Fans of classic Metal Gear games have been excited at the announcement of the Master Collection. However, some may be turned off that the resolution will not be improved for the newer generation consoles.
The first impressions for Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 are streaming in and it appears the compilation will run on 720p, not 4K or even 1080p. According to a report by Nintendo Life, the PS4 and PS5 versions of the collection runs on HD.
It seems like the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 features straight ports of Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3. The HD versions of the two games were released for the PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2012. The copyright watermark for 2012 is still visible in the new compilation. The resolution, aspect ratio, frame rates, and visuals from the HD version have been retained.
Additionally, Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 will be locked at 30 frames per second on the Nintendo Switch version. This is in contrast to an earlier announcement from Konami that the game will feature 60 FPS on all consoles. The original HD ports originally ran on 60 FPS on the PS3 and Xbox 360.
Digital Foundry member John Linneman pointed out on X that MGS2 was originally developed to run at 60 FPS. Linneman laments that it is a huge letdown to have the Switch console run at a lower frame rate.
So it sounds like it'll be 60 on others but…only 30 on Switch is a huge failure. That is 100% not acceptable especially in the case of MGS2 which was designed for 60 fps.
— John Linneman @dark1x.bsky.social (@dark1x) August 21, 2023
Konami provided footage of Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 running on 1080 at 60 FPS after the hands-on event. It is unclear whether this is from the PC or PS5 version of the game. Metal Gear content creator Nitroid assumes that it is from the PC port of the collection.
There are some positives to the Master Collection as it features bonus content. The compilation is reportedly full of extras including the MSX versions of Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2 and the NES version of Metal Gear and Snake’s Revenge. The compilation also includes a special booklet that details the history of the game as well as insider information on each title.
The first impressions have been extremely positive for the Master Collection. However, Konami may have missed an opportunity to give fans of the series updated graphics which helps sell remasters. If there is anything we learned from the recent Red Dead Redemption remaster, gamers expect updated graphics when you charge $60 for a rerelease.
Then again, given how much the said remaster is selling, there really isn’t much incentive to put in more effort anymore.
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Volume 1 is coming on October 24 for Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PS4, and PC.
