Metal Gear Solid V and the MG series...

Especially for MGS2, you kind of need to experience it for yourself, not through a Let's Play or a gameplay series. I'd say grab a PS3 & the Legacy Collection since there are plenty of great PS3 exclusives.

Well.. Metal Gear Solid is my favourite game series and MGS3 is probably my favourite game of all time.

Buy a PS3. The system has enough exclusives worth playing that it wouldn't be a waste of cash. Games like Demon's Souls, inFamous, the Ratchet & Clank series, Valkyria Chronicles, etc.

Can emulate for the first 3 I guess?

For any game or game series, or movie, or book, reading up on it should be the last option chosen, because it really does rob you of the experience. Not just for Metal Gear Solid, but ANYTHING. If you have to buy a PS3, don't feel bad about it because there are legitimately tons of great exclusives (or other games that aren't but may as well be) that have collections (or not) on the PS3. Resistance, Team Ico, Killzone, Ratchet & Clank, Sly Cooper, Jak & Daxter, Zone Of The Enders, God Of War...the list goes on and on for collections. I don't know if any of those appeal, but if they do, then buying it isn't necessarily the worst option.

Naturally if you can find someone with a PS3 that can also lend you the collection...I guess that would work, although I don't know if they'd be willing to lend you their entire console (and perhaps the collection, although not so serious a consideration) for a decent length of time it would take to finish all the games. In the long run it may be just more practical and more enjoyable (if more expensive) to buy the console and the games.

Because honestly, what would you do with the collection if you had to buy it while lending a PS3? I don't know what your monetary restraints are, but that's what I'd go with if I could. My last option would be to read a summary, and even then I only like to do that with things I've either already played, to brush up on it, or things I know I will never play (or games like TLOZ where you don't have an easy in-game story for it).

You can just watch the playthrough on Youtube, but of course the experience'll be slightly different since this is MGS we're talking about.
...buuut on the other hand, no moolah spent.

Wants vs. Needs really when it comes to this.

Everything from Legacy Collection, except MGS4, can be played on PC. MGS1 and 2 were released on PC and the rest can be emulated (which is fine as long as you own the original console and game, right? wink wink!).

The story is only part serious. The bigger part is the bizarre mindscrews. I also haven't figured out exactly where V fits in the timeline (if it even fits). But my money's between 3 and 1, somewhere around/just after Peace Walker.

That'd mean that if you have an Xbox 360, you also have the option of picking up the HD collection - seen that go around for cheap. And it has 3 (Snake Eater) and Peace Walker to get you up to speed to where you need to be.
(HD collection also exists for the PS3, but if you need to get the console first, might as well go all the way with Legacy Collection)

Ok... This has only been up for about an hour, but I've got some stuff to do, so I'll check back soon. I'm leaning toward selling off a few of my old 360 games and saving up to buy a PS3 and the Legacy Collection. Will most likely need to wait a while before I can do that but from the few of you who have responded it sounds like it would be worth it. Does anyone know a more solid release date than the "sometime in 2015" I'm getting from a quick search? I was hoping to upgrade my PC before Witcher 3 comes out in February. So I may just hold off on Metal Gear for a while if it isn't gonna be out until late next year or even later. That wait would let the price drop on the console too.