The Metal Gear 20th Anniversary - Metal Gear Music Collection is a compilation album released to tie in with the 20th Anniversary of the Metal Gear series. It was released on July 18, 2007 under the catalogue number GFCA-53. The album contains a collection of tracks taken from various different Metal Gear soundtracks, with some new tracks added. However, the album neglects to include music from the spinoff games (such as Metal Gear: Ghost Babel, and Metal Gear Acid)
The first track, Metal Gear 20 Years History ~Past, Present, Future~, is a brand new orchestrated version of select pieces of music from the series.
Other new tracks include: "Who Am I Really? ~ Memories of Hal ~ Reminiscence" which is a re-orchestrated medley of those three songs (originally from Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty), "Metal Gear Solid Main Theme ~ The World Only Needs One Big Boss!" which is a new medley of those two songs (the first being from Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and the second from Metal Gear Solid 2). However, the music has not been re-orchestrated. "Zanzibarland Breeze" is a redone version of the song from Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake done in a heavy-metal style. Lastly, "Calling to the Night (Piano Version)" is a re-recorded piano version of the song from Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, which was used in the recent trailer for Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus.
Also, "Yell 'Dead Cell' (VR Remix)" could be considered a new song as it has not been released commercially before this.
Interesting to note is the complete absence of the "Metal Gear Solid Main Theme" (track 6 cuts to "The World Only Needs One Big Boss!" just before the actual theme comes in) possibly due to the controversy surrounding the theme.
Track list[]
| # | Track Name | Length | Originally | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Metal Gear 20 Years History ~Past, Present, Future~" | Norihiko Hibino | New | 14:26 |
| 2. | "Snake Eater" | Norihiko Hibino Vocals by Cynthia Harrell |
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Original Soundtrack | 2:57 |
| 3. | "Virtuous Mission" | Harry Gregson-Williams | Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Original Soundtrack | 6:06 |
| 4. | "Yell 'Dead Cell' (VR Remix)" | Harry Gregson-Williams & Norihiko Hibino | Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance Original Soundtrack - Ultimate Sorter Edition | 2:27 |
| 5. | "Who Am I Really? ~ Memories of Hal ~ Reminiscence" | Norihiko Hibino & Kiyozuka Shinya | New | 8:01 |
| 6. | "Metal Gear Solid Main Theme ~ The World Only Needs One Big Boss!" | Harry Gregson-Williams & Norihiko Hibino | Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Original Soundtrack / Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty Original Soundtrack | 5:47 |
| 7. | "Can't Say Goodbye to Yesterday" | Rika Muranaka Vocals by Carla White |
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty Original Soundtrack | 7:37 |
| 8. | "Zanzibarland Breeze" | Mutsuhika Izumi | New | 5:37 |
| 9. | "Calling to the Night" | Norihiko Hibino & Akihiro Honda Vocals by Natasha Farrow |
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Original Soundtrack | 3:17 |
| 10. | "The Best Is Yet to Come" | Riku Muranaka Vocals by Aoife Ní Fhearraigh |
Metal Gear Solid Original Game Soundtrack | 5:53 |
| 11. | "Calling to the Night (Piano Version) (Bonus Track)" | Norihiko Hibino & Akihiro Honda | New | 2:48 |