Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol 1 Preview – Preview

On October 24th, 2023, Konami will be releasing METAL GEAR SOLID: MASTER COLLECTION Vol 1., a compilation of multiple Metal Gear and Metal Gear Solid titles, but there’s also a veritable treasure trove of bonus materials included in the package. In this video, I’ll be detailing the ways you can purchase these titles physically and digitally, in addition to clarifying everything that’s bundled for each configuration.

To start off with, Konami is making Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater available for purchase separately at an expected retail price of $19.99. Each of these comes with a digital screenplay book–with “A comprehensive collection of cutscene dialogue, briefing files, and scripts for every single one of the series’ characteristic Codec calls”–and a digital master book–with “juicy tidbits and notable quotes from characters throughout the Metal Gear saga—plus useful strategy guide info such as maps, hidden item locations, and more.” No other bonus content or material will be available for those who purchase these games separately from the larger MASTER COLLECTION package. These are digital versions that will be available on the Nintendo Switch eShop.

At a retail price of $59.99 is the entire METAL GEAR SOLID: MASTER COLLECTION Vol 1., which is already available for pre-order on the eShop. Strap yourselves in because there’s a whole heap of content on offer for this version of the games, which includes:

• Metal Gear
• Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
• Metal Gear Solid (Including VR Missions/Special Missions)
• Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (HD Collection version)
• Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (HD Collection version)
• Metal Gear (NES/FC version)
• Snake’s Revenge

In terms of non-game content, the MASTER COLLECTION also features:

Animated Video Content

• Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel
• Metal Gear Solid 2: Digital Graphic Novel

Digital Books (many of which do come when purchasing the Metal Gear Solid games separately)

• Metal Gear Solid: Screenplay Book
• Metal Gear Solid: Master Book
• Metal Gear Solid 2: Screenplay Book
• Metal Gear Solid 2: Master Book
• Metal Gear Solid 3: Screenplay Book
• Metal Gear Solid 3: Master Book
• Metal Gear & Metal Gear 2: Screenplay Book
• Metal Gear & Metal Gear 2: Master Book

Soundtrack

• Metal Gear Solid: Digital Soundtrack

Those eager to go physical with their Switch games will be disappointed (but perhaps not surprised) to learn that the retail boxed version of METAL GEAR SOLID: MASTER COLLECTION Vol 1. comes with some hefty required downloads. In fact, it would appear that none of the games from the package are actually playable on the cart without a download. Stand by for some specifics on download sizes:

• Physical Version: 24.1GB ( *Front loaded onto cartridge 2.4GB )
• METAL GEAR SOLID – Master Collection Version: 4.8GB (3.4GB if you don’t include METAL GEAR and METAL GEAR 2: Solid Snake
• METAL GEAR SOLID 2: Sons of Liberty – Master Collection Version: 8.0GB
• METAL GEAR SOLID 3: Snake Eater – Master Collection Version: 12.2GB
• Bonus Content: 1.0GB + 30 GB for bonus videos

Finally, in terms of performance, I had an opportunity to go hands-on with each of the Metal Gear Solid titles during a Konami preview event, and while every version of them is targeting 1080p (except for the Switch in Portable Mode at 720p), the Switch releases are capped at 30FPS in both docked and handheld configurations. Those looking for a 60FPS framerate may want to pick up these games on a different platform.

All in all, the sheer amount of bonus content on offer makes METAL GEAR SOLID: MASTER COLLECTION Vol 1. a fairly interesting value proposition, especially for those who want to start the series from the beginning. That said, the Switch version may not be the best place to do so for anyone concerned about performance or anyone who wants to pick up the boxed edition. There have been some clear sacrifices made to get the Metal Gear Solid titles running on Nintendo’s platform, but if that’s your only or preferred option, then the eShop version of the MASTER COLLECTION looks like the best way to go. We’ll have a full review of the entire package closer to launch, so hide under a box if you must, but keep your binoculars trained on NWRTV!