Konami finally announced the heavily rumoured Metal Gear Solid 3 remake during last nights PlayStation Showcase, alongside a collection of the original trilogy.
The worst-kept secret in games has finally arrived! After months of speculation and rumours Konami officially revealed a remake of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is in development during last nights PlayStation Showcase (although it's not a PS5 exclusive as previously rumoured). while also revealing the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 which brings the original trilogy to modern platforms.
After a nature documentary-esque trailer showing various animals munching each other in the jungle, Naked Snake appeared from the darkness as the bond-inspired theme song plays and it's revealed that Metal Gear Solid 3 remake will be joining Mortal Kombat 1 in the competition for strangest name reveal of the year, being titled Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater (which means Metal Gear Solid Delta and not Metal Gear Solid Triangle).
Alongside Metal Gear Solid Delta, Konami announced that classic Metal Gear Solid titles would finally be getting a re-release on modern platforms with Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 which collects Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and the original Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and brings them to modern platforms.
This finally brings an end to the frankly ridiculous fact that the last console to have the original Metal Gear Solid trilogy available was the PS Vita / PS3. This release is labelled as Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1, which implies more titles will be on the way to modern systems, hopefully the never-before-ported Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots frees itself of the PS3 and finally gets a re-release, as it and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker will soon be the only Canon entries in the series unavailable.
Kept you waiting huh?
It's pure speculation on my part but presumably this name change might signal that the Metal Gear Solid 3 remake may be similar to Final Fantasy 7 Remake and bring new story elements into the game to spin off it's own continuation of the series (especially since the original is being made available again). Although a Konami press release claims the remake will be "a faithful recreation of the original story and game design, while evolving the gameplay with stunning visuals and a seamless user experience" while also announcing the return of the original voice cast.
Truth be told I'm nervous about this remake, considering Konami haven't really made any major AAA titles like this since Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain back in 2015. Plus going with a remake of Metal Gear Solid 3 – perhaps the most beloved entry in the series (and my pick for greatest game of all time) – rather than the safer option of the first Metal Gear Solid.
Plus this will mark the first non-Metal Gear Survive game to be released following the departure of series creator Hideo Kojima, who left Konami back in 2015. Obviously games are not made by just one person, but Kojima's DNA and quirks are felt through every part of the series, so it'll be interesting to see how they fare without him on board.
That being said, I would love to be proven wrong. I was also similarly hesitant about the Resident Evil 4 Remake, which I ended up reviewing very positively while maintaining that it's more of a re-imagining than a replacement of the original. Considering there's going to be a way to enjoy the original version of the Metal Gear Solid 3 on modern systems, I'm feeling a bit less worried because even if it's not as good, the original is still there.
Metal Gear Solid is my favourite series of all time, and while I do have some misgivings about this remake, I'm also happy to finally see something new to look forward to from the series after the eight-year drought following Metal Gear Solid 5 – we don't count Metal Gear Survive.
