Nintendo

They are all classics and you should at least try them.

I don’t have an answer but am commenting because I’m in the same boat and would also like to know.

Tough question. Worth checking out, yes, but that's almost just for batshit insane story moments and sick boss fights/concepts.

Gameplay, has it held up? That's tougher. I think the controls for 2&3 especially show their age. They're very fiddly.

FWIW, I came to the series very late. Probably 2013ish on the release of The Legacy Collection for PS3.

All three games have aged a fair bit, but they are still the same masterpieces as when they first launched. You can get used to the gameplay pretty easily, but story and the cinematic presentation are timeless, they're the best parts of the games bar none. The only true clunkiness comes from the menus, which are pretty confusing and unintuitive these days.

My experience is pretty spotty, I've only played MGS1, a small bit of MGS2, and most of Peace Walker, but I think it's a series that everyone should give a try.

I don't think MGS1 has fully held up but I think it's pretty playable because it relies on simple controls and straightforward actions, but it has a few obtuse objectives (you'll get stuck at parts with no idea how to proceed). Its pretty ugly and there is loads and loads of radio calls in it that deepen the characters but also drag the game out. Oh and it's basically a top down game which surprised me. I'd definitely say startwith this game from everything I know about the rest of the series. If you don't like it you can probably jump into MGSV without issue.