Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 Critic Reviews

Konami could have done more, for sure. There are several titles that really could have been included in this collection for the sake of completion – Metal Gear Solid 4 remains locked to the PlayStation 3, while MGS Acid and Twin Snakes look pretty set to be lost to time at this point. Sure, MGS V remains a viable product in its own right, but Konami really could have filled us in on the rest...With that being said, the original Metal Gear Solid trilogy isn’t just a trio of great games that people have strong nostalgia for. They’re genuine masterpieces and deserve to be preserved into perpetuity. This collection is a perfectly adequate way of preserving them for this hardware cycle.

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 is a staggering piece of history that further cements the impact of Snake's legacy in gaming.

METAL GEAR SOLID: Master Collection Vol.1 includes some of the most groundbreaking video games ever made so even if the featured ports aren't all that special, you still get one awesome package and the extras are quite lovely to boot.

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 brings together five stellar video games from a beloved series. While a lack of further improvements and minor bugs get in the way, newcomers and die-hard MGS fans alike can find a trove of incredible content in this bundle. Kojima’s masterpieces have been respected, honoured and have demonstrated their quality through the ages, a meme passed down worthy of the title of Big Boss.

Although I can point out some things to improve, in general they are based on errors that were inherent in the game and that when seen (such as some "strange" expressions in conversations with the codec or that classic "I get up in front of the enemy instead of staying hidden"), more than a curse, they bring a smile and a memory to me. I can only praise this collection for offering this love letter to a capital series for players and, although he and Konami parted ways long ago, bringing together much of Kojima's masterpiece in one place.

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 brings three classic stealth action games to a modern generation of players, and along with it, brings a host of goodies and books that are quite fun to dig through. The extra gameplay goodies, like different versions of classical games, are also fantastic additions.

All the games here are nicely presented versions of the classics as they stand, without too many frills.

Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 is a comprehensive and considered omnibus that, despite dearly missing its creator's input, makes for a definitive way to play one of gaming's greatest series.

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 is a really great deal of great games with lots of good extras. Its main flaw is the absence of graphical upgrades, but if you don't mind about this just buy it.

Overall, Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 is a pretty substantial collection (even with Vol. 2 in the works) with six games and a ton of bonus content ranging from graphic novels, soundtracks, scripts and more. Metal Gear Solid is really the only game I have any complaints about. Since it’s being emulated, and there are plenty of emulators out there that can smooth out or upscale textures, they could have used or created an emulator that allows for some smoother textures and/or upscaling. This is still a must have for any Metal Gear fan, and even if you are new to the series or have only played Metal Gear Solid V, this is a perfect opportunity to play the games that started it all!

Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 is a huge callback for every Metal-Gear-fan. While it does not offer any new content, it brings the classic games back to the current generation of gamers. Therefore you get a huge collection of stealth-games – with all its strengths and weaknesses.

If there are indeed plans to continue, Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 is a hell of a first volley. From tweaks and fixes of previous re-releases to an abundance of supplemental material across a whopping seven (arguably more) games, Konami really rolled up its sleeves. Even with some problems and weird choices here and there, this collection exceeded my expectations for sure. Whatever follows this will really put the format to the test, as there’s less precedent and/or existing ports for games like Metal Gear Solid 4 or Metal Gear Acid. The foundation laid is awesome though, and shows that despite past drama there are people at Konami who definitely care.

The Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection bundles together three of the greatest games ever made, but does so in a convoluted manner. Spread across five separate apps on PS5, it can be a challenge to locate the specific version or the bonus feature you need. The digital packaging surrounding the three classics doesn't quite feel like the labour of love it should do, but once you sink into the PS1 original, Sons of Liberty, or Snake Eater, it's abundantly clear there's still nothing quite like Metal Gear Solid. Konami's Master Collection gets by on the ever-lasting quality of its fallen series, not the means that have brought it back.

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 does not have everything that a modern collection should have. Its inability to ubiquitously implement modern features like save states and rewinding only keeps players from fully celebrating the history this compilation seems intent on celebrating. But the extras paint a decent portrait of its accomplishments by delving deep into its lore and speaking to almost every entry’s significance within the medium. And even though the actual games haven’t seen many improvements, they are still unique marvels generations later that lovingly balance quirky jokes and deadly serious diatribes about nuclear proliferation. The bundle largely captures what makes the franchise so beloved, even if some useful quality-of-life features have sneaked on by it.

Konami has still put together a comprehensive bundle, collecting five highly influential games (and multiple variations) from a period spanning 24 years. There are other ways to play these games, but I think we often undersell the appeal of convenience. Being able to easily access them all on a modern console is a major selling point. For someone like me, who only ever owned the original games on their original consoles, Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 is indispensable. It's disappointing that there aren't any optional visual improvements or behind-the-scenes material, and the lack of a central hub makes the bundle feel scattershot. The bonus content that is here is simply a cherry on top, however, lending the entire package a sense of reverence for one of the most important series in video game history.

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 is a compilation that, although it is very conformist and barely adds significant improvements, allows us to enjoy one of the best sagas in the history of video games on the same platform. And that's just what fans have been asking for for years.

The granddaddy of stealth returns in a no-thrills rerelease that lets a whole new audience experience the superlative sneak-’em-ups. A few “of their time” moments make the story awkward, but there’s no denying every game in this collection still has the magic.

For the first time in many years, the Metal Gear Solid trilogy is available on modern systems. The Master Collection gives us the experiences we remember with three of the greatest games ever made and includes the majority of the content ever released for those games - including some new content for dedicated fans.

From the today’s Konami you would expect a lazy port of the HD Collection and of the original Metal Gear Solid. But in Tokyo someone still love the series, and this first of volume of the Master Collection really shows some heart in reselling three masterpieces of the video games history and a bunch of the 2D chapters (including Snake’s Revenge).

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection – Volume 1 serves as both a fantastic collection of video games and as an impressively detailed look at the evolution of the iconic video games series, but is unfortunately hampered by a sense of déjà vu due to providing few upgrades to the core games from the previous HD collection release. Despite this, the Master Collection remains the only way to be able to experience these games on modern consoles and each title is well worth revisiting. The real stars of this collection are the screenplay and master books which provide meticulously crafted breakdowns of each game and serve as a treasure trove of information for die-hard fans to pore over.