During its PlayStation Showcase event, Konami had a major surprise reveal for “Metal Gear Solid” fans: “Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater” is getting a full remake. Alongside the reimagining, we learned it’ll follow a “Metal Gear Solid Master Collection” release, which includes remastered versions of the first three games in the series.
However, as teased by Konami, even better news has come to light in the days since. The “Master Collection” also includes “Metal Gear” and “Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake” — the original 2D, 8-bit games that kicked off the revered tale of a broken man on a world-saving mission.
Set for launch later this year, this collection showcases director Hideo Kojima’s most iconic works. The “Metal Gear” series follows protagonist Solid Snake in high-stakes attempts to thwart terror threats of bipedal machines, all capable of mass destruction.
The 2D games weren’t rife with narrative, but that changed with the arrival of “Metal Gear Solid” on PlayStation 1. This collection includes the Special and VR missions that were released shortly after. PlayStation 2’s “Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty” raised the cinematic bar tremendously for the series, and featured an alternate playable character for the first time in Raiden.
The third game in the 3D series, “Snake Eater,” was a prequel that demystified Big Boss’ origins, the final battle’s antagonist in the original 2D game. It received universal praise for the new technical, graphical, and storytelling heights it pushed the series toward.
Other Metal Gear remasters could be on the way
Konami is branding this as a “Volume 1” release, which leaves the door open for another “Metal Gear” collection. Presumably, that follow-up would include the PS3 original “Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots,” which never saw release on another console. We could also get a remastered “Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain,” which originally launched on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One following a short prologue titled “Ground Zeroes.”
There are other games Konami could use to pad that collection out. “Peace Walker” was Konami’s first attempt at putting a traditional “Metal Gear Solid” game on the PlayStation Portable. “Metal Gear Rising” continued Raiden’s story, experimenting with new hack-and-slash gameplay to highlight his unique cybernetic abilities instead of the traditional stealth action gameplay.
“Metal Gear Acid” and “Metal Gear Acid 2” were PSP titles that offered a unique gameplay twist for the series. They combined turn-based movement and combat with a card system that limited the actions you could take during any given phase. We wouldn’t bet on it, but “Metal Gear Online,” the first multiplayer experience in the series, will be in high demand for a re-release/remaster as well.