Metal Gear fans are excited following the emergence of potential hunts regarding the future release of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots on platforms outside of its native platform, the PlayStation 3, for the first time since 2008. With Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Volume 1 finally launching, eagle-eyed observers have noticed interesting references embedded within the game files that suggest future intentions for the game series.
The Master Collection Volume 1, which made its debut just this week, notably features games such as Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, Metal Gear Solid, and HD Collection versions of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. However, a deeper look into the game files by dedicated Reddit users has unearthed references to Metal Gear Solid 4, Metal Gear Solid 5, and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. The discovery of these references, combined with the way that Konami labeled the collection, has led to growing speculation that a second, and possibly even third, volume could potentially be in the pipeline. This Volume 2, fans theorize, may well include some of the major titles from the Metal Gear series that are conspicuously missing from the first collection.
These findings are backed by more evidence, including an update on Konami’s website for the Master Collection, which intriguingly featured a screenshot from Guns of the Patriots. In addition to this, it displayed a timeline with the clickable placeholder buttons for MGS4, Peace Walker, and MGS5: The Phantom Pain. These placeholders, combined with recent discoveries in the game files, seem to strongly indicate a possible future release of these titles in a forthcoming collection.
Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker, 4 and 5 rereleases hinted at in Master Collection files
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The significance of these findings is heightened by the fact that, if they do come to fruition, it would mark the first time that Metal Gear Solid 4 and Peace Walker are made playable on other platforms. However, Metal Gear Solid 5 is already available for modern gaming thanks to its release on platforms like the PS4 and Xbox One.
It’s worth noting the historical context, that at a certain point during its development phase, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots was reported to be running seamlessly on the Xbox 360. The porting of the game to Xbox 360 was, from a technical standpoint, feasible, but it was impeded by the physical constraints of storage capacity differences between the PS3 and Xbox 360. This is because while PS3 games utilized BD-ROM discs, which have a whopping storage capacity of up to 54GB, the Xbox 360 used DVD-ROM discs, which could only store up to 8.3GB. Such a stark disparity in storage meant that the complete game couldn’t fit into a single disc for the Xbox, which would have required multi-disc packaging, a move Konami was reluctant to make.
However, these discussions aren’t just of the past and with current advancements in technology and storage, Konami is likely a changed company now, humbled by its most recent failures.
While this speculation brings with it a wave of anticipation, it’s important to recognize that the recent Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Volume 1 was not without its issues. Prior to its release, Konami had candidly shared a comprehensive list of known problems expected in the day-one version. Some of these challenges included performance limitations, subtitle inaccuracies, and visual and audio synchronization troubles. Despite these setbacks, the collection still holds a high degree of appeal.
Whether or not Konami acts on these findings and the community’s resultant speculations remains to be seen. But, one thing is clear – there’s a huge demand for Metal Gear, which, as of now, has already outsold Battlefield and The Elder Scrolls.
Fans are currently waiting for an update regarding Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, which, believe it or not, will be on Xbox.
Speaking of Konami, the company is currently in the middle of reviving some of its most iconic franchises, including the seminal survival horror franchise, Silent Hill. The first one, Silent Hill: Ascension, will see its first episode on October 31. Finally, Konami might announce the release date of Silent Hill 2 before the month ends.
