Despite not seeing a new release in the series since 2018, Metal Gear fans were treated quite well at the recent PlayStation Showcase. Aside from the confirmation of the rumored Metal Gear Solid 3 remake, Konami is also bringing the first three Metal Gear Solid games to the PS5 via the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol.1. While this collection only includes three games, it opens the door for the rest of the series to hit modern platforms down the line, including Metal Gear Solid 4, which has remained trapped on the PS3.
Included in Volume 1 of the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection is the original Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, and the original Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. While these games have been re-released before in collections such as Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection for the PS3 and the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection for the Xbox 360 and PS3, these titles have not been available on PlayStation consoles since. However, as nice as it will be to have these titles on PS5, rescuing Metal Gear Solid 4 from the PS3 should be a top priority.
The Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Paves the Way for Metal Gear Solid 4 on Modern Platforms
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots originally released in 2008 for the PS3 and follows Old Snake, who has rapidly aged due to genetic changes as part of his cloning process. Metal Gear Solid 4's story sees Old Snake face off one final time with Liquid Snake, who is inhabiting the body of Revolver Ocelot in one of gaming auteur Hideo Kojima's near universally acclaimed masterpieces. While Metal Gear Solid 4 has become a beloved entry in the franchise, it's had unfortunately limited accessibility due to its status as a PS3 exclusive.
Due to the unique architecture of the PS3, newer PlayStation consoles like the PS4 and PS5 have a difficult time emulating PS3 games like Metal Gear Solid 4 without heavy alterations. While the hardware of the PS4 simply wasn't powerful enough to handle the emulation of PS3 games, the PS5 boasts the specs necessary but would still have a hard time replicating PS3 titles without having to make fundamental changes to the original games' source codes. As such, most developers have not found the time or resources necessary to port PS3 games to modern consoles worth the investment, but the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection shows that Konami may be willing to try.
The announcement states that this will be Volume 1 of the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection, implying that additional volumes could be on the way. It's likely that Konami is testing the waters for the Metal Gear series with this collection and the Metal Gear Solid 3 remake in order gauge whether bringing Metal Gear Solid 4 to the PS5 is worth the investment. Depending on how well these projects do, the company could see the value in bringing more classic Metal Gear titles to modern platforms.
A Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 2 could include not only Metal Gear Solid 4, but Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker as well as the classic Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2 titles to give players access the complete Metal Gear Solid saga on the PS5. While this might be an ambitious undertaking given the notorious difficulty in porting PS3 games, Metal Gear fans are long overdue for a chance to relive Metal Gear Solid 4 outside of its initial release. However, the fact that this collection is labeled as Volume 1 is a great sign that Metal Gear Solid 4 might finally see the light of day once again.
Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 releases Fall 2023 for PS5.