It was a fantastic game and I completely agree with the "not understanding" part. My grandmother bought me the original MGS on a recommendation from a GameStop employee. I finished it in a day and a half and returned it cause I thought it was "alright". This is very out of character for me. When this finally came out, I was just old enough to get what was going on and I absolutely loved it - so much so that I went back and bought the original again.

It's nice to hear personal opinions about games, not only "objective reviews' all the time.
Still, since you mentioned that you also were a Nintendo gamer - may I suggest that you try the Metal Gear Solid remake on the GameCube. Since the 1st Metal Gear in my opinion - is the best in the series. And it would be a crime not to experience that game - especially since you are getting into the Metal Gear franchise. Cheers.