Word from early previews of the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection suggested that the Switch version would run at just 30 FPS, a serious downgrade for Metal Gear Solid 2 in particular. Now Konami has confirmed in no uncertain terms that the Master Collection versions of MGS2 and 3 are capped at 30 FPS.
Metal Gear fans have gotten used to playing MGS2 and 3 at 60 FPS over the years. MGS2 has run at 60 FPS since its original release on PS2 back in 2001. MGS3 opted for more detailed visuals and a 30 FPS cap on the console, but the HD Collection remaster for PS3 and Xbox 360, itself now over a decade old, expanded the frame rate to 60 FPS.
Those HD Collection remasters serve as the basis for the new Master Collection versions. In a new table posted to the collection's official site, Konami confirms that the Switch versions of MGS2 and 3 will run at just 30 FPS. On all other platforms, those games run at 60 FPS. While the Switch certainly doesn't have the processing power of a PS5, you'd think it could outdo a gosh-darned PS2.
Technically, this is old news. Konami said in a statement to VGC a month ago that the Switch version of Master Collection would run at 30 FPS. But I had a hard time believing it. Surely - surely - MGS2 could not really run worse than it did on its original platform, right? There had to be a translation error, or a miscommunication. Maybe Konami was talking about the first MGS for PS1, which was hard-coded for 30 FPS and was never likely to be upgraded.
But no, Switch really is running MGS2 at a lower frame rate than the PS2. In fairness, the Switch version is displaying the game at a much higher resolution than was possible on PS2, which eats into the port's performance potential. As a longtime Metal Gear fan I'm still looking forward to this collection in large part due to the inclusion of obscure bonus material like the Digital Graphic Novels, but my hopes for a truly definitive edition of these games are starting to dwindle.
You might be surprised how many of the best PS2 games ran at 60 FPS, even way back then.
