Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection Review

Written by Cole Burton Monday, 21 November 2011 12:00

The Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection was one of my most anticipated games of the year.  I have been catching a lot of flack for talking nonstop about this collection, while all of my friends are talking about Battlefield 3, Modern Warfare 3, Skyward Sword, Uncharted 3, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, Halo: Anniversary Edition, and much more.  They all say that this is just a few old games brought back to life, vs. so many great, new ideas.  But, these games have never died, and are only becoming stronger as time passes.  This collection certainly didn’t disappoint me, as I am investing more time in it than any of the other hot new releases that I also picked up. 

My journey through the MGS HD Collection went the same way as my first voyage.  I started with Metal Gear Solid 2, then Metal Gear Solid 3, and Lastly Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.  So, why not start the review in that order?

Metal Gear Solid 2

It’s November 8^th, 2011, a day I long awaited.  After picking up my Hardened Edition of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and my limited edition of the Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection I quickly brushed all other games aside, including MW3, and started up Metal Gear Solid 2.  At this point, I am being spammed with countless invites to other games from friends, but I don’t care.  The collection I wanted ever since I heard about the God of War Collection has finally been released!

Metal Gear Solid 2 looks great gameplay wise, and most of the cutscenes do as well.  However, there are some jagged edges here and there that stop it from looking perfect.  Of course, the game is now over 10 years old, releasing on November 14^th, 2001 in North America.  The audio is a different story.  Playing with a Sony Wireless Stereo Headset, I was able to experience it all.  It felt like Snake wasn’t speaking to Raiden, but to me.  It felt like that enemy soldier was giving me a free shot at him while changing his clip.  MGS has always been known for its great voice acting, so it’s a crime to not go through this collection without a headset of some kind.

Metal Gear Solid 2 is best for players who have already completed the first game.  It is easily the most confusing entry in the series, which even some Metal Gear vets can’t fully comprehend.  That being said, casual gamers will be turned off by the complications of the plot.  Also, Metal Gear Solid 2 may disappoint those who have played the first entry, but not the second...at first anyway.  The game is very similar to Metal Gear Solid 2, and makes new comers think Hideo Kojima was out of new ideas.  Then, near the end of the game, you learn it was all a part of his master plan.

The last thing that must be brought up about MGS2 in this collection is the camera.  This is the only title that features the old, stiff camera angle.  If you play using first person and the Soliton Radar you will do just fine.  However, the camera from later games is certainly what we now know and love.

For a 10 year old remastered game, Metal Gear Solid 2 looks amazing.  However, as a game in general, it looks good.  You won’t be turned off by it, but it won’t take your breath away either.  Although titled "Sons of Liberty" as the original Metal Gear Solid 2, it features most of the bonuses later included in the Substance re-release. While Snakeboarding is gone, Snake Tales and VR missions are there.  MGS2 HD Edition presents us with great value alone.  And, the best part about finishing it is knowing that you now have Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater to look forward to.  That being said, let’s dive into the fan favorite of the series!

Metal Gear Solid 3

Many fans, me included, consider Snake Eater to be the best Metal Gear title Kojima has to offer.  It really does the unexpected in every conceivable way.  First of all, you play as the main antagonist from the original Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, the same man that you have “killed” twice.  You go on believing he was a villain throughout Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2, when this curveball is thrown at you.  You play as Naked Snake, later known as Big Boss, in the year 1964.  This is the earliest game in Metal Gear and Metal Gear Solid history.  The times are early and you have no Soliton Radar or other modern weapons and equipment, you must hunt for food throughout the game, and you learn all about Big Boss.  This will forever change the way you look at Big Boss.

One of the Metal Gear Solid 3: HD Edition for me is, well, the HD.  In this game you will constantly be switching camouflage and crawling along the ground while flinging the right analog stick every way, trying to avoid detection.  At least, that’s what was originally intended.  It always seemed like such a chore playing on the PlayStation 2, but now I spent most of the game doing so.  The load time is quick to swap camouflages and you have many great views to get lost in while moving forth.

Also, you can look forward to some great boss battles.  My personal favorite is the End battle.  This is a long one-on-one sniper battle in a huge forest.  Both you and the enemy will use camouflage, you will hunt for food, you both will look for glares from each other’s rifle scope, and your directional microphone item will come in handy for hearing his breathing, talking, and movement.  Having a gaming headset further boosts this perk.  This is a great battle not to be missed in the game.

All of that said, I could ramble on about Metal Gear Solid 3 for hours.  But it all boils down to this:  It looks and sounds amazing, and the gameplay holds up very well.  This is easily the best game in the collection no matter what angle you look at it from.  You will even forget that you’re not playing as the protagonist we barely saw in MGS2, and loved in MGS1.  This is thanks to the very same voice actor, David Hayter, and a very similar looking character, since Slid Snake was a clone of Big Boss.  Oh, and you do have several of the bonuses from the subsistence version as well, including demo theater and the original Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake games for MSX.  That’s another two games available in this collection!  Moving on, the final game in this Collection is the recent release for the PSP, Peace Walker.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

Originally, Peace Walker was going to be titled Metal Gear Solid 5.  This was probably changed because the portable audience wasn’t big enough for a numbered entry of the series.  Now, Peace Walker truly earns the number 5 in it’s title.  But, it will have to settle for “Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker HD EDITION.”

It is now 10 years after the events of Snake Eater, and you understand Big Boss and have forgiven all of his sins.  You are the leader of Militaires Sans Frontières, or MSF for short.  This stands for Military Without Borders and is also known as Outer Heaven.  Throughout the game, you can capture enemy soldiers and recruit them to your army, which features everything from fighting to cooking.  Each class is vital to the operation of MSF.

You can see the limitations of the PSP here, with no crawling or moving against walls, and text rather than voice when interrogating enemies in CQC, but the updated controls make the game feel much more natural.  You have a second analog stick to control the camera angle for one thing, and that should be enough to thrill all Peace Walker fans.

The boss battles can be long and tedious if playing solo, but thanks to PlayStation Network and Xbox Live, co op is now easier than ever.  Still, Metal Gear is more of a single player game to me and I would have loved to see weaker bosses when playing solo and stronger ones on co op varying based on how many friends are fighting with you, from 1 to 3.

The cutscenes in Peace Walker are comic book style, which you will either love or hate, but it does present the great story every MGS fan would expect.  The graphics and audio aren’t anywhere near as good as Snake Eater, as this was a PSP title originally, but they are both still very good.  It is not hard to believe that this was once a PSP game, but it is like a dream job for port.  You won’t be disappointed if you go in with fair expectations.

In the end, this collection is everything and more any fan could ask for from Kojima Productions.  Before it was announced, I had only expected it to include to Sons of Liberty and Snake Eater.  With its announcement I was thrilled to know I would have one more game to spend many more hours playing through.  Although no voucher for Metal Gear Solid 1 is included on the PS3 version, it is available on the PlayStation Store for $9.99.

Metal Gear Solid is what started my life as a hardcore gamer, and all of my friends know me as the Metal Gear guy.  I can answer any Metal Gear question, no matter how trivial, in seconds.  That being said, know my review is not complete bias.  You will not feel ripped off with this purchase.  In fact, I can’t bring myself to rate it any lower than…

10/10