Summary
TheMetal Gear Solidfranchise is one of the most beloved video game series of all time. Its five mainline entries are accentuated by several spin-offs and other related projects that help to deepen a world that’s already been packed to the brim full of lore by its creator and visionary, Hideo Kojima. Despite no new entries in the series since 2018’s very poorly receivedMetal Gear Survive, the first project sinceKojima and developer Konami publicly parted ways in 2015, the series' popularity shows no signs of waning. Earlier this year, fans were treated to theMetal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol.1, packaging together the first three entries and their prequels. With a remake ofMetal Gear Solid 3on the way, andVol.2of theMaster Collectionin the pipeline, 2024 could be a busy year for the popular stealth franchise.
After learning ofKojima’s departure from Konami shortly before the launch ofMetal Gear Solid 5, many fans feared that this would signal the end of the stealth-action series.Metal Gear Survivedid little to quell these fears, with the zombie-survival premise not fitting into the series' usual deep and thought-provoking narratives whatsoever. The reaction toSurviveprompted Konami to seemingly shelve the series, but clearly, the developer has since changed its stance. While neitherVol.2of theMaster Collectionnor theMGS3remake, known asDelta, is confirmed for 2024, it seems likely that at least one of these projects should be released before the year ends.
Metal Gear Solid Could Be Set For a Big Year in 2024
With the potential of two huge releases in 2024, the upcoming year could be one ofMetal Gear Solid’s busiest in a long time. TheMetal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol.1only had a gap of five months between its announcement in May 2023 and its release in October of the same year, so fans shouldn’t be too concerned by the lack of any official announcement regardingVol.2yet.Remakes of the originalMetal Gear Solidgames have long been called for, and it’s great to see that Konami has acknowledged this with the announcement ofMetal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater.
Considering how each entry inVol.1was a faithful port with no tweaks to the controls or visuals, it shouldn’t take Konami too long to readyVol.2for release, regardless of exactly which titles are set to feature in the bundle. To an extent, the same can be said forMetal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, which, while being remade from the ground up, is staying faithful to the original game, including using the same lines of dialogue. This should, in theory, dramatically cut development time, so a 2024 release for the highly-anticipated game is a realistic possibility.
Games Which Could Feature in the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol.2
Metal Gear Solid’s Master Collection Vol.2 Could Finally Reunite Fans With a Beloved Title
Of all the games inMetal Gear Solid’s library,Metal Gear Solid 4remains the most elusive for modern fans, having only been released for the PS3 back in 2008. Every other installment has been re-packaged and re-released at some point, butMetal Gear Solid 4, which serves as a conclusion to Solid Snake’s story arc, has remained frustratingly out of reach for those who do not own Sony’s PlayStation 3. Therefore, the prospect ofMGS4finally being made available to current-gen owners is enough to excite fans of the series both old and new.
Metal Gear Solid 4, which serves as a conclusion to Solid Snake’s story arc, has remained frustratingly out of reach for those who do not own Sony’s PlayStation 3.
Of the other games likely to make the cut, 2015’sMetal Gear Solid 5, which continues the story of Big Bossduring the 70s and 80s, seems a given, considering it’s the fifth and final mainline entry in the series.Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walkeris another game that seems like it could feature. Originally released for the PSP in 2010 before it was ported to the PS3 and Xbox 360, this canonical entry, which again focuses on Big Boss, takes place in between the events ofMGS3andMetal Gear Solid 5and introduces many gameplay mechanics that were expanded on in the latter.
The other titles on the list of potential inclusions areMetal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, another game made for the PSP, andMetal Gear Rising: Revengeance, a spin-off focusing on the ninja-cyborg Raiden’s exploitsafter the conclusion ofMGS4. It is slightly less likely that either of these end up featuring, however, due to both of these titles being less popular and arguably not being considered canon to the series. Additionally,Risingbeing developed by Platinum Games could complicate things.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater Could Also Arrive in 2024
News ofMetal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater’s upcoming remake during Sony’s PlayStation showcase in May was predictably well-received. The third mainline game in the series is hailed by critics as the strongest of the bunch, and, with it also beingthe first entry inMetal Gear’s convoluted timelinechronologically, it makes perfect sense forSnake Eaterto be the first game to receive the remake treatment.
Only limited footage ofMetal Gear SolidDeltahas been released so far, which shows Snake sneaking through some familiar jungle segments, highlighting the game’s graphical fidelity as well as some obvious improvements to the gameplay mechanics. These include Snake’s ability to sneak while crouching, a mechanic that is almost a given for modern-day stealth titles but was sorely missing from the original game. The success ofDeltacould likely decide whether the otherMetal Gear Solidtitles are also set for remakes, so fans will be hoping that Konami can recreate the magic of the original game while modernizing it for today’s audience. 2024 could prove to be the year that the world is properly reacquainted withMetal Gear Solid.
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1
WHERE TO PLAY
Released in 1998, this was the first 3D title in the METAL GEAR series. The game pioneers 3D stealth action against the threat of war and global nuclear weapons, using live action footage, cinematic cut scenes, interwoven with innovative gameplay.The storyline, a whirlwind of intrigue and betrayal, has been hailed as the greatest story of the 20th century and was the third title in the METAL GEAR series to become a hit in subsequent years.Also included: Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, an exclusive digital Screenplay Book and Master Book that details the story and characters in Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear & Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake.
