Despite the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection coming out for consoles back in November of last year, the Vita version of the game only finally hit shelves in June. Now many months later, and minus one of its key components, does the Collection still have what it takes to sneak into players hearts or has it gone to (trans)far in the wrong direction?

This review will not go much into the way of detail in regards to the individual games that make up this overall collection. Mainly because I believe the chances of anyone reading this not having at least a basic level of familiarity with Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 to be slim at best and even if that is the case, there are plenty of other outlets out there already with that information. I will say this much however: divested of all the hype and negative feedback (the latter being something I never really got in the first place; I loved MGS2 then and I love it now) that surrounded its release (and further helped admittedly by having the context of later games in the series in regards to some of the odder and more esoteric moments of its story), MGS2 in particular is worth a revisit.

This was a game completely ahead of its time, from its surprisingly open (but not open world; the difference is important) design and subtle, understated approach to morality to is almost frighteningly prophetic and relevant-to-today story, the supposed black sheep of the MGS series is just waiting to surprise newcomer and old foggy alike. Which is not to say MGS3 is any less equally a classic; it is more a case that it was far better received in its heyday than MGS2 and thus is already generally acknowledged almost universally as the brilliant game it is. Regardless, both MGS2 and MGS3 are genuine classics that stand as some of the best examples of quality game design ever produced and should be required playing for everyone from the student of the medium to someone just looking for a great time.

I take a lot of pride that I have beaten both MGS2 and 3 in the past without killing anyone.

So if the games themselves are unquestionably worth playing, the question still remains: is this the version of them to play? The quick answer: no; the long answer is rather more involved and I will start with what has to be my single largest area of contention. Namely the fact that the Vita version of the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, unlike its console big brothers, inexplicably does not include Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. It is simply bizarre that the one game in the HD Collection that started life explicitly as a portable title is also the one gets left out from the portable version of said collection. Konami claims that this was done because the game is already available for Vita via the PSP version of Peace Walker. Since the Vita does, in their own words, “a good job of upscaling Peace Walker anyway” the company felt they should “save their resources” by not including the HD version of Peace Walker on the Vita. (Source: http://www.kjp.konami.jp/gs/hideoblog_e/2012/03/000257.html#more).

While technically players can indeed download the PSP version of Peace Walker to the Vita, this is only possible if they also own a PS3. This is because, as of this writing, Peace Walker is not among the games available for Vita from its own dedicated version of the PS Store. Instead would-be players must buy the PSP version of the game from the PS3 version of the store and then transfer it to the Vita via the USB cord. Of greater importance is that while the Vita does indeed upscale the graphics of PSP games, this is not the same thing as an HD conversion, especially in the frame rate department (the PSP version of Peace Walker being notably capped at 20 FPS as opposed to its HD console counterpart). Nor does the PSP version of Peace Walker allow for the much vaunted ‘transfarring’ capability (i.e. the ability to transfer the same save date between the PS3 and PS Vita versions of the titles included in both collections) that Konami was hawking as a major selling point for PS3/PS Vita versions of the game in the first place.

Welcome to the jungle, we got fun 'n' games.

Most damming of all, Peace Walker is currently $29.99 when purchased by way of PSN while the Vita HD Collection currently goes for $39.99 retail or $34.99 from the PS Store. Meanwhile, the Xbox 360/PS3 versions of the HD Collection currently run for around $39.99 new from most major retailers (and when initially released these versions of the Collection were still only priced at the suggested retail price of $49.99). Essentially, Konami is asking Vita owners to pay up to $25 to $30 dollars more for an inferior version of the same ontent given to console owners of the MGSHDC. This is simply unacceptable no matter how one looks at it, and it is a major mark against this version of the Collection.

Leaving aside the issue of the content that the Vita version of the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection does not feature for the moment, how do the games that Konami did bother to include actually fare? For the most part very well, though even on this front there were enough problems to not make the Vita a better platform to play these games over its console counterparts. For one thing, a number of vital gameplay functions ended up being mapped to my old enemy (at least as far as Vita games are concerned): the touch screen. These included zooming using the front screen, stabbing with the rear panel, and swiping the sides of the front screen to look around corners when up against a wall. If none of these functions ever worked particularly smoothly, the problems this caused were nothing compared to the awkwardness involved with the other major gameplay element mapped to the touch screen: the weapons and items menus.

While Raiden has his own great arc, MGS2 is still ultimately Snake’s story; its just told from the perspective of a newcomer.

As anyone who has ever played a Metal Gear Solid game will be able to attest, these menus are among the most vital aspects of this series’ gameplay, which in turn means anything that impedes their use for someone is a problem that was going to come up constantly. Unlike their decision not to include Peace Walker however, I can at least sympathize with Konami’s choice to use the touch screen for this gameplay function considering the Vita’s lack of a second set of shoulder buttons and the need to use the ones the system does have for the first-person mode. And to be fair, the navigation of these menus was still functional, but I still constantly found myself selecting the incorrect item or weapon by accident or triggering the wrong function when trying to use the touch screen. For me at least, the various touch controls the games implemented never felt as natural or easy to us as I would have liked.

Also annoying was the way the Vita version of the Collection forces players to quit out from the game entirely in order to switch between titles or even return to the title screen of the current game being played. The lack of ability to pause cutscenes, an especially important feature for any portable game with cutscenes as long and frequent as the ones found in MGS2 and MGS3, was also frustrating. Finally, the load times for both games were distinctly longer on the Vita (generally by about twenty to thirty seconds) in comparison to the console versions of the Collection. Again, none of these aforementioned problems, taken either individually or as a whole, were to level they should be considered game breakers and in all other aspects, including graphics, audio, and general controls (minus the touch screen functions of course), these ports of the MGS games functioned brilliantly.

Of course exposing one's chest makes total sense in the middle of oncoming enemy fire. Why do you ask?

While the flaws within the games that make up this collection would have been tolerable on their own, taken in conjunction with the lack of inclusion of Peace Walker they represent an insurmountable problem. For anyone who owns a Vita without also owning either an Xbox 360 or a PS3 (a scenario I find fairly unlikely) or who is really, truly, absolutely desperate to take MGS2/3 with them on the go, this version of the MGS HD Collection might suffice. For everyone else, there is simply no reason to waste time or money on this stripped downed and ultimately flawed collection. The fact of the matter remains that a version of this collection exists that not only has none of the Vita’s flaws but also includes an entire additional (and brilliant in its own right) title for the same cost. I do have to admit that I did enjoy the opportunity to revisit these classics games from yesteryear. Even with some problems, these are still some of best video games ever made and every true gamer owes it to themselves to own some version of them. Just not this version.

A review copy of this collection was provided by the game’s publisher for Vita via PSN. The reviewer spent approximately 25 hours playing the collection and completed all four games included in it.

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