Metal Gear Solid HD - Collection

This is something I've been waiting a long, long time for. Honestly, the delay for the UK version was like a knife twisting in my gut. The PS2 era was my era for gaming, so the series of 'HD Collections' of PS2 era games for the PS3, updated to be played in HD with higher frame rates, have been a godsend for me.

In this HD Collection, we get Metal Gear Solid 2, 3 and, for the first time on a 'big' console, MGS Peace Walker - a PSP title updated for the big screen. Some fans have bemoaned the lack of MGS1, the first game in the 'Solid' era that really brought the series to the attention of the Western world, but I consider this a wise decision. Apparently they explored the possibility of including it but found that a PSX era game could not be upconverted to anything vaguely resembling high definition. Rumour has it that Hideo Kojima has designs on bringing a completely remade version of MGS1 to us at a later date, likely coinciding with an anniversary of some kind. This will be far better in my opinion. In the meantime, for those yet to experience it, the original MGS1 title is available to purchase on PSN for a tiny fee, and for those with an old PSX copy of the game knocking around, you can play it on your PS3 (it was only PS2 backwards compatibility that was sacrificed in later PS3 hardware revisions, so all PS3's play PSX games)

As regards the updated graphics, well they can certainly hold their own now on a modern HD display. I played MGS2 a couple of years ago on my PS2 and it really did suffer on a modern HD display, but now in pure 720p both PS2 games can really hold their heads high. Of course they cannot rival a game such as Uncharted, that was only ever conceived with HD in mind, but for an upconversion job you will be hugely impressed. HD displays tend to fudge the graphics of PS2 games, and I often found it difficult to spot animals and items in the jungle and other shadowy parts of the MGS3 levels. Not so now, the increase in clarity gives you a much better command of your environment. Another great feature is that the games now play in 16:9 widescreen instead of full screen 4:3, and I mean REAL widescreen, not just zoomed and cropped, so we have more side of screen information than we saw in the PS2 versions. For those with the equipment to decode it, audio is full surround sound now, too. Not just in the cut scenes like the originals, but while you're actually playing the levels. This adds a welcome element of reality, as you can hear the direction the enemies are approaching you from.

Words cannot describe how happy I am that they gave us the fully controllable 3rd person camera from MGS3 Subsistence. I always believed that Subsistence turned the vanilla 'Snake Eater' version of the game from merely a good, to a brilliant game. Obviously the technology given to the player has to reflect the period in history concerned, so MGS3 being set in the cold war era 1960's could not have had the state of the art radar system of MGS 1 and 2. All fair and well, until you realise that keeping the overhead camera of the previous games while taking away the radar never made for fluid game-play. The gamer often found himself running into the field of vision of guards and soldiers that you could not yet see in your own field of vision. This led to many tiresome instances of you hiding behind a bush or a rock until the guards had stopped looking for you and your alert level had come down. The only way to avoid this in the vanilla Snake Eater is to stop every few paces and scout the area for enemies with use of the first person perspective button, which takes a lot of fluidity out of the game. Thankfully, this was something that Kojima and team were willing to address for Subsistence. The result is a fully controllable camera, that sits behind the character in a more traditional position, akin to a modern 3rd person game, and can be panned a full 360 degrees to better survey the surrounding territory. It isn't that it makes the game easier, just more fluid. Had they not given us the Subsistence version of MGS3 in this collection, it would definitely have been a deal breaker for me. Of course fans more familiar with the vanilla Snake Eater camera can click a button and play it the old way instead. MGS2 plays as it ever did, which for me is great because if it isn't broke, you don't fix it. Peace Walker plays differently of course, owing to the controls being adapted for the PS3 pad. By most accounts this has improved the game, as we now have a second analogue stick to control the camera, which makes for a more modern feel, or so I'm told.

I have only dipped my toes into Peace Walker as of yet, so I'm far from an authority. Especially so as I never owned a PSP. However, I am pleased with what I see. On the graphics side of things, it doesn't quite shine as much as its two older brothers, but this is of course understandable as it was made for a smaller screen. Anti-aliasing has been applied in spades with the upconversion and, while it does have the higher definition textures, AND gets rid of the jaggies from the PSP version, the anti-aliasing blends and obscures some of the more intricate details I see in screenshots of the original PSP title. However, playing the game in HD on a big screen with a proper control pad is more than worth that sacrifice. I hear that this game is absolutely HUGE, with more hours game play than any incarnation of the series yet. Which is kind of odd considering it was originally made for the smallest system. The comrade system used in the previous PSP title 'Portable Ops' is dropped this time, in favour of a more traditional Co-operative mode, and this forms a BIG part of the game by all accounts. I believe at several points, many gamers feel it is almost mandatory that they receive the help of another player. Of course for this you will need to be connected to the internet. From what I can tell so far, the story is far less bizarre and more straightforward than usual, and is helped along by beautifully rendered graphic novel style cut scenes.

You will also be pleased to hear that they have given us the best of the extra features from the 'Substance' and 'Subsistence' versions of MGS 2 & 3. Most of the immediately noticeable omissions, from memory, seem to be from Subsistence, so there's no Metal Gear Online, as that has been superseded with the online game from MGS4. The Duel Mode and Snake vs Monkey mode also appear to be missing. The skateboarding game from MGS2 Substance isn't here either. But yes, we DO get the most important and anticipated features - the original two 'Metal Gear' era titles that were previously only available on the Japanese MSX home computer system. These are pixel perfect, English language ports and are really good games for their era. They will prove FAR more than a novelty to hardcore fans of the series. We also get the 'Alternative Missions', 'VR Missions' and 'Snake Tales', that all came with MGS2 Subsistence. 'Casting Theater' and 'Boss Survival' modes also become available after completing MGS2 on any difficulty setting.

All in all there is enough Metal Gear Solid here for fans to bathe in for months, and I for one will be putting the Do Not Disturb sign on the door a good many times in the foreseeable future. If you are unfamiliar with the PS2 and PSP eras of the franchise and have only come to the series by way of PS3's MGS4, you really do owe it to yourself to experience these unmissable slices of MGS history. And at this price point, the games have never been cheaper.

*EDIT*: It has come to my attention that to play the game with DTS audio instead of Dolby Digital, you have to untick the Dolby Digital option in the sound settings of your PS3's XMB. This was obviously an oversight on the developer's part, and if you have both the Dolby Digital and DTS options ticked in the PS3's settings, the game will default to Dolby Digital instead of the far superior DTS format. I will inform Konami of this and hopefully they can patch it. Just don't forget to re-tick the Dolby setting afterwards, as it will mess you about with other games, DVD's and Blu-rays if you forget. Another [MAJOR] annoyance I found was that owing to the difference in ratio between the PSP's screen and our 16:9 HDTV's, the default display settings on Peace Walker have a fair bit of text and edge of screen icons seemingly cut off. The in-game pause menu settings have no way to overcome this, and many players have simply put up with the annoyance. However, there is an initial title menu screen in Peace Walker where you start/load your game that is very easy to overlook or skip past (use up and down to select). It has several categories; ranging from deleting save files, changing the in-game language, 'Transfarring' (the ability to use PSP save files on PS3 and visa versa), and finally, hidden away under the 'Extras' category, the ability to adjust the screen to your display. I found that adjusting it so the arrows in the corner barely fit your screen, meaning a tiny amount of black to give you a buffer, is by far the best compromise... but you might want to have a good old tinker with this setting and see what suits your TV best.

This is a beautiful mix of old and new for me. As a huge fan of the PS2 titles MGS2 and MGS3, I was looking forward to revisiting those titles in shiny new HD. As for Peace Walker, having never played it on PSP, it was all new to me! So I opened the box expecting a 2:1 ration of old to new.

However, I must say I have been impressed beyond all expectation. Starting with MGS2: This game is just as amazing ever - the visuals look fresh and crisp; new yet familiar. Loved this game the first time and have been equally impressed on my return visit. A steady framerate and seemingly improved sound helped keep a very old game feeling like it still had a place on current generation platform.
This brings me to MGS3. This game has probably impressed me the most of the 3! Unless you were lucky enough to get hold of a copy of the now very rare (and expensive) Snake Eater:Subsistence, you have probably only played the flawed masterpiece original MGS3 (or not played at all). The new free roaming camera and GORGEOUS HD visuals of this PS3 version make this feel like a completely different - and much superior game. The game just seems to flow better - and once you get past the lengthy opening and have access to your weapons etc. the game just opens up and feels amazingly current - seriously, it feels more like playing a current PS3 game than it does a PS2 Classic. Thoroughly recommended on the strength of this game alone!

Which bring us to PeaceWalker: A very worthy entry into the Metal Gear universe - and though you can sort of tell this game came from a PSP game when looking at the backgrounds in some blander areas, overall the graphics are just as stunning in HD as the other two games (though they are NOT in 1080p as was previously rumoured, all games play at - a still impressive - 720p). The controls have been well adapted to the PS3 pad (as PSP only has one analogue stick, I was VERY glad of this) and the gameplay has all the elements of classic metal gear PLUS the added bonus of creating BIG BOSS' army as you progress (very different, very addictive!). I can't talk of comparisons to PSP version, as I never played it - but I was sort of glad to have new content in a Classics collection.

Feeling very much like the ratio of old to new has shifted to 1:2, I am heartily impressed with the MGS collection HD. If, like me, you're sitting on the fence with this game feeling like you've seen it all before - I say go for it! MGS3 remake alone is worth the money!

Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection is what it says on the tin. It's a collection of some old classics, brushed up in HD and put on one disc (two on the Xbox 360), not much more nor less really. However, it's an opportunity for not only hardcore fans (like myself) to reconcile their love with these games but a great opportunity for those who missed a few of the games or are simply new to the series and have heard all about Metal Gear and want to give the series a try for themselves, and at a good price.

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Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
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Originally released in the UK in March 2002, this was the sequel to the critically acclaimed PSOne game, Metal Gear Solid which came out in the UK in 1999 and the first Metal Gear entry on the PlayStation 2. This game is divided into two chapters, the Tanker (which is more of a prologue) set in the year 2007 and the Plant/Big Shell set in 2009 chapters. In the Tanker chapter you play as Solid Snake who is now a member of the UN recognised anti-Metal Gear group, Philanthropy who, with the backup of old Shadow Moses (see: MGS1) colleague and friend, has been sent to investigate and expose the development of a new Metal Gear project being developed by the U.S. Marine Corps, of course all this goes horribly wrong. The Plant/Big Shell chapter is set two years later and you play as newbie green agent Jack or "Raiden" as he's codenamed to dismantle a terrorist threat and rescue the U.S. President, or so he believes.
The graphics of MGS2 was quite simply stunning and the best ever when this came out, and today in 2012 they still stand their ground, especially with the HD lighting although it's obvious the textures are from the PS2-era. The gameplay and camera feels outdated compared to later entries, but it's faithful to the original MGS1 and introduced new gameplay mechanics such as first-person view/shooting, hiding in lockers, tranq. gun, hiding guards bodies in lockers and toilet cubicles, etc.

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Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
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This was originally released in the UK on the PlayStation 2 in March 2005. Rather than a sequel to MGS2, it's a prequel to the entire series set back during 1964, the height of the Cold War between the East and West, and is appropriately themed.. given that the MGS series have strong storylines which are usually very political and lets not forget the espionage aspect of the stealth genre. In this game you play as Naked Snake (later known as Big Boss), a former US Special Forces "Green Beret" who is a founding member of a new CIA unit called FOX headed by ex-SAS man, Major Zero, and is sent on the debut mission to rescue a Soviet scientist in the prologue chapter (Virtuous Mission), which ends up going wrong of course.
This is the Subsistence version of MGS3, NOT Snake Eater, despite the name. You have the 3D camera (with the option of using the original Snake Eater camera)and you can play the original Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake in the menu, however there is no 'Snake vs. Monkey' like in the originals for some reason. The HD lighting in this game makes it a lot more beautiful than it originally was, and it makes a good change that it's ran at 60fps rather than the original 30fps which is noticeable playing the game - it's the best version of the game yet.
This is my favourite game in the series and one of my favourite games ever. The game features quite a few environments, but it is primarily set in a Soviet jungle and features "survival"-based gameplay.. you hunt animals for food and you have to patch up your wounds from insect bites, stings, leeches, gunshots, burns, etc. The storyline is not as cyberpunkish/complicated as MGS2's, being that it's set several decades beforehand, but the storyline is the most beautiful in the series, the whole game pays a lot of homeage to 1960s movies and the intro/theme song ("Snake Eater" by Cynthia Harrel) is James Bond inspired.

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Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
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This is a fairly recent game, it was originally released in the UK in June 2010 on the PSP. This is set in 1974, 10 years after MGS3, and you yet again play Naked Snake/Big Boss who is the commander of a small private army known as Militaires Sans Frontieres (MSF) based in the Barranquilla Coast, Colombia. His second-in-command is a Japanese-American former member of the Japanese Self-Defence Force and now-mercenary known as Kazuhira Miller, or just "Kaz" (he is the man Liquid Snake murdered and then impersonated in MGS1, as explained in the timeline). They are approached by a supposed university professor and a 16 year old student who request their services in freeing neighbour country Costa Rica from an unknown armed group who are being backed by the CIA, Big Boss is given a personal motivate when he hears a Walkman tape with the voice of his former mentor, The Boss (see: MGS3) talking to an unknown British woman and wonders whether she might still be alive. Like all Metal Gear games, the storyline gets more complicated.
I enjoyed this game when it came out on the PSP nearly two years ago and still do, but out of the three in this collection, it's definitely my least favourite. However, it does look beautiful pepped up on the big screen with the assistance of HD, which is a good feat considering the game was intended for a small screen, however the graphics make it obvious that it's not a PS2 game, the textures are quite blurry and pixelated, the game also retains the comic-book cutscenes from the PSP version which disappointed me because I'd heard they were being replaced with CGI ones which are in the game, but minimal (only at the end and 1 or 2 other parts of the game).
This is different to all the other MGS games in which it has RPG elements. You have to recruit soldiers by effectively kidnapping them and "convincing" them to join, when they join you can sign them to any part of MSF you want. The Combat team, the Research + Development team, the Mess Hall team, the Intelligence/Reconnaissance team and the Medical team, depending on their skill-sets which vary a lot and are ranked. Most of the soldiers you recruit are useless so they aren't any good as you progress through the game, so you have to rely on unique (storyline)characters and POWs which you find around the place, as well as the 'recruit option'. It's a bit like the old Pokemon games really. Fundamentally, it's a Metal Gear Solid game, in the storyline missions you can only play as Big Boss and alone. Despite some of it being jungle environments, you don't use much MGS3 style gameplay except for camouflage. What I love about this game, which bugs me in MGS2/MGS3, is the shooting style (over-the-shoulder and you can aim whilst shooting, rather than stopping and shooting in First-Person View) and how you can crouch-walk. But for some reason you can't crawl through ducts anymore or use lockers, which was a bit of a shame.

So that's all three of the games in this collection summed up, I recommend this collection to all and any Metal Gear fans and it's a great opportunity for those thinking of giving the Metal Gear franchise a go, which you'll either fall in love with, or not like, depending on your tastes in gaming. If you're expecting a mindless Call of Duty shooter with glitzy graphics, turn away. If you're looking for a series with arguably one of the best plots in gaming and a unique gameplay style and a sense of humour, definitely give this series a try. The downside to this collection is that it doesn't include the original Metal Gear Solid or the other PSP MGS, Portable Ops. Another plus, though, is that this is also an opportunity for Xbox 360 owners to play the series and it will also be coming out on the new Sony handheld; the PlayStation VITA.