The answer is: Very well. Its re-release looks great, balancing high-resolution visuals with a consistent 60 FPS performance. Whether it’s Snake finally showing his new look and debuting the OctoCamo or the appearance of classic characters like Otacon and Meryl, everything looks exactly as fans remember it.

The best part? That extends to the Apple iPod that Snake uses. You can also spot a separate Save/Load menu and the “No Place for Hideo” box (except it no longer has the developer blog URL). The latter hits especially different considering Kojima’s departure from Konami, but kudos to the publisher for keeping it in regardless.

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 is out on August 27th, and alongside Metal Gear Solid 4, it includes Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker from the PlayStation Portable era. The former’s signature multiplayer modes also remain, and the chances of seeing crossover content like Monster Hunter in the latter are looking ever more likely. Stay tuned for more details and reveals in the meantime.

Depending on the shape and color, you can assess their threat level from behind cover. It may seem a little too strong, but you can only activate the Threat Ring when crouching or prone, which plays into the whole stealth gameplay loop perfectly.

This follows up on another feature introduced earlier this month called Flashback. During specific scenes, Snake and “others” can “recall related events,” thus revealing the “connections to past titles.” It’s possible that these function as intercut scenes to provide more context. So if you haven’t played the previous Metal Gear Solid games in a while or, as a new player, seek more information, this should help immensely.

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 launches on August 27th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. It also includes Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, which is confirmed to retain its online multiplayer modes. Could it receive some new quality-of-life features as well? Time will tell, so stay tuned for further announcements.

Interestingly, Xbox users have also noticed Peace Walker HD being taken down from the Microsoft Store. The title was available on Xbox consoles through backwards compatibility thanks to the Xbox 360 release of Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, which included Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence (and by extension, Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake), and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 was unveiled last week, and will essentially fill out the empty spots of the canon games that remained unplayable on modern hardware. Along with the two games, Metal Gear: Ghost Babel will also be playable on consoles after having spent more than two decades exclusively available on Game Boy Color.

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 will be coming to PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and the Switch 2, and is slated for release on August 27th.

The Steam listing for the collection has revealed the kind of hardware that PC players will need for the title, and most surprising in this is the fact that it requires a minimum of 16 GB RAM. Since Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots was made for PS3—a console with 512 MB of RAM—and Peace Walker was made for PSP —a handheld with either 32 MB or 64 MB of RAM depending on the hardware revision—the relatively higher RAM requirements might indicate the level of extra visual polish we might see.

The idea that the games are simply running through emulation rather than being fully ported to modern platforms also has some merit, which could go on to explain the hardware requirements since emulation software also tends to have its own hardware overhead requirements, especially in terms of processing speeds and memory.

Konami has also confirmed that, while Metal Gear Solid 4 won’t be getting back its multiplayer Metal Gear Online mode, the online co-op mode for Peace Walker will be kept intact for the Master Collection Vol. 2 release. This is great for the latter since it features many optional missions structured like Monster Hunter‘s quests. However, Konami hasn’t yet confirmed whether or not we will see the Monster Hunter collaboration missions make it into the Master Collection Vol. 2 release, which involved hunting down a Rathalos, among other things.

Both Metal Gear Solid 4 and Peace Walker fill out important gaps in the overarching story of the franchise. While the former marks the end of Solid Snake’s story, closing off all loose plot threads by its climax, the latter gives us a greater glimpse at how Metal Gear Solid 3 protagonist Naked Snake would continue his transformation into Big Boss, with its ending and final boss fight directly leading into the events of Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes.

Originally released exclusively for PS3 and the only entry in the series to never get a re-release, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is the final tale in Solid Snake’s journey. He’ll go up against Liquid Ocelot’s version of Outer Heaven with new stealth mechanics (including an optic-camo suit). As for Peace Walker, it originally launched for the PlayStation Portable before coming to PS3 and provides some much-needed background on characters like Paz heading into Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain.

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 launches on August 27th (with pre-orders seemingly getting Metal Gear: Ghost Babel for free), but that’s not all. Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1’s final update is going live today, and adds high-resolution options for both Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, making them look sharper than ever. With discounts currently live for the series, there’s no better time to jump in.

Series producer Noriaki Okamura is still mulling it over. “Having created an opportunity for new people to experience the ‘Metal Gear’ series, I do feel a desire to continue with it,” he told RealSound in a recent interview (translation via DeepL).

He’s still undecided on pursuing another remake or “perhaps a challenge with an entirely new work.” “The Metal Gear series is like the history of video games itself, spanning from pixel art to cinematic expressions. Each title requires a different approach to remaking and presenting it.” To that end, Okamura doesn’t want to use the same “methodology” from Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater for each title. “Instead, we’ll explore the optimal approach for each individual work.”

And while the team is “currently exploring concrete plans for the next steps,” he’s personally “quite hopeful about a remake of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.”

“The hardware back then demanded quite a specialised approach to achieve 3D performance with the technology available at the time, and Metal Gear Solid 4 ended up with some rather peculiar code too… Bringing it forward now would be quite a challenge, wouldn’t it?” he said, laughing.

Released in 2008 exclusively for the PlayStation 3, Metal Gear Solid 4 remains the only title in the series to not receive an HD port or re-release. Considering how important it is to the overall storyline, serving as the culmination of many long-time character arcs, its absence remains conspicuous.

One of the biggest factors behind fan demand for Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 is its potential inclusion of the title, so a new generation of players can experience it (even if the collection’s contents are undecided). If Okamura gets his wish for a remake, then all the better, even if it could jump ahead in the chronology by quite a bit.

While the infamous Konami Kojima breakup has left the franchise in ruins, Konami has been making big strides in this regard with the upcoming remake of Metal Gear Solid: Delta Snake Eater. All of it is great stuff, but most fans would still agree that one of the biggest pain points of a Metal Gear fan is still the lack of a Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots remaster.

One of the biggest issues with Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is the fact that the game is locked on the PS3, and with no option to experience on modern platforms like PS5 – anyone who wants to play this game will have to track down a console and a copy of that game which is of course easier said than done.

And even if you do manage to do all of this, anyone with no prior memories or nostalgia with the game would have a hard time appreciating the beauty of it all. It doesn’t look bad by any stretch, but Metal Gear Solid 4 does pale in comparison to modern AAA titles. It’s a shame really that so many potential fans are missing out on such a gem of a game.

Every Metal Gear Solid has a distinct theme, such as Metal Gear Solid 2 having a focus on the rapid spread of misinformation and threats that come with it or Metal Gear Solid 3 having a focus on guerilla warfare, and that works to great effect because that makes each experience somewhat a fundamentally different one – and a new entry in the franchise doesn’t render the older ones obsolete.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots was all about the digitization of war. From private military units to automated drones and, of course, the nanomachines, Metal Gear Solid 4 puts a strong emphasis on showcasing a modern dystopia where AI dominates the battlefield, and anyone in control of the nanomachines inadvertently controls the tangent of war in that world. As one can imagine, our world is gradually moving towards this particular school of thought in the face of the rapid growth of artificial intelligence and advancements in biotech.

But even apart from the narrative stuff, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots also features some of the finest gameplay mechanics of the entire series. Sure, you might not have the flexibility of choice of the same magnitude as the Phantom Pain – but those strengths are swapped out for a more streamlined experience that has its own distinct kind of charm.

The levels are meticulously crafted to both nudge the player toward a certain kind of playstyle while also remaining open to experimentation. You see, sneaking through the battlefield is not just about jumping from cover to cover, but becoming one with the terrain itself. That’s where the Octo Camo suit comes in, and Old Snake can essentially become a fighting chameleon donning it as it gradually changes colour and texture to match that of the ground itself.

The scale of warfare shown in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is also something that we really haven’t seen in prior entries, and there are also new tricks involved in the process of better realizing an Old Snake. There’s a psyche meter that tracks Snake’s mental state during combat sequences, and if it drops too low, you start experiencing tangible repercussions like loss of accuracy or back pain, which hampers your efficiency on the battlefield.

The narrative of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots might just be the most confusing one in the entire series, but just the fact that it actually works in a cohesive fashion is nothing short of an achievement in storytelling. You see, the entire plot of Metal Gear Solid 4 is about tying all the loose ends left behind by previous entries while also trying to carve a story about Old Snake and his adventures against the nanomachines, which is why you might feel some sort of disconnect in certain parts of the story and this is also the reason why Kojima has to resort to exposition dumps so heavily to make it all work.

As a franchise, Metal Gear Solid has always been about meshing together the best of gaming and cinema, and Kojima’s talent truly shines in Guns of the Patriots. The cutscenes might be a little drawn out (fun fact: the final cutscene is over 70 minutes long and holds a world record), but each of these scenes is beautifully directed and voiced, culminating in an experience that rarely dips in quality. There are plenty of iconic moments in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots’ story, such as old Snake crawling through a microwave hall or the fist fight with Revolver Ocelot at the top of the Metal Gear, which are unmissable for anyone invested in what the franchise has to offer.

And who can forget the boss fights? These have always been the highlight of Metal Gear releases, and it’s no different with this entry. Whether it’s the aforementioned brawl with Liquid Ocelot or Crying Wolf or Screaming Mantis, there’s no shortage of excellent cinematic encounters that fans will remember long after the credits roll.

All in all, Metal Gear Solid 4 was something that was way ahead of its time. It might not have been Kojima’s magnum opus, but it was a tightly designed experience that set out to portray a dystopia and was pretty successful at it. It’s also a more mature take on Metal Gear, and everything from Old Snake’s cynicism to the aforementioned gameplay mechanics and even the colour palette come together to bring this vision to life.

On a similar note, we should also mention that a Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots remaster wouldn’t just be a chance to experience this game once again; it would also prove to be an opportunity to right some wrongs with the game. First things first, Konami could use this opportunity to maybe mold the narrative to be a bit more streamlined and easy to catch on for fans accustomed to simpler narratives.

The cinematic flair of Metal Gear Solid 4 would truly shine when built in a new engine like Unreal Engine 5, if optimized properly. Characters would look so much more real, and textures and environments could be brought to life, and lighting could be solved through ray tracing and so on and so forth. There are a multitude of technical possibilities looming just over the horizon, and we could also get so many quality of life changes on the gameplay front as well.

But of course, that also brings us to the problems that come with a Metal Gear Solid 4 remaster. Without the presence of Kojima in Konami, changing anything about the base experience will always be met with intense scrutiny from fans, while releasing the exact same thing for a newer platform wouldn’t be great from a value proposition, which puts the prospect of a remaster in a rock and a hard place.

And that’s without getting into the technical aspect, which is another mountain of problems that Konami would need to solve if they wish to get Metal Gear Solid 4 on a new platform. You see, the base game was built for the PS3’s Cell chip that has a very different architecture from what we are used to with modern systems. As such, transitioning the deprecated engine from that platform to a new one is going to be a really tough task, requiring massive revamps to the core technology.

As such, one can only be hopeful about the future. The future of Metal Gear Solid looks to be brighter than ever with the upcoming release of Delta Snake Eater and if that venture turns out to be a successful one – it’s possible that Konami might put together a team and give them the resources to rebuild Guns of the Patriots for the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, perhaps it’s already in development as part of the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Volume 2. The longer Konami waits, the more MGS4 risks becoming a relic instead of a revelation.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

There’s a degree of debate surrounding linear games and their truest definition. For this feature, we’re thinking along the lines of games that have a set beginning, middle, and end, with progress shared somewhat identically between every playthrough. Open worlds, Metroidvanias, back-tracking, games centred on exploration, these don’t tend to fit. There is wiggle room in this ruleset though, as you’ll find out in the feature.

The Last of Us Part II

We speculated on our 2023 linear games list that in terms of gameplay experience The Last of Us Part II is probably better than Part I, so it’d be remiss to exclude Naughty Dog’s masterful sequel to their much-loved (and much-hated) apocalyptic adventure series. Ellie’s a litter older although still hot-headed, plus there’re more characters, denser locations, and a gut-wrenching, if controversial, story which will stir emotion whether you agree with the narrative decisions Naughty Dog made.

]]> 605160 https://gamingbolt.com/15-best-stealth-games-of-all-time-2024-edition Mon, 25 Nov 2024 17:01:50 +0000 https://gamingbolt.com/?p=604976 It’s fair to say most stealth games nowadays aren’t built precisely around the act of infiltrating, killing, and evading undetected but instead include stealth as a viable option to navigate. For this reason, there’s a broader spectrum of game genres on this rundown than we’ve featured on previous stealth lists. There is a common thread though: each game on this rundown, when played stealthily, requires incisive, careful, considered approaches. A demand to utilise tools and techniques to complete objectives undetected. For stealth fans, there’s no bigger reward than that.  

Assassin’s Creed Unity

Most games these days includes mechanics to facilitate stealth, but oftentimes enemy AI is poorly implemented that you risk being detected no matter how hidden you are. Assassin’s Creed Unity isn’t perfect, but it’s arguably last gen’s best stealth experience due to thoughtful level design and enemy placement. There’re the token tools to distract guards, of course, but Unity has a surprising depth to character move sets. Understanding distinct animation length and noise emitted in low or high-profile moves is key, as is – perhaps counterintuitively – mastering non-lethal takedowns. 

]]> 604976 https://gamingbolt.com/konami-on-bringing-metal-gear-solid-4-to-modern-platforms-stay-tuned Wed, 28 Aug 2024 17:16:34 +0000 https://gamingbolt.com/?p=597443 For Metal Gear fans, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is obviously the next big thing to look forward to after a torturously prolonged hiatus for the series, but questions about other potential projects never really fully die down. For instance, fans have been waiting for Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots to become available on modern platforms – or hell, any platform other than the PS3, which is what it launched for in 2008 – for what feels like forever. Interestingly enough, Konami seems to be suggesting that that wait might not stretch on too much longer.

Speaking in an interview with IGN, Konami producer Noriaki Okamura recently teased – not too subtly – that a second volume of Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection would likely include Metal Gear Solid 4 as well.

“We definitely are aware of this situation with MGS4,” Okamura said. “Unfortunately we can’t really say too much at the moment with [Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection] 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!”

This isn’t the first time the idea of MGS4 being included in a potential Vol. 2 has come up. Reports suggested in June last year that it would indeed be part of the next Metal Gear collection, alongside The Phantom Pain and Peace Walker, which was later reinforced by datamining leaks of Vol. 1 later in the year.

Speaking about the next Master Collection release earlier in the year, Noriaki stated its contents hadn’t yet been decided, and asked for more patience. Read more on that through here.

In the meantime, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is in development for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, with a release date or window currently unknown, though that will seemingly be announced later this year.

CONTROL

Those simply mainlining the game can finish Control in about a dozen hours, but with plenty of optional content also available, Remedy’s shooter is a game that you can easily get about 20 hours out of- and boy is it an unforgettable 20 hours. From excellent design and stellar atmosphere to bombastic action and gameplay, Control knows exactly how to keep you completely captivated from its first second until its last.

ALAN WAKE 2

Another Remedy Entertainment game, and a very different one from the one we just spoke about. As opposed to the adrenaline-fueled Control, Alan Wake 2 is much more deliberate and slower paced- and yet every second of this cerebral horror journey feels earned. Whether you’re playing as Alan in the horrifying Dark Place or as Saga in the safer yet still utterly bizarre real world, this is a game that never lets up.

LIKE A DRAGON GAIDEN: THE MAN WHO ERASED HIS NAME

Ordinarily, a Yakuza / Like a Dragon game is not exactly the right choice for someone looking to play a brief, 15-20 hour game, but unlike its 50-100 hour behemoth siblings, last year’s Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is a much shorter experience. Does it touch the heights that the likes of, say, Infinite Wealth or Yakuza 7 do? Maybe not. But with a strong story, predictably enjoyable brawler gameplay, and plenty of enjoyable side content, it’s well worth looking into nonetheless.

A PLAGUE TALE: REQUIEM

A shining example of how even smaller-budget games from independent teams can still deliver the kind of polished, compelling, narrative-driven experiences that you ordinarily expect from the AAA space, A Plague Tale: Requiem is everything that its excellent predecessor was, and then some. Delivering a solid blend of stealth, combat, storytelling, and light exploration, Asobo Studio’s action-adventure game is an 18-20 hour journey that shouldn’t be missed.

BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY

A major, AAA open world game being about 20 hours or so long for something looking to do the main story and a decent chunk of the side quests may be almost completely unheard of in 2024- but back in 2011, not only was Arkham City able to deliver that with no issues, in doing so, it also became widely touted as one of the greatest games ever made. You can foil The Joker and Hugo Strange’s plans, clean up the streets of Gotham City, and engage in a fair few optional quests and get a good, memorable 20 hours out of Batman: Arkham City.

MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN 2

So maybe a modern AAA open world game being about 20 hours long isn’t completely unheard of. In a market that’s grown an unhealthy obsession with making games larger, last year, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was all too happy to deliver a relatively brief experience (by modern open world standards, at the very least) and it was better for it. A largely well-told main story, gripping optional content, meaningful gameplay improvements on top of an already excellent foundation- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 checked pretty much all of the boxes that it needed to.

SLEEPING DOGS

Sleeping Dogs is forever going to be remembered as one of the most criminally underappreciated games of all time, and yes, we’re going to talk it up every chance it gets for exactly that reason- including now. Because, after all, you’re going to struggle to find too many games that will make as strong of an impression on you across a 15-20 hour runtime as Square Enix’s 2012 open world game will. Even now, mor than a decade on from its launch, Sleeping Dogs remains a great game to go back to.

STAR WARS JEDI: SURVIVOR

You can, of course, get way, way more than 20 hours out of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor if you choose to engage with its healthy quantities of optional content (which is excellent), but a quicker, briskly paced 20-hour story is also an option for those who want it. As the second instalment of the series Jedi: Survivor boasts stronger writing from a much more confident development team, with characters, a story, and gameplay improvements that all build on the first game’s foundations in meaningful ways.

METRO EXODUS

4A Games took the semi-open world approach with Metro Exodus, and fans of the game will tell you that it was absolutely the right choice. The post-apocalyptic shooter strikes an excellent balance between linear, scripted sections and more open-ended areas, while also delivering a much meatier experience than its two predecessors. Metro Exodus somehow manages to have its cake and eat it too, and stands as another great example of how balancing size against quality of content is perhaps way more important than pure quantity.

MAD MAX

Avalanche Studios has delivered a string of fun, explosive open world games over the years, so when people say that 2015’s Mad Max is easily one of the studio’s best games ever, you know that that’s not light praise. A blasted, desolate world full of zany personality, a strong gameplay foundation that emphasized explosive combat and vehicular action, and an addictive loop of content scattered throughout its world- in spite of being a classic case of “diamond in the rough”, 2015’s Mad Max still had all the elements in place to deliver a compelling gameplay experience. Of course, for anyone looking to do more than just the main story, the game is also much longer than 20 hours.

METAL GEAR SOLID 4: GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS

We could have included one of several Metal Gear Solid games in this feature, but for now, let’s just stick with this one. From a design and gameplay perspective, Metal Gear Solid 4 is a hell of a stealth game even now, well over a decade and a half from its launch, and on top of that, typically enough for a Kojima game, it’s also a cinematic masterpiece. Does it have its fair share of narrative issues? Boy, does it. But ultimately, there’s way, way more to love about this package than not.

PREY

Arkane’s 2017 revival of the sci-fi IP Prey was not at all what fans of the original 2006 game may have expected it would be, but as an immersive sim, it’s better than most similar games in existence. Anyone clocking 20 hours into this masterpiece is going to be assured of a gripping, intricately handcrafted gaming experience that you’re not likely going to forget anytime soon. You can, of course, get way more out of the game if you wish (especially if you play the excellent Mooncrash DLC), but even a runthrough of just its main story is heavily recommended.

MARVEL’S GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

We’d love to get a glimpse into an alternate reality where Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy released before Marvel’s Avengers did. The latter being as disappointing as it was led to poor sales for the former, but Eidos Montreal’s single-player action-adventure game was a really, really good game that deserved way more success. Boasting an incredibly written and wonderfully performed core cast of characters, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is an 18-20 hour journey that you shouldn’t be missing.

MIDDLE-EARTH: SHADOW OF MORDOR

Obviously, Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor can be significantly longer than 20 hours for those who wish to fully commit themselves to its open world, but even for someone just looking to play through its critical path, it’s a hell of a game. Slick combat and traversal, a fun take on a beloved IP and universe, and of course, an ingenious and innovative gameplay pillar in the Nemesis System- Shadow of Mordor has plenty of major strengths that make it an attractive prospect even now, a decade on from release.

WATCH DOGS 2

Whether or not we ever get a new Watch Dogs game is anyone’s best guess, but the franchise is, at the very least, going to have one major notch on its belt in the form of Watch Dogs 2. The sophomore Watch Dogs outing is still its best one, thanks to a fun, vibrant open world that was always a blast to explore and a much stronger cast of characters (coming with a much lighter tone) than its predecessor. Being a Ubisoft open world game, Watch Dogs 2 has dozens upon dozens of hours of content for players to dive into, but sticking to the golden path, you can hit credits in roughly 20 hours without too many issues.