Collection on its own, but inclusions such as the Metal Gear Solid graphic novels and the official scripts are cool to check out for those who love the series. I'll also always be a sucker for digital soundtracks, even though the one included with this Master Collection isn't very comprehensive. 

Likely the best inclusions here with Master Collection Vol. 1 are tied to the original Metal Gear installments. Both the MSX2 and NES versions of Metal Gear have been added to this bundle alongside Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake and Snake's Revenge. All of these initial Metal Gear entries have been ported and included in other bundles in the past, although this is the first time that Konami has released them in one package. Most people who are looking to snag this collection are likely more interested in playing through the original Metal Gear Solid trilogy more than anything, but it's nice to see the older games given some love. 

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 isn't necessarily an atrocious bundle of Metal Gear ports. The games that have been included here generally still hold up well in 2023 and have been fun to revisit. Still, it's disappointing to see that Konami has done virtually nothing to touch up these titles in the slightest of ways. As such, Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 feels like something Konami is simply releasing to make a quick buck. Rather than improving these games to ensure that the the legacy of Metal Gear is something that remains intact for newer generations of fans, this Master Collection fails to put its best foot forward given what modern hardware is now capable of. And for longtime fans like myself, there's very little reason to buy this bundle outside of the convenience of having the series on current platforms. 

Rating: 3 out of 5

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 is out now across PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. A review code for PS5 was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.