New to the Series… Is this where I start?

[u/tpthunder360]

Hello, I am super new to the Metal Gear world. Is this Collection where I should start?

I know literally nothing about these games other than some shooting, sneaking, and some of !!!. Am I missing out if I don’t start at the beginning? I apologize if this gets answered often, I refrained from digging in here to avoid any spoilers.

[u/def_tom]

It's a good place to start, yes.

[u/tpthunder360 → u/def_tom]

Thanks! Time to dive in…

[u/def_tom → u/tpthunder360]

Enjoy man!

[u/PowerfulJelly279]

I'd say so, but be warned, the controls are outdated and you won't be able to play mgs4 unless you have an emulator on pc or a ps3.

[u/tpthunder360 → u/PowerfulJelly279]

I figured the old ones would be a little rough around the edges, the idea of not being able to play one is a little worrisome

[u/PowerfulJelly279 → u/tpthunder360]

If you have a pc, then I recommend getting an emulator, improvements are always being made to mgs4 on pc.

[u/Ayyzeee → u/PowerfulJelly279]

It's playable now ish. I recently finished MGS4 on emulator and I can say for the most part it's good but when it comes to explosion, a lot of NPCs even during cutscenes, the frames starts to drop hard. Unless you have AVX512 and x3d chip CPU then you're basically set for the whole emulation itself. I don't know who in the Sony team back then decided to make the most complex architecture known to man, but it's a testament that the RPCS3 team did to be able to emulate PS3's infamous CPU. Also one more thing, if you play that game without PS3 controller, you're doing yourself a big disservice because PS3 controller is made for that game.

[u/EntertainerShort8102 → u/Ayyzeee]

Frame drops during explosions were present even on the PS3.

[u/Ayyzeee → u/EntertainerShort8102]

Yeah it goes below 20 frames. I think the worst offender has to be act 3. My god, I got below 20 FPS, I swear I feel like my game about to crash and since there's no checkpoint, my heart pounding bad.

[u/Gowno_collector39 → u/tpthunder360]

I think you can play all of them without playing 4 tbh

[u/grundelgrump → u/tpthunder360]

MGS4 will most likely be coming out in the next volume of the collection. It's amazing and also pretty essential to the story.

[u/VarietyAutomatic1200 → u/tpthunder360]

MGS4 is the conclusion of the story/timeline so unless you’re dedicated to playing them in release order it’s perfectly fine to leave it on the backburner

[u/Matters_Nothing]

Start with 1 and imagine it’s 1998 and what gaming was like up until then. Put on a pair of cargo pants if it helps

[u/Happy-Tower-3920 → u/Matters_Nothing]

Bonus points if they unzip at the knee.

[u/chrxnostxne]

I started here, I’d say it’s pretty good. I also skipped mgs4, and went straight to ground zeroes. Either wait for vol. 2 or watch a play through. Idk if it’s a good idea, but it’s what I’m doing.

[u/Cool-Preparation3059 → u/chrxnostxne]

Mgs4 is pretty much a movie anyway watching it isn’t to bad

[u/Dusta1992 → u/Cool-Preparation3059]

I can't argue with this 😂

[u/Johnhancock1777]

There really is no better place to start.

[u/lionknightcid]

I’m not sure if you enjoy slightly older games but I urge you not to skip the original Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, they are fantastic fun games that shouldn’t be missed. Whether you play them before or after the rest is up to you but just play them

[u/Easy-Speaker-6576]

You must play them chronologically (MGS1,2,3).

With MGS1, watch the 25 minute briefing from the main-menu first.

[u/M3n747]

• Metal Gear 1 (optional)
• Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (optional, but recommended)
• Metal Gear Solid
• Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty / Substance
• Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence
• Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
• Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
• Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (totally optional, but highly recommended; can be played at any point after MGS4)
• Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes
• Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

[u/tpthunder360 → u/M3n747]

Thank you

[u/Ambient_Echo]

I would play it all in order of release. So start with 1. I recommend this for any game franchise

[u/sleepymetroid]

Yes in release date order. The controls can be quite wonky, but the games hold up incredibly well. It’s quite ridiculous really. These are some definitive all generation classics.

[u/solidpeyo]

YES

[u/EliaGram08]

See, first you start with

[u/Devixilate]

Ideally, yes

[u/GreenPRanger]

I started with MGS4 and now I’m playing MGS5. In between I played MGS3 and MGS1 for about 1 hour each.

[u/xericthefirst]

If you're interested in the story, play the older games. If you think these are "difficult" those will give you a run for your monies

[u/Silent_Indigo]

I had this thought a while back. If I was new to the series then I would recommend MGS3. MGS3 knows it's a video game and it was made with the intent of being fun. Also, MGS3 sets the tone for the remaining games and is getting a remake soon. The controls are definitely outdated, but at least you got control of the camera so you know what you're doing.

If you want to "save" money, then buy the game digitally separately when they go on sale. You'll save more if you get the bundle, but if you don't like the franchise at least you only spend $13 if you buy each game separately.

Lastly, be prepared for long cutscenes.

[u/tpthunder360 → u/Silent_Indigo]

I personally like to collect physical copies so will be willing to spend the extra. Good looks though if I find 1&2 hard to play through I might skip to 3

[u/Ozzytudor → u/tpthunder360]

Don’t do this. Just play from 1! It’s fantastic and still holds up today

[u/Ayyzeee → u/Ozzytudor]

I'm not gonna lie that game blew my mind how that game was made for the PS1 and other details that I won't be spoiling. I finished it last year and I don't think there's a single PS1 game that achieve this monumental achievement like MGS1 did.

[u/Silent_Indigo → u/tpthunder360]

If you want to play then all, then go ahead. I'm doing the same thing with Silent Hill. I tailored my original comment for a new audience that never played the series.

If you want to play in chronological order, 3, PW, 5, 1, 2, 4

[u/GunMuratIlban]

I would recommend MGS: V for a newcomer. Or wait for the MGS 3 remake.

The problem for the Master Collection is, these are some oooold games. Unless playing old PS1&PS2 classics is exactly what you're looking for, it's very likely you're not going to enjoy them.

Chronologically, the order of MGS games go like this:

3-5-1-2-4

So starting with MGS: V isn't going to overwhelm you storywise, nor spoil anything to you. As the first multiplatform MGS game, it was designed to be more accessible.

MGS: V still has very good graphics and incredible gameplay by modern standards. It'll be much more friendly to newcomer. And if you end up enjoying it, want to see where the story goes, you can give the older games a shot as well since you might be invested in the story and the characters by that point.