For the first time ever, Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance, Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker are on one disc. HD graphics and PlayStation Network Trophies bring the titles into the modern age, and the beefed-up version of Peace Walker in particular packs online multiplayer, a second analog stick for camera control, and the ability to share the same save between your PSP and PlayStation 3.
Konami is truly trying to merge classic games with the modern age, and it succeeds for the most part. See, the content of each game is pretty much the same as its original format (notable exception: Metal Gear Solid 3's online mode), and the gameplay is exactly the same -- for better or worse.
Don't get me wrong, I love Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3, but Peace Walker's refined controls sing -- moving and aiming at the same time, crouch walking, and using the shoulder buttons for shooting. Knowing that and doubling back to the original games CQC'd my brain with thoughts of what could have been. I'm sure adding Peace Walker's scheme to games that weren't designed for it would've taken tons of time and broken some elements, but it would've been nice and felt more natural as most modern third-person games control this way.
As if the "HD" in the title didn't clue you in, graphics matter more than ever, and for the most part, these games look great. I remember being blown away by Metal Gear Solid 2's looks when I got my demo disc a decade ago, and that feeling thrives in high definition. Same thing for Snake's HALO jump in Metal Gear Solid 3 and Big Boss' character model in Peace Walker.
However, the visual upgrade only goes so far in hiding the fact that these titles don't belong to this era or platform. Lip syncing doesn't match up, textures pop in here and there, and bland Peace Walker textures don't exactly light up the big screen. None of this made me forget how much fun I was having, but they definitely reminded me I was playing a game from another era.
The setup of the titles also reminded me these titles aren't from today. The joke's always been that Metal Gear is more like watching a movie than playing a game, and revisiting Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 really shows the origin of that jab. You move two feet and get interrupted by a codec call explaining what you're about to do. The second part of Metal Gear Solid 2 kicks off, and they re-explain everything you've been doing for the past few hours. Once you get out of the early missions, that aspect fades away, but it's definitely a rough start to the games and an intro I doubt you'd see nowadays.
But all that said, I wanted to keep playing the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, just as I spent my freshman year at Mizzou stealing dogtags from each and every enemy in a Metal Gear Solid 2. Sure the stories in Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 are convoluted and thoroughly confusing, but there's so much to do when you talk about the areas to explore, the secrets to find, and the bonus content to toy with. The VR missions and Snake Tales of Metal Gear Solid 2 make the journey, Metal Gear Solid 3 still packs the original Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2 MSX2 games, and for the first time ever, you can natively play Peace Walker's multiplayer over the PlayStation Network with players across the county.
Not too shabby for a retail game with a discounted price.
Verdict
When you bundle together three games that people define as "classics," you expect an amazing product. The Metal Gear Solid Collection delivers that. The controls, stories and content so many fell in love with years ago are here, but time shows up as Solid Snake's greatest enemy. Modern conveniences have led gamers to expect certain things from their stealth action, and the early titles don't deliver that. Still, games can't move forward without knowing where they've been, and the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection is a welcome, enjoyable glimpse at what once was.
