Peace Walker encourages nonviolence more than any other Metal Gear game, as you can recruit soldiers you don't kill.In this day and age of waning console exclusivity, it’s been nothing short of surprising to see Metal Gear Solid’s continuing allegiance to the PlayStation suite of consoles. However, most gamers will argue that any Metal Gear Solid is better than none at all, so we’re counting our blessings for getting three of Snake’s greatest adventures reborn in HD.
After the slightly askew first take of MGS 2 on Xbox (with Substance in 2002), we’re happy to say the game is at its best in this incarnation. The stealth mechanics introduced in the PS1 original were refined to near-perfection in what’s still one of the best videogames of all time. MGS 3 is a little rougher around the edges and there’s too much digging (in menus to change camouflage and in the brush to avoid detection), but the Cold War is a much more memorable setting. Plus, MGS 3 manages to outdo the original game’s epic boss battles.
Metal Gear Solid 2's VR Missions can be just as addicting as the standard campaign.Peace Walker emerges as an outlier, as the game lacks lip-synched cutscenes and delves out missions in 5- to 10-minute chunks that may not be up Xbox gamers’ alleys. Still, the controls are a bit more user-friendly, multiplayer is a nice addition, and the army-management aspects manage to work within the MGS confines, so we’ll place Peace Walker at a very close third.
It’s easy to pick nits about the weird Achievement appropriation, the fact that the games lack HD detail such as animated hair and high-quality lip-synching, and that two of the franchise’s best games are absent. But the fact that three of the best stealth games ever made look even better in a $50 Xbox 360 package should put this collection on your radar.
MGS 3 provides an early look at series antagonist Revolver Ocelot.Publisher: Konami • Developer: KCEJ/Kojima Prod./Blue Point Games • ESRB: Mature • Multiplayer: 4 in co-op, 6 in versus over Xbox Live (Peace Walker only) • Achievements: 2,000G! • Cost: $50
+ Two of the greatest stealth games of all time now look better than ever.
+ Each game brings a very different stealth experience to the package.
- Some elements look antiquated in HD; Peace Walker shows its PSP roots.
? Where are Metal Gear Solid and MGS 4, Konami?
