Metal Gear Solid 2: The VR Theory (How much of the game was real?)

The opening paragraph - > The "VR Theory" suggests that the events of Metal Gear Solid 2 were—at least in part—happening inside a computer simulated virtual reality, and not the same "reality" that its predecessors did. Obviously with the release of Metal Gear Solid 4 we see a complete contradiction of this theory, but this does not mean the game was originally intended to be seen this way. It also doesn't mean that the new "official story" is actually preferable to the VR Theory. And later... > Remember the years leading up to MGS2's release? We were only shown trailers for the Tanker Chapter, with Solid Snake as the main character. We were even shown fake footage from such locations as the Verazzano Bridge and the encounter with the Cyborg Ninja! Nobody was expecting the twist of Raiden and the Plant Chapter. We were deceived from the beginning, and it stung like a bitch. I've read this theory through and through a few times now, and it's given me a completely different outlook on the game in general, and makes me want to replay it with this in mind, to see how it holds up when you're in the mindset that perhaps the game isn't _actually_ happening within the _Metal Gear_ universe.