METAL GEAR SOLID: MASTER COLLECTION Vol.2 brings Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker to the next generation, breaking Sony’s exclusivity at the time of their original release. The games are now available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S and for PC (on Microsoft Windows only).
Metal Gear Solid 4 continues the events presented in the second game in the series (the third takes place decades before the first) and presents a denouement for Solid Snake. This is a narrative-driven stealth game that has its successes and mistakes.
Benefits
- Diverse gameplay.
- Additional controls and systems (weapon customization and camouflage) are very functional.
- Excellent graphics for the time that still work today.
Disadvantages
- Stealth can easily be replaced by action and shooting.
- Lots of unnecessary details and cheesy moments detract from the pacing of the plot.
- Too many long cutscenes.
What Metal Gear Solid 4 Achieves: Gameplay, Systems, and Graphics
The game offers very functional gameplay, with simple and practical controls. The camouflage system interestingly simplifies the menu excess of the third game, while weapon customization is simple, but without losing complexity.
Its gameplay also brings a lot of variety – from using mortars to “clear” the path, straight shootouts to even a motorcycle chase. Some boss fights also have their differences, such as the split screen between Snake taking down robots with a giant gun and Raiden knife fighting Vamp, a fight between giant robots and a punch exchange with the final boss. All of this complements stealth in a positive way, breaking up repetition and monotony.
Its graphics, very impressive at the time, are still pleasing by today’s standards. Even though they aren’t worthy of what we see in AAA games today, they still work and don’t hinder the gaming experience in any way.
What’s Wrong in Metal Gear Solid 4: Cutscenes, Merchant, and Narration
The game’s cutscenes are problematic: too many and too long. From the introduction, lasting around 30 minutes, there are only around two minutes of gameplay, while each chapter ends and opens with cutscenes lasting 20-30 minutes. Every time a new character is introduced, there is a new “lecture” (the arms dealer himself, it takes 12 minutes to introduce the character). It’s boring, full of details that add nothing to the plot, and many of which could be replaced with outright gameplay.
As for the gameplay, although interesting and varied, the availability of the merchant can hinder the stealth of the game. Thanks to the ease and speed of acquiring weapons and ammunition (instantly and even during the action and fights), it is possible to replace all stealth and patience with frantic shooting, which will displease any fan of stealth.
Finally, the story also suffers from some problems. An excess of unnecessary details disrupts the rhythm, while exaggerated dramatic or comic scenes detract from the seriousness of the plot. The criticism of the war industry, imperialism and the profitability of wars is lost in the face of the cheesiness and – above all – the excessive explanations on each “technical” aspect of the different technologies used and the countless twists and turns of the plot.
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, originally released for the PSP, is a game that featured an unusual proposition for the franchise: a focus on multiplayer. It’s one that comes with sudden changes from what we know of Metal Gear Solid, some good and some not.
Benefits
- A rich and impressive history.
- The phase structure and small missions make the game more dynamic.
- Interesting and addictive base building.
- Cooperative multiplayer.
Disadvantages
- Unplayable with keyboard and mouse.
- Boss fights are boring and repetitive.
- QTE during cutscenes.
- Excessive grinding in the final stretch.
What MGS Peace Walker Achieves: History, Stages, and Base Building
The story of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is exceptionally good, rich and exciting, while serving as a direct bridge to Metal Gear V. It’s told in animated comic form, due to the limitations of the PSP, but it’s not something that bothers you. On the contrary, its gray art, emphasizing certain colors (notably red), brings additional charm to its plot.
Its short phase structure, designed for multiplayer, is a sudden change, but very welcome for a spin-off of the series. Its division into stages is intuitive and makes it easy to navigate the stage, without affecting the pace of the game in any way. However, when you die, the game returns to the start of the level, an additional challenge within this structure.
The basic construction of the game is a solid aspect, with an added layer of very interesting complexity. It is possible to recruit new characters, assign them to research, collect material or information. In this way it is also possible to develop new weapons and equipment, as well as improve existing ones. It’s an addictive mechanic.
What MGS Peace Walker gets wrong: keyboard and mouse, QTE and repetitive mechanics
The game is simply unplayable with a keyboard and mouse. Even though it offers support, the controls don’t work well at all. The camera freezes, there’s a delay in inputs, or they just don’t work. If you don’t have a controller, it’s simply not possible to play Peace Walker on PC – at least at the time of this review. It is not even possible to complete the first introductory phase.
Another negative point is the Quick Time Events, which were very well known at the time of the game’s initial release. They occur during cutscenes, in which the player is too busy following the game’s story, completely disrupting the pacing of the narrative. But despite this problem, they are very punctual and do not spoil the experience.
Optional missions only serve to acquire more resources, while they are extremely repetitive, just like boss fights. These are fights that boil down to using a bazooka against a tank, helicopter or advanced machines, which are big damage sponges and make it even more repetitive. The repetition is even greater with grinding, very necessary in the latter part of the game, where it is simply impossible to go straight without doing the side missions.
METAL GEAR SOLID: MASTER COLLECTION Vol.2 features a huge range of additional content. Among them, there is the soundtrack of both games, a database of the entire story up to the fourth game, a complete and illustrated guide, the complete storyline and even Metal Gear: Ghost Babel, released for Game Boy Color.
Metal Gear: Ghost Babel
Metal Gear: Ghost Babel was released in 2000 and brought the series to Nintendo’s handheld. We find gameplay seen from above which is reminiscent of the first games in the series, from the MSX and the NES (aka Nintendo). Unlike these classics, its mechanics are a little more complex, partly reminiscent of the first Metal Gear Solid.
Despite its simplicity, it is not such a short game by the standards of portable games of the 2000s. It lasts around six to eight hours, divided between gameplay and cutscenes, carried out via the communicator, mainly with photos of the characters and the text of their speeches (the technology of the time did not allow spoken dialogue on a portable).
Verdict and other information
METAL GEAR SOLID: MASTER COLLECTION Vol.2 is a small collection of only three games, but it has a lot to offer. It brings two excellent quality games, in different guises, previously reserved for the PS3 and PSP (as well as a bonus game for fans of the series). This is an essential option for fans of the Metal Gear series, but it may appeal to those who like stealth games and/or games with a spy, crit, and political plot. However, be prepared for long cutscenes in Metal Gear 4 and have a controller if you want to play Peace Walker on PC.
Technical sheet
- Price: R$284.90 (Steam).
- Developer: KONAMI.
- Distributor: KONAMI.
- Release: August 27, 2026.
- Genre: Stealth.
- Availability: Steam, PSN, Nintendo Store, Microsoft Store.
- PT-BR: Interface and subtitles.
- Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S.
- Multiplayer: Only in Metal Gear: Peacewalker.
- Rating: 18 years old (extreme violence, sexual content and drugs).
Minimum requirements
- 64-bit processor and operating system.
- Operating system: Windows 11 (64-bit).
- Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-9600K.
- Memory: 16 GB of RAM.
- Video card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650.
- DirectX: version 12.
- Storage: 34 GB of available space.
- Other Notes: SSD recommended.
Recommended requirements
- 64-bit processor and operating system.
- Operating system: Windows 11 (64-bit).
- Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-10500.
- Memory: 16 GB of RAM.
- Video card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970.
- DirectX: version 12.
- Network: High-speed Internet connection.
- Storage: 34 GB of available space.
- Other Notes: SSD required.
Leonard Bueno
Leonardo Bueno is passionate about art, literature, games and RPGs. He has been working with technology and games for over 10 years.
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Rachele Victoria
Rachele Victoria has a degree in Letters, an MBA in Innovation and has worked in the field of communication and gamer content for 10 years.
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