Exploring the Boundless Possibilities of Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection with Modders

Highlights

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 released with performance issues on Nintendo Switch and PC, failing to meet advertised specs.

Modders have successfully rectified the technical glitches and user interface problems in the PC version of the collection. Konami failed to adequately safeguard and optimize these significant games, but one can hope that they will gain valuable insights from their errors for forthcoming compilations.

The Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 has been released, but it has been met with numerous problems and performance issues, especially on the Nintendo Switch and PC versions. This has only added to the cynicism surrounding Konami's treatment of its legacy IP. In addition, the collection itself is not really a true collection, but rather a means to access individual game downloads. Furthermore, the games themselves do not live up to the promised performance specifications advertised by Konami. While the Nintendo Switch version may remain unchanged, PC users have taken it upon themselves to delve into the game and analyze its runtime files. They have uncovered important information, such as potential games for a Master Collection Vol. 2, as well as the root causes of the games' underwhelming performance on PC. Through modding, they have managed to find workarounds to address these issues independently. This resourcefulness of individual users in "fixing" the game raises the question of why Konami did not invest the necessary resources to properly preserve one of its most significant franchises.

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 Issues Fixed by Modders

Leading up to the launch of Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1, Konami struggled to provide consistent information about how each game would perform on different platforms. Initially, there were uncertainties about frame rates and resolutions. Eventually, Konami acknowledged a range of issues that they planned to address through patches after the collection's release. One of these problems involved the PC versions being limited to 720p resolution, despite earlier promises of 1080p.

However, shortly after the game's release, a modder named Sergeanur uploaded a patch to GitHub that effectively resolved the resolution issues for Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 in the Master Collection. Thanks to the patch, players can now enjoy the games at resolutions of up to 1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160. Nevertheless, some user interface issues remain due to the upscaling process, indicating suboptimal optimization of the games prior to their re-release on modern hardware. Additionally, other mods have been created to update menus and in-game text to reflect that MGS 2 and 3 are part of the Master Collection, rather than simply repackaged ports from the HD Collection.

Lessons Konami Should Take Into Future Master Collections

Konami missed a significant opportunity with the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection due to inconsistent messaging and their inability to ensure that the important games within the collection were released in a way that reflects their legacy. It is disappointing that independent users were able to fix texture and resolution issues shortly after the game's launch, highlighting that Konami could have made these efforts themselves. As a Vol. 2 of the Master Collection is likely to come, it is hopeful that Konami will learn from the shortcomings of Vol. 1.

What adds to the disappointment is that the games included in the collection remain unchanged from their versions in the HD Collection, providing more incentive for the modding community to enhance the original Metal Gear Solid with HD textures and other quality-of-life improvements. These games are highly significant in the gaming industry and still hold up well in the present day. It is unfortunate that Konami does not seem to prioritize the care and attention these games deserve.

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, and Xbox Series X/S.