October 24th 2023.
Metal Gear Solid 1 was a revolutionary game that set the standard in 1998. Konami has re-released almost every Metal Gear game from the franchise's first 17 years, but one very important thing is missing - the involvement of its creator, Hideo Kojima.
The new Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 was met with mixed feelings. On one hand, the quality and classic nature of the games were undeniable, and the remastered versions were fit for the modern era. But on the other, the fact that Kojima had nothing to do with the collection was a glaring issue.
Konami's pettiness is not a surprise to the fans, as this is the same company that hounded Kojima out of the company and proceeded to remove his name from the recently released Metal Gear Solid 5. The fact that Kojima was not involved in the collection was a major backdrop, but the quality of the games and archive material still shone through.
The collection consists of the original two Metal Gear games from the MSX2 home computer, as well as the NES version of the first game and the NES-only sequel Snake’s Revenge. It also encompasses the first three Metal Gear Solid titles on the PlayStation 1 and 2.
The original Metal Gear Solid was the game that set the series on the map, and was only available intermittently in recent years due to the difficulty of getting the game to look halfway decent on modern systems. It, together with Thief: The Dark Project and GoldenEye 007, helped to define the concept of the stealth game.
The game is relatively unchanged from its original incarnation, with a few quality of life changes, such as standardising the controls across all the games and adding a pause button for cut scenes. The game has aged better than expected, as the top-down view means there is no need to manually control a cumbersome late-90s camera.
The versions of Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 included in the collection are the same 2012 remasters from Bluepoint Games, with 1080p resolution and an optional manual camera system. There is also an impressive attention to detail that not only enables fourth wall breaking moments, but also allows you to create fake memory card data for other Konami games.
The early MSX2 games have also held up surprisingly well, and while the controls are fiddly, they are otherwise perfectly playable. The storytelling of the games, however, feels the most outdated, with pretentiously long cut scenes and Kojima's pervy humour.
On the other hand, the game manages to predict the full hellscape of modern internet life, including fake news, the excesses of social media, and personal data abuse. This makes it one of the most prescient works of science fiction ever created in a game.
The collection also provides some context and museum features, such as the Master Books which work like a coffee table book on your TV, and the complete scripts, various digital comic books, and the VR Missions, Special Missions, and Integral expansions for the original Metal Gear Solid.
Overall, the Metal Gear games are products of their time and have been highly influential. Despite the lack of Kojima's involvement, the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 is a fitting tribute to the legendary series.
Metal Gear Solid 1 was a revolutionary game when it was released in 1998. Konami has released almost every game in the franchise from the first 17 years, but there is one very important piece missing from this collection. We weren't sure what to say about Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1, but it's not because of the quality or classic nature of the games. The games have been remastered for the modern era. The problem is that the creator of the franchise, Hideo Kojima, has had absolutely nothing to do with this collection and that feels wrong.
Konami has hounded Kojima out of the company and have since removed his name from the recently released Metal Gears Solid 5. This collection has been released in light of these events and yet, the quality of the games and archive material still shines through. This collection is more complete than its predecessor and includes the original two Metal Gear games from the MSX2 home computer, as well as the NES version of the first game and the NES-only sequel Snake’s Revenge. It encompasses the first three Metal Gear Solid titles on the PlayStation 1 and 2, with Vol. 2 presumably set to cover the portable and PlayStation 3 and 4 games.
The original Metal Gear Solid, from 1998, is the jewel of the collection. Not only because it’s the game that put the series on the map, but because it’s only been available intermittently in recent years due to the difficulty of getting the game looking halfway decent on modern systems. Metal Gear Solid helped to define the concept of the stealth game, or tactical espionage action as Metal Gear Solid itself would have it. The game has been largely unchanged from its original incarnation, but there are a few quality of life changes, such as standardising the controls across all the games and adding a pause button for cut scenes.
Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 were originally PlayStation 2 games but the versions included here are the same 2012 remasters from Bluepoint Games. That means 1080p resolution and an optional manual camera system, adapted from the expansions Substance and Subsistence. The early MSX2 games have also held up better than expected, and the controls are still fiddly. Nevertheless, the game is still perfectly playable, and the top-down view means no having to manually control a cumbersome late-90s camera.
The storytelling in the Metal Gear games feels the most outdated, with pretentiously long cut scenes and Kojima’s pervy humour. However, you’ve got that scene at the end of Metal Gear Solid 2, where Kojima managed to predict the full hellscape of modern internet life, including fake news, the excesses of social media, and personal data abuse.
The Metal Gear games are products of their time and even back in the day they were a very odd mix of the sublime and the ridiculous. Video game compilations are infamous for never providing any context or museum features, but Konami has done relatively well, even if most if it is repurposed from elsewhere. The accurately named Master Books are the highlight and work like a coffee table book on your TV, although the complete lack of any mention of Kojima is more disturbing in print.
The Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 is a great collection of classic games from the franchise, even though Kojima's name has been left out of the credits. The collection and the games included are historically important and highly influential, and it is an impressive piece of work.
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