Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 - DF Tech Review - PS5/Xbox Series X/Switch + PC Tested!

Konami's collection of the Metal Gear series' early greats is an easy idea to get behind - but the execution leaves much to be desired. Between Metal Gear Solid 1, 2 and 3, plus the MSX and NES games there's a wealth of content here. Except, the quality of the games themselves has not moved on substantially from previous releases, like 2011's HD Collection on PS3 and 360. Worse still - there are parts of this collection which run worse than that previous version, especially on Switch where the frame-rate drops to 30fps.
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00:00 Introduction
03:36 Features
04:56 Metal Gear Solid 1 Tested
09:16 Master Collection vs 4K Emulation
10:25 Metal Gear Solid 2/3 Comparisons
15:14 Frame-Rate Testing
18:58 PC 4K Mods
21:36 Verdict

[@soloeclipse8050]

It’s sad when companies treat their legacy titles with such little respect.

[@RomainDelmaire]

I don't think respect is in Konami's vocabulary. They have done nothing but butchering their franchises for almost a decade now. I honestly don't think they even want to be in the video game industry at this point. They're just trying to milk their IPs as much as they can before moving on.

[@Zerion]

Cash is all Konami cares

[@WholesomePotato1]

They massacred my boy...

[@googleboy7530]

GTA Definitive Edition

[@itzdcx7991]

they literally fired Kojima💀 the main guy who literally helped build the game

[@Covarr]

Reminder that MGS2 and 3 were also released for the Nvidia Shield TV several years back, and ran at 60fps on literally the same Tegra chip that powers the Switch.

[@poltergeist7621]

LMFAO

[@bittersweetjesus]

I think it's the Unity shell that the master collection runs in that makes it not 60 on Switch

[@snesmocha]

@@bittersweetjesusit likely is…

[@hivemind8817]

The Tegra X1 in the switch is a cutdown variant of the one in the shield. The Shields frequency is twice as high.

[@Xgen001]

​@@hivemind8817offset to an extent by the shield running on android which has significant overhead compared to switch

[@kharlopena7512]

Absolutely BRUTAL that a 2011 backwards compatible collection looks MARKEDLY BETTER than the current release

[@thepsychedelicmicroscope4688]

All of a sudden the price of that 2012 collection will go up.

[@Alorso_]

@@thepsychedelicmicroscope4688 Glad I have the legacy collection on PS3, no reason to buy this version at all

[@thepsychedelicmicroscope4688]

@@Alorso_ same I have the 360 one which is back compat I just wish they enhanced it like certain 360 games like Gears 2 are 4k30 on One X and 4k60 on Series X!

[@JJose13]

Legacy collection has more content and looks better. A gap of two generation between them, it is insane

[@cosmiczeppelin]

Konami's incompetence here doesn't inspire confidence in regards to us getting a proper MGS4 port anytime soon.

[@Theo-io4jf]

It's not a lazy port. The video demonstrates they really put some effort to make it worse than the previous version.

[@StreetPreacherr]

Is this actually a WORSE effort than even Rockstar's recent 'remastered' release of the GTA games? And it's cool & all, but WTF is anyone supposed to do with a hardcopy of each game's 'screenplay'?!? I wonder what Konami charges for a license if you want to perform a high school drama class production of any of the scripts? And might want to be careful with the casting/costume design for 'Quiet' ;)

[@aortaplatinum]

​@@StreetPreacherr It's one of those things that's cool for a collector to have... but only physically. It would look nice on a shelf or as a coffee table book, but a digital file? Who gives a quarter of a shit?

[@shiftfire4511]

​​​@StreetPreacherr Oho, fuck no. This is, at least, mostly just a disappointment in how little effort was put in. Other than Switch. No, the GTA Definitive was far worse. It made the games look and play worse, with all new bugs and glitches mixed with delisting the older releases. This, at least, offers good extras and isn't quite up to par with the previous rereleases, instead of just a version that is actively worse than the originals. Again, except for Switch. In truth, beyond the relatively worsening of graphics and the bugs, this is just a failure in effort and scope. They didn't take more than the most basic steps to port the games, and it shows in just how limited the Master Collection is, being near-identical but not even just-quite managing to match the HD collection.

[@davion4777]

@@shiftfire4511I have both the PS2 classic and the remaster of GTA San Andreas installed on my PS5 and no, the remaster looks and especially PLAYS vastly better than the original. I get the new art style is not for everyone but, controller in hand, the game plays MUCH better and smoother thanks to the 60fps and the modernized controls. Yes they could certainly have done better but frankly the hate was exaggerated. I have played it after many patches cause I only recently bought it, so that definitely makes a difference, but still.

[@VitorHugoOliveiraSousa]

@@davion4777 "Yes they could certainly have done better but frankly the hate was exaggerated. " " I have played it after many patches cause I only recently bought it, so that definitely makes a difference, but still." You do realize that those statements are contradictory? It's like someone play Cyberpunk today and saying they hate was exaggerated. At launch that collection was absolutely garbage, it could even maintain 60FPS on PS5 and SX with is ridiculous. The graphics were atrocious, and not not because of the art style change, it was broken because they just upscale texture with AI, put some very shit effect of unreal overlay on top of it (look for videos of the rain at launch) and raise drawn distance to infinity without any artistic care to what that would do to a game that was no designed for it (spoiler it looked garbage, like you loaded a asset in a 3D with no post processing what so ever). There is also the many, many, many bugs, invisible walls were none should exist, invisible "holes" that made you fall from the world into the void, etc.

[@monochrony]

Konami's disrespect not only for the consumer, but their own legacy aswell will never cease to amaze me. What a shell of a former frontrunner in the industry.

[@lemmy154]

😂

[@teero121]

a pretty big shell even

[@thealgerian3285]

The consumer loves to be disrespected, though, as they have no respect for themselves. I'd also sell my piss in a jar if people were dumb enough to pay 100 bucks a gallon for it.

[@dradis1]

MGS remake will never make as much as MGS pachinko. I would guess that weighs in on the level of effort they are willing to put into any video game at this point.

[@fearingalma1550]

You don't know the half of it. They nuked an easter egg where you could enter Hideo Kojima's details on the dog tags in MGS2. The sheer amount of spite Konami has for Kojima is staggering.

[@remigusker6024]

This is exactly what I expect from Konami

[@DashawnJizzle]

💯

[@topdamagewizard]

No shit. This is just a cash in by a slot machine company. Should have given it to Incredible Technologies (The Golden Tee and slots company) They would have treated it with more respect.

[@twobitsnick]

Exactly. I didn't even bother to get excited about it.

[@tomohawkcloud]

Let’s see what that remake gonna look like

[@LRon-ef7ni]

I was hoping they would put in the effort but since it’s not a pachinko machine, im not surprised either.

[@Demios101]

What is additionally obnoxious about MGS1 is that there was a PC version that could play at higher resolutions.

[@LonelySpaceDetective]

MGS2 as well. MGS2 at least (idk about 1) also offered remappable controls!

[@kevboard]

wasn't the PC version of MGS1 kinda trash tho too?

[@anchorlightforge]

@@LonelySpaceDetective The MGS2 PC port is horrendous, even after GOG and fans did their best to clean it up-- I'm glad we have the Bluepoint port now, it's much higher in quality despite the resolution lock. TBH I do think 2 and 3 are acceptable in quality for a GOG release, they offer the original game experience and are compatible with modern systems which is all I ever really wanted.

[@Bruno-gq8uo]

​@@kevboardThe Integral PC version of MGS1 has higher resolution. However, it misses some visual effects of PS1, besides it uses a butchered soundtrack with some songs missing or wrongly placed.

[@anchorlightforge]

@@Bruno-gq8uo Also, it's really cool that the new release includes pretty much _every_ version. I grew up on DOSBox being the norm and IMO I don't really see an issue with selling old games with accurate emulation, it's just an unfortunate reality for old titles where the source code wasn't well preserved. But I do hope a few patches roll in to improve the experience, as it's far from ideal right now.

[@RicochetForce]

This is one of the most beloved and influential franchises in gaming history. These games are at their YOUNGEST nearly 20 years old, and nearly 40 at the oldest. Konami didn't even bother putting in the love and care this project deserved.

[@thenonexistinghero]

They didn't even do that for even a single one of the games. Not even a single one of the games included is the best version of that game. Some of them are the worst version. Like the Switch version of MGS2, which is objectively the worst version of the game out there. It's pathetic that you're better off playing it on original PS2 hardware.

[@RicochetForce]

@@thenonexistinghero It's impressive how badly they fucked this up.

[@minignoux4566]

​@@thenonexistingherothere's not even the portability argument since the hd collection has been ported on the vita and the PSP and Vita can also play the first game

[@KeaganZev]

Konami never fails to disappoint. These games deserve so much better.

[@AlexandreFranquinho]

They always live up to the expectations.

[@laserdrip]

Doesn't matter, mass consumers will still buy it.

[@KrazzeeKane]

​@@laserdripprecisely, my friend! You hit the nail on the head. Konami doesn't care lol, they just made millions off this crappy collection, and there are loads of consumers out there who are more than happy to spend way too much money to have 20 year old shit shoved in their faces. As long as the masses continue to consume these crappy releases and make them the #1 selling game, the crappy buggy games will continue to come out. Why put in effort and time and money to make a game good and bug free, when the company can do nothing, release it with a bunch of bugs and crashes, and still make just as much money off the idiots who have to consume?

[@stenbuck_]

@@laserdrip "mass consumers" don't buy 20 year old games. They rather buy the next COD and FIFA like every year. So this collection is already for a quite specific target audience and they still fucked up...

[@ColdFear6666]

Well, I'm not disappointed. At all. This is what Konami can offer, this is the level of quality we can expect from them. 🤷‍♂ I hope, no one pre-ordered MGS3 remake and Silent Hill 2 remake, because those games will have this level of quality. Or maybe even worse.

[@epiccontrolzx2291]

So...Konami made the Series X version worse than the X360 version?!? Wild incompetence. Nightdive Studios should've been in charge of this port.

[@michaelthompson7583]

But that would cost money!

[@devantetoppin7879]

I think the problem is they would have actually had to pay them a fair amount of money. Konami has proven that they just don't see games as a worthwhile investment anymore. It's just about milking what they can at this point. Abusing the good will left over from a time when they actually did care.

[@epiccontrolzx2291]

@@devantetoppin7879 Even if that's their goal, I think they're grossly underestimating what their ROI would be if it was a high quality port. Of course, I'm in that demographic, only played MGS 5 since it's on PC, they would've gotten my money if the port was done properly. Now, it's likely I won't consider it until modders and fan patches have brought it up to snuff, then I'll wait for a sale.

[@doejon9424]

Hopefully Blizzard releases Diablo II on Xbox & people can say it's a better port than playing it on Windows. Oh wait... that's right.. These games were originally released on outdated technology... it's funny how people are crying that they can't play in 4k. It's the equivalent of people wondering why "Duck Hunt" on Nintendo doesn't work on their brands new 4k television with gold plated HDMI cables.

[@user-rw1zo4cv4p]

@@doejon9424 goofy comment. pretty sure people are complaining because this collection contains mostly shitty emulation, which can be done better for free, and two lower quality ports of remastered versions from over a decade ago.

[@ObieCS2]

Konami has pure gold in their hands with their various franchises but treat them like dog turds at the end of a stick. Makes my blood boil.

[@crust5909]

can't wait to see how the Silent Hill 2 remake will turn out lol

[@StreetPreacherr]

And didn't Rockstar just do basically the SAME THING with the recent 're-release' of their GTA catalogue?

[@Vashkey]

Bare minimum they absolutely need to get the resolution to 1080p like they advertised would be

[@Elmaku92]

You should have also mentioned that the analogue movement seems to be missing in Metal Gear Solid 1. The joysticks emulates the 8 directional movement of the d-pad. On og hardware you could move very smoothly in any direction since it was 360 movement.

[@bpcgos]

I remember MGS are the first game I played that made me realize the difference between Analog and Digital pad is back then

[@darrylrobson4376]

Yep I really wish he mentioned this

[@enriquepinero707]

Wow. That's bad! I knew they were lazy, but this a new level!

[@leftyfourguns]

The emulator would have to specifically emulate the DualShock, which it clearly doesn't. Otherwise all PS1 games default to standard 8 directional movement.

[@MahoganyBlack]

Noooo! Reminds me of FF8 remastered with this exact same issue. 😫

[@MvsG18]

Its incredible how they made stable 540p@60fps versions for the PSVITA but struggled on switch lmao

[@myagi20000]

I think that was Bluepoint that handled the Vita ports no?

[@DubElementMusic]

they should do the crysis 4 remaster in 2030

[@dreammfyre]

??? They run great on even a potato PC. It’s the Switch version that’s a mystery The PC versions is the best BY FAR with mods installed

[@ThiagoJaqueta]

@@dreammfyre "great" lmao

[@AliZaybakII]

The Vita versions run at 30 fps don't they?

[@MrLathor]

Remarkable how little effort they put into this. It’s almost like they have contempt for their own legacy.

[@lemming9984]

They do. BUT. They love and respect money.

[@StreetPreacherr]

And didn't Rockstar JUST do practically the same sort of careless re-release of their GTA game collection?! I'm sure they'll still sell a few copies and be profitable, so have they figured it's LITERALLY just not worth the effort to spend any more time on them before release? Like they COULD make the games better, but using ANY more time would just be a 'waste' of resources?

[@MrLathor]

@@StreetPreacherr The problem is lack of pride. Kojima simply wouldn’t have allowed his games to be released in such a lackluster state. The executives need to be invested in their properties and want to do right by them out a sense of obligation. If all they care about is generating short term profit, this is what happens.

[@aortaplatinum]

They do because these weren't pachinko machines they could use to farm endless money

[@TonyGearSolid]

Konami is really setting a new standard on how to completely drop the ball.

[@anchorlightforge]

This isn't really the bottom tier of remasters, not even close. The games do function as ports and the library included is great. They just missed a lot of more basic touches. Compared to Silent Hill HD a decade ago, or the GTA 3 Definitive trilogy, the bar for reduxes is so much lower than this. It's a little disappointing but there's a whole bunch of people that are going to experience MGS3 for the first time through this collection and it's a decent enough enjoyable experience in that right.

[@thenonexistinghero]

@@anchorlightforge Nah, this is definitely bottom tier along with those. Especially the Switch version.

[@anchorlightforge]

@@thenonexistinghero Again I would say the bottom is soooooo much lower. Unfortunate but I've played many Switch ports worse than this. Have you seen Ark, or A Hat in Time? It's not ideal but the games do work on Switch, and 30 FPS isn't unheard of for MGS though definitely unfortunate.

[@thenonexistinghero]

@@anchorlightforge Just because they work doesn't mean they are acceptable. And 30 fps is unheard of for MGS2. This is just as bottom tier as those other games you mentioned. And this goes double for the Switch version where they couldn't even be bothered to add all of the games on the card along with having the worst versions of the games of the 3 systems... with 1 of the games being the worst version of that game ever made.

[@andrewkelemen2854]

13:18 this is me when i saw the master collection running on any platform, glad that emulation is still here to save the day

[@RPLAsmodeus]

If you have the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection on 360 It will now work on your Series X This includes: Peace Walker

[@BrunoMael]

Thanks Konami for supporting emulation 🙏🙏 Made a Collection so damn bad that most players would rather learn to emulate on PC, Mobile or Xbox

[@YungRamo]

yep, I think this is has destroyed many peoples faith in these ports to modern consoles, and will filter a lot of people into the emulation space.

[@witcheroo833]

LUL You sure about that buddy?

[@ActNasty5]

Emulation is easy, not that much to learn tbh

[@YungRamo]

still a barrier to entry@@ActNasty5

[@stevejohnson8994]

​@ActNasty5 Setup can be pretty time-consuming, especially if it's your first time diving into emulation without a guide.

[@dottyorb]

To me it seems like they had a team of people who really cared about the series, hence all of the bonus and archival material, however only one member of that team knew how to code.

[@italodirenzo5876]

More like Konami said "here's the original code for these games. Make them run on these platforms and that's it. We're not willing to pay for any additional work"

[@MrManBuzz]

​@@italodirenzo5876I think this is the most likely telling of what happened. There's still some original devs from Koji pro that are still at Konami who worked on this. They'd have put genuine care into it, they've even fixed some minor issues that only hardcore fans would notice or even care about. I have to assume it's a combination of lack of time and budget for the team to make it how it should've been. Konami being Konami. It's unbelievable how they've not learned a fucking thing.

[@aortaplatinum]

​@@italodirenzo5876 I'm surprised they weren't given late beta source code, considering what happened with Silent Hill HD Collection 💀

[@joemamr710]

The original code should have still worked better than it does here. I think, unfortunately, bluepoint hardcoded too many interface elements at 720p, since they were always going to lock it there to begin with. I’m glad the idea of rereleases and upgrades backwards compatibility is killing off this mindset of hardcoding resolutions, frame rates, and UI elements. But, in the meantime, this is yet another victim.

[@danielmota3228]

I dont think he knew how to code.

[@Atrus999]

I was SO disappointed about this release. MGS is my favorite video game series of all time so for this to be basically thrown together by Konami and tossed out there for a quick profit is heartbreaking.

[@aortaplatinum]

Silent Hill fans welcome recently spurned Metal Gear fans with open arms. We'll always have Death Stranding...

[@i_used_adblock_to_watch_this]

Just to let everyone know, metal gear solid 2 received an unofficial third person camera mod last year. It's available for the PC version of the game only. The mod gives The game a controllable camera like in metal gear solid 3 subsistance.

[@ShadowFox10587O]

I wasn't expecting much out of Komoney but they still managed to disappoint

[@nianddra]

Also MGS1 presents input lag, it's displayed in a incorrect aspect ratio and full analog control is not available.

[@crestofhonor2349]

Incorrect aspect ratio? Isn't the game in 4:3?

[@nianddra]

@@crestofhonor2349 Master Collection ver is slightly wider.

[@sebastianaliandkulche]

Imagine how lazy one has to be to screw up something simple as an aspect ratio... They didnt even test it probably.

[@j.j.9511]

Now this I was looking forward to being covered.

[@pgr3290]

Developers: "How do we get MGS running?" Konami "Use an emulator." "Ok. Shall we at least set internal render resolution to 6x?" "No. Of course not. Do nothing at all." "But it'll run fine on hardware this powerful?" Konami: "NO! DO NOTHING! IF YOU TAKE FIVE SECONDS TO OPEN THAT CONFIG MENU AND CLICK THAT OPTION YOU'RE FIRED!"

[@crestofhonor2349]

They needed options and they gave none. When it comes to retro 3D titles on the PS1 I can see the argument for a 240p mode that is both raw and a CRT filter along side an enhanced resolution mode. Of course these should be prompted at the start and with comparison images of what each does

[@bluespiritrecords1709]

Not only that, it looks worse than default emulation settings

[@mrdeanypants]

The main lesson I've learned over the past decade of gaming is to never buy a game at launch, and to always wait for proper analysis. Digital Foundry doesnt disappoint.

[@OneSmallStepWeb]

Brilliant work, Tom. Great video. With so much to cover you managed to make a concise video. Again, great work.

[@yashinisuki]

I got a PS3 Slim and Metal Gear Solid Legacy Collection for less than this release 😂

[@AliZaybakII]

Does anyone else miss the red thermal goggles in MGS2?

[@MadDjentah]

Yes. I still have ps2 original SOL and feels like at home with the red goggles after all these remasters and ports with MGS3-style thermals

[@UnbreakableVow626]

I thought I was going crazy remembering this

[@xypaola]

yes they were so much better

[@austindrawhorn2141]

Can't imagine how frustrated Kojima must be with what's become of this franchise he clearly put so much love into

[@stevenmccroskey3411]

I noticed you didn't mention the fact that MGS1 is noticeably lacking three hundred and 60 degree movement that was present in the original PS1 game if you played the game with an analog controller.

[@BunkMasterFlex77]

Q) How little effort can you put into remastering these games? A) Yes

[@MrMetalforever5]

But they were never advertised or marketed as remasters.

[@sebastianaliandkulche]

​@@MrMetalforever5And yet they ported the PS3 remasters of 2 and 3.... So.

[@MrMetalforever5]

@@sebastianaliandkulche Yes, they ported. Key word in there being “port.”

[@sebastianaliandkulche]

@@MrMetalforever5 Fanboy detected

[@MrMetalforever5]

@@sebastianaliandkulche I don’t like Konami but I like people making bad arguments and making shit up even less.

[@cheepdude97]

Only Konami can half bake a collection of ports

[@razvandavid1510]

They literally didn't bake anything and served us the expired goods from 20 years ago. Shame on them, they could sink no lower.

[@davidbeyerle6996]

They made 20 year old games run worse, only Konami....

[@Motion_God]

Rockstar too

[@Snowpiercer2]

ports? more like emulation

[@davidbeyerle6996]

@@Motion_God well I feel like Rockstar just handed it over and no real influence on the trilogy remaster. But it had their name on it, so people expected quality.

[@nussysnake9933]

What pisses me off about the resolution chart, it originally said they would run at 1080p, then a day or two before release they changed it to say "Up-Converted" to 1080p. False marketing.

[@raikohzx4323]

My guess for the Switch FPS issues is that they straight up tried to 30 FPS cap them because they were having significant performance instability as an attempt to stamp out the problem rather than figure out what's going wrong with the port code, but instead it only created more.

[@cyclonus759]

The series x version is unacceptable compared to PS5 and the old X360 version running in back compatibility mode

[@zorroknowsbetter]

Our expectations were low, but HOLY FUCK

[@ToadyEN]

Finding a little confusing going between shorts of the talk on DF direct and full videos, glad I checked this, great video Tom!

[@JackWestrop]

I've played each game in th MGS series at least twice. I absolutely love it and I haven't played since the HD collection. So if this collection was any good, it would have been a day 1 purchase. But without even basic care and attention, I can't even consider it until it drops to £10.00. What a wasted opportunity.

[@ejlennon2353]

I recently reached out to Konami’s support team to ask if they could make the Switch’s visual settings better and if they could boost the frame rate considering it can likely run these games at that frame rate rate. They did forward these comments to the dev team, so I suggest anyone who wants to push for this to be a good way to play MGS2/3 to do so. Although, I’m not holding my breath.

[@seanmcbay]

I’ll do that too. There’s no reason Switch can’t do 60fps. Just a lazy porting job.

[@PabloRey18]

Who cares about the switch anymore!! Nonexistent platform 😂

[@andye7715]

haha... you are so naive. Nothing will happen here anymore.

[@GreenScreenBartender]

By "forwarding them" they mostly likely mean they'll get tagged in their CRS system so the dev team could find them if they wanted. Nobody actually forwards complaints to teams directly.

[@DrButthugger]

@@GreenScreenBartendersupport sounds lame

[@doctorsilva1345]

This is an insult to Kojima and his crew who made these incredible games.

[@MrAden1307]

Do you think it was deliberate. I do..

[@MentalLiberation]

​@@MrAden1307As deliberate as putting two GB games on the Castlevania collection instead of Rondo of Blood and SOTN. They really have it out for Iga, too....

[@GreaterPhenom]

MGSV is an insult to Kojima and the people who made these games, and he made that one.

[@GreaterPhenom]

​@@MentalLiberationRondo and SOTN have their own collection, which is exclusive to PlayStation, because of fucking course it is.

[@planetcaravan2925]

​@@GreaterPhenomhe made a part of the game, not whole mgs5

[@-TriP-]

when open-source emulation gives a better result than a bespoke remaster, that says a lot

[@crithon]

interesting, back in 2007, I did try to upscale the graphics of MGS2 and 3 by ripping the ISO and putting them through an emulator. Even if you can get it going a bit, just seeing the games at higher resolution is brilliant. I just find it amazing 16 years later it's still not quite there yet. And also MGS2 still looks amazing, even with the flaws of the emulation. The colors of it, and that pixel texture work, it stands out.

[@sebastianaliandkulche]

You dont need to even emulate MGS2, there was an official PC port released in 2004 i think.

[@crithon]

@@sebastianaliandkulche 2007, dude, and still MGS2's textures are pixel art, so you do want sharpness on the Big Shell's materials.

[@sebastianaliandkulche]

@@crithon Wrong. It was released in 2003 or 2004. And that version can be played in very high resolutions (at least with mods).

[@crithon]

@@sebastianaliandkulchelmao, you're saying I'm wrong for what I did on my own? I wasn't saying about a purchase copy, I wrote was, "I did try to upscale the graphics of MGS2 and 3 by ripping the ISO and putting them through an emulator." That's what I wrote.

[@DeanCalaway]

I'm just gonna say I am glad to play all these games when they original came out in original hardware.

[@ZeitGeist_TV]

Same here, we grew up on an amazing era.

[@greyfox020]

Switching controller port to fight Psycho Mantis. Legendary memory❤

[@liamconverse8950]

All? You had an MSX2?

[@elone3997]

@@greyfox020 That was such a brilliant mind f*ck on the part of the devs..has to be up there in the all time wtf moments in gaming!

[@DeanCalaway]

@@liamconverse8950 yes I did, I got a second hand one in 1992.

[@budkin]

Konami is just a name and a lot of great memories at this point.

[@tyo101]

MGS1 has the most cohesive story in the series. It deserved more emulation options in the MC, such as upscaling and PGXP geometry correction.

[@BlueLightningSky]

MGS1 requires some knowledge in two MSX games you never played before and its important plot points connects to a character from a game you didn't play. MGS3 is the most cohesive and requires no knowledge of the things that happened in previous games.

[@pikachu896]

@@BlueLightningSky MGS1 contains a summary of both MSX games.

[@loco_logic]

​@@BlueLightningSky This wasn't even remotely a problem for most new fans back in 1998. The story in MGS1 was specifically written to accommodate both new and old fans alike, without playing the MSX games. Any references to past events are explained with convenient exposition, or can just be taken at face value. And even though MGS3 is a chronologically first, it still makes a ton of critical future-knowledge references to characters and events from older games in the series that only long time fans are supposed to notice and appreciate.

[@super_z6353]

It deserved to be ported, not emulated

[@GreaterPhenom]

MGS 1 started the now long Kojima tradition of retconning the series (Big Boss never told Snake he was his father).

[@crestofhonor2349]

All of the versions, including the Switch version should be minimum 1080p 60fps for MGS2 and MGS3. All of these games came out for consoles significantly less powerful than the hardware today. The switch is more powerful than the PS3 and 360 so the state of these games is unacceptable. PS4 Pro, Xbox One X, PS5, and Series X|S should all be native 4k. If they want to present the PS1 version at 240p they should have added a CRT filter like CRT Royale or Son Kun's CRT shaders. Otherwise they should have three modes, a 240p raw output, a CRT filter, and a native resolution ouput

[@hitmangfx7162]

9:59 That's a hell of a Duckstation plug right there. Not even a fair comparison to the retail release of this thing.

[@crestofhonor2349]

Makes sense because duckstation is a far newer emulator than the one likely used for MGS1

[@LonelySpaceDetective]

@@crestofhonor2349 Did M2 do any PS1-related projects prior to this? Because I assumed that the emulator was made for the Master Collection, which would actually make it _newer_ than DuckStation.

[@liamconverse8950]

Lol they didn't even manage to fully remove the HD collection logo?

[@That_Box_]

Heads up to anyone using the 4K mod; modifying the game to run above 720p will currently prevent you from unlocking the Snake Eyes achievement in the NA and Europe versions of MGS3. Not entirely known why this happens, but a similar issue would occur with the game on PS3 HD collection if you used a HD TV.

[@TollusRollus]

Now imagine what the rumoured port of MGS 4 is gonna look like

[@kjh4496]

I can’t believe they just straight up ported the HD versions of 2 and 2 and slapped a crap emulated version of MGS1 on and called it a day.

[@HalfpennyTerwilliger]

Nah, they also took the time to find ways to make them run worse than their previous versions.

[@ubralex]

This makes me scared of what they will do with MGS4 on Vol. 2

[@MrAden1307]

Be very scared 😂 It's not even in a good state through emulation on PC. Keep hold of those PS3 memories.. 😆

[@Lord_of_Dread]

Konami: "all my friends tell me 15FPS is just fine. Shut up and give me your money"

[@robinv1485]

it already runs on rpcs3 4k60 in 5-7y old hardware flawlessly . 720p is unacceptable@albertobalsalm8647

[@yrh002b8]

You should not be because even with a bad port, at least modders can now fix the PC port. Being on PS3 and on emulator are limited as to how much people can fix it.

[@robinv1485]

There's no need to fix anything, the game runs great already and has a few mods as well. The idea that you can't mod an emulated game is ignorant when there's a vast amount of mods for various games in various emulators. Notably Zelda that even has a multiplayer mod which is a great achievement.@@yrh002b8

[@Chris.in.taiwan]

Emulating all of these games on Android (Samsung s23). Recently we even HD textures packs are supported, currently on my second playthrough of MSG3.

[@ryuuouji]

you guys should've mention the konami saves and controller switching simulations from msg1. really interesting way of preserving the psycho mantis boss fight

[@thebman85ify]

This is why I kept my PS3.

[@LoneWolf1985BK]

If you think this is bad. Wait until vol2 comes out with mgs4 that’s been stuck on ps3 from the beginning.

[@scarrface28]

Finally someone talking about the audio issues on mgs 1 emulation, it needs to be fixed, thanks for the great video DF!

[@dsouthernflyboi]

They put more effort in the menu than actual visuals on gameplay.

[@rangokfunkazuul8344]

Tom be like "the good: the menu is great, the bad: oh boy, where do I begin"

[@hornick18]

damn, I got lucky buying the hd collection on Xbox store mere weeks before it was delisted

[@manicfoot]

Great video, Tom. It would have been nice if you talked about the MSX games a bit more. I've been meaning to check them out for a while now and was curious to see how well they were ported. Of course, I understand that you had a lot to cover and it makes sense that the 3D games were prioritised, especially as they seem to be the ones with the biggest issues.

[@Un4GiVeNPR]

Makes you wonder, will vol. 2 dissapoint too?

[@Just_normal_youtube_channel]

Oh, most definitely

[@GreenScreenBartender]

I'd buy this collection in a heartbeat if they had done it right and provided proper upscaling as well as proper emulation for MGS1. If they fix some of this, I'd maybe pick it up down the line for $30 but I doubt they'll even do enough to justify that. The sad thing is that your average gamer doesn't care or notice the quality drop in these and buys them anyway. That's why Konami can get away with such poor quality control.

[@diamond_dogs]

Not just “not notice” but on the MGS subreddit they are actively defending and arguing against anyone critiquing the collection, while having no idea what they’re talking about. Hope MGS4 doesn’t end up messed up in Vol. 2.

[@S0lidF0x]

Classic Konami... Don't get too hyped for MGS3 "remake"

[@BlackstarMate]

DF should do a quick test of MGS1 running on ps4 collection. I finished the game yesterday, and on my FullHD TV, the game was as sharp as the original. There is no trace of this strange blur that is visible in this PS5 footage. Every pixel is clearly defined (you can count individual ones) - this can make some fonts hard to read when sitting close to the screen. I've encountered some audio bugs, but the visual side was perfect. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the game is unpatched on ps4? The menu says it's version 1.0.0.

[@steven-xo8xc]

I went and found a copy of the hd collection for 360 to play on my series x after watching this video but i get an error "sorry this game isnt playable here" did they remove the backwards compatibility?

[@tranquilitybase8100]

Let me get the straight, they released a version of a PS1 game on PS5 and didn't even bother to raise the resolution from ...check notes... 240P?!

[@maliciousintruder3010]

I remember mgs2 hitting 60fps on the psvita! It wasn't a constant 60, but it got there.

[@AllenAllanAlan]

So, thanks Bluepoint! Also, sorry Bluepoint, someone just copied your work poorly and took credit for it... BTW, how can the original game on PS1 look better than the remaster?

[@wausjackbauer128]

I've seen from various other videos that MGS3 (maybe MGS2 as well) has different gamma in this release compared to the HD collection. Other people also said MGS3 (again, maybe MGS2 as well) had audio issues. Something like quieter audio. Surprised you didn't mention this.

[@x1boricua21]

The video I been waiting for thank you digital foundry your like no other. And I praise you guys for doing a great job at what you do! 🙂

[@SLRModShop]

No mention/expectation of widescreen or integer scaling for MGS1... That's kind of a huge L on DF's part. Also, if you had not read the "disappoints" in the thumbnail (which is partially covered by the length of the video), the first half of the video sounds like a massive fluff piece. Saying "there is some merit to be able to play them all in one package" (or something to that effect) is also extremely eye-rolling, considering that all 3 main games are the worst ways to play these games... Duckstation and the HD collection are running circles around this £60 game, one is free, the other can probably be found for a tenner. With all the above in mind + what's been pointed out in this video (50Hz for PAL owners, most of them won't even realise that they can play at 60Hz), broken AA, broken TF, broken effects and 720p on £500 pounds hardware made about 25 to 20 years later than the base games... Not to mention sub 30fps on Switch... With all 3 main games not even being on the cartridge... Also no mention of the fact that manuals require you to be online, meaning that in 15 years, the collection will be incomplete when servers will be down... Which also applies to DL content like the 60Hz versions of MGS1 for people in PAL regions. Meaning that in 15 years from now, everyone with a European or Australian version of this game will be stuck with a poorly upscaled, 25fps (with drops) MGS1... Those on XSX will have bad TF and bad AA forever... And you call that a "great job"?! This is one of the worst compilations of all time, and seeing how most of this video avoids some issue and totally ignore that it's totally unacceptable to release a game in that state, it's also one of the worst DF coverage to date. Saying "it seems that Konami will do something about it" shouldn't be used to soften the blow of this cash grab, like it's being done here. I like DF, rarely miss any of their videos, but they dropped the ball big time on this one. Even Mudahar (Some Ordinary Gamer) had a better and more technical coverage of this compilation! That's how much of an L this video was for DF...

[@MrMetalforever5]

@@SLRModShop Hey it’s great that you think that champ, I’m just happy to have an easy way to play the games reliably again. PC emulation is a pain in the ass and so is blowing the dust out of my 360 or PS3. I bought the collection looking for PS1 and PS2 games, and I got what I paid for.

[@SLRModShop]

I'm with you on that, actually. I wouldn't buy it but I get why someone else would. I bought the Goldeneye 64 port on XSX last year and had a blast, even though I could right an essay on all its shortcomings. I was commenting on DF's coverage of these shortcomings. They are HUGE but we're still talking about a handful of masterfully done games to begin with. There is a lot of enjoyment to be had here. On this one, I'd rather just buy the HD collection and put the disc in my XSX. @@MrMetalforever5

[@GreenScreenBartender]

I was waiting for this too but I think they went pretty easy on Konami honestly. There's even more wrong with this collection than was covered here. I was expecting a full hour long video going over all the issues.

[@davion4777]

@@MrMetalforever5my dude. “I’m just happy to have an easy way to play this games again” is exactly the reason why companies can get away with these half-assed jobs. You are free to do whatever you want with your money, but you are absolutely being part of the problem. You’re justifying laziness and cash-grabs. This collection is absolutely terrible and honestly shouldn’t be supported.

[@maratnugmanov]

Basically Konami capitalizes on Kojima's legacy while pissing all over it. It's like someone sells Faberge Eggs as a scrap metal.

[@hunterking572]

Check out the frametime messing with the helicopter rotors @17:40

[@ruserious5598]

A 4K update to MGSV would be nice

[@colmhayes7750]

I feel sorry for M2 they capable of great things but clearly Konami just asked them to update the button icons and make it play on these systems

[@MikeZablo]

I’m fine with my mgs 2&3 on ps vita

[@I_Eated_The_Soap]

The only reasons why I bought MGS3’s PC port is because I wanted to own it legally on PC, and because there’s a mod that allows crouch walking like from the 3DS version and it makes the game feel so different

[@OZSzymonek]

So all things considered, is there a visible difference between master collection running on ps5, and hd collection on series X? These images look quite similar, at least to me.

[@PoutingTrevor]

I knew this would suck. I contemplated buying it, then went out and picked up the HD Collection for 360! Looks like I made the right choice.

[@jacksonjacob7791]

Yeah I own the 360 version also. And every game on playstation as well. Can't justify buying it again just to get achievements at this price. If they actually remastered the games and made them better I'd have considered it.

[@Darksider13]

Everyone needs to keep this whole fiasco in mind for MGS Delta.

[@Darksider13]

@@subtegral May wanna check who developed and published these remasters and then reference the same roster for Delta. Porting and Remaking aren’t the same thing but a development team shipping a technically broken title (or set of titles) absolutely showcases their priorities and MO.

[@sebastianaliandkulche]

Like i said before, we dont have to buy any more things made for them.

[@CloudLXXXV]

Considering I can already play MGS2 & 3 via Back Compat on Series X. I think I'll wait until this drops way down in price for the extra stuff. For any Series X owners, the Pre-order DLC (extra songs) is available to download for free on the store.

[@CustomPCBuilderUK]

Hopefullly they can release a patch soon to boost the resolution from 720p to 4K on PS5 and Series X in addition to fixing the other image quality related issues...

[@silvershocknicktail6638]

Guess I'm sticking with my PS3 Legacy Collection for now (basically the HD collection with even more thrown in). I might get the PC version eventually for convenience and for the extras, assuming they patch it. If they don't, it's not more convenient if I have to add mods, considering I can just emulate my original copies and mod that up.

[@mazzyycat]

thank god for mods. PC versions will 100% be great within a few months or even weeks.

[@MaitreduMal]

Very interesting investigations and versions tracking history. thank you.

[@vanGnaarA]

@DigitalFoundry How does PS Vita compare to the Switch version? I've been playing on that console for my 'on the move MSG fix'. It is also based on the 2011 version for PS3/XBox360

[@itsalwaysdarkestbeforethes1198]

One of the few times “lazy devs” is legitimately applicable

[@ZeitGeist_TV]

Clear cash grab by Konami.

[@GreenScreenBartender]

Even that is debatable in the sense that it's probably not the devs but the lack of resources they were given. Konami probably contracted this on the lowest possible contract with a small team on a tight budget and time-line. There's some indication that the devs cared (the UI/menus are nice and all the extra content looks fantastic) but weren't given enough time and resources to port the games themselves properly.

[@LonelySpaceDetective]

I don't know who handled the HD Edition ports (that is, the ones in the Master Collection), but M2 actually usually does some real good shit. I'd guess the barebones PS1 emulation was a Konami mandate, or they were given little budget and/or time to work with.

[@michipeka9973]

MGS 2 and 3 were PS2 games. Even the "lowly" switch is a beast compared to the PS2. About MGS 1, the fact you can get something light years better by using using emulation since a long time speaks for itself. There is really no excuse for such a lazy effort.

[@crestofhonor2349]

Switch beats the PS3 and 360 in hardware too

[@michipeka9973]

Absolutely, that's why these games should be in full HD, 60fps with proper AA and texture filtering on it.

[@jonathanmegevand3266]

Mgs1 deserve a lifting on its textures

[@gangreen1985]

PS4 version of MGS1 has a sharper image compared to PS5. PS5 looks muddy or washed over.

[@66kaisersoza]

The PS2 is notoriously hard to emulate, because the hardware is vastly different from traditional PC hardware. The switch may be much more powerful, but it still has to brute force running ps2 games. Even modern PC's struggle to emulate PS2/PS3 games

[@Callingcascade]

I heard no difference during the mgs1 audio test. I'm glad they preserved it in the state it originally released. Aside from some clunky controls by today's standards, MGS1 holds up on its own.

[@Siarawaszympanemjest]

'Let's start with positives - menus are pretty. Now for the rest' ...oh boy...

[@MetalGearTrav]

That’s embarrassing. Hopefully they get shamed enough to add updated resolutions at least

[@WillyPhonken]

The idea of Konami having enough self respect to experience shame...

[@GreenScreenBartender]

And for a Japanese company to not have any shame is just how low they are now lol

[@Trowelhands]

For people that care about achievements/trophies: Some of the achievements for MGS1 are either bugged or misleading depending on how you look at their descriptions. As of now, you're forced to complete the PAL "Special Missions" version for a certain achievement to unlock as opposed to playing any regional variants of the game. Meaning you're stuck trying to complete a series of puzzles with the handicap of a lower frame rate. The lack of analogue control for MGS1 makes completing some of these tasks a little more difficult without it as well. I learned this after finishing the entirety of the the US "VR Missions" version and having to start over on the PAL "Special Missions" The game doesn't tell you this beforehand.

[@futureecho4509]

All trophies pop perfectly fine on Integral. It doesn't excuse the trophy bugs but it doesn't apply to every version.

[@Gamesta100]

Thankfully I'm in a PAL region so I'm used to PAL so I've been playing all the games in PAL. Wanna hear me say PAL again? Lol

[@LilBucky793]

Thank you Tom, great video

[@tapetwo7115]

Also the coolest thing about Series X and this collection is QUICK RESUME. I've been switching between MGS1/2/3 and 5 lmao I love it!!!

[@tj2087]

The submarine passing by has no hardware reverb applied to it actually. Cinematic audio in MGS1 is stored as singular files compressed using Sony's VAG codec (interleaved to add support for stereo because regular VAG files don't support stereo) and is most likely streamed from the disk.

[@DanielAyy]

The fact that the Ps2 version of MGS2 from 2001 beats the switch version is such a big bruh moment.

[@chrismorrison5301]

They should have recompiled the first game with a different renderer, it's definitely possible and has been done in the past. A fan project to port the original Wipeout to PC did exactly that which means no texture warping and visual settings.

[@cidelogic]

On PC emulation is by far the best way to experience these games, you can keep the visuals authentic or enhance them for a more modern day look. It's really sad that we can't have something official to match or beat that kind of quality.