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Metal Gear Solid HD Collection
I was
amazed when I had the opportunity to review this title for impulsegamer!
Being a long term reviewer and co founder for the site, Metal Gear Solid
2: Sons of Liberty was an early title that I looked after and one of the
first games that I unreservedly gave a perfect 12/10. That's right I
scored it over and above a perfect score. It was the best game I had
played up till that point and frankly it still stands tall as an example
of superior gameplay and design.
With that
said, the HD collection includes the title I played and reviewed for the
Gamer plus the next in the series, Snake Eater, and for the first time
the PSP title Peace Walker. All in HD, and frankly they all look
amazing.
Do
the first two titles hold up considering they are in one case over ten
years old? The answer surprisingly enough is a resounding YES! Renowned
for his attention to detail in gaming, series creator Hideo Kojima had
one of his most shining moments with MGS 2 continuing the success of the
first Metal Gear. I must confess that I am perplexed that the first
isn't included, but what we have is pretty darn awesome regardless.
Metal
Gear 2 tells the tale of Solid Snake (the star of the series), and the
emergence of a new elite model Metal Gear that is destined to be able to
destroy all over Metal Gears that came before it. Snake is sent to the
tanker that is sailing with this new Metal Gear in its bowels after one
of the best opening sequences ever to grace any video game with a killer
soundtrack from Harry Gregson Williams. So good in fact, I imported the
soundtrack from Japan.
The story is brilliant and populated with some of the best characters
I've ever seen in a video game all at the same time. There are many cool
things hidden in this game and I would suggest just for fun that you
take the time to check out my old review
here which is still on the site - go on, I dares ya!
You need
to play this game for a whole variety of reasons, not the least of which
is the utter plethora of uber cool characters in it, both hero and
villain, including Vamp and the incredible Dead Cell that will having
you panting with excitement at the fights you will get into with them.
This title saw us playing a double mission with the playable character
Raiden. I enjoyed him immensely, though purists argued his inclusion in
the game.
Snake
Eater was the next in the series and for the first time took Snake into
the heart of the Cold War and also took him outside from his usual
environments of corridors and inside spaces to the jungle of all places
where the introduction of several features including the ability for
Naked Snake to adjust his clothing to better camouflage himself really
added to the gameplay and took us further again into the amazing world
constructed by Kojima. This is also the first game in the series where
making sure Snake stayed fit and well was paramount as the environments
themselves truly posed realistic threats to his wellbeing.
Further to that was the minimisation of the well known rations Snake
could pick up in previous titles. They are there but many will be the
time you need to find a handy reptile or something else nearby to munch
on. Likewise with injuries, damage won't be repaired until you have
bandaged or splinted yourself. It's an amazing game and one that will
challenge even experienced gamers. This was a title that was released
later in the life of the Playstation 2 and looked amazing even then.
Remastered, this title shines all the way through and simply will not
disappoint even younger gamers.
Finally,
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker rounds out this experience. It was the
title I had the most doubts about considering this is a port from the
PSP system and as such I didn't hold high hopes. I was pleasantly
surprised to be wrong about everything, having found this to be a
amazing well rounded out title that will provided a staggering amount of
gameplay and a ridiculous amount of side missions.
In fact
this game will take up so much of your time, you'll be amazed it ever
fit on a PSP UMD! The way the story plays out is stylish like every
other cut scene in the series, however they have made up for the lack of
disc storage space by showing cutscenes via comics or short animated
sequences. As a result the tale itself plays out a little more simply
but doesn't lack substance, its just shown differently. This
installation into the history continues the tale of Naked Snake from
Snake Eater to allow gamers a greater understanding of the character.
The appearance of the game in HD is pretty darn good, looking great even
on my 55" LED. The quality of the texture work is dated and fairly plain
by the standards of some of the games today. Having said that, it is
still of a standard far superior to many titles currently being put out
there for gamers that smack of hurried deadlines and a distinct lack of
testing. Every title in this series works and works well. Kojima is
notorious for his attention to detail and quality control, along with a
knack for telling a great story. At times some of the textures appear
slightly muddy but this is rare and will only annoy the really fussy
gamer. This issue only really raises its head with MGS2 and Peace
Walker. Snake Eater looks great for the reasons I've already mentioned.
Final Level
In
summary this is a series that anyone who loves great games MUST buy
simply to see what great storytelling, intricate plots, grandiose design
and a masterful attention to detail can achieve. The older control
system might initially annoy younger gamers but after a short time the
layout becomes second nature. It's a shame that the first Metal Gear
title isn't on here as it fills in some big story holes but nonetheless
Metal Gear Solid HD Collection is a must have title, and one that any
and all gamers will be very happy that they took the time to experience.
Does it hold up even after 10 years? Yes it does and whilst I’m not
going to give it 12/10 again, I would solidly award this title Editors
Choice and based on storyline and all the other factors previously
mentioned, I am happily giving this title 9.9/10 and also a hearty
thanks for the opportunity to check out a game again that brought me so
much joy a decade ago.
Tory Favro
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