Metal Gear Solid Collection Revolutionizes Gameplay with Exciting Quality of Life Upgrade!

Highlights

The upcoming Metal Gear Solid Master Collection will finally allow players to pause cutscenes, a common frustration for fans of the series.

However, there is a catch. Players may be disappointed with a 10-second loading time before the menu appears after pausing.

Given that the game belongs to a different era of gaming, it is understandable that adding pause functionality may have technical limitations. Nonetheless, it is still a welcomed addition.

Ahead of the October 24 launch of the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection, a leak has confirmed a significant update for players. They will now have the ability to pause cutscenes, addressing a long-standing frustration for fans. This change applies not only to the original Metal Gear Solid games, but also their HD remasters from 2011. However, it is important to note that the pause feature may not function as seamlessly as some fans may have hoped.

It may be hard for devoted Metal Gear Solid enthusiasts to acknowledge, but it has been a quarter of a century since the release of the original Metal Gear Solid game on the original PlayStation. Additionally, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is now nearly 19 years old. These games belong to a different era of gaming when the technology did not support the capability to pause during cutscenes. However, in the current year of 2023, expectations have shifted significantly, and players now anticipate more from their gaming experiences.

Official details on the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection's new pause functionality have not been disclosed, but leaked footage of the game appears to confirm the feature. In a video shared by Irreducible 86ff on YouTube, the pause functionality is demonstrated in the modern port of the original Metal Gear Solid. Although there is no footage available for Metal Gear Solid 2 or Metal Gear Solid 3, it is reasonable to assume that the functionality carries over.

The pause functionality in Metal Gear Solid cutscenes has a slight drawback. Although the game appears to pause immediately, there is a noticeable 10-second loading time afterward. After pausing, the player must wait for the menu to open before resuming gameplay. It is uncertain whether pausing can be instantly ended without waiting for the loading process to complete. Nevertheless, this unexpected delay is a peculiar consequence of implementing pause functionality in Metal Gear Solid's cutscenes.

Even though there is no explicit confirmation of this feature, it is understandable why the pause functionality in Metal Gear Solid's port may encounter difficulties. The game was originally released in 1998 and has not undergone any remakes for the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection. It is unknown how much effort developer Virtuos had to put in to incorporate cutscene pauses into the game. Considering the circumstances, it is remarkable that the game manages not to crash. A 10-second loading time to access the menu seems like a reasonable compromise.

Most players of Metal Gear Solid Master Collection are unlikely to be overly bothered by the occasional pause delay. Those who pause the game probably have other tasks to attend to during the 10-second interval. Hopefully, Konami or Virtuos will enhance this feature for Metal Gear Solid 2 and Metal Gear Solid 3. Additional information may be provided by the companies before or after the game's launch. The release date for Metal Gear Solid Master Collection is October 24 and it will be available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, and Xbox Series X/S.