Metal Gear Solid 4 Breaks Free From PS3 Exile in Master Collection Vol. 2
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots — a game locked to the PlayStation 3 since 2008 — is finally reaching other platforms. Konami's Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 bundles it with two other series entries and launches on August 27 for Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam (Konami).
For nearly two decades, playing Metal Gear Solid 4 meant owning Sony's third-generation console. That hardware exclusivity made it the one mainline Metal Gear Solid title that a whole generation of players could only watch on video. Its arrival on PC and modern consoles through the collection closes that gap.
The collection doesn't stop there. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, originally a PlayStation Portable title, and Metal Gear Solid: Ghost Babel, a Game Boy Color release, round out the package (GameSpot). Peace Walker is a portable-era entry with co-op missions and base-building mechanics; Ghost Babel is a top-down stealth action game that drew on the design language of the original Metal Gear Solid while pushing it in new directions — both on handhelds that long ago left the market.
Players jumping into Metal Gear Solid 4 for the first time should know what they are getting. It is a cutscene-heavy experience — the story sequences run long even by the standards of a series famous for them — and its control scheme predates the refinements of later Metal Gear Solid titles. On the upside, the game reportedly runs well on PC and Valve's Steam Deck, a handheld PC gaming device, for the most part (GameSpot).
Pre-orders are live for both physical and digital versions (Konami). The standard price is US$50. Retailer Fanatical is listing the collection at US$38.49 — a 23% preorder discount — according to GameSpot.
GameSpot content manager Ben Janca described the collection as an easy recommend and a good package overall (GameSpot).
For series fans and newcomers alike, the headline is simple. Three games that each lived on different, now-discontinued platforms land together on modern hardware in one collection — and the most sought-after of the three is one that a lot of people have been waiting a long time to play.
