MGS2 Master Collection PC Review

The Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 is out! The first three MGS games are on Steam! But how good is this collection? In this video, I review the Master Collection version of MGS2 and compare it to other options on PC, like using emulators (like PCSX2 or RPCS3), and the old PC port that was sold on GOG. Did Konami do a good job? (you probably know the answer to that one...)
Watch my MGS1 Master Collection PC Review here: • MGS1 Master Collection...
MOD LIST:
Essential Mods:
- MGSHDFix (change resolution +much more): github.com/Lya...
- MGS2MC Better Audio: www.nexusmods....
- M9 Laser Fix: www.nexusmods....
Optional Mods:
- AI Upscaled Textures: www.nexusmods....
- Better Logos: www.nexusmods....
- High Quality KojiPro Posters: www.nexusmods....
- Restore High Quality FHM Posters: www.nexusmods....
- HD Sons of Liberty Flag: www.nexusmods....
- Restore Uncensored Blood Textures: www.nexusmods....
- Remade High Quality US Flag: www.nexusmods....
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Older video that shows the differences between versions: • The Best Way to Play M...
MGS2 on Steam: store.steampow...
PCSX2 emulator: pcsx2.net/
RPCS3 emulator: rpcs3.net/
TPS Camera Mod for the old PC version: github.com/oct...
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Follow me on X: / the1ocelot
#metalgearsolid #konami #hideokojima #pcgaming #emulation #mgs #mgs2 #metalgearsolid2 #steam #pcsx2 #rpcs3 #mastercollection #gog

[@VFansss]

V's fix creator here! Let's say one honest thing: original MGS2 code quality is a mess and was kinda designed for PS2 itself. It wasn't designed at all to run above 720p, that's why a LOT of things break when you increase the resolution. I'm pretty sure the team knows that, and they preferred to "lock" the game at 720 instead of writing back a big portion of the code to make it more resolution aware. Res can be unlocked, as the original port, with truly minimal efforts, but as said above, has its own issues so probably they preferred to do the less painful decision (don't forget that only the PC version need to be resolution aware: console editions has fixed resolution so its not an issue there and for sure the console players are less aware than the PC ones, let's be honest). The most annoying things that break is the Depth of field, that basically "detaches" from characters, but also some effects that doesn't work as good as original res. Also, the audio issues are truly annoying: MGS2 is a narration masteripiece, and dialogues and audio effects deserve to be listened at the best. I'm pretty sure everything can be fixed if you pour a good amount of resources in reworking all these things, but probably Konami prefer to dedicate to remakes (where they surely can be much more cost effective than fixing every nooks and crannies of the original code). Let's thay that I understand their position. They also "made" the master collection versions MUCH EASIER to fix (they decompiled all the textures directly and made other things much easier to mod than the original port). They fixed a lot of things, and I'm sure they will continue fixing things albeit I'm totally sure they will never reach a full a faithful version as we fans we would hope (and how the game deserve, eheh). This time, I didn't dedicated into a "Master Collection V's Fix" just because...personal reasons, albeit I would truly like to find the time/personal resources to do that. This time is...harsh for me. Let's also say that I'm not a reverse engineer, so as the last time, I should also resort to the community and their fixes. Let's say that I will wait, also for the part 2 of the collection (that, in my opinion, is at least 2 years away). I hope, in the meantime, a lot of things will be officially fixed (I'm also looking for you, Steam Deck compatibility!) and probably what remains...well, let's find out who will made a nice "all in one" fix repack of all the beautiful things the beloving MGS community has made in the meanwhile. I hope I will be the one to do that, in the future :) I'm, in the end, happy that Konami has returned in making games and MGS is retuned in all the most popular consoles and store: MGS series in one of the best series of all times, and deserve to be played even 30 years after release. Nice to see all these cool comparison, keep up the good work!

[@MGrey-qb5xz]

that was very insightful, tell me the hd collection still removes fog and rain effects from ps2 version, is it possible to mod those in?

[@koklusz89]

Great post.

[@Devixicus]

Very useful perspective! I've been using your fix for years so it's refreshing to see an experienced modder share their thoughts on these ports

[@ndnixlon9548]

@@MGrey-qb5xz I believe the rain effects were restored in the 1.2.0 update for Master Collection Vol. 1, not sure about the 2011 HD Collection. (The 2017 HD Collection, exclusively the Shield TV version allegedly fixed the missing rain effects as well.)

[@MGrey-qb5xz]

@@ndnixlon9548 what the hell so it wasn't an issue to do so, jesus this company

[@koklusz89]

Missing PostFX (like DoF and rain drops) and locked resolution are related, at 720p they are still somewhat visible, but at 1080p and above they are gone completely. The same goes for MGS3. If you use the mod to render the game at 480p all the effects appear more or less like they did on PS2. While it's not unfixable and Konami could and should do that, Mater Collection was seemingly put together by only a handful of people, and was probably done cheap and quickly, I understand why someone would see leaving the resolution lock as a lesser of two evils.

[@spyrochrisgaming]

I guarantee you, most people aside from hardcore fans will either not even notice, or they'll take the trade-off. An option would be nice because these are PC games, and changing the resolution in a PC port is a basic feature, nothing to do with remastering the game.

[@koklusz89]

@@spyrochrisgaming"I guarantee you, most people aside of hardcore fans will either not even notice, or they'll take the trade-off" You sir are correct. And that's very depressing b/c it shows how little people are respecting games as a (visual) medium. Especially when it comes to highly cinematic games like MGS.

[@MGrey-qb5xz]

@@spyrochrisgaming i noticed on one go and i started from xbox one hd collection, don't call us ignorant boomer

[@Adeyum64]

@@koklusz89Unless someone tells you that, you wouldn't notice anyway. In my case: It wasn't until some days ago, till I noticed snow particles missing in the R&C3 HD remaster. I really could've just lived life without knowing that, but then Rutchet uploaded a video, showcasing exactly that. It just shows that some people want to bash on something, for the sake of bashing on something, even though many people wouldn't have noticed that detail anyway after many years of not playing the game. Only those who played it recently would have noticed that.

[@koklusz89]

@@Adeyum64Yeah, I mean, I wouldn't know about the issues HD Collection had on PS360 if it wasn't for a video on this channel. I just put it on games being old and my memory making them look better than they actually were. But turns out, they did. And that's the issue. A lot of time, money and effort went into presentation of those games back in the day. And by removing those effects, you are making the game look older/worse than it otherwise would. You are actively downgrading the visuals without even realizing that, because as a gamer you are trained that a higher number is always better.

[@kwabat5389]

Nice review. With the mods it’s really good! I hope the third person camera mod comes out for MC too

[@RC--ji2ov]

the guy that made the third person camera mod said hes working on one for the master collection, so soon enough modded steam release will probably end up being the definitive way to play

[@hypo_kritikal]

source?

[@waschbalsam]

Thats awesome!

[@OriginalBosss]

The MGS collection deserves a full-on in-depth remaster for modern times not just a lazy port

[@JaycodaJr]

Right, well… we know Konami doesn’t care.

[@MGrey-qb5xz]

better would be to port over the ps2 versions, they have all the content and unique stuff like cut graphical effects from hd collection

[@ShrekFhiyona]

​@@MGrey-qb5xz as well as GameCube version.

[@RokkouA1]

Finished playing MGS2 and MGS3 for the first time with mods and fixes, as expected with Konami. Regardless the experience was really good, though not 100% faithful with things like certain visual effects. In time this will likely be the best way to play these games.

[@kevinfromsales9445]

But this version of MGS2 is the censored European version, also it doesn't have skateboarding and MGS3 also lacks some of the Subsistence extras do you still think this is the best way to play these games?

[@r3tr0sp3ct3r]

the best way to play on modern tv's is still mgs hd for ps3

[@gryzugames]

After finishing MGS2 with TPP camera mod, I think there is no going back to playing the game with defeault camera. And with this mod you can also change from tpp to oldschool camera with the press of a button. Strongly recommend this to all MGS2 lovers :) I even recorded and uploaded full walkthrough with this mod on my channel.

[@victorito07]

I Hope this mod will be réleased in the nexus mod for the master collection

[@ant2manbee931]

It's great and made me appreciate MGS2 more. I always thought the camera was really terrible, especially when playing without the Soliton radar. Playing with the TPP cam and without the radar it's chef's kiss.

[@dominicmgm]

I swear modders have rescued more PC games than Greenpeace have rescued beached whales. Great video, as always!

[@fromaguez]

as someone who played a lot on the 360 version on xbox one, i take the master collection version wih hdfix every day

[@komugi0221]

Nice video about the modding scene for these new releases. I myself started working on a higher resolution UI mod in October, recreating every UI element in Adobe Illustrator, but got too busy and basically dropped it (for now). Started with MGS3 and noticed the different fonts used thoughout the different releases, and it turned into a mess lol. Also I believe there's still some work to be done to actually replace the subtitles' font for a higher resolution one because they're embedded in a different file. Hopefully I get around to actually finishing my projects.

[@bruceofsteel]

I hope konami sees the videos youve made so they can get around to fixing a lot of the bugs and have it closer to the ps2 version

[@franconian3280]

Wow great video, I waited patiently for this. Hoping to see MGS3 soon.

[@OmarShtaiwi_]

Good to know that modders aren't wasting anytime finishing the port

[@meowspark9]

Thanks for the info, just replayed on emulation, however I will probably pick this up and mod it in the future.

[@mariorusinek5037]

Nice to See someone Sees the Missing effects and Point them Out 👍👍👍 Im Glad they fixed the Bug Glitch. Because ITS a big Story hint about fortunes powers are Not real ☝️

[@Salt032]

I enjoyed this review! I actally never got to play any HD or Master versions of MGS2 or any of the other games, because i play them on an old PS2 Slim. If you have a video on all the differences between the PS2 and Newer versions, i would love to see a video on that. Thanks again, love your content

[@1Ocelot]

Thanks for the words! In this video I go into more detail about the differences between all versions (prior to the Master Collection, but it's the same as the HD Collection versions) kzbin.info/www/bejne/nH3VlHelf9lslac

[@ShrekFhiyona]

​@@1Ocelot does those mods also include C.R.T. filter with reshade.

[@LethalPlacebo]

I appreciate you waiting a bit to make this video, since you were able to include the patch that fixed the laser and the bugs (though I know the laser still has the transparency issue). Great video, feels like a great addition to your previous "You Can Play MGS2 on PC Right Now" video, covering all the reasons why someone would or would not want to play this version. I've been playing these games since the PlayStation 2. I'm glad Konami has been fixing this version and with mods, the Master Collection is definitely going to be my preferred method of playing these games, especially with the change to the controls. I always liked the pressure sensitive controls, but emulating them properly on PC is a pain, so having the reworked Xbox 360 controls is great. Thanks for the video!

[@damboulton]

I appreciate Konami fixing some of the bugs that were present at launch but this is still one of the laziest cash-grab ports I've seen, only truly outdone by (once again Konami's) Silent Hill HD collection. It really is a sad representation of the state of modern gaming where companies will just put out the bare minimum for a release and modders are left to make the game playable after paying £60... exactly like the 'Defective' Edition of the GTA Trilogy. I can't really justify paying for a game that I will then have to go through the effort of modding just to be able to play at above 720p...

[@triple-d2640]

Nowhere near as bad as GTA trilogy

[@ShrekFhiyona]

Let's hope we get a modding tool packs.

[@Kosack27]

Thanks for the video! i hope to see more mods and fixes in the future

[@RayAfgrond]

i'm happy with how easy it is to mod MGS2 and MGS3, at least for textures.. it's way easier than it was in the old version

[@DavidPereiraLima123]

I take back what I've said before, Konami is actually fixing things. Great. They may have been douches to Kojima, but the games are being preserved.

[@ghoste7546]

1st one to comment! Support your MGS video~

[@nddugas]

I definitely want the third person camera mod for 2. I already enjoyed the game as is, but would be happy to try it in a different form.

[@junior_g36c8]

You're a hero. I was considering buying it but now it seems to be more trouble than it's worth. just out of curiosity do these same problems persist on other versions of the master collection (e.g. ps5, or switch).

[@draculatheundead1479]

please review mgs3 master collection , your videos are useful

[@thevirtuouscollector]

I have some unfortunate news to report-- unfortunately, even with the audio mods, the MC has poor audio quality compared to the HD Edition. I purposefully avoided running the games on my high end audio since I heard about the quality, but even after downloading the mods, the cutscene audio is still inferior to the HD. It's also unfortunate that the in-game audio, while touted as "fine" by most people, is also inferior to the HD collection. They all sound incredibly compressed and lack any dynamic range. You probably won't notice the difference playing on TV or PC speakers, but with a high end system running both the PS3 and modded PC versions the differences are staggering.

[@chrysm6842]

Interesting, thanks a lot. May I say that your voice sounds like Otakon's one? That's my opinion...

[@marsesayko7565]

And that’s how I ended up with a 46gb 2001 game folks

[@jaccblacc8424]

I honestly surprised that Konami is still updating the game and are fixing these issues, specially the HD collection glitches.

[@MGrey-qb5xz]

well they are forced to since they probably aren't hitting money quota, of course a sane company would have made sure this never happened in the first place but hey it's konami, they have 3 big hitters hostage

[@KaitouKaiju]

I originally played the OG Xbox version of this game I'm hoping this release is at least as good as that

[@GuyOnAChair]

You'll definitely want the texture fix for the hair. 📦

[@DustinFerriss]

I will stick to the old Pc Port with V's Fix and the 3rd person camera mod, When and if the 3rd person mod releases for the Master Collection version, I'll start using it instead

[@gustavodanielgimenez9684]

I finally grabbed mgs 3 at 8 bucks on steam, if you already played before then i get why a lot of people recommend the emulated version , i iust couldn't cut scenes are a huge part of Kojima's games and for some reason whatever the settings cutscenes run awful on pcsx2 , that takes you out of the experience completely, while this versions are not perfect and eith their price dropped they are definitely worth it. So if you never played them before just buy it on steam or if you have an xbox grab the hd collection if you find it cheap. And no the pcsx2 problem were not gpu related i run orher games without so much slow downs,

[@Demigod_3scrub]

Substance MGS2 HD is Goated

[@mariorusinek5037]

On ps4 the Raindrops when He jumps from the bridge are there (different) AS the effects when he geht's damaged when He Lands. Testet on 7.01.2023 on my ps4 pro ITS Not the Same but better then the OG HD collection on ps3

[@Sparrows1121]

2:23 this i dont entirely agree with. HD Collection originally had this issue with MGS2, due to dim colours. But i felt Master Collection brought this back with more green filters

[@onceuponatimeonearth]

I want to have hope for the Silent Hill 2 and MGS 3 remakes but I just don't have any faith in Konami left. The well is just dry at this point.

[@ChalkyMuffin969]

Didn't buy it originally because steam reviews said the performance was garbage but locked to 60 fps doesn't sound that bad to me, with this and the mods, i'll buy this soon enough

[@Deimos_Fresh]

To be honest it's really hard to go back after experiencing TPS camera mod. Regardless of missing effects and all other missing PS2 stuff.

[@mistermista2927]

I don't think Unity is used as a wrapper, but rather just for the launcher

[@NBWDOUGHBOY]

Leave it up to the Modders to fix damn near everything.

[@matthewmckay5617]

@Ocelot is there a way to use these mods but still get the launcher to change your button lay out?

[@slash7242]

What would be the best way to play mgs3 and mgs2? PCSX2 or RPCS3

[@1Ocelot]

PCSX2 or Master Collection with mods

[@ibaltawaqal2148]

I have i5 3550, rx 570, and 12gb ram, can i play 40fps ?

[@Guaseth]

Is it possible to play these with English audio and spanish texts/subs? I want to introduce MGS to someone who isn't fluent in English

[@sinestesis]

Pcsx2 all the way, the skate minigame on top of everything else is too much to pass

[@DavidPereiraLima123]

I was going to put these on Steam and bite the bullet since I err on the practical side but looks like the port is unstable with all the crashes being reported on the community tab, mods don't solve bad code (most of the time). A pity, DMC even with the ugly broken effects and missing parts runs well enough. So PCSX2 it is.

[@FuckMyParents-420]

Is there a mod that goes above 60fps or will that ruin the game engine?

[@ajax2309]

not possible

[@jenpachi2408]

Are these problems on the console versions too?

[@snake2106]

Yup res is locked to 720p even on PS5 but PC players are more aware of these issues

[@theguyinthere]

i was wondering if there is a mod out there for alternate guard routes or improved A.i. ??

[@jasperfox6821]

Ps3 legacy hd collection version is still the version I'll ever need.

[@r3tr0sp3ct3r]

It's the only HD version with pressure sensitive controls, and ps3 recognizes dualshock 2 controllers via usb

[@thiagovidal6137]

I never bought the new remasters and I still want a refund.

[@RackTheMilesWelding]

Konami come on man

[@TerranReviews]

I'm sad that my predictions for the Master Collection came true.

[@Fahntayn.]

Yo do you think its possible to mod mgs2 n 3 a whole entire new campaign?. I feel like for experience players. mgs3 is short.

[@KaitouKaiju]

No

[@caslloveer0]

0:21 Why he have armpit hair💀💀 KOJIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMA

[@MECHA-TED]

Guess i'll pirate master collection since i already own it on ps3

[@ProGamingProphecy]

I am waiting for a deep discount of $10-15 for the full collection.

[@MrFrags]

Revolver

[@SolarScion]

Could we please re-calibrate our standards and step back and get some perspective to what a re-release should be? A PAID CASH GRAB RE-Release. This release is PATHETIC. I'm not blaming the (probably tiny, crunched, and understaffed) team that made it. I'm castigating (fuck)KONAMI for doing *far less* than what was done for a re-release version of their own PS2 games, with the Substance and Subsistence versions. MGS3:Subsistence added a new camera angle, and secret theatre, and MGO. This release.... It's a port of a port of a port, with a fucking codex added to justify the "Master Collection" market label. A true anniversary re-release would have modified the code and fixed the rendering issues *bare mininum*. Bare Fucking Minimum. And they had no intention of even trying that, as evidenced by releasing the game with several missing elements that were key to storytelling, and it being a port of the X-Box 360 port, which was fundamentally broken. Twenty years later, multiple re-releases, and the PS2 version is still the only version with proper presentation. And it's likely the only one that ever will, considering it would take actual effort and work with the original game engine. Fucking UNITY wrapper... fuck's sake.

[@Sons_Of_Liberty75]

Lol IwAnT To RuN Ps2 GaMes aT 8K 120fps. This video is misinformation and this guy dont know anything about the games, the issue from the HD has been patch on this version. Dont listen to him

[@KaitouKaiju]

They patched the game after this video came out

[@mikew1080]

These games still have multiple issues in their current builds. PCSX2 is still the best way to play if you don't have a PS2 and CRT laying around. Even Konami has acknowledged it officially after all the terrible press the collection received. Congratulations on acting a total fool, though. Should be a good laugh for people who watch the video and migrate to the comments.