Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection Review

Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection
Developer: Kojima Productions
Price: $50
Platform: PS3
A copy of the game was supplied to us

The Metal Gear Solid series is one of the most treasured franchises in video games and it’s no surprise that Konami wanted to put together a package containing all of the core games in the series so players have enough time to soak in the huge universe before the fifth game drops. Unfortunately, while MGSV is slated to release on multiple platforms the Legacy Collection is a PS3 exclusive due to the inclusion of MGS1 & MGS4.

The Legacy Collection is the perfect place for newcomers to immerse themselves in the Metal Gear Solid universe before the upcoming release of Metal Gear Solid V. It includes all of the core titles in the franchise which means anything titled with “A Hideo Kojima game” is included in this. For anyone who already owns the MGS HD collection and MGS4, it’s somewhat difficult to recommend dropping the money on this when you can easily purchase MGS1 off the Playstation Store for much less than $50. Now for the people like me who prefer the option of having all the games in a series in one easy to reach case instead of holding onto various boxes, the Legacy Collection is definitely for you.

Now let’s get into what you can expect to find in this package. First of all you’ll see the HD versions of MGS2, MGS3, and MGS: Peace Walker included in the first disc. All three games are the exact same from the HD collection so anyone who already owns that shouldn’t expect anything new here. You can still expect to find Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2 included in the menus of MGS3 but Konami still opted to not include the things they took out of MGS3 such as Snake vs Monkey. If you go into the video section of the XMB you’ll notice the two digital graphic novels for Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2, both drawn by Ashley Wood. Now the only thing not included on a disc is Metal Gear Solid and its VR missions; you’ll find a voucher packaged with the game to redeem those two items on the Playstation Store. Not having MGS1 included on the disc is a bit of a drag since it doesn’t make this complete collection feel complete, and I find it somewhat hard to believe there wasn’t any space on the discs for it.

The second disc needs all the space it can take because it’s holding Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Of course this version of the game is the most recently updated version which means it’s got the latest updates like trophies and installing all the acts at once, but that also means it doesn’t include Metal Gear Online; although I suppose that’s to be excepted since Konami shut down the servers for that game a few months ago. There’s also a nifty little art book showcasing all the various marketing images of the series beginning with MGS1.

Now if you’ve somehow been living under a rock all these years, the MGS series has some of the best (if not the best) stealth games around and easily one of the richest stories. Each game tasks you as either Solid Snake or Big Boss, both elite government agents usually tasked with infiltrating a location and usually taking someone out. The series is full of interesting characters, tons of goofy hidden secrets, and is one of the few franchises where the games actually get significantly better (in terms of gameplay) with each entry. If you’ve somehow missed out on playing any of these games, now is the perfect time to get in.

Fans of the series recently bemoaned Kojima when he said that he would recommend viewing the two graphic novels and then jumping straight into MGS3 and I’d have to agree with that statement for more casual gamers. The first two titles did not age very well, and while still fun, feel archaic when compared to the newer entries in the series that are included on the disc. The two graphic novels give you a pretty decent summary of what happened in the first two titles so newcomers to the series should have no issue watching those and jumping into the later titles. Of course, I’d still insist on at least trying to play through them (at least MGS2) because they really are fantastic games.

The Final Word
The Legacy Collection is one of the best video game compilations I’ve ever seen and it’s a must own for anyone either looking to get into the MGS series or a longtime fan who wants to keep all the games in one simple package.

– MonsterVine Rating: 5 out of 5 – Excellent