Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 has arrived, bringing the once PlayStation 3 exclusive Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots to modern consoles. This release marks a significant moment for game preservation, as the divisive but acclaimed title, directed by Hideo Kojima, has been unavailable for years. Reviewers have met the collection with strong reception, reflected in scores of 85 on Metacritic and 84 on OpenCritic.
The return of Metal Gear Solid 4 is the collection's primary draw. Despite its self-indulgent moments and lengthy cutscenes, critics acknowledge the game's prescient themes and fascinating narrative. The remaster's presentation, offering 4K resolution and 60 frames per second, is highlighted as a substantial improvement over the original.
Polygon's Giovanni Colantonio noted the historical importance of Metal Gear Solid 4, particularly its unflinching examination of war and the gaming industry's relationship with it. He described the collection as "the year's most necessary game release," a statement that critiques the perceived lack of progressive themes in contemporary big-budget games and positions MGS4 as a powerful anti-war statement.
Kotaku's Cole Kronman offered a more personal take, viewing the game as Kojima's metafictional and conflicted engagement with his own creation and audience. Kronman found the experience "deeply, jarringly human," seeing it as a candid portrayal of an artist's struggle with their work and fans.
PC Gamer's Morgan Park focused on the game's mechanics and its place within the evolution of stealth gameplay. He pointed out how MGS4's blend of stealth and action, where players navigate active battlefields and Old Snake grapples with the realities of war, remains distinctive. The game accommodates a more aggressive playstyle, though it comes at the cost of Snake's well-being.
Beyond Metal Gear Solid 4, the collection also includes two handheld titles: Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker for PSP and Metal Gear: Ghost Babel for Game Boy. VGC's Jordan Middler emphasized that these additions are crucial for a complete understanding of the franchise, especially Ghost Babel, which offers an alternate history of the first Metal Gear Solid and marks its first-ever rerelease.
While the core games have been well-received, the collection's presentation has drawn some criticism for being bare-bones. Push Square's John Cal McCormick suggested that more care could have been put into the collection's overall package, even though the focus remains on MGS4. Despite these minor critiques of the packaging, the consensus is that the inclusion of Metal Gear Solid 4 makes this collection a significant and welcome release.