Metal Gear fans are likely busy working their way through the recent Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater remake, but those looking to add a unique piece to their Metal Gear merch collection back at Mother Base should take a quick detour to procure the official Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain strategy guide. Not only is it–surprisingly–still available at Amazon nearly a decade after it first launched, it’s also discounted to $19.70 (was $25).
This a cool piece of official merch for the final game in the Metal Gear series–though if you haven’t played the game it’s based on yet, you can also grab The Phantom Pain and its standalone prequel chapter, Ground Zeroes, for just $23 on PlayStation or PC with the Metal Gear Solid V: The Definitive Experience.
$19.70 (was $25)
This paperback guide sits at 368 pages, offering an in-depth look at everything you’d ever need to know about The Phantom Pain. From detailed mission walkthroughs to diagrams and analysis of the game’s many systems, the guide leaves no stone unturned. It also comes with a story recap–so even if you’ve lost track of what’s happening in the convoluted MGS universe, you should be able to dive into MGS V without any trouble.
As an added bonus, it comes with a poster that offers a detailed look at the world map.
The guide was published by Piggback, a company that’s published guides for Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Cyberpunk 2077, and other high-profile games. It’s also from the same team that previously worked on guides for other Metal Gear Solid titles–so it’s all but guaranteed to offer an accurate, in-depth look at MGS V.
A Collector’s Edition of the guide was also released, but is out of print. This version includes a few exclusive goodies like a lithograph by Yoji Shinkawa and an art gallery. It’s hard to come by, but new and used copies occasionally surface from third-party resellers on Amazon.
Of course, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is the title stealing the spotlight right now. Our review gave it a superb 9/10, as it does a wonderful job of remastering one of the best PS2 games for modern audiences. If you’re interested in picking it up, the Tactical Edition is available for $68 at multiple online retailers (was $70). This is essentially the standard physical edition of the game, but it includes some extra DLC. PC players can also purchase the Steam version for just $52.38 (was $70) at Fanatical. Die-hard fans can also grab the $200 physical Collector’s Edition, which is still in stock at Amazon. It includes the base game, bonus DLC content, and a selection of collectibles like a diorama display of Snake sneaking through the forest, embroidered patches, and an exclusive metal case for the game.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater Deals
If you started with The Phantom Pain or Delta and want to work through the earlier entries in the series, you’ll want to check out the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1.
This collection includes Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty HD, and the original Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater HD, plus the original MSX versions of Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, and animated Metal Gear Solid graphic novels. The physical edition is available for $30 (was $60) on Switch, Xbox, and PS5, or you can grab it digitally on consoles and PC. The Steam version is available at Fanatical for $45 (was $60).
Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1
It’s worth noting that while the Master Collection will get you most of the games in the series in a single package, it’s missing the rest of the mainline series–including Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain plus standalone prequel chapter Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes–not to mention the many Metal Gear spinoffs like Metal Gear: Survive and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. Those entries will show up in an ostensible future Master Collection Volume–or even as additional remakes similar to Delta–but Konami has not announced any plans for those just yet.
Unfortunately, as it stands, it’s hard to play several of those entries; the PS3-exclusive Metal Gear Solid 4 and PSP-exclusive Peace Walker are not currently available on modern consoles or PC. But as mentioned above, you can at least grab the latest game in the mainline series, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, plus Ground Zeroes and a bunch of DLC content through the Metal Gear Solid V: The Definitive Experience. You can grab it for $23 on PS4, or on PC via Fanatical. Note that if you’re jumping into MGSV without playing the others, you’ll be missing out on the rest of the story–but it is widely considered to have the best gameplay of the series, so it’s still worth grabbing if you’re looking for more tactical espionage action after wrapping up Delta or the Master Collection.
While the mainline series tells the winding–and sometimes incomprehensible–story of the legendary soldier Big Boss, his cloned son Solid Snake, and the shadowy organization known as the La Li Lu Le Lo The Patriots, the series has also seen several spinoffs over the years. Most of these are non-canon like Metal Gear: Survive–or semi-canon, as in the case of Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops–others are considered part of the official Metal Gear timeline, such as 2013’s Metal Gear Rising Revengeance developed by Platinum Games. Rising set at the end of the series timeline, and players once again control Metal Gear Solid 2’s protagonist, Raiden, who has returned to his cyborg ninja form from Metal Gear Solid 4. Unlike the rest of the series, Rising is a character action game, rather than a stealth game, but it’s well-regarded by fans and easily available on PC. You can get the Steam version for just $23 (was $30) at Fanatical.
More Metal Gear Games
For a different take on the Metal Gear Solid saga, you can check out the official novelizations for Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. The books retell the events of the first two Metal Gear Solid games and were written by Raymond Benson, who has also authored several official James Bond novels.
It’s worth noting that Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima’s latest project, Death Stranding, also received an official, two-part novelization. While there are similarities in visual design language, detailed world-building techniques, and even gameplay elements between Death Stranding and Metal Gear, Death Stranding leans more heavily into overt sci-fi elements. Nevertheless, it’s worth checking out if you’re looking for more reading material based on Kojima’s works. Both volumes are available in paperback and Kindle editions at Amazon.
Speaking of which, Kojima also wrote a nonfiction book in 2021, titled The Creative Gene, which compiles his memoirs and essays on creativity, game design, art, and more. While it won’t answer lingering questions about Metal Gear lore, it offers insight into his creative process and details important events from his life. The paperback edition is available for $17.87 (was $23) at Amazon.
More Metal Gear Solid & Hideo Kojima Books
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