Metal Gear has always had a curious relationship with Nintendo’s consoles, one that largely existed outside of (and to an extent against the wishes of) the creator of the series. Fortunately, the Nintendo Switch has been included in Konami’s latest efforts to keep the franchise from slipping entirely into the mists of the past. A few years ago Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 brought a bevy of stealth action adventures to the Switch, and now Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 is here to continue the mission on both the the original Switch and the Switch 2. There are fewer games included this time around, but Snake never cared much for even odds anyway.
The first volume included the original computer versions of Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, the first three Metal Gear Solid games, and some bonus content that included the two NES games Metal Gear and Snake’s Revenge. Seven games all up, and an essential foundation for anyone looking either to get into or revisit the Metal Gear series. Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 has less than half the number of games to play, but they’re big ones. Making its debut outside of the PlayStation 3, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots serves as the main event. The second Metal Gear Solid game on the PlayStation Portable, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, is also our second game here. Finally, the bonus contents include the Game Boy Color title Metal Gear Solid, also known as Metal Gear Solid: Ghost Babel.
Guns of the Patriots and Peace Walker are also available separately outside of the collection, but the bonus contents are only available via purchasing the full set. In addition to Ghost Babel, the bonus contents also include a music player where you can listen to a selection of tunes from Guns of the Patriots and Peace Walker. You also get a Master Book and Screenplay Book for each of the main games, and Guns of the Patriots also includes a Database with a ton of additional information. The Master Books are particularly interesting, though all of this extra stuff is filled to the brim with spoilers so you might not want to look at it until you’ve completed everything.
The original collection launched with a few issues, but it was eventually patched into a more agreeable state. I’m happy to say that at least here on the Nintendo Switch 2, Master Collection Vol. 2 is largely free of such concerns. Both of the main games have been ported very nicely, running at better framerates and higher resolutions than the original releases. If there are any bugs similar to what was found in the launch release of the first collection, I never ran into them. Some tweaks have been made to cover platform-specific dialogue (we are now playing on a “high-spec console” rather than a “PlayStation 3”) but they’re handled so smoothly you’d never know anything was altered. As for Ghost Babel, it’s running under emulation and I’m sure it’s not a surprise to anyone that it runs fine. All in all, this is a nice way to play all three of these games.
You probably can find plenty of reviews of all of these games to get a feel for what they offer, but I’ll give my brief thoughts on each of them anyway because that’s apparently what they pay me for. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is the huge finale to Solid Snake’s story, and if Metal Gear Solid 3 was Hideo Kojima at his best then this might be him at his most unchecked. The highs are incredibly high, the lows can be pretty painful, and the story has more twists and turns than you can shake a monkey at. Just be aware that when it’s story time, you might have to hunker down for some seriously lengthy cutscenes. At least on Switch 2 you can put the console to sleep and pick it up later. Like other Metal Gear Solid games, Guns of the Patriots has a gameplay language all its own. You’ll have to get used to it, but once you do it works.
It truly is a game of ups and downs, though. When it’s on, it’s amazing. The opening is dynamite, and the conclusion is every bit as epic an ending as you would want for Solid Snake. The middle of the game is a bit of a slog at times, and the third act in particular is more annoying than fun. The narrative is equally uneven. There’s a lot of interesting meat in it and some of the character interactions are fantastic in how they pay off the series up to this point. Some of it can be really, deeply stupid though. The bosses especially just do not land the way Kojima probably wanted them to, coming off as bundles of weird tonal whiplash that can’t decide why they want you to grab for the tissues. As an overall experience, however, Guns of the Patriots hits far more often than it misses.
Peace Walker is a game very much of its time and place. It was released on the PlayStation Portable in the wake of the handheld becoming the Monster Hunter machine in Japan, and its multiplayer mission-based structure reflects that influence. That said, you don’t have to play the game in multiplayer if you don’t want to. That option is here with online support, but you’re limited to playing with people on Switch or Switch 2. If you want to do it all solo, that’s certainly possible. Some of the bosses can drag out a bit if you’re on your own, but some of the game feels easier on your own. It sort of balances out. It’s kind of awkward if the people you’re playing with want to watch the cutscenes and you don’t, as you’ll have to sit and wait until they’re done. That’s how it is, though.
With that mission structure in mind, Peace Walker is more interested in delivering smaller, digestible scenarios. There’s an appeal to that. There’s also a base-building aspect to the game that can add to the fun if you get into it. Don’t worry that its handheld nature might make it story-light, either. Kojima was fully involved in this one and it shows. This one is part of the Big Boss storyline, and had it been the last one in that line it would serve as a suitable enough lead-in to the Solid Snake era. Of course, it turned out not to be the final story bridge. It now functions to set the table for Metal Gear Solid V, which is not in this collection. Maybe next time!
My personal favorite of the included games is Metal Gear Solid: Ghost Babel. I know that’s probably an odd opinion, but this is one of the finest games released on the Game Boy Color and it’s rare as hen’s teeth. It takes a lot of queues from both Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake and Metal Gear Solid, and it manages to offer a proper full-fat Metal Gear experience on the go. Which I suppose isn’t worth as much as it once was given we can play almost any Metal Gear game on the go now. I like how compact it is while still offering the gameplay depth, satisfying stealth mechanics, and goofy story that make Metal Gear games so enjoyable. It’s not a canon entry, but if you’ve never played it before you owe it to yourself to give it a try.
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 has a smaller selection of games than the first set, but each of them has its own distinct charms and the result is a rather interesting blend. The games run very well on the Nintendo Switch 2, and the included extras are genuinely interesting to explore. For Metal Gear Solid fans, this is an easy recommendation. If you’re coming into the series fresh, I’d recommend catching up with the first collection before moving on to this one. It will be a lot less confusing in many ways if you do. These titles are all very much of their era, but if you’re patient you’ll find a lot to appreciate in all of them.
Version Tested: Nintendo Switch 2
Review Copy Provided by Konami Digital Entertainment
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