Does Metal Gear Solid hold up?

Im looking to download a ps1 game on my psp for while im on vacation, and have settled on Metal gear solid. i know all about how popular the game is, but does it hold up? i know many classics dont hold up, even if they were awesome on release (tried to play silent hill 1 a few months back, couldnt do it =P) so does MGS hold up, and on a side note, is it ok to play without the analog sticks (stupid psp)?