Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection

Released in a spring when many Hideo Kojima fans were awaiting the projected summer launch of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots on PlayStation 3, this PlayStation 2 compilation offers a way to catch up on the series’ backstory while playing (or replaying) three acclaimed stealth games from earlier PlayStation systems. It includes a PlayStation 2 port of the original PlayStation version of Metal Gear Solid—often credited with defining the stealth genre—along with the Director’s Cut editions of its two PS2 sequels: Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance and Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence.

Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection compiles three cornerstone games from the Metal Gear Solid series, tracing the rise of its stealth espionage storytelling. Players follow covert operatives through conspiracies, political conflict, and high-tech warfare, with each entry building on the series’ interconnected timeline. The collection is designed to help players catch up on the backstory leading into later Metal Gear Solid installments.