I reviewed Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 when it launched in 2023, and thought that while those games could have used a nicer 1080p polish, they still hold up incredibly well on modern platforms. Not to mention the clean menus, loads of bonus content and even some older original NES titles, it’s a no-brainer for fans of the franchise.
In many ways, Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 feels like much of the same. It’s an incredibly solid bundle that serves up a little less in terms of outright content, but with drastically updated visuals, it’s arguably a more refined package as a result.
We’re going to tackle this a little differently than last time, covering each of the two main titles first, followed by the package’s bonus content.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Can you believe that MGS4 is playable on modern consoles? Neither can we.
After missing the PS4 generation entirely as far as remakes and remasters were concerned, you would simply need to fire up the old PS3 to enjoy this one again. While I think that’s a fine compromise for most video game collectors, I don’t blame more casual fans or even newcomers for struggling to play this on ageing hardware.
While that day has now come, I don’t think there’s anything I can say about this game that hasn’t been said, but we’ll give it our best shot. In many ways, MGS4 has aged beautifully. It looks fantastic, the voice acting and performances are top-notch, and the game itself brought plenty of modern sensibilities to the franchise. Booting up this game and sneaking through a war-torn Middle Eastern setting as Gekko units run rampant is an absolute joy, but I must also say, it does a great job of paying homage to everything that came before it.
While the game’s final chapter is one I would rather not spoil, upon revisiting it, I couldn’t help but fall in love with the flourishes of soundtracks from previous titles. Stealth is still key here, but it felt like the first time that a Metal Gear had encouraged this much action in any of its missions and settings. I admittedly forgot that you’re even able to customise weapons here. Of course, Snake’s OctoCamo suit matches any surface with the press of a button, and sneaking around is challenging without ever feeling punishing.
I could get lost for hours talking about MGS4, but I can admit it has its flaws. For one, the cutscenes here are long. In fact, there are over 8 hours of cutscenes spread out across the entire game, the longest of which goes for a whopping 71 minutes. It’s interesting enough once you’re invested, but there’s no way to diminish or downplay just how much this can crush the game’s pacing at certain points.
Thankfully, MGS4 runs at 4K/ 60 FPS, and it’s generally a dream. The game’s first act actually caught me by surprise, as I could have mistaken this for a modern title at first glance. Sure, there are some cracks in the concrete if you look hard enough, but there’s a chance this goes down as one of the most understated remasters of this generation. It just looks that good.
While it holds up, it’s also the same game that was released in 2008. I think that’s still a very functional and downright heartbreaking rollercoaster, but there’s nothing here that will turn you into a fan of this game if you weren’t one already. The only thing we’re understandably missing here is Metal Gear Online.
Finally, the bonus content here includes the downloadable Japanese voice acting, along with both the Screenplay Book for the game, outlining its structure and dialogue, and the Master Book, which outlines the entire history of Metal Gear Solid and each of its entries, including some of the lesser-known games, which we’ll touch on a bit later.
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
Much like MGS4 on the PS3, if you didn’t have a PlayStation Portable when this launched back in 2010, then you sort of missed out on something great as well. While MGS: Peace Walker did come to the PS3 a little later as part of the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, it has since been missing in action.
While much smaller in scale given the limited hardware, I would argue that Peace Walker feels just as important as MGS4, given how it ties into the broader MGS franchise. It retroactively serves as a prequel to MGSV: Ground Zeroes and Phantom Pain, where we find a much younger version of Snake along with the origins of the Militaires Sans Frontières (Soldiers Without Borders).
Set in Costa Rica in 1974 during the Cold War, Snake must investigate an unknown military force also amassing on the island, which turns out to be the titular Peace Walkers. I won’t really go into who they are, as that’s a great twist in itself, but I will say that the episodic structure and graphic novel art style really suit this kind of experience. It’s much more brisk and direct than MGS4, which is honestly strange given it shares the same 18-hour runtime as MGS4. I guess the cutscenes are much shorter.
It’s also much more forgiving, with more limited confrontations with only one or two enemies at a time, while retaining many of its more assistive features, like the ability to auto-aim, which was implemented to help with the single analogue stick on the PSP. Manual aiming is still an option, but it all ultimately feels like a much more linear and guided experience that was made for a more modest platform.
That being said, the version we get here is clean and crisp. Also presented in 4K/60 FPS, Peace Walker does show its age via some pretty muddy textures and limited draw distances, but I feel like that’s only heightened by the sharper resolution here, which was once masked by the smaller screen and lower resolution of the PSP.
Either way, it feels like a more important piece now that we have the full picture, and it’s an entry I urge you to check out if you’re a fan and happened to miss this on the PSP or PS3. Finally, the same Master Book found in MGS4 can be viewed here, along with the specific Screenplay Book for Peace Walker.
Bonus Content
While you can purchase each of the two aforementioned titles individually via your digital platform/store of choice, purchasing the entire Master Collection also gets you exclusive Bonus Content, which can be launched independently of each game.
Here, you’ll find a few interesting things, the first of which is the digital soundtrack for both games. Both are decent, but the soundtrack for MGS4 just hits on another level, and it’s one of the best soundtracks of that era.
Alongside the soundtrack, you’ll also find Metal Gear: Ghost Babel, a Game Boy Colour game that was simply marketed as Metal Gear Solid outside of Japan. It’s one of the stranger MGS games you’ll come across, simply because it’s considered non-canon. It serves as an alternate sequel to the events of the NES Metal Gear game, essentially sitting alongside the original Metal Gear Solid on the PlayStation.
Years after the original Metal Gear game, Snake is pulled from retirement to infiltrate a hidden fortress known as Galuade, extract some kidnapped researchers, and destroy Metal Gear before it’s unleashed (again) on the world. It’s a fine GBC game that’s relatively straightforward to play, but incredibly impressive for this older handheld platform.
Presented as a top-down adventure, you’ll be able to sneak around 13 unique and admittedly large levels and even utilise a bunch of weapons against a range of enemies. The levels feel quite large, and as the map scrolls with you as you progress, and there’s a few neat tricks from the PS1 version of Metal Gear Solid, including being able to tap on walls to draw enemies in.
While it might feel a little dated by today’s standards, I would argue that Metal Gear: Ghost Babel was actually ahead of its time, as one of the more advanced games on the system.
Final Thoughts
While there’s less in the way of content than Vol. 1, I’m still a massive fan of everything on offer. It’s simply nice to have two previously inaccessible games on modern hardware, both treated to much nicer 4K/ 60 FPS facelifts.
The games themselves haven’t changed, but they’ve also aged like fine wine, encouraging you to sneak on back for another memorable ride, or two.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Three great games on offer; Screenplays are awesome; Ghost Babel is a solid inclusion; Great performance
Lowlights: MGS4 still has some of the longest cutscenes I’ve ever witnessed
Developer: Konami, Virtuos, M2, Rocket Studio Inc.
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, Windows PC
Available: Now
Review conducted on PlayStation 5 Pro with a code provided by the publisher.
Featured header image provided by the publisher.
