With Konami on the re-release spree they’re currently on, we figured it would be a matter of time before they gave Metal Gear Solid a turn – even without Hideo Kojima on board to promote it.
Late last year, gamers got their wish with Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1, which features a number of titles to choose from, along with abundant extras. It’s pretty well packed, and provides hours of entertainment.
That said, the games do come up short when it comes to their remaster-y, as it were. While they still look good, they’re not amazing like we’ve seen on other standards; and with the clunky structure of how the games appear (instead of a one-click package), it can be tough to navigate.
More could’ve been done to smooth things over, but, for some fans, the sheer opportunity to play Sons of Liberty or Snake Eater again is hard to resist.
The Full Package
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 contains seven games in all. The big draws here are Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, which run beautifully at 60 frames per second (even with lower end textures). Metal Gear Solid is also included, along with VR Missions, Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake and Snake’s Revenge.
It’s a huge history lesson that’s packed with hours of gameplay, but you also get “master books,” which provides vivid details on each entry in the series. This includes a ton of production art, as well as soundtracks and graphic novels that fill you in to more of the story.
That said, better production value would’ve paid off here. While Snake Eater and Sons of Liberty run very well, the other games are a bit flat when it comes to presentation. They run decently enough, but they lack the pizzazz we’ve seen in other retro releases.
Also, the fact that the games are divided instead of just accessing one easy starting package is sure to be a stickler for some. You actually have to close and open so many things in an effort to get to the games you want to play. This could’ve been easily remedied, with an all-in-one approach.
As for the gameplay, each title is true to the nature of the original games (especially Metal Gear Solid, which is a blast to rediscover), and it’s nice to have Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake on hand instead of the inferior NES sequel. Could’ve been better, but not bad with what’s provided.
How’s the Performance, Snake?
Now, earlier in this review, we mentioned that the visuals come up short in certain areas. It’s mainly because Konami rushed this one, rather than taking the time and devotion to smooth everything where it needs to be.
Solid, while highly entertaining, doesn’t get the same treatment as Snake Eater and Sons of Liberty, for example. As a result, it almost looks like two different development teams worked on the game, which is jarring. But is it enough to throw off the classic look of the games? Nah, they’re still mostly intact, though you may want to pass on Snake’s Revenge. Not the best.
The sound is good, at least. The voice acting continues to be rock-solid in the newer titles in the series; and it’s always fun to hear villains go super-gruff on themselves. On top of that, the music still scores nicely, as do the atmospheric sound effects.
SNAKE? SNAAAAAAAKE!
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 needed a few more months of development. What’s here is, ahem, “solid” but not exceptional. And in this day and age, when you release a commemorative collection of games, you need to make sure they’re up to standard.
Technical decisions aside, Solid still has hours of gameplay within its many offerings, and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake is worth the journey. Let’s just hope Konami “completes the mission” with a few tech patches.
GAMERHUB RATING: 3 (out of 5) JOYSTICKS
(Thanks to Konami for the review code!)
