As Konami gears up for the release of Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1, fans of Hideo Kojima’s iconic stealth franchise have, arguably, never had it better. Collecting the first five games in the series, the bundle also includes plenty of bonus content that provides even more insight into the creation of the games that largely spawned the stealth genre. Given the scale of the Master Collection Vol. 1, we thought a quick explainer breaking it down might be useful to those who want to know on what exactly they’re spending their hard-earned cash, so here’s what’s included.
Metal Gear and Metal Gear Solid
Straight off the bat, let’s get the big players out of the way first. Given that this is the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection, it stands to reason that most of the included titles bear that title. That means players can expect Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. All three of these titles appear as they did in the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 HD Collection. These aren’t remakes by any stretch of the imagination, but they should look and run significantly better on modern hardware, including the Nintendo Switch.
Related: Hideo Kojima Not Involved in Metal Gear Solid Delta Development
What’s perhaps most exciting about the Master Collection for fans of retro games is that it also includes Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, the first two entries in the franchise that originally released on the Nintendo Entertainment System. While they may have already been bundled with the Solid games in the PS3-exclusive Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection, this marks the first time such an expansive collection of the early games has been made available on other platforms, including Steam.
Outside of these mainline games, The Master Collection Vol. 1 also features the Famicom version of Metal Gear, which is describe as a “unique standalone installment that offers a fresh twist on the original Metal Gear‘s story and game system.” For hardcore completionists, there’s also Snake’s Revenge, a direct sequel to Metal Gear that Konami specifically created for Western audiences. While this particular game wasn’t helmed by Kojima, it did play a big role in inspiring the sequel Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake.
While it may not be specifically new content, the Master Collection now also equips each game with a content warning explaining that some of themes and messages expressed in their respective stories can be considered outdated. “These elements have been included without alteration to preserve the historical context in which the game was made and the creator’s original vision. Player discretion is advised,” reads the new message.
Bonus Content Galore in MGS: The Master Collection
Now for the stuff that fans of the franchise will adore and for everyone else will just be a sweet treat on an already delicious cake. Every game included in this bundle is also accompanied by a Digital Screenplay Book that breaks down every character’s dialogue, mission briefings and CODEC conversation as well as a Digital Master Book which features complete maps, guides to hidden items and iconic quotes from game’s respective cast.
Related: Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater Announced as Konami Remake
If that wasn’t enough, the Master Collection also includes Digital Graphic Novels of both Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. A separate download that’s not baked into the game itself, these feature the full voice casts of both games reprising their roles in dynamically animated videos depicting the events of both games. Lastly, there’s also an in-game music player that features 20 tracks from these early entries in the franchise.
As for pre-order bonuses, they’re not really much to write home about but still neat for those die-hard enthusiasts. Pre-ordering the Master Collection nets you three exclusive music tracks: “The Best Is Yet to Come,” “Can’t Say Goodbye to Yesterday” and “Snake Eater.” These were all arranged and played by an orchestra and recorded specifically for this collection.
That’s everything included in Metal Gear Solid: The Master Collection Vol. 1! It’s a decent bundle of games with some seemingly insightful bonus features to boot. While this particular collection hasn’t yet released, fans are already beginning to speculate what Vol. 2 could entail but let’s not get too ahead of ourselves.
