A Ninja wrote:As someone who has never really played any of the games in this series, do the older ones still hold up in terms of gameplay?
The first game is the only one that might feel a tad clunky, the game overall is meant to be tense, think Resident Evil-ish (Firefights are dangerous and stealth is generally a better option than getting rushed by three soldiers with automatics, but firefights are certainly still viable).
It's still superior to the Gamecube version (Twin Snakes) which is a remake using MGS2's engine, mechanics, and graphical upgrade, as you lose a lot of the charm of the original, plus they change some things that are questionable. Still an incredible game though. Every numbered game is an incredible experience well worth playing. The side games like Portable Ops or Peace Walker are also fun but not as necessary.
If you go into MGSV without playing any of the others though the story will be confusing as balls. The series takes place at different historical points between the 60s and 2014, MGSV takes place in 1984, after MGS3 and MGS Peace Walker, though a lot of the games content will likely reference the events to come.