Konamicares about video games again! At least, it seems like its ambitions now extend far beyond pachinko machines and mediocre reboots. The Japanese company seems to have remembered the value of its back catalog, with beloved properties likeCastlevania,Silent Hill, andMetal Gear Solidgradually returning to the limelight with long awaited remasters and sequels. It’s been a long time coming, but only time will tell if this return is meant in good faith, or merely an act of greed on behalf of a big player of the past who has long fallen from grace.
Ahead of the release ofMetal Gear Solid Delta, that’s set to come exclusively toPS5next year, Konami is catching the masses up on the basics of CQC and nanomachines with the coming release of Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Volumes 1 & 2. Once released, you will have access to pretty much every single Metal Gear and Metal Gear Solid title across modern platforms, something that in recent years has been impossible thanks to the abrupt delisting of the HD Collection. But could its arrival end up being too good to be true?
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Previews from multiple outlets ranging fromIGNtoNintendo Liferecently got to go hands-on with the collection’s first volume and came away with mixed impressions, partially down to its performance and a possibility of being changed in new versions of classic games.
Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3, which both originally ran at 60 frames per second on the PS3 and Xbox 360 are now locked to 30 on the Nintendo Switch, while doubts have also been raised regarding the emulation of other titles no matter the platform. Given years have passed since the HD Collection first arrived, it feels weird for more powerful hardware to offer a weaker experience, especially when it’s been proven the opposite is possible.
Switch still runs docked at 1080p, so it isn’t a total loss, but it’s still a shame to realise that Konami has opted for a port of a port instead of seemingly putting in the extra work where required to optimise new hardware. People will likely experience many of the MGS games for the first time through this collection on Switch, and it sucks to think they might be short-changed when backward compatibility on Xbox One can pull off 60fps with no trouble at all.
There’s also concern about a new disclaimer which reads as follows: “This game contains expressions and themes which may be considered outdated. However, 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.”
There is fear that Hideo Kojima’s original work could have been tampered with, although this worry seems overblown. More likely it is Konami covering their own asses when it comes to awkward cultural references or conversations between characters that aren’t afraid to veer into misogyny, which happens more than a few times in Sons of Liberty and Snake Eater. I mean, these games are decades old at this point, so of course video games have become more inclusive, so like Destroy All Humans and other recent remakes, if you don’t edit such content out entirely, it’s at least worth throwing in a disclaimer to avoid offending someone.
I am excited about the surrounding parts of this collection, since it seems that much like the release of Super Mario 3D All-Stars, a lot of love has gone into presenting each game with the historical weight they deserve complete with additional behind-the-scenes details and a new approach to presentation that we haven’t seen before. Even with its performance woes, bonuses like this would go a long way in proving that Konami not only cares, but envisions a bright future for Metal Gear Solid that once felt impossible.
I’m still not sure if it has a place in this world without Hideo Kojima’s input, but pulling off the Master Collection would be a very good start. Part of me can’t help but worry though, especially when the series means so much to me.
