History YMMV / MetalGearSolid

* WordOfGod is this was intentional, as HideoKojima wanted the game to not take too long to beat for the 17+ age audience that would most likely have a busy schedule and not allow for as much gaming time.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Cyborg Ninja]].

* ItsShortSoItSucks: The most common criticism of the game. A typical player will finish the game in about 10-11 hours, well over half of which is cutscenes and CODEC conversations.

* MagnificentBastard: Liquid Snake.

** More broadly, the stealth gameplay may seem rather crude and simplistic compared to later entries in the genre, especially to players who have only played the likes of ''VideoGame/Hitman'' or ''VideoGame/SplinterCell''.

* HarsherInHindsight: After defeating Sniper Wolf, Solid Snake ends up talking with her and then, at her request, shot her in the head to euthanize her. The already sad scene gets even ''worse'' after playing ''Snake Eater'', where his father, Naked Snake/[[spoiler:Big Boss]], does something very similar to The Boss late into the game.

* HarsherInHindsight: After defeating Sniper Wolf, Solid Snake ends up talking with her and then, at her request, shot her in the head to euthanize her. The already sad scene gets even ''worse'' after playing ''Snake Eater'', where his father, Naked Snake/[[spoiler:Big Boss]], does something very similar to Snake late into the game.

* FunnyAneurysmMoment: Taking into account Snake's physical state by ''MetalGearSolid4'', there's this bit from Campbell just after you reach the helipad, provided you clear the Dock without much hassle,

* [[ItsEasySoItSucks It's Easy, So It Sucks]]: ''Twin Snakes'' included many features originally introduced in ''MetalGearSolid2'', but the level design was hardly changed at all to match the new features, leading many players to complain about how much easier the game is when you can aim in first-person view and guards attack in finite amounts - as opposed to the endless waves that would swarm you until you ran out of ammo or died in the [=PS1=] original, not to mention the fact that Snake starts out with ''full health'' instead of gaining health incrementally after beating each boss.

* RecycledScript: Several plot elements and set pieces used in ''VideoGame/MetalGear1987'' and ''VideoGame/MetalGear2SolidSnake'' reappear in ''Metal Gear Solid'' with no comment from anybody.

* More broadly, the stealth gameplay may seem rather crude and simplistic compared to later entries in the genre, especially to players who have only played the likes of ''VideoGame/Hitman'' or ''VideoGame/SplinterCell''.

*** Well, technically, whether he actually has a distaste towards killing or not is debatable, considering how it was stated, or at the very least heavily implied, by Liquid Snake, Psycho Mantis, and even Meryl Silverburgh that Solid Snake actually does enjoy killing and war, and does not wish for it to end. In the case of Meryl, he doesn't even deny it.

* FetishFuel: Some have said that [[spoiler:Ocelot's torture of Snake]] is this.
** Also, Meryl.
** And Mei Ling, or, as [[AwesomeSeries Egoraptor]] (and DavidHayter) puts it: "[[AscendedMeme OhmygodhotnessIwannaBANGYOU]]!"

** Also, Liquid Snake desired to murder Big Boss in revenge for either allegedly being knowingly given the inferior genes by Big Boss or being told by Big Boss repeatedly that he was inferior, and hated Snake partially for stealing that chance. Liquid Snake's VA, CamClarke, later voices [[TheLionKing a character]] who attempts to avenge his father after discovering that he was murdered by his uncle in KingdomHeartsII.

* InformedFlaw: Snake is "worse" than Psycho Mantis and "enjoys all the killing"? Yeah, that's really noticeable. And it's certainly not as though Liquid or Mantis would have reason to lie or deflect blame onto others. Nope, not at all.

* RecycledScript: Several plot elements and set pieces used in ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' and ''MetalGear2'' reappear in ''Metal Gear Solid'' with no comment from anybody.

** Liquid Snake's explaination about Big Boss being in a coma, when explaining the history of the Les Enfants Terribles project, was also a Woolseyism. Originally, he simply stated that Big Boss was rendered sterile. Like Mei Ling's use of Western Quotes, this was retained in The Twin Snakes.

** Some good examples are its boss themes, such as [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=522G2X1rB6w Soldier vs. Ghost]] or [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=269JQ8IWDMI Intruder vs. Parasite]].

** [[PsychoForHire Psycho Mantis]]: He's a CompleteMonster, due to a literal FreudianExcuse ([[spoiler: the first mind he dove into was his father's, and he realized that his father hated him and blamed him for the fact that his mother died in childbirth]]) and his delving too far into a serial killer's mind, but he still can earn a bit of sympathy. Having his mind torn open by everyone's thoughts and a tragic past can do that.