“Metal Gear Solid is probably the most consistent video game series,period… Each game is an artistic and technical achievement and a uniqueexperience of their own.”
— dunkey, 2018
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Testing out Metal Gear Solid HD Collection in RPCS3, the Playstation 3 emulator for Windows and Linux PC. This was a request from a YouTube user. Metal Gear Solid HD Collection. System PlayStation 3 Publisher Konami Developer. Konami answered fan requests by repacking some of the most iconic Metal Gear Solid games for PS3. More for METAL GEAR SOLID HD COLLECTION Explore more games and downloadable content for METAL GEAR SOLID HD COLLECTION! The year is 1964, the height of the Cold War. Naked Snake, an agent in the newly formed special forces unit FOX, heads into Soviet territory to help a Russian scientist flee to the West. Instead of renaming Metal Gear 1 as RC676.ROM, change it to RC750.rom. Likewise, instead of naming Metal Gear 2 as RC650.ROM, please change it to RC 767.rom. I really messed up with the name codes. I’d ask you to confirm if this works for you. I’d also would like to apologize for any inconvenience Gear Solid Classic Collection may have.
Playing through the entire Metal Gear Solid series is absolutely worth it,despite the dated graphics of the original. The biggest challenge is that thegames were released on different consoles and in different versions.
This article aims to help you plot a chart through the series, based on whathardware you have or are willing to buy. This guide contains no spoilers.
Main titles, all versions
The following table lists all platforms on which you can play each game in themain Metal Gear Solid series.
PSX | Win | GC | PS2 | Xbox | PSP | PS3 | 3DS | Vita | 360 | PS4 | XB1 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Metal Gear Solid | X | X | X | XB | XB | XB | |||||
Metal Gear Solid 2 | X | X | X | XX | X | XX | |||||
Metal Gear Solid 3 | X | XX | X | X | XX | ||||||
Metal Gear Solid 4 | X! | ||||||||||
MGS: Peace Walker | X | XX | X | XX | |||||||
MGS5: Ground Zeroes | XX | X | X | X | X | ||||||
MGSV: The Phantom Pain | XX | X | X | X | X |
Key:
- X: This game was released on this platform.
- XB : This game can be played on this platform due to backward compatibility (PS2-PSX, Wii-Gamecube) or e-store (Wii virtual console, PSN).
- XX: The undisputably best version of this game is available on this platform(e.g. HD remake)
- X! : This game was only released on this platform.
Individual games
- Metal Gear Solid’s original PSX release is available digitally for PSP andPS3, and the PS2 is backwardly compatible; in any case, it’s worth buyingeither the Virtual Missions add-on, or a version of the game which includesVirtual Missions, although it’s not necessary for the plot. The Gamecubeedition, Twin Snakes, makes minor changes that fans debate. It’s doubtful ifthe Windows version will still run on a modern PC; you may have more luckemulating the PSX version.
- Metal Gear Solid 2’s best version is the HD re-release on Playstation 3and Xbox 360. In both cases it’s available in the Metal Gear Solid HDCollection along with MGS3 and Peace Walker, at least in the US andEuropean releases. There was an improved version of the original calledSubstance, but the HD remake supercedes this.
- Metal Gear Solid 3’s best version is likewise the HD re-release on PS3 andXbox 360. These improve the camera controls. Widely considered one of the bestof the series. There was an improved version called Subsistence, but the HDremake supercedes this.
- Metal Gear Solid 4 was released on Playstation 3 only, meaning that you’llneed to buy or borrow a PS3 to play that one game. I recommend forcing 720p,since the game does support 1080p but runs poorly.
- Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker was originally a PSP release, but its plotis vital to the later games; it introduces characters and concepts that willbe vital in MGS5. The best version is the HD remake for PS3 and 360, althoughgraphically and gameplay-wise it’s still clearly a game of portable origins.
- MGS5: Ground Zeroes follows on directly after Peace Walker. The PCversion has the best graphics, assuming you have a good gaming PC, but theother versions are just fine. Completing it will give you some unlocks forMGSV.
- MGSV: The Phantom Pain is one of the best games in the series. Again, theconsole versions are good, but a high end PC can have better graphics.
Platform combinations
Top tier
At bare minimum, you will have to buy or borrow a PS3 to play MGS4, which wasonly ever released on that platform. It does an important job of finishing offthe stories of all the characters from MGS1 and MGS2. However, it’s the easiestto skip, since it’s chronologically the last in the series (apart from thespinoff Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance).
Owning a PS3 will also allow you to play the virtual console version of theoriginal Metal Gear Solid, the HD remakes of 2, 3 and Peace Walker, and bothGround Zeroes and Phantom Pain, making it practical to play the entireseries on this system alone. The HD remake of MGS3 even comes with versions ofthe original MSX Metal Gear 1 & 2.
Optimally, a high-end PC will give superior graphical performance on GZ and PP.However, the PS3 can still run GZ and PP, making this single console the mostcost-effective.
High tier
Skipping MGS4, the Xbox 360 equally has the HD remakes of 2, 3 and PeaceWalker. It’s recommended to play MGS1 first, for which you will need anotherplatform. A PSX emulator will suffice.
While you can play Ground Zeroes and Phantom Pain on a 360 or PS3, the newerconsoles (PS4/Xbone) will do so with better graphics, and a good PC will givethe best results.
Portable tier
If you don’t have a PS3 or 360, or want to play on a portable device, the PSVita will let you play the digital version of MGS1, the HD remakes of 2 and 3,and Peace Walker. These lack the high resolution of the console remakes, ofcourse, and you will need another platform to play MGS5.
There’s a 3DS version of Metal Gear Solid 3, but whatever console you playedMetal Gear Solid 2 on is also capable of playing 3, unless you played 2 onoriginal Xbox.
Owning a PSP or Vita gives you the advantage that you can also play Metal GearSolid: Portable Ops, a game which fits between MGS3 and Peace Walker but isof dubious canonicity since Kojima didn’t work on it.
Scrub tier
So you have no console newer than 2004. This isn’t insurmountable, but you won’tbe able to play the entire series this way.
Start with the original Metal Gear Solid, which was released on PSX, meaningit will also run on a PS2 or can be emulated on even an older PC. The Gamecubeversion tones down some of the characters’ accents, which is consistent withtheir later apperances in Metal Gear Solid 4 but that’s not how most fansremember it.
Metal Gear Solid 2 appears on PS2 and Xbox, and while you’ll miss out on theimproved graphics of the HD remakes, the PS2 version includes that rareskateboarding minigame. Metal Gear Solid 3 is on PS2 only, as far as you’reconcerned, and you’ll miss out on the HD remake’s improved camera controls.
The drawback to playing MGS2 and 3 on older consoles is that if you intend toacquire the ability play the newer Metal Gear games at some point, you’llprobably also acquire the ability to play the superior HD remakes. However, youmight do this if you have a high-end PC to play MGSV and just want to play MGS3first.
Metal Gear Solid Hd Collection Ps3 Rom Pc
Play order
The optimal way to play the Metal Gear Solid series is original releaseorder: 1, 2, 3, 4, Peace Walker, Ground Zeroes, and Phantom Pain.
The reason is that while not all games are in chronological order (e.g. PhantomPain will not spoil MGS4), newer games introduce improved game mechanics andgraphics, and going back may be frustrating.
Metal Gear Solid Hd Collection Ps3 Rom
An exception is that Peace Walker and MGS4 can be played in any order, sincePeace Walker is a PSP port and even in its HD remake has worse graphics anddifferent controls, but is set chronologically before MGS4 and doesn’t spoilit.
Plot-wise, the series chronologically goes in this order: 3, (Portable Ops),Peace Walker, Ground Zeroes, Phantom Pain, (MG1), (MG2), 1, 2, 4, (Revengeance).From the perspective of release order, there are two plot threads, one followingSolid Snake in the 21st Century (1, 2, 4) and one following Big Boss in the 20thCentury (3, PW, GZ, PP).
This gives you some leeway to skip 2 and 4 without spoiling chronologicallyearlier games in the series. You may find yourself skipping MGS4 because youdon’t own a PS3, or skipping MGS2 because the Fat Man boss fight is totalbullshit and none of that game’s plot makes sense anyway.
I strongly recommend playing Peace Walker to 100% completion before GroundZeroes and Phantom Pain. It introduces important characters and providescontext.
Portable Ops appears between 3 and Peace Walker, but its canonicity isdebatable, and many have skipped it due to the inconvenience of buying a PSP forone game. Metal Gear 1 and 2, the MSX games, are canon, but are often skippedfor similar reasons, and also because they’re very difficult and all their plotis explained in Metal Gear Solid anyway.
Completeness
It’s tempting to finish each game as quickly as possible and move on to thenext, but there are cases where this is less than optimal.
- Peace Walker has a “true ending” that can only be unlocked by completing allof the side-missions. This is vital, since Ground Zeroes follows on fromthis plot point almost immediately.
- Completing Ground Zeroes, and achieving certain results in that game, allowsyou to unlock various items in The Phantom Pain. However, none of the itemsare critical, you can go back to GZ and unlock them late, and most of yourplay skill with MGSV will still be useful in GZ when you do so. It’s worthcompleting all the Ground Zeroes missions anyway.
In general, you want to complete a game before moving on to the next one, sincegoing back to an earlier game with inferior graphics and controls may be adisappointing experience. You also want to get the maximum amount of Metal Gear,so there’s no point in skipping ahead.
All Metal Gear games
MSX2 | C64 | NES | GBC | PSX | DOS | Win | OSX | GC | PS2 | Xbox | PSP | Wii | PS2 | 3DS | Vita | 360 | iOS | And | PS4 | XB1 | N-Gage | Pachinko |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Metal Gear | X | X | X | X | X | X | XJ | X | X | X | ||||||||||||
Snake’s Revenge | X! | |||||||||||||||||||||
Metal Gear 2 | X | X | XJ | X | X | X | ||||||||||||||||
Metal Gear Solid | X | X | X | XB | XB | XB | XB | |||||||||||||||
Metal Gear: Ghost Babel | X! | |||||||||||||||||||||
Metal Gear Solid 2 | X | X | X | XX | X | XX | ||||||||||||||||
Metal Gear Solid 3 | X | XX | X | X | XX | X | ||||||||||||||||
Metal Gear Acid | X | |||||||||||||||||||||
Metal Gear Acid 2 | X | |||||||||||||||||||||
MGS: Portable Ops | X | X | ||||||||||||||||||||
MGS: Portable Ops+ | X | X | ||||||||||||||||||||
Metal Gear Solid Mobile | X | |||||||||||||||||||||
Metal Gear Solid 4 | X! | |||||||||||||||||||||
Metal Gear Online | X! | |||||||||||||||||||||
Metal Gear Solid Touch | X | X | ||||||||||||||||||||
MGS: Peace Walker | X | XX | X | XX | ||||||||||||||||||
MGS: Social Ops | X | X | ||||||||||||||||||||
Metal Gear Rising | X | X | X | X | ||||||||||||||||||
MGS5: Ground Zeroes | XX | X | X | X | X | |||||||||||||||||
MGSV: The Phantom Pain | XX | X | X | X | X | |||||||||||||||||
Metal Gear Survive | X | X | X |
Key:
- X: This game was released on this platform.
- XB : This game can be played on this platform due to backward compatibility(PS2-PSX, Wii-Gamecube) or e-store (Wii virtual console, PSN).
- XX: The undisputably best version of this game is available on this platform(e.g. HD remake)
- X! : This game was only released on this platform.
- XJ : This game on this platform was only released in Japan. Metal Gear 1 & 2(MSX version) appeared on the Wii virtual console, although the Gamecubeversion of Twin Snakes included the NES version of Metal Gear 1.
This list is not complete; it omits some arcade versions and obsolete Japanesemobile platforms.
References
Most of this information is collected from Wikipedia. Do not cite this page onWikipedia as an independent source.