Konami suddenly remembered that it has an unlimited catalog of intellectual properties of great value and has expressed its intention to exploit them: good news, since we are talking about the projects related to Silent Hill and the remake of Metal Gear Solid 3, but certain The logic commercial are evidently hard to die.
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol.1 demonstrates this: on the one hand there is the desire to preserve games of undoubted value, those that make up the saga directed by Hideo Kojima, confined for years on platforms incompatible with the current ones; on the other, the inevitable temptation to do it with the minimum possible effort and making the most of it.
How do these two souls coexist within the collection? We tell you in Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 Review.
The content of Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1
Let's start with content of this Volume 1, covering four different generations of gaming systems: from the 8-bit classics Metal Gear, Snake's Revenge and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake to the PlayStation era with Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Serpent Eater. Each title is accompanied by a Script Book and a Master Book (the latter repeated at times), there are two graphic novels to download and finally the complete digital soundtrack of the episodes present in the package is included.
In balance the collection work seems complete, since there are alternative versions and extensions of some games, which can be downloaded separately, as well as different localizations. Yes, including the historic (although often impossible to listen to) Spanish dubbing of the first chapter released on PlayStation. All this digital documentation is very interesting and detailed, but consulting it on a screen takes a bit of time, and the same goes for the soundtrack.
Metal Gear Solid
Net of the three 8-bit experiences belonging to the MSX/NES era, now pure retrogaming, the original Metal Gear Solid It stands as the most representative title of this Master Collection, in the sense that it highlights both the potential and the very clear limits of the work done by Konami. In fact, the game appears as it was in 1998, with a resolution that is not viable on a 4K screen and with two large side frames linked to the lack of 16:9.
From the main menu it is possible select version that you want to try, original or Comprehensive, as well as access to the Special Missions / VR Missions expansions, which include a series of extra challenges regarding the campaign. In the latter, Solid Snake infiltrates Shadow Moses Island, Alaska, to stop FOXHOUND from using the powerful Metal Gear Rex and launching a nuclear attack on the United States.
For those who tried out the Metal Gear Solid experience at the time of its release on PlayStation, taking on the role of Snake again is certainly a curious and exciting experience, to the point that the lack of optimizations and improvements almost takes a backseat, and absurdly all those giant pixels and those angular models end up acquiring a nostalgic value. What's more, in terms of direction, the game still has a lot to say, and that shaky Spanish dubbing remains a piece of history.
At the same time, the stealth gameplay imagined by Kojima for this first three-dimensional episode inevitably feels the weight of the years, resulting rough and woody especially during fights, in addition to being spoiled by those limits linked to vision management that practically constitute a registered trademark of the series, a fundamental and indispensable mechanism.
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
The situation of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty From a technical point of view it is very different, given that the one included in the Master Collection is none other than the HD version created by Bluepoint Games in 2011 for Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, a remastering that Konami actually had. We have no qualms about "looting" in order to put together the current package.
Therefore, the game turns to 1080p and 60 frames per second, turning out to be substantially more presentable than the first chapter, from which it is also differentiated by the presence of several improvements in gameplay: the possibility of aiming and shooting with first-person view, for example, or the cover mechanisms that will be used during rare shootings.
In general, all the mechanics of the original Metal Gear Solid find an evolution in this sequel, the objects in the inventory and the possibilities of interaction with the setting are multiplied, which includes hiding places to exploit when enemies are alarmed and that system of doors and shortcuts that, decades later, the soulslike subgenre has appropriated.
Even it playable dual protagonist It is an idea that would later be taken up on several occasions, here with the alternation between Solid Snake and Raiden that allowed Kojima to introduce a new figure to control for most of the campaign, fertile ground for the characterization work that the Japanese author likes. . so much.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Even in the case of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater We are looking at the 2011 remaster from Bluepoint Games, characterized by decent performance on PS5 thanks to 1080p at 60 fps, although the graphic style and effects typical of many Japanese productions of the time have aged poorly.
narratively This episode is the prequel from which the saga originates. which then develops with Peace Walker and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain; It is no coincidence that it is set in the 60s, during the Cold War, and puts us in command of Naked Snake during a delicate rescue mission that soon becomes something decidedly more complicated.
As happened with Children of Liberty, The series' traditional gameplay takes a step forward, some survival elements are introduced and the combat system opens up to many new possibilities, especially staying within the realm of stealth action, with Snake able to protect himself from enemies, interrogate them to steal important information, and exploit elements of the environment at his will. favor. .
Whether in terms of mechanics, direction, storytelling and visual performance, Snake Eater inevitably stands out as the most current content in the Master Collection and, although it remains quite nervous in various situations, is still capable of transmitting great emotions during its most significant and important sequences, such as that famous final confrontation.
Conclusions
Tested version PlayStation 5 digital delivery Steam, playstation store, Xbox Store, Nintendo eShop Price 59,99 € Holygamerz.com 7.0 Readers (49) 6.3 your voteIt is difficult to separate the two souls of Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1, because it is clear that the one Konami has put together is a mere commercial operation, but at the same time it represents the only way to recover a series of Classics of undeniable value. If you are a big fan of Hideo Kojima's works and want to recover them, you should ask yourself if it is worth waiting for a more refined work of adaptation like those seen elsewhere, even decidedly less important.
PRO
- The first Metal Gear Solid trilogy still has its point
- In terms of content, the collection seems quite complete.
- The digital extras included in the package are interesting
AGAINST
- Absolutely lazy conversions, especially the one from Metal Gear Solid
- As for the gameplay, you inevitably feel the weight of the years.
