Discussion involving the Metal Gear Solid series has not graced the presence of ATE for awhile now, which makes sense, as the series has been effectively dead since MGS V launched way back in 2016.
An ironically named entry in the post-mortem of the series
That doesn’t mean we don’t get the random morsel or tasty tidbit detailing the scraps that remain of the series in which we pathetically feast on what little is left to dine on. Last year, the master collection for the MGS series (Vol.1) dropped to some mixed reviews, as people were predictably celebrating what is arguably one of the best trilogies of all time getting a new repackaging, but the release itself was plagued with technical difficulties. The Vol.1 involved always had people looking towards the future at the potential Vol.2 in what it would contain, as the other three major installments, Peace Walker, MGS V and 4 would most certainly be the titles Vol.2 would feature.
Just don’t expect to see Act 3 of MGS V included as some kind
of bonus content included with the bundle due to some delusional
pipe dream as some maniacs online surely will
Vol.2 would be a big deal, as many before me have pointed out, due to MGS 4 being stuck in non-porting purgatory hell, as the title has remained stuck on the PS3 since 2008, not having seen a release on the PC in the following 16 years of it’s release. Many were excited by not only the prospect of Vol.2 for this very reason, but fuel has been added to the fire with a choice quote from Konami producer Noriaki Okamura chiming in with some not so cryptically comforting news:
“We definitely are aware of this situation with MGS4,”…”Unfortunately we can’t really say too much at the moment with Vol. 1 containing MGS 1-3 dot dot dot… you can probably connect the dots! “Right now we still are internally concerned about what we should be doing for the future of the series. So sorry, we can’t really reveal anything at the moment. But stay tuned!”
Seen here: Old Snake, seemingly channeling the entire MGS
fan base shouting “finally!” up towards the heavens
So…good news everyone! That is about as confirmed as it can get without directly coming out and saying it is happening, which is extremely exciting news. Since V and Peace Walker are still available to play on many recent systems, the big get here is obviously 4, with the Master Collection of Vol.2 being the first time the game will have received a new release and any update of any kind since 2008. The release date for Vol.2 has not been announced quite yet, so the earliest we may suspect it to be out is *maybe* mid 2025, though I think late next year would be considered highly doable with the context of the information surrounding the title. I doubt we will see any significant improvements involving 4’s inclusion into the collection, though considering how many bugs and technical hiccups plagued Vol.1 at launch, fans may be crossing their fingers that Konami does as little as possible to alter the title, so that it is largely problem free and just runs smoothly by the time it sees release.
Konami doing some heavy lifting in getting me to want to play their back catalog, as I also recently reported on the Castlevania DS collection seeing the light of day in the form of the release of Dominus, featuring Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin, and Order of Ecclesia. All I have to do now is convince myself I have the time to go back and replay, think on, and write about six classic Konami games amidst a hectic schedule of already hype bullshit I have to attend to. Where there is a will, there is a way.
I leave you with a reminder that a mini MGS retrospective featuring David Hayter was released this year, and thusly provide you with a link to part 1 you can find here.
~Pashford
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