Metal Gear Solid 4 arrives on PC and modern consoles
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Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 has launched, finally bringing Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots to PC and modern consoles after being confined to PlayStation 3 since its 2008 debut. The 2008 title is widely regarded as Hideo Kojima's most personal and divisive work, and its long-standing lack of backward compatibility had made it inaccessible to most players for well over a decade, so its return is being treated as a significant event by critics and fans of the series.
Reviews have been strong, with the collection scoring 85 on Metacritic and 84 on OpenCritic, as critics praised the chance to revisit the game despite acknowledging flaws such as self-indulgent pacing and lengthy cutscenes. The new 4K, 60fps presentation was widely welcomed as a clear technical upgrade, and outlets including Polygon and Kotaku highlighted the game's prescient anti-war themes and Kojima's complex, self-reflective approach to the franchise. The set also includes the PSP title Peace Walker and Metal Gear: Ghost Babel, a Game Boy Color entry making its first ever re-release, though reviewers noted the collection's presentation remains fairly bare-bones.
- Metal Gear Solid 4 is now playable on PC and modern consoles.
- Master Collection Vol. 2 scored 85 on Metacritic, 84 on OpenCritic.
- Set also includes Peace Walker and rare Ghost Babel re-release.
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Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots first came out in 2008 as an exclusive title for Sony's PlayStation 3, part of Hideo Kojima's long-running Metal Gear series of stealth-action games. It followed an ageing version of series hero Solid Snake through a story dealing with private military companies, drone warfare and the ethics of modern conflict. Because it never appeared on other platforms, it became one of the best-known "PlayStation exclusive" games never to be widely replayed by newer audiences.
The game has now been made available on PC and current-generation consoles as part of a bundle called the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection: Vol. 2, which also includes two other older Metal Gear titles. This matters partly because it lets a much wider audience play a historically significant game for the first time, and partly because it comes soon after Sony closed down the PS3's online store, making older PS3-only games harder to access through official channels.
Discussion around the re-release tends to focus on two things: how well a game designed for 2008 hardware and pacing holds up by today's standards, and how relevant its themes around drones, private military contractors and technology in warfare still feel almost two decades later.
Coverage
- Polygon — There Will Never Be Another Game Like Metal Gear Solid 4
- GameSpot — Metal Gear Solid 4 escapes PS3 exclusivity in new collection