Can You Pause Cutscenes in Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection

As the Metal Gear Solid franchise returns to the spotlight with the Master Collection Vol. 1, many fans are excited to see how Konami has improved upon some of its most influential games. Yet many are asking one very important question: Can you pause the cutscenes in Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1?

Can You Pause Cutscenes in MGS?

While many revere Metal Gear Solid and its sequels as some of the best video games ever made, a widely-held criticism of the series are the long-winded cutscenes. Let us never forget that Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots concluded with a cutscene that was almost the length of a feature film. While that particular title isn’t tied into the Master Collection Vol. 1, the titles it does include still have some very long cutscenes. So to answer the question: Yes, you can pause the cutscenes in Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1.

Related: Hideo Kojima Not Involved in Metal Gear Solid Delta Development

However, there is a catch. This is MGS, and doing anything the easy would be too simple, right? If you want to pause whatever cinematic you’re on, you’ll need to sit through at least 10 minutes of it.

As reported by IGN, pausing a cutscene takes 10 seconds after hitting the necessary button to do so. It’s currently unclear if this is a bug in an early build of the game or if its a feature that’s designed to… I don’t know, let you change your mind about needing the loo before sitting through a lengthy 25 minute debriefing in Metal Gear Solid 3?

While many fans have been asking for an option to pause cinematics for years, the Master Collection Vol. 1 will also allow those familiar with the story to simply skip over them and get back to the espionage-focused stealth action. This isn’t a new feature though as I believe it’s been included in every re-released version of MGS.

Aside from the addition of a pause button, the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 has added a new content warning to the older games noting that Konami is aware that some aspects haven’t aged particularly well. Despite this, they’ve been left in the release to be reflective of the time and contrast against the improvements made since then. I’m sure that won’t leave anyone upset, right?

If you’re looking for more, check out our coverage of the untold myths of Metal Gear Solid.