The Metal Gear Solid series needs no introduction. To this day, those three words carry an almost intimidatingly high level of inherent respect and admiration when uttered by fans around the globe. And for good reason. While the franchise’s far-reaching influence on the stealth game genre is undeniable, its true greatness lies in its unique blend of cinematic storytelling, entertaining dialogue, memorable (and often eccentric) characters, and satisfying gameplay – birthed from the mad genius residing within creator Hideo Kojima’s mind.



It’s been eight years since longtime Metal Gear publisher Konami severed ties with the man, after shifting its primary developmental focus towards the frothing, golden ocean of cash that is mobile gaming and nearly annihilating the series’ reputation with Metal Gear Survive – so the wariness surrounding the recently announced Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater remake is more than justifiable.



But we’ve not gathered here today to talk about Metal Gear’s future; we’re here to gush about the past. In what initially seems like a sick and twisted bit of irony, Konami have collected up every mainline Kojima-spawned (except Snake’s Revenge, yet also included) MGS title prior to Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots in one hefty, bulbous package bursting at the seams with fan service and digital goodies. Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 is here somehow and, boy, there’s a lot to cover. Seeing as how the entirety of the compilation is broken up into five application downloads and installations on PS5, I’ll explain exactly what you’re getting one game at a time.

Application number one contains the original Metal Gear title released for MSX2 back in 1987, as well as the, at the time, 1990 Japan-exclusive sequel, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, for the same system. Despite their age, both games are still quite enjoyable, although the detection response mechanics may seem a tad confusing at first when compared to the later releases. For the sake of consistency and player comfort, the control scheme has also been laid out to match the rest of the offerings in the collection, which is a nice touch.



Additionally, the black bars that sit beside the 4:3 aspect ratio can be swapped out for one of many wallpaper options (same for Metal Gear Solid), if staring into the void creeps you out. Snake’s quest through Outer Heaven and Zanzibar Land to destroy everyone’s favourite bipedal nuke-lobbing tank, Metal Gear, may not necessarily be compulsory for first timers – the Metal Gear Solid event summary does a good job of getting you up to speed - but it’s a trip worth taking, in my opinion.

With the early days behind us, we can now move on to the second offering (or application). 1998’s Metal Gear Solid for the PlayStation took the success of the prior two instalments and cranked the innovation and novelty up to eleven, truly bringing both Hideo Kojima and the series into the spotlight. Reliving the Shadow Moses Incident is absolutely essential for newcomers, and many will agree that skipping the MSX2 games in favour of starting their journey here is completely acceptable.

Snake’s quest through Outer Heaven and Zanzibar Land to destroy everyone’s favourite bipedal nuke-lobbing tank, Metal Gear, may not necessarily be compulsory for first timers... but it’s a trip worth taking, in my opinion.

Don’t let the rough weapon controls, chunky pixels and fixed camera angles of this PSX era gem deter you; the story, environments, characters and humour will quickly blow those minor issues out of the water. It’s a testament to the imprint that Metal Gear Solid has left on the industry and the gaming world as a whole that a large number of fans out there still rank this as their favourite – and most quotable - of the series.



When booting up the game, your language choice determines what version you’ll end up playing. The European version (UK English) is already installed, but if you want to access the North American release, you’re going to have to download the associated pack. I highly recommend opting for the NA version, as the performance improvement over the European alternative is astounding, even with the 30fps lock. Now that I’ve played both, I can’t imagine ever returning to selecting “English (UK)”.

Your chosen language also affects save file compatibility with the other available language options, depending on which title you’re playing. For example, every language option for Metal Gear Solid creates its own unique save file and cannot be shared between multiple languages. That means if you start playing the game in Spanish, you’re going to have to finish it in Spanish, or start from scratch. Metal Gear Solid 2, on the other hand, allows for one save file shared between every available language besides Japanese.



Metal Gear Solid: Integral, the 1999 expanded rerelease, is also included as an optional playable title, with the accompanying set of VR missions (and the European release equivalent) included. The English voice acting may lead you to think otherwise, but launching Integral requires a download of the Japanese language pack, as all item descriptions are in Japanese text. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. I wouldn’t make Integral your first playthrough choice, though. Whether you go for the original or not, all versions of Metal Gear Solid swap the circle and X buttons to preserve the controller set-up from the original release. I can respect that, even as I back out of a menu instead of heading into it for the tenth time in a row.

I’ll throw the third and fourth applications together here: Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001) and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004) - the fourth and fifth entries in the series, both appearing here in their Bluepoint 2011 remastered HD edition format and running at a buttery smooth 60fps. Both games perform about as well as I was expecting them to, honestly, and feel great to control, aside from a few small, ingrained UI navigation annoyances. That’s part of the charm, I suppose.



Story-wise, these two are exceptionally important and noteworthy for a multitude of reasons – from bamboozling gamers by switching protagonists after the first act of Sons of Liberty and introducing the world to Raiden in a sequence subtly referencing the original Metal Gear Solid opening, to depicting the true chronological beginnings of the timeline and giving us an early and in-depth glimpse at Big Boss in Snake Eater - the iconic moments keep on coming. Shoutout to the cardboard box Codec conversation between Snake and Sigint in Snake Eater, by the way. Easily one of the most hilarious exchanges in the entire franchise.

The fifth and final application, simply titled “Bonus Content”, includes the Famicom/NES edition of Metal Gear as well as the unofficial sequel, Snake’s Revenge – exclusively released for Western audiences with zero attachment to or involvement with Hideo Kojima. These are nice to have for the sake of owning as “complete” of a collection as possible but aren’t required playing material, in my humble opinion.

Story-wise, [Sons of Liberty and Snake Eater] are exceptionally important and noteworthy for a multitude of reasons.

All the above titles come with a link to an online manual, viewable box art, (gotta get Meryl’s Codec frequency number somehow) a summary of the events that unfold over the course of the story and a date placing each game on the overall series timeline. Additionally, each application comes with a digital Master Book which explores even more plot, character and chronology details. Want more? How about a (also digital, of course) Screenplay Book, taking the dialogue and cutscenes from every title and presenting them in the form of a script? Konami really didn’t need to go that far with the extras, but I’m glad they did.



Of course, the elephant in the room is the level of technical polish and visual quality present at launch. While I can’t speak personally for the PC, Xbox or Switch ports, each stuck with their own litany of issues (the worst seem to be confined to PC), both large and small, I can offer a glimpse into my experience with the PS5 Master Collection. I can’t say I had any serious problems in the performance or graphical departments (aside from some minor sound mixing issues and the very rare 2-3 second freeze in both HD edition offerings), nor any crashes, or save data corruption. When compared to the horror stories I’ve seen concerning PC port issues, though, it’s safe to say that the PS5 version fared much, much better.

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 isn’t flawless, but I honestly can’t see any issues arising in the foreseeable future serious enough to outright trump the sheer convenience this compilation otherwise offers – at least on PS5. If you’re looking for an easy way to experience a substantial slice of that world-famous “Tactical Espionage Action” pie, and don’t mind some small teething issues (again, talking about PlayStation here) it’s never too late to join the madness and experience one of the greatest – and occasionally mind-bending - stories in gaming history. Hopefully we’ll see a second compilation featuring the remaining titles in the future, with Metal Gear Solid 4 finally breaking free of its PlayStation 3 containment cell. A man can dream.

PS5 Review code provided by ZamZam Distribution | Reviewed by Ryan Pretorius