The Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 is finally here, offering players the chance to revisit the first five mainline games in the Metal Gear franchise, along with a handful of spinoffs. The first major release since 2018's Metal Gear Survive, Master Collection Vol. 1 is an absolute joy, compiling these classic games together for modern audiences. Compilations and re-releases always come with a sense of reappraisal and one game that especially benefits from the reevaluation of its inclusion in Master Collection Vol. 1 is 2001's Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty.
Originally released for the PlayStation 2, Sons of Liberty takes place in 2007 and 2009, a few years after the events of 1998's Metal Gear Solid. In the wake of covert operative Solid Snake's disappearance, a rookie named Raiden is tasked with rescuing the American President from an oceanic environmental protection platform Big Shell. Learning that the federal government is secretly puppeteered by a shadow organization known as the Patriots, Raiden moves to stop the villainous Solidus Snake, who plots to seize control of the Patriots through the help of an advanced artificial intelligence.
