Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection: My Review

Although I did not originally plan to write a review about Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection, I have been flooded with emails asking what I think about it, I decided it is worth posting here and I am going to sum it up in a few words and then do an actual review below in case you are in a hurry.

If you have the originals, this is not worth getting unless you fancy Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker on the Playstation 3.

And now the review and like any other review, I am going to review the game as if there is no original to compare it too so you get to know about the game itself rather than what “has been improved”.

Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection includes three games from the well-known series called Metal Gear Solid and each game carries on its own story (correction: Both Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake is actually included – you just need to play Metal Gear Solid 3) that starts with a CIA agent called Jack or John (you decide the name) who ends up becoming the legendary solider called Big Boss who ends up turning to terrorism to “save” the world who ends up being killed by a biological clone of his called David (or Solid Snake).

Confused?

If so, play the game the stories in itself is worth it although you will need to buy Metal Gear Solid 4 to see how it ends.

Each of the games within the series have one thing in common and that is you are an agent of some kind and you need to sneak around and complete your mission without getting caught (although you can always just shoot your way out) but the idea of the games is you do it like the professionals do in real life. While the sneaking part in Metal Gear Solid 2 was not exactly “that good”, it does become far better in Metal Gear Solid 3 where you actually have to plan ahead on the harder modes.

I will not go into the plot of the series as Wikipedia will do that for you but I can go into the game play of the series. As I said earlier the main idea of the games is to stay hidden and carry on the mission you have been given. The mission you are given always ultimately ends up being “QUICK SNAKE DESTROY YET ANOTHER NUCLEAR LAUNCHING THINGY THAT WE KNEW ABOUT BUT DID NOT TELL YOU”.

Right suppose I best talk about what has changed. Well ultimately these have been “upscaled” to HD resolution which is basically the main selling point of Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection there has been some frame rate fixes at certain parts of the game. While they have included the extra stuff like Snake Tales, they have removed some content which was in the originals but I will leave these to find for yourself.

Next is the lack of the original Metal Gear Solid. You would think they would just release Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes as a part of this and then “upscaled” that to HD but rather they decide to leave it out for whatever reason it may be as I am to lazy to research why.

So lets wrap this review up. If you have the originals then there is little point in this. Unless you do not owe these games or you just like having the game on another console or one of the people who keeps buying remastered games that just been “upscaled” to HD then get it.