Metal Gear Solid Master Collection on Switch is a Physical Game Collector’s Worst Nightmare

The ability to take Metal Gear Solid and its subsequent releases on the go sounds like a dream come true, but as Nintendo Switch owners may soon find out, it’s more along the lines of a nightmare. An eagle-eyed Twitter user noticed something particularly interesting about the newly released collection.

I’ve been dreaming of the day that I could play Metal Gear Solid on my Nintendo Switch, but I may just have to invest digitally since most of the included games aren’t even on the cartridge. As Dino-Crisis fan @Jawmuncher showcases on their Twitter page, the physical Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol.1 on Nintendo Switch contains a hefty digital download alongside the cartridge. On this physical cartridge, you’ll find the following items:

• Metal Gear (MSX)
• Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (MSX)
• Metal Gear (NES)
• Snakes Revenge (NES)

While @Jawmuncher may have been hoping that the Japanese edition wouldn’t have met the same fate, YouTuber @Genki_JPN posted this in reply:

No matter where you are in the world, it appears that you can’t avoid this issue. Alongside the games on the cartridge, an additional 30GB download is required, giving players access to the other games included in this collection, rather than Konami springing for the larger Switch Cartridge to include them all in one package. This could be an issue for those in rural communities or those using internet connections with limited data, as they may not be able to even access their full game.

It’s a shame to see that this “collection” has been split up as it has been, since many gamers may not have known about the digital downloads before purchasing a physical copy. While it may look great on your shelf, the preservationist in me is shuddering at the possibility of what Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 2 could be if the rumored titles are included.