Probably old news, but text-searching brought up nothing, so I'll play it safe.

Apparently Play-Asia is taking pre-orders for an MGS anthology, including Substance and Subsistence and a fancy PS2-style case for Metal Gear Solid 1 (the original, not Twin Snakes). I'd be much more excited if I hadn't already tracked the two Subs down already (and the Document of MGS2 is oddly missing). But anyone with a mild interest who has yet to track them down and $35 would be well-served.

This was just announced like 12 hours ago. Good thing too, it's a great deal for guys like me who waited out on the Sub versions.

The link:

http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-43- … -2jtb.html

I think, anyway.  It looks like this is sort of like an Americas version of the Metal Gear 20th Anniversery compilation that was released in Japan a while ago, though its probably nicer to be able to play the S. versions of the games.

If I'm not mistaken, the Japanese compilation did NOT have Substance and Subsistence, only the regular versions.
It did get the old Metal Gear games though, but from what I've heard, you're probably better off with the American version.

Nah, the news was out there for a couple of days yet:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=232378

Still, anything Metal Gear-related is worth mentioning in my book. ;)

Assuming Subsistence will be including the second disc (which features the two MSX games anyway), then yeah, I'd say the U.S. version will be the better value.

My purchase probably hinges on just how cool the "special re-designed packaging artwork" from Shinkawa turns out.  But at the very least, the March release could allude that MGS4 is indeed on target for a Q2 2008 release.  The timing would be perfect for a first-timer of the series to play catch-up, and then immediately launch into the finale.

Yea, I know, thats why I wrote the US pack might be better from a players' perspective  

Now this is what I'm confused about.  If its including Substance/Subsistance, will it also include MGS Intergral?  That seems to be the clear progression.  And don't forget, the Japanese pack also had Portable Ops!

I'm curious about this redesigned packaging too.

EDIT:  That pic on the Neogaf page has to be a mock-up, I hope...

It's Konami.  You can never be too sure.

http://gonintendo.com/?p=14380

So I went ahead and picked up the Essential Collection, I guess mostly for collector's purposes...... and to prove my uber hardcore-ness.  Don't think I'll be opening the package, but I thought this would give me a great excuse to replay the titles in the coming weeks before MGS4 makes its splash.  With that, I plan on sharing a retrospective look at my experiences, then and now, and the series in general.  Ten Solid years.... it really has been that long, hasn't it?

So, we'll begin with Metal Gear Solid.  I remember my first experience with the game, like a lot of people, was through the OPM demo that debuted a month or two before the game hit here in North America in October 1998.  The hype that preceded it completely flew over my head; I was aware that it was some highly-anticipated sequel to two old NES games I had once rented, games I recall being fairly unmemorable and pretty boring.  Stealth in a video game seemed like a pretty lame concept at the time, especially in light of less deliberating games that managed to catch my attention so much more easier like SMB and Contra.

So, it was a lark that I happened to receive the demo.  (As an aside, I remember enjoying the Hot Shots Golf demo as well.)  After my first cycle through the MGS one, I was completely hooked.  That small Dock/Heliport section was pretty much the only thing I played for the weeks leading up to the official NA release.  Everything about it was totally revolutionary; the excellent cinematic direction, full-on voice acting, and the immersive Alaskan atmosphere.  I drained every facet of the demo, discovering how to dispatch the enemies in every conceivable way, always taking turns going through the two different air-duct vents, and deliberately getting discovered just to hear that heart-stopping "Encounter" theme.  I watched the included E3 1998 trailer like a zillion times just to hear the "Metal Gear Solid Main Theme."  (Gosh, I'm hoping like crazy that it really will be featured in MGS4.)

Receiving the final retail game was an awesome day, since that was also the day Xenogears was released.  I went over to the guy at EBGames and said, "I'm here to pick up two 'Gear' titles."  ^_^  It was odd that I was anticipating XG for the longest, but MGS ended up eating away at the bulk of my playtime that season.

Hearing the new English voices for the first time was a shock to me..... Hayter's now-infamous gravelly voice surprised me, as well as Eiding's.  It didn't take long for me to warm up to them, though.  As much respect I have for Akio Ôtsuka, Hayter, to me, will always officially be Snake.... cheers to Kris Zimmerman for going with that direction for the voice.  It'll be interesting to hear how much more gravelly Hayter can pull off for MGS4.

That'll do for now, I think.  I plan to begin playing the game proper this weekend.  Impressions to follow shortly, but I'd sure love to hear if you guys have any stories or anecdotes related to the MGS series.

^ Ah, Xenogears, the reason for the fall of my once die-hard interest in JRPGs; what a horrid game.  I can't believe it's been ten years since that abortion was released.

Why do you hate it so much?

I initially had my doubts about the first Metal Gear Solid. Everyone was going on and on about how it was to be the greatest game to yet be released, and perhaps because of my youthful exuberance and defiance, thought outright the game was going to be a failure.

So it came to pass that my first play of the game came through my friend Karl. He had shown me a part of the game halfway through, and I was at first intrigued by the dynamics presented by the character/enemy interaction. I later asked to borrow the game from him.

Sitting in my room, really late at night, I popped in the game for the first time. I remember the atmosphere. The top notch voice acting coupled with the absolutely dynamic music score coalesced in my mind with the ease one would expect of warm chocolate chip cookies and milk.   

Most importantly, I remember the storyline thoroughly beating me up.

Not much to say about MGS2 that hasn't been said already, though. I didn't hate Raiden as much as other folks seemed to, and I loved the bizarre direction the story took during the later parts, even though I hope it's the last the series sees for some time. Oh, and I had fun messin' with the soldiers using the Stealth Suit in the Cargo Holds, where the general is giving his speech.

As for MGS3? Oh, man . . . Initially turned off by the jungle atmosphere and setting, I gradually fell into the hype shortly before the game hit. I gotta say that the bosses were hit or miss, with The Pain, The Fear and The End being the worst offenders (although they were tempered by The Boss, who aside from being an amazing character, was just an awesome fight).

Hahaha! I remember being amused by the play feature of shooting, capturing and devouring live animals, so you can imagine my surprise when I found out you couldn't cannibalize sleeping soldiers OR their attack dogs.

Interesting story: My brother got up to the fight with Miang on the second disc after suffering through 60 hours of unskippable dialogue. Now, anyone who's played Xenogears knows that Miang is a raging bitch (I don't use that term lightly), and being defeated by her means having to go through the same unskippable cutscenes that precede the fight over and over and over again. My bro was on his 6th or 7th cycle of getting his butt handed to him when, all of a sudden, our memory card craps out and he loses his 60+ hour save file. The moral of the story? Don't buy 3rd-party memory cards or Xenogears. His theory was that the second disc was so incredibly boring and long winded that the memory card chose to commit seppuku rather than go through another second of it. We ended up getting a DexDrive (best investment ever) and just downloaded a save from that point in the game.

That said, Xenogears had an insanely fun battle arena. IMO, the game would have been much more enjoyable had they replaced the turn-based battles with arena-style fights.

Okay, thread hijack over. More on topic, the only Metal Gear game I've played through completely was Ghost Babel for GBC, so I'm not sure if it counts. It was lots of old-school fun, and I still fondly remember many of the VR missions, especially the Donkey Kong one!

For some reason I've never transitioned to the main series. At first I thought it was because I couldn't handle stealth games in 3D,  but I've since gotten the Splinter Cell games and had a blast with them. Actually, now that I think about it, the Essential Collection is a steal at only 35 bucks, so perhaps it's time for me to see what the hooplah is all about!

Never played any of the Metal Gear games.

*runs and hides*

*gasps in horror!*

So can anyone confirm whether or not this has the MSX games in it?

IGN said they weren't included in their review.

The only abortion here is your attitude.  XG was a great game, probably the single best PSX game ever released.

Xenogears was a really awesome game, but in all honesty, the game had some serious faults. Unbalance between gear battles vs on foot battles? An extremely shoddy translation (assuming you played the NA release)? The entire second disc? All of these faults NEEDED to be attended to.

But is it enough of a basis to call the game an abortion? Not in my mind. You had an amazing soundtrack, fully rounded and developed characters, a really ambitious storyline, and a vast scope that made the universe felt really fleshed out. Kevin Leung of ffonline.com once called the game a triumphant mess, and I can't help but agree.

Is Xenogears one of my favorites? Yes. But I won't/can't deny its faults.

With this said, why are your feelings so venomous, Ryu? I can understand not liking it, but outright hating it so much as to call it an abortion escapes me utterly.

Judging by your taste in games, I don't care what you think about my opinion or "attitude", kthx.

Sorry, I didn't notice you asked.  It's rather off-topic, just an aside mentioned by Angela, and I've never got into MGS, didn't expect this sub-topic to go anywhere.  Besides, over 10 years, hasn't this been discussed enough already--like the Sakimoto or Mitsuda hate?  Outside of the opening movie, soundtrack and the on-foot battles, I can't comment on the characters because they could've all caught fire and died for all I care, but the rest of the game was terrible.  I have no idea what the second disc was like---I got tired of the game while climbing some tower.

Glad you liked it though.  And thanks for being respectful in your disagreement and sincere.

Oof, who knew such a seemingly innocuous aside could blow up into this mini explosion?  You guys truly are a buncha krazy kats.

Anyway, it's true: Subsistence's second disc isn't included in the EC package, which means no MSX MG1 or MG2.  But then, this *is* the Metal Gear Solid: Essential Collection; the focus here is, essentially, on the Solid series.  Just to clarify, though - Demo Theater is included, seeing as how all of the game's cutscene data is housed on the first disc anyway.  It's the Secret Theater movies that were featured on the second disc, and are therefore not in this package.

Angela, for MGS, what is it like in the package?  Is it still on CD or is it on DVD?

Heh, that tower....that was probably the worst part of the game (INCLUDING the second disc, which I think gets bashed WAAAAAAAAY too much).  I actually had to skip class because there was no save for like, an hour -- mainly since I kept falling.

-Joshua

It's still a two-CD set -- which means, yeah, you do need to have a PSOne memory card to save your progress.  Or you can create an Internal Memory Card if you're playing it on the PS3, of course.

Just a shout-out that at this point on, I'll be veering into SPOILER TERRITORY.  For those who are eventually planning on playing the series (and I wholeheartedly recommend that you do), you'll probably want to stay away.

---

Right, so I've started playing MGS last night.  Well, not "playing" per se, but I did sit through the twenty-two minute Briefing Files session.  This was actually one of my most favorite parts of the game; I mean, it's Snake, in the buff, and in full mullet regalia - how much more awesome can that get??  It also reintroduces us back to Snake and Campbell, gives us a glimpse at their backstories, and provides us with a complete detailing of the mission at hand.  And it's delivered with such pitch-perfect tone on Hayter and Eiding's part; Snake's initial reluctance toward taking the assignment, and the friction between these two "war buddies"..... it's great.  (For anyone who watches the Briefing Files, make sure to Exit the session immediately after the first file for that added piece where Snake retorts that "He doesn't work for the government anymore.  Let me go back to Twin Lakes."  It adds even more depth between Snake and Campbell.)

And I always chuckle at Snake's quip toward Naomi and her shot; "That was quite a cocktail" and "I guess I can call on you when I'm ready to go on a diet." ;)

So I'm also catching up with all the Kojima Productions Report podcasts that I had missed out on previously.  I love the voice acting ones, in particular David Hayter's, Quinton Flynn's, and Debi Mae West's.  Check 'em out:

David Hayter:
http://mp.i-revo.jp/user.php/kp-ryan/entry/79.html

Quinton Flynn:
http://mp.i-revo.jp/user.php/kp-ryan/entry/128.html

Debi Mae West:
http://mp.i-revo.jp/user.php/kp-ryan/entry/134.html

Particular highlights are when Hayter launches into his trademark "put an exaggerated question mark on everything he says" schtick, Flynn's direct voice contrast to MGS2 Raiden and MGS4 Raiden, and Debi's discussion of her Meryl action figure.  ^_^

Said "hi" to the DARPA Chief, then said "bye."  Ditto for Baker, after disposing of Ocelot. (And yep, he most certainly only lost his hand, NOT his arm.  I'm hoping they'll explain the discrepancy as to why he took up Liquid's arm as a whole, and not just his hand.)  The heart attack bits remain to be thrilling pieces of drama, and even in its more restrictive form, they're cinematic sequences that still hold up unbelievably well.  About to tackle the M1 tank, and lemme just say: George Byrd/Greg Eagles made for a much better Cyborg Ninja voice than Rob Paulsen in Twin Snakes. (Oh snap, I just realized the alias correlation between Byrd and Eagles.  Birds!)  Ah, and ever heard how Snake's voice sounds when he dies in a gas chamber?  It's pretty ghastly.  o_O

It's been an interesting exercise re-adapting to the less refined gameplay of MGS1.  First-person shooting is something I am missing so very much.  I've very nearly forgotten how to shoot a gun properly in this game and as such, I've been taking to the habit of just doing the classic sneak-up and choke-hold snap neck method of killing.  (Hey, no sissy tranqs in this game, right?  It's kill or be killed here.)  It seems that quite a few people didn't know it back in the day, but you can actually run and shoot your weapon at the same time.  It's not the most comfortable method, having to hold "X" while moving, and then having to press "square" to shoot -- but it sure comes in handy later when you're doing the Communications Tower run with the FA-MAS.  Miller also explains the concept of "stalking," which hasn't really been implemented effectively in the series just yet - so I've always found it easy to just crawl on noisy, grated floors.

Well, I'll be cockslapped. Lookin' at Mr. Paulsen's Wiki article. He did Yakko Warner on Animaniacs? Weird . . .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Paulsen

Yeah, I liked him for his work in Animaniacs, and especially TMNT's Raphael.  I remember conversing with his son, Ash, who writes for Games Are Fun.  He staunchly defended his dad's work in The Twin Snakes, naturally. 

I think my biggest problem wasn't necessarily with Paulsen as the Ninja, but as Deepthroat.  He didn't bother switching up the voice tonality for those codec sequences, so it made it fairly obvious that Ninja and Deepthroat were one and the same.   That follows toward the pivotal near-end scene with him saving Snake from REX, where he retains the same, lifeless monotonous tone.  In the original, his 'normal' voice portrayed that he at least had a shred of humanity, of Gray Fox, left in him. 

Of course, I'd blame that more on voice direction - because there's no denying Rob's versatile voice talent.  He could likely nail any requested voice you give him.

Just beat both the M1 and Cyborg Ninja.  I am reminded that MGS1 still excels at having the most well designed boss battles in the series.  I think it's the confines of the gameplay that make it so; it forces variety upon the player, and for them to make due with the resources that they have.  Comparatively, MGS2 and MGS3's fundamental basis of winning is to just enter first-person view and shoot.  MGS1 has you tangled in a runabout shootout around a C4-laden room, tossing precision-based grenades at a seemingly impregnable tank, and partaking in an epic multi-phase hand-to-hand duel.  That's not even mentioning evading pattern-based flying objects, sniping, stinger-shooting, and a tense hide 'n seek pursuit in a frozen warehouse later on.  Sure, they have variations of these concepts in the later games, but MGS1 still stands out for its originality and amazing execution.

I'm dying to see how MGS4's boss battles will play out.  Those ladies look damned-near unstoppable. o_O

Agreed, MGS1's boss battles are great. The only bad thing about that is the stretches of normal gameplay between them are somewhat dwarfed because of that to the point the game seems to be a series/chain of boss battles than anything else despite how involving the codec conversations tend to be.

"Snake, do you like me?  Hold me, Snake!  Ooh, hurry!  Make love to me!  Snake, I want you!" - Angela Li.... I mean, Meryl Silverburgh, MGS.

That bit with Mantis' mind-reading before the battle is still a wild trip.  This time, I'm a "very methodical man, the type that always kicks his tires before he leaves."  I'm careful with traps, yet I have not saved often, and am therefore somewhat reckless.  And he still knows I like Castlevania and Suikoden.

Oh Hideo, you crazy bastard of a genius, you.  "Did you like it?"  Hell yeah, I love it.

i remember that thing with suikoden and castlevania very cleary. the first time it freaked me out like nothing else before it.

it was just a second before i realised how he knew, but that second i tell you, will be forever burned into my gaming brain.

Shit, I clear plum forgot about that! How the feck could I? Or when the screen goes blank and it says "VIDEO" on top of the screen. Not only is Mantis just an awesome character, but his fight was one of the best I've seen in a video game, topped maybe only by Kojima's later efforts with ZOE and it's sequel.

Sheeeit, mang. I saw the goddamn Essential Collection at Traders the other day, but alas! Money and I go together like, like . . . a really broke guy and an empty wallet.

.