I know this game isn't well liked among fans of the original Metal Gear Solid, and while I understand why, this game is just too dang fun for me to consider it anywhere near mediocre, much less bad.

Honestly, the fact that you can avoid the entire backtracking section near the end is enough to make me wanna replay this over the original any day of the week.

That being said, the story is admittedly less enjoyable in comparison to the original due to the over-the-top nature of its cutscenes.
Metal Gear Solid was always a bit cheesy/campy, but its main themes were and still are profoundly resonant in a lot of ways to this day.
I feel as though this game trades that in for some over the top thriller action.
Both are good, I think! I just prefer the original.