Metal Gear Solid 4 Remaster Showcases Major Graphical Improvements
The Metal Gear Solid series has a long history behind it, and at various points in time, several games were stuck on previous-generation systems, with no re-release or remaster. That might be an even bigger problem in the future, but for now, all eyes are squarely focused on some of the missing games.
That's definitely the case with Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, which was dropped on PS3 in 2008 and never ported to anything...until 2026. Now it's finally getting off that island and into the arms of the current generation, with a release slated for August 27 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch 1/2.
Now, thanks to a new YouTube reveal, we're getting an even better look at what the second collection has in store for us. It could be an even bigger restoration than initially expected.
The Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Volume 2 will include Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Peace Walker HD, and Ghost Babel. While three games might not sound like much, the fact that Metal Gear Solid 4 is included at all is a huge win.
Its "stuck on PS3" status prevented a lot of people from playing the conclusion of Solid Snake's story, but now it's going to be fully open. It'll also be great to be able to play through all four mainline saga entries across the two collections, and you have the option to go to Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater for the third entry (my personal favorite).
Thanks to new footage of the collection, we have an idea of what the upscaling is going to look like, especially for Peace Walker HD. The comic-based cutscenes (a style employed in multiple entries of the series, including the comic re-tellings of the first two Metal Gear Solid games) look great.
As one fan puts it, it seems like the original artwork was used: "They do actually [use the original artwork]. Fans have compared this footage to high-res stills from 15+ years ago; they are identical. No signs of upscaling artifacts either." If you played the original and take a look at this artwork, the difference is night and day in terms of fidelity.
As someone who owns Ghost Babel on its original Game Boy Color cartridge, to see it come out all these years later is incredible. While I wouldn't necessarily recommend this oddball relic, it's an interesting part of the history of Metal Gear Solid, and there are a few completely original character designs that aren't revisited again. It's the perfect weird game to pick up and play for hardcore fans.
For everyone else, though, there's Metal Gear Solid 4 and Peace Walker HD. Those two games alone, plus some of the extras, justify the price of the second collection.