When Metal Gear Solid first hit shelves back in ’98, it brought Konami an unprecedented amount of praise and profit. The natural next step would be to begin working on a sequel ASAP, which the company did, but it also looked for quicker ways to make even more money off of its masterpiece.
One such way was by creating Metal Gear Solid: Integral.
What is Metal Gear Solid: Integral
MGS: Integral wasn’t a new game nor exactly a Director’s Cut. It was the original Metal Gear Solid in a more complete package that only came out in Japan. The original MGS release consisted of two discs, whereas MGS Integral consisted of three discs. The first two discs contained the original game with the English voice dub and featured a bunch of extra customization options (that were previously only present in the PAL and American NTSC versions, such as difficulty options, as well as a tuxedo outfit for Solid Snake). The final disc featured a pack of specialized VR training missions.
Konami would continue the trend of releasing deluxe versions of their games with Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance, and Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence.
What is Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions
Unlike the two other expanded editions of the original Metal Gear Solid trilogy, MGS: Integral only came out for the PS1 in Japan. People who lived outside of Japan and wanted access to the extra playable material from MGS: Integral would have to acquire a game called Metal Gear Solid: VR missions separately.
VR Missions didn’t require players to own the original game, but many still saw it as a cash grab upon release. Still, it does feature some really cool extra VR training missions as well as some extremely fun special missions. I’m not joking when I say that many of these could only have come out of Hideo Kojima’s mind.
Getting either Integral or VR Missions is a great idea for die-hard fans of the series.
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 contains all content from MGS Integral, MGS2 Substance, and MGS3 Subsistence. You can now get it for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series S|X, and PC.
