Is Metal Gear Solid as Good as We Remember It?

Asking the question of whether or not Metal Gear Solid, MGS 2, and MGS 3 are any good is needless at this point. The three are considered some of the best stealth action games ever made and some of the greatest games of all time, but whether they’ve aged well and if the remastered features are worth checking out is another question altogether.

The Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Volume 1 is a remaster of the 3 key ‘Solid‘ games in the Metal Gear series that were released during the Playstation 1 and 2 generations, along with 2 original retro Metal Gear games that appeared on the NES and other platforms of the era.

With Metal Gear Solid releasing in 1998, Sons of Liberty dropping in 2001, and Snake Eater launching in 2004, you get three games that slot into quite different phases of the gaming evolution, with the PS2 titles (MSG 2 and MGS 3) being notable upgrades. However, the fact that they don’t feel that aged is a testament to how game-changing and innovative the first Metal Gear Solid was.

And this is the great thing about the first three MGS games as a whole — the gameplay was so ahead of its time that their age doesn’t reflect any form of simplicity. While modern games in the stealth genre have more animations, arguably better melee combat, and deeper mechanics, the lateral thinking and tactical elements of surviving Metal Gear Solid 1, 2, or 3 make them feel like a breath of fresh air in today’s hand-holding approach. In Metal Gear Solid 1, whether you use the ketchup to fool guards into releasing you from prison, or hiding under the bed (old-school MGS fans will know), it’s impressive how clever some of the moments, boss fights, and general gameplay is, even today.

So, again, they’ve aged extremely well. As for the visual upgrades and playing them on modern systems, you do have to endure the old 4:3 aspect ratio, with black bars filling the sides of the screen. It is what it is, and stretching the image would’ve caused a lot of distortion on modern TVs or displays. With MGS 1, there are also no graphical enhancements or upscaling, and is essentially an emulation of the 1998 original, so don’t expect too much in the visual fidelity department.

As for MGS 2 and 3, here’s where Konami’s little visual tricks come into play, although, it is fair to note that these are the same versions that appeared in the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection from a few years back; so if you played those, you know what’s in store.

So, admittedly, there aren’t too many updates to the gameplay or visuals — they just look a little ‘sharper’ than the originals. The MGS games, particularly Sons of Liberty and Snake Eater, had cinematic blur effects which do seem a little toned down, especially during cut-scenes, making the game look a lot crisper in motion.

They are both running at 720p and 60 frames per second, which does make them look the part on modern systems, albeit with a few rough graphical edges of the time. Some environments still look quite blocky and some textures are a little early 2000s, but thankfully, Snake himself looks great with the extra refinement and resolution, and the timeless and interesting art style and character design keeps the game looking unique.

On top of the games itself, you also get a few bonus extras, such as digital versions of the screenplays for each game, along with the Master book which is essentially an inside-guide to the games with extra background info, character information, and art. MGS fanatics will likely own this content somewhere, somehow in physical or digital form, but for those who’ve never seen it, it’s a pretty tempting bonus.

Unlike the long-winded codec discussions you’ll find in the games, we’ll keep it short: the minimal upgrades from the HD collection of the Metal Gear Solid entries may be a little underwhelming for those who already played those remasters; but for anyone who hasn’t wrapped Snake’s iconic bandana around their heads in a while, this is a revisit well worth pursuing.

The Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 is available on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PS4, PC, and Switch.