I voted awhile ago, but didn't get a chance to give a ranking. I haven't even had a chance to go back to play MGSV!
1. MGS3 is my favorite. For me, it has the best mix of a quality story and gameplay. Plus, no trace of Otacon.
2. MGSV has, without a doubt, the best stealth/action gameplay that I've played in a game. I think it finally beats out Splinter Cell and Rainbow Six in that category. The game has only been out for a little over two weeks, and I can't believe I have already played the game for 50 hours. It was ridiculous of me, and I probably won't get a chance to play video games for a long time now, but I don't regret it!
3. MGS still has the 4th wall breaking gameplay that makes it unique to other games, and I don't think it can ever be replicated again. It has one of the best gaming narratives, and it definitely has one of the best atmospheres. I don't enjoy many of the gameplay segments between the Gray Fox fight and the Rex fight, but it's still great.
4.MGSPW is the best portable game that I have ever seen. I think it's a technical masterpiece, and it blows me away that Kojima Productions was able to create such a hefty game on a PSP. It definitely has the best ratio of cut-scenes and gameplay besides MGS and MGS3. The horse chase scene is one of my favorite scenes of the series, and I loved how the developments of Big Boss' character changed my perceptions of MGS3's ending (I can understand fans calling it a regression, but I liked it). Plus, it has my favorite codec ending! I kept thinking about PW while playing through MGSV, and I realized how much I love it. I played this game more than any game in my life for a good reason.
5. MGS4- I know I'm in the far minority, but I really like Old Snake. In addition, MGS4 has many of my favorite moments in gaming period. However, MGSV made me realize how much damage control was needed because of the odd story developments this game made. While it doesn't have the best writing, I think this game showcases the peak of Kojima's creativity as a director. Some of it was really stupid though...."Bang!", "Marry me, Johnny", farts a'hoy, etc. I still think think it's a great game, and I like how it closed off Solid Snake's story. I do understand fan's criticisms of him being underplayed, and since he is the hero of the series, he should have been front and center.
6. MGS2- Solid Snake gave me one of my favorite video game lines in MGS2— "Not happy about that? Get over it." It's something I need to work on! While I really appreciate the message, part of me thinks it was a bit of a cop out to make almost the same game for the fourth time in a row. The beginning and ending are the only real things that are different, and they're great. I don't think that any simulator thing or Solid Snake speech is an excuse for the poor plotting and dialogue. I really appreciate the story, but I think a lot of it could have been trimmed down to make a tighter game. The pay off to learning "what day it was" was not worth those Rose codec interruptions! Still, MGS2 is the only other MGS that I played through besides MGS3 that I watched all the codecs and cutscenes while playing. And I played through it 5 times, which is more than I played MGS! My opinion is always changing, so it could be higher one day.
7. Metal Gear Rising- I played through it once, and I thought it was a great game. I didn't like the story at all, unfortunately. I loved Portable Ops when I played it a long time ago, but I'm pretty sure this is a way better game. Since MGSV made me realize how important gameplay is to me, I might put this way higher up my list if I ever get a chance to play it again.
8. MGSPO- It's a watered down version of MGS3, but I think major draw of MGSPO was simply having a portable MGS game. I love MGS3, so I had a blast with MGSPO. I loved seeing Big Boss develop his army, and I will never forget the scene where Gene turned my men on eachother after spending so long to recruit them! Also, "Calling to the Night" is my favorite video game song of all time. The Best is Yet to Come" is incredible, but I can't sing it from memory like "Calling to the Night" since its not my native language.
9 and 10. MG and MG2- I'm not a big fan of these games other than some story elements. They're fine, but not as good as the MGS games and Rising in my opinion.
.
