Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2
Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5 (Reviewed), PC, Switch, Switch 2
Release Date: Available Now
Price: $69.99 USD – Available Here
Overview
For quite a while, Metal Gear fans didn’t know what was going to happen with their beloved franchise. After the surprising spin-off action game that was Revengeance followed by the masterpiece that was Metal Gear Solid V, the series languished for three years until a terrible survival game nearly drove the series under. What followed was five years of silence until Konami revealed that not only would they be bringing together the Metal Gear Solid games in a series of collections but remaking Snake Eater from the ground-up. After a successful first Master Collection and a masterful remake, now Konami has brought out the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2, containing one of the most significant elements and that is the fact that it is freeing Metal Gear Solid 4 from the chains of the PlayStation 3. So combining that title alongside Peace Walker and even the non-canon Ghost Babel as a bonus, how does this collection come together?
Story
For as divisive as Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots was back at the time, it certainly didn’t deserve to be imprisoned on the PlayStation 3 for two decades but that happened to be its fate until now, giving players new to the series and longtime fans the ability to experience Solid Snake’s final outing at its best. Set five years after the events of Big Shell, Snake has started suffering from accelerated aging that has turned this veteran soldier into an old man, dubbed “Old Snake” by the game. While hiding away from the world that is convinced he is a criminal, he is brought back into the fold for one last job by none other than Colonel Campbell himself. While PMCs have grown in power to the point that the rival nations’ militaries, the SOP System suppressing and helping maintain PMC soldier’s connections during conflict and more, Liquid has made his move and is rising to power in the Middle East.
With one last task keeping him moving forward, it will be up to Old Snake to put a stop to Liquid Ocelot and prevent him from enacting his plan that goes far beyond what any could have expected, even as it brings Solid Snake’s journey to a satisfying finale. Metal Gear Solid 4 was always a bit of a strange game and one that was absolutely notorious for having twenty minute long, or even longer, cutscenes as it explained numerous details and references that spanned the entire franchise including events that happened in the Metal Gear games all while players would also encounter familiar faces, face off against “beauties” haunted by their trauma and turned into weapons, and buying DNA-code free firearms off of a man who has a cigarette and soda addicted monkey wearing a diaper as a pet.
This ridiculous story is one that manages to be as absurd and eerily familiar to the current world as any of Kojima’s previous Metal Gear entries, what with the rise of AI, drone warfare, and autonomous weaponry, but it also is as impactful now as it was back then, maintaining its relevancy as being the final major note in Snake’s journey as well as tying up every single loose end that the franchise had canonically in the timeline, even though this was not the last Metal Gear Solid game to be made. In fact, the next game in the collection, Peace Walker, was released later but instead follows the events that took place following Snake Eater.
Four years after that entry, Big Boss, formerly known as Naked Snake but now saddled with his new moniker, has established his own mercenary faction in the Colombian region called the Militaires Sans Frontières, or simply the MSF. Upon the arrival of an agent carrying a message from his former mentor, The Boss, he chooses to take action once again into investigating a freshly formed army and the mysterious weaponry that they have gathered, including a massive weapon code-named Peace Walker, a nuclear tank designed to instantly fire its nuclear payload if triggered. As Snake delves deeper into the conspiracy and designs of the organization that helped construct Peace Walker and their meaning, it becomes clear that he must put a stop to it at all costs, even if it means going against what he previously swore off.
Peace Walker shows the limitations of the PSP that it was released on at the time both through its gameplay as well as its narrative. While still a worthwhile storyline, the basic pacing of the short missions and reveals pushed the handheld to the limit back then and while seeing the story updated once again, after the previous HD release, is nice nonetheless. It is interesting to note that while the overarching storyline of the game isn’t necessarily inventive, it does serve as the building blocks for what would eventually become Metal Gear Solid V both narratively and partially in design.
Finally included in the game is an odd little bonus that even most fans of the franchise probably have never touched or even heard about in the form of Ghost Babel. This Game Boy Color title once again pushed the old handheld far beyond what the limits were at the time even if it feels like something of a long-forgotten game that is a blend of Metal Gear as well as some Solid to try and tie things together. It tells a completely non-canon alternative story that takes place after Metal Gear 2 and sees Snake facing off against a number of unique bosses and enemies that for its time were impressive but now are mostly an afterthought.
Perhaps the most interesting inclusion in this entire release outside of the games themselves is the absolutely exhaustive amount of bonus reading content that is included. These range from being simple manuals and character biographies to straight up providing entirely timelines and how certain characters connect with one another, the various actions and how they tie together, and more. The game even warns players before reading that it will spoil content with how in-depth it goes and it does seem to contain quite a lot of information that longtime fans may have only scratched the surface of or only barely remember and now are able to see it all laid out in one place, including direct links within the compendium to go down a rabbit hole of information and learn the ins an outs of each story.
Gameplay
In a similar vein to the first collection, Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 splits all three games into their own separate titles which is something of an odd decision, especially since Ghost Babel is slotted into a “Bonus” only title which is strange as it could have easily been stuck in with Peace Walker. For the most part Guns of the Patriots plays the exact same as fans of the original will remember it with many of the controls modified to better work with the current expected layout for aiming and shooting, though aiming down the sights is still a bit of an odd choice, having players tap triangle while already aiming. Swapping between equipment and weapons are simple and easy to do on the fly, with most things needing to be unlocked by Drebin or immediately available for purchase or use upon picking them up, depending if they were obtained from a rebel or a PMC member.
Players are encouraged to play stealthily and use less lethal methods to take down enemies, and even bosses as there are extra rewards for non-lethal boss take downs, as it not only keeps Snake’s stress levels low but keeps the “war price” that affects how expensive Drebin’s unlocks are, down. This can be done through simple stealth take downs, tranq darts, making use of the OctoCamo that will help blend Snake into his current environment automatically, but there are also plenty of moments that players can choose to go loud and support one side of a conflict or are forced to with some impressive gunplay that still feels good to this day.
Peace Walker continues the impressive standard but as mentioned earlier, lays the groundwork heavily for what would eventually become the core gameplay loop for Metal Gear Solid V. Peace Walker’s PSP origins meant that while the combat was sufficient, it was also kept to a smaller scale as players would find themselves being sent out on missions in various locations rather than a large area players would need to navigate through with their map. Similarly this is also the entry that introduced the Fulton Recovery System meaning players can easily attach it to any guard they have knocked out and instantly remove them from the field helping keep stealth approaches simpler since no one can stumble upon a knocked out guard. These recovered soldiers and other items can then be used to manage the player’s base such as assigning soldiers to the best posts that fit their skills and so on. It is a bit surprising that the game’s multiplayer element was transferred into the collection and a welcome one at that.
Then there is Ghost Babel, a title that is perhaps the most unique and at the same time most limited of all three titles in the collection. The game plays akin to the old Metal Gear games with a top down perspective and simple controls but does give Snake the option to press up against walls and the like similar to how he can in the Metal Gear Solid games, bringing it into something of a strange middle-ground bridging the two stories even if it has no real place in the storyline other than a “what if”, at least the gameplay itself is enjoyable.
Audio & Visuals
With Konami bringing the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 to modern platforms it sees each game once again take a slight jump in quality, however minor, though most of it happens to come from the fact that all of the games now run completely smoothly at 60 FPS, minus Ghost Babel of course thanks to its design. The character models and designs in Guns of the Patriots look as impressive as ever, with the OctoCamo system doing wonders, even if it can make a few cutscenes look odd at times, and players having plenty of gorgeous visuals throughout the incredibly long cutscenes. Similarly Peace Walker has seen a decent graphical improvement over the HD release in 2011 but this is still a PSP game in the end. As for Ghost Babel, the title really did push the limits of the GBC and it is clear even today why with how gorgeous the game’s spritework looks and detailed the environments are given the age of the game.
All of the games’ voice work has been maintained perfectly throughout the years and the actors’ performances continue to impress all these years later, which is important given how long players will be listening to some of them talk, and how iconic many of the specific phrases in Guns of the Patriots have become over the years. The background music across the titles remains impressive and untouched, with players even being able to find tracks of iPod music MP3’s they can use to listen to other games’ songs while traveling around in Guns of the Patriots often hidden out of the way or given as rewards, though listening to the iPod will occupy the equipment slot at the time.
Overall
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 managed to do what many thought would never happen, saving Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots from its PlayStation 3 jail, and it is nearly worth the price of admission simply for that. However the plenty of flair that comes with MGS4’s story and gameplay also play a huge role alongside Peace Walker’s extensive amount of missions that laid the groundwork for MGSV, despite still looking rough in many areas. Combine that with the bonus that is Ghost Babel and tons of extra lore and in-game bonuses and this is a collection that, despite being a bit smaller in size compared to the first one, is well worth it for any fan of the franchise.
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