Highlights
- The upcoming Metal Gear Solid Master Collection will finally allow players to pause cutscenes, a common frustration for fans of the series.
- However, there is a catch. After pausing, there is a 10-second loading time before the menu appears, which may disappoint some players.
- Considering that the game is from a different era of gaming, it's understandable that adding pause functionality may come with technical limitations, but it's still a welcome addition.
A leak ahead of the October 24 launch of the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection has confirmed that players will now be able to pause cutscenes, but with a catch. The inability to pause during cutscenes in not just Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2, and Metal Gear Solid 3, but also the games' HD remasters from 2011, has been a common subject of frustration. That will apparently be changing in the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection. It just won't work as fluidly as some Metal Gear Solid fans may have hoped.
It may be difficult for Metal Gear Solid fans to consider, but it has now been 25 years since the release of Metal Gear Solid on the original PlayStation. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is only six years younger, making it nearly 19 years old. These are games from a different era of gaming. Pausing during cutscenes simply wasn't something technology was prepared to handle at the time. But it's 2023 now and expectations have changed dramatically.
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While official details regarding the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection's new pause functionality have been shared, leaked footage of the game has seemingly confirmed the feature. Footage shared by YouTube user Irreducible 86ff shows the pause functionality being used in the modern port of the original Metal Gear Solid. Footage isn't shown for Metal Gear Solid 2 or Metal Gear Solid 3, but it's likely safe to assume the functionality is carried over.
There is a catch regarding the Metal Gear Solid cutscene pause functionality, however. While pausing the game appears to be immediate, there's what seems to be 10 seconds of loading time after. The player pauses the game and then has to wait for the menu to open. It's unclear if pausing can be ended immediately without waiting for the loading to finish. Regardless, it's a strange side effect of adding pause functionality to Metal Gear Solid's cutscenes.
Even without explicit confirmation of the feature, it's easy to understand why Metal Gear Solid's port might have issues with pause functionality. This is a game from 1998, and it hasn't been remade for the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection. Who knows how much work developer Virtuos had to put into the game to add cutscene pauses. It's a miracle the game doesn't crash. 10 seconds of loading for the menu to come up is a fair tradeoff.
In the end, most Metal Gear Solid Master Collection players probably won't be too frustrated by the odd pause delay. Those pausing the game probably have other things to do for 10 seconds, anyway. With hope, the feature will also be improved for Metal Gear Solid 2 and Metal Gear Solid 3. Konami or Virtuos may provide further information prior to or after launch.
Metal Gear Solid Master Collection releases October 24 on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, and Xbox Series X/S.
