The gaming age we live in has various “tropes” that can’t be avoided no matter how hard gamers try. One of them is that the franchises of the past that have done well but are slightly older will inevitably get “collections” to bring games together in one place for people to enjoy on modern consoles. The Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol.1 is the next in that line, and on the surface, it’s easy to see why that is. The collection brings together many of the earliest entries in the Solid Snake saga and allows people to view it with fresh eyes.
The Metal Gear Solid Master Collection will come out tomorrow, but today, its review embargo dropped, and the reviews haven’t been that impressive to a certain extent. For example, on Metacritic, the collection has a 77 score. While that’s not bad, that’s also not exactly the best score possible. For example, many critics praised that three classic games were included alongside a few “supplemental” titles that ensured that it wasn’t a simple “trilogy.” That also means that when Vol.2 comes out, more entries will be brought to gamers.
However, many critics cited how Konami didn’t really do as much as they could have to improve the games overall and ensure that they met the “qualifications” of a modern gaming collection. Furthermore, there are weird layout issues when trying to play the games that plagued some of them. A few critics even called this a “cash grab” and nothing more. That might seem harsh, but Konami isn’t exactly a company known for doing things the “kosher” way or not being greedy.
After all, one thing that this collection does NOT have is a credit for Hideo Kojima. You know, the guy who helped make this series what it is from basically start to finish? Yeah, they’re so petty about what happened with him that they basically nixed him from the very series that he helped elevate to greatness.
In the end, what this basically means is that if you want to play the game? Go play it, especially if you want to see how the older titles hold up overall. The gameplay is still solid, pun intended, and many agree that there are numerous reasons to try it out. Plus, if you get both collections when they’re out, you can enjoy the entire saga in one shot and possibly understand the story that Hideo Kojima was trying to tell.
