When I got Volume 1 of the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection last year, for me, a man who basically still lives in 2005 when it comes to the video games he plays, it felt like I’d received the second-to-last stone of the Infinity Gauntlet. Finally, one of the best, biggest, most iconic series in console gaming had made the transition to PC (though, to be fair, GOG had the OG PC versions of 1 and 2 for a while before that). Sure, the ports left a little to be desired, but even the rickety state of the games couldn’t dampen my excitement at finally having MGS3 on a platform I actually own.
I say the “second to last” brick because of course some games were missing, right? The first volume of the Master Collection only contained the original Metal Gears, plus Metal Gear Solid 1 through 3. Games like Peace Walker, Acid, Ghost Babel, and Portable Ops were all missing, as was – most notably – Metal Gear Solid 4, the only entry in the main series that hasn’t been properly ported to at least one other platform since its release on the PS3 16 years ago.
But I have a feeling our long national nightmare may be coming to an end soon. In a chat with IGN, Konami producer Noriaki Okamura was asked point blank about the possibility of MGS4 appearing in a future Master Collection release. His response was basically a nod: “We are definitely aware of this situation with MGS4. Unfortunately, we can’t say much about it right now, as Vol. 1 contains MGS 1-3, dot, dot, dot… you can probably connect the dots!”
I’ve played a lot of Phoenix Wright in my life, so I’m something of a sleuth, and all my deductive powers tell me that Okamura is millimeters away from saying, “Yeah, we’re obviously planning on including MGS4 in a future release.” This would finally free the game from the console shackles it’s been trapped in for over a decade (and free me from my semi-annual compulsion to check used PS3 prices on eBay).
Plus, this isn’t the only sign we have that MGS4 is coming soon. Back in June of last year, fans found hints on the Metal Gear website that the game would also appear in a future collection. As funny as it would be if Okamura’s points ended up being “We’re not doing anything with MGS4, so stop asking about it,” I don’t think he’d be using such a coy tone if Konami wasn’t working somewhere behind the scenes to bring the game to modern platforms.
For now, however, it seems Okamura and co. are focused on Volume 1 of the Master Collection and the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 3 remake. “Right now, we’re still internally concerned about what we should do for the future of the series,” he told IGN, “but stay tuned!”
