Metal Gear Solid HD Collection’s title is somewhat misleading. This is not a collection of all of the Metal Gear Solid games as the name implies. MGSHDC consists of Metal Gear Solid 2, Metal Gear Solid 3, and Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker, which was previously released on the Playstation Portable. One might expect that Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops would make the cut, but alas, they are nowhere to be found.
It’s not all doom and gloom. MGSHDC is still three great games on one disc for less than the price of one. Each game has been remastered in HD and looks very good, though not as good as current-gen. Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 are presented in their special edition formats, which means you also get Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2 when you load Metal Gear Solid 3.
Despite the enhanced graphics and sound, none of the games play any better than they did in their original incarnations. It would have been nice to have the option of using Metal Gear Solid 4’s control scheme. I’m all for HD remakes of classic games, but I would like to see updated control schemes. Still, there’s something to be said for nostalgia, I suppose. At least you can appreciate the improvements in controls over the past decade.
If you are a fan of the Metal Gear Solid story, which is quite intricate (and occasionally nonsensical), then you should play MGS 3, then Peace Walker, then MGS 2. The story has some holes without MGS 1 and Portable Ops, but you can fill in the blanks. Peace Walker adds some cool concepts to the series that I wish had been implemented sooner. The game is broken up into chapters that you can play over and over again. In each chapter, you can capture enemy soldiers that you recruit into your own private army. Your army can develop new weapons and equipment, earn currency for development of the same, and do other crazy mercenary-type stuff that benefits your character directly. Peace Walker plays the closest to MGS4 of the three games on the disc and builds upon the RPG mechanic that was introduced therein.
If you are new to the Metal Gear Solid series, MGSHDC is worth checking out. At a low price, you aren’t spending much. If you have a PS3, you can download the original Metal Gear Solid via the Playstation Network and buy Metal Gear Solid 4 for cheap. If you are a fan of the series but sold off your old PS2 games, this is a good way to relive the early 2000s. You really can’t go wrong either way. — Pedro Moreno
Score: 9.0 out of 10
