'Metal Gear Solid 4' delivers intense, cinematic adventure

— -- Metal Gear Solid fans anxiously awaiting the fourth installment in the mega-popular franchise — and the first to debut on a high-definition console — won't be disappointed in Konami's Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, a gorgeous stealth action game starring Solid Snake in his final mission.

Everyone else, however — especially those not used to this franchise's many noninteractive cinematic sequences, confusing storylines and campy dialogue — might not enjoy the ride as much.

Created by legendary game developer, Hideo Kojima, Guns of the Patriots sends Snake around the globe in pursuit of his old nemesis, Liquid Ocelot, who reigns over the world's five largest private military companies and plans to use them to take over the world. You will notice in this sequel Snake has aged prematurely, which is part of the story. The game also reintroduces other familiar characters from previous adventures including his sidekick, Otacon (Dr. Hal Emmerich), who aides him on his missions remotely.

After waiting between eight and 10 minutes for part of the disc to load onto the Sony PlayStation 3's hard drive — an annoying new trend among PS3 games — you are dropped into a Middle Eastern war zone to learn how to control the covert Snake on his first of many stealth missions. The left stick on the controller maneuvers Snake's body and the right stick adjusts the camera. Tapping the X button crouches Snake, while holding it down drops him to the ground, stomach-first, allowing him to crawl under vehicles or creep toward the shadows. Other moves include pressing Snake against a wall for cover, hanging from a ledge, using weapons to take down enemies and dragging a dead or unconscious victim to avoid being seen.

As with past games in the series, Snake will have access to a few high-tech gadgets such an OctoCamo suit to blend into the environment; a robotic drone, dubbed the Metal Gear Mk. II, that can scout locations, collect items and deliver an electric shock to unsuspecting enemies; and a monocular device called a Solid Eye that can give Snake a variety of data including map info, enemy status or what goodies lie in a nearby box (such as a food ration).