MGS1 is the Playstation One version
As a huge fan of the MGS series I thought this sounded like the perfect set - all 3 games and accompanying features, together in one place....

....And it would have been if Konami had done it right. On with the problems of the set:

-First and foremost, MGS1 IS THE PLAYSTATION ONE VERSION. TOTALLY UNFORGIVABLE. Why Konami opted to use this inferior version over the now out-of-print 128-bit, enhanced Twin Snakes port I will never know. Additionally, this means you'll have to save to a PS1 memory card, which is an inconvenience. Including this version of the game is misleading, considering the great big "Playstation 2" banner atop the packaging.

-The MGS3 port here IS MISSING THE SECOND DISC. You know, that awesome bonus disc that had the retro games? No "essential collection" is complete without the classics that were available on that disc.

-The VR missions aren't here! Why they couldn't include these as a bonus disc with the port of MGS1, since they went with the inferior original PS1 port anyway, i have no idea.

Final verdict? Metal Gear Solid is a great gaming franchise, but this is just a terrible set for what it omits. To the people at Konami - when you put together a PROPER MGS set that has the Twin Snakes port of MGS1, the bonus disc for MGS3, and the VR missions, I'll be first in line to get it. But skip THIS set. Wait for the franchise to get a REAL essential collection.

BEWARE!
I feel completely shortchanged, Konami is successfully getting a good deal of money, you don't get the full MGS3:Subsistence, just disc one. The idea was that I buy a PS4 with MGS4 then get the full blown Solid trilogy with the first two original Metal Gear games to finish it off.

Well now I have to buy another Subsistence since MG and MG2:Solid Snake are on DISC TWO THATS NOT INCLUDED IN THIS SET.

Seriously, not one reviewer has mentioned that here! Did you even check your set out before reviewing?

A must
If you consider yourself a hardcore fan, i mean the one that spends his life in forums giving opinions about the colors and textures used in the game series, or how the machine should sound like, or you just a normal person who just liked it for what it is, and damn good story, then this is a must, the price is fair for the content it has and the fun it delivers.

Perfect if you don't already have these...
What can I say? This is a collection of three of the finest video games ever created. If you've never played them, this is a great and inexpensive way to start. I guarantee, by the time you're halfway done with Metal Gear Solid 2, you'll be hooked like nothing you've ever experienced!

My only qualm with this box set is the decision to leave out disc 2 of the Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence set. This second disc contains the original Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake for the MSX system. You'd think that by "Essential Collection", that would include the two games that started it all!

However, the other games are presented in their original state and they are incredible. Well worth it!

Once again, North American gamers are short changed!
When I purchased the Metal Gear Solid Essential Collection, I was expecting the whole deal! All the extras, the VR missions, PSP ACID games and then the Persistence disc for Metal Gear Solid 3. I am not like other gamers on this site in the sense that I will come down hard on Konami North America for once again showing its disrespect for us true die hard traditional gamers in the United States! It is galling that even after seeing how many people are willing to pay the extra dollars here in the U.S.A. for all the new technologies and bell whistles that come with them that these U.S. companies STILL labor under the impression that anything new here should come half completed, whereas in Japan they get the whole kit and kaboodle.

To anybody that buys this product, please read the box and item summary before you purchase it. If you are a Metal Gear fanatic like myself, you will be totally disappointed in the utter lack of extras. An essential collection this is not!