Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 Review

One of the more anticipated video game remakes coming soon is Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Or, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater as it was just recently announced. Despite its rather straightforward announcement, it did its job spreading the word that one of video games’ most iconic franchises is coming back.

While the excruciating wait could get unbearable, Konami has released Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1, which contains the first 3 mainline titles of the Solid series: Solid, Sons of Liberty, and of course, Snake Eater.

It’s no secret that Metal Gear Solid 1-3 were amazing games, revolutionary for their time even, but with a Snake Eater remake already in the works that could potentially restart the Metal Gear franchise anew, is it worth revisiting this series of titles that started it all?

Metal Gear Solid

As the legendary mercenary Solid Snake, players will infiltrate Shadow Moses Island to stop the terrorist actions of FOXHOUND, a rogue organization led by Liquid Snake. Upon his arrival at Shadow Moses, Solid Snake will be thrust into a web of conspiracies and haunted by the shadows of his past, all the while meeting memorable friends and foes in his mission to save the world from nuclear disaster.

The original Metal Gear Solid was truly memorable for its time thanks to the many gameplay innovations by its brilliant creator, Hideo Kojima. Fourth wall breaks and rewards for multiple playthroughs will pull you back for more. On top of a memorable story that will stay with you even after the credits roll, this installment in the series is one of the best in the series for good reason.

Players will see themselves running through levels while avoiding roaming guards, putting their stealth abilities to the test, and facing off against bosses that each have various mechanics to figure out. It was truly gameplay that was ahead of its time, all while rounding it off with controls that are nostalgically “tanky”, a haunting soundtrack, and a narrative that resonates even today.

We can’t sing praises of the original Metal Gear Solid enough. So much so that despite the game being practically a faithful translation, right down to the signature quirks like a certain boss fight and the search for an elusive codec frequency, it was disappointing how this port on modern consoles looks inferior to the original PlayStation 1 release.

Graphically, this port looks quite muddy, more so than the original. While the game isn’t really a shining example of a graphical masterpiece, the way the visuals are handled here isn’t worthy of the status of the game. Performance-wise, it runs well enough even at 30fps, but fans would certainly expect maximizing this opportunity to replay such a classic, which this port does not do.

If you don’t mind a little downgrade visually, then this is a title worth adding to your library, especially if you’re a newcomer to Metal Gear.

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

Taking place 2 years after the first Metal Gear Solid, Solid Snake and his friend Hal “Otacon” Emmerich now work for a new organization and are investigating the possible development of a new Metal Gear. After the Tanker incident which revealed the existence of the new Metal Gear Ray, the game shifts to a new character, Raiden, as he embarks on a rescue mission that sees familiar faces left and right.

It was a divisive move that split the fanbase when newcomer Raiden took over the majority of the game, replacing series veteran Solid Snake. Nonetheless, Sons of Liberty was still an amazing game that retained Kojima’s signature gameplay quirks like fourth wall breaks and a deep storyline on the dangers of war and nuclear weapons.

Sons of Liberty felt pretty much unchanged compared to its original HD Collection release back on the PlayStation 3. Visually, it looks smooth, and even the controls remain unchanged. If anything, it’s a nostalgic return to one of the most anticipated sequels of its time.

In other words, Sons of Liberty is still amazing and worth playing even today, especially at 1080p 60fps and its inclusion in this collection is certainly a welcome sight.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

A prequel taking place even before the original Metal Gear, you play as Naked Snake and are sent to a rescue mission within enemy territory, only to fail and once again return and eliminate your mentor and celebrated war hero, the Boss.

In stark contrast to its predecessors, Snake Eater broke the mold for its more outdoor setting where camouflage plays a huge role, and foraging and eating whatever you find in the open is essential to functioning properly during your stealth mission. It’s also chronologically the first game in the series, so it’s important to think about this when playing.

Like Sons of Liberty, Snake Eater remains rather unchanged and is another nostalgic trip for longtime fans of the game. The added element of having to adjust your facepaint and camouflage to stay hidden really upped the tension of avoiding detection by enemy soldiers. Not to mention experimenting by eating whatever you can find to keep up your strength.

Of course, Kojima was still at the helm here so you can still expect the same gameplay and story that made Metal Gear so memorable in the first place. When played at 1080p 60fps, the gameplay really shines.

Bonus Content

In terms of content, the re-release of Metal Gear Solid 1-3 for modern consoles does come with some enticing goodies.

For longtime fans, there are Screenplay Books that contain character dialogues, briefing files, and scripts for the 3 Metal Gear Solid games. And then there’s the Master Books which come with spoiler warnings. Why? They contain maps, hidden item information, and details on important characters of the Metal Gear series. It’s a great piece of content that’s useful and interesting to both newcomers to the series and even fans and veterans.

There are also the ports of the original NES games Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2, which heightens the experience of this already nostalgic series. Overall, the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Volume 1 is already a solid package containing 3 iconic games in the series and then some. Sadly, it’s a bare minimum effort from Konami, and we’d have hoped for some extra effort considering the status of these titles.

What We Liked:

• Kojima’s signature gameplay retained
• A content-filled Metal Gear collection ideal for newcomers

What We Didn’t Like:

• Metal Gear Solid 1 looks visually muddled even compared to the original release
• The games are standard ports with hardly any performance or visual bump to speak of

Verdict: Wait for it…

This was a very tough call. Considering this is a collection of some amazing games in an iconic videogame franchise, we would want you to rush and get them right away. That is, if, and only if, you’re a complete newcomer to the series.

For longtime fans who have likely bought and already lived through these games during their release, we can only recommend them if you have a really bad Metal Gear itch that you want to scratch. These are practically unchanged from the originals, so if you have the previous iterations, then you’re not really missing out.

In case you no longer possess the originals and don’t mind the $59.99 price tag for this re-release, by all means, purchase this collection. These are some of the greatest stealth action games you’ll ever play and it is indeed something all self-respecting gamer should have tried out at least once.

*Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 was reviewed on a PS4/PS5 with a review code provided by the publisher.