Ignore the negative press regarding Konami's nervous insistence that reviewers hush up about the length of certain cut-scenes in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. What's wrong with long cut-scenes, anyway? Sure, some are monumentally long, but it doesn't matter. They're fantastic, just like the rest of the game. It's the end of an era, so sit back and enjoy.

Guns of the Patriots begins in the Middle East and, typically, Snake is in the middle of a particularly volatile warzone. They'll be no more spoilers in this review, though, because that'll mean you don't get the full impact of the terrific, tumbling, twisting and turning of the typically overblown and ludicrous Metal Gear Solid-style plot that weaves through the six acts of this brilliant game.

The gameplay itself is typical Metal Gear Solid - and it's the best stealth-action title we've ever seen - but with a few added extras that do nothing but improve the experience.

Snake, for instance, now wears a suit that can help camouflage him during his various battles across the globe. Simply stop beside a wall for a short length of time and his skin-tight suit of armour effortlessly changes to match the pattern of the wall, making you harder to spot to enemies. The Solid Eye replaces the multitude of visual gadgets that you'd normally carry: there's night-vision, heat vision and other modes alongside a handy radar that detects enemies and allows you to monitor Snake's status.

There's also one of the best features of the game - Metal Gear Mk II, a robotic drone that follows you around and carries video messages to augment the usual Codec communication system. Brilliantly, you can also take control of it, sending him into potentially volatile situations before you wade in yourself. It's a great method for keeping Snake alive.

So, while the part of the game where you actually play may be almost perfect - both technically and graphically, as it's one of the best looking games on any next-gen console - what about the cut-scenes?

Well, they're long... Some of them unbelievably so. But they're also fantastic. Cinematic, well-produced, crammed with lifelike animation and genuinely brilliant voice acting, you'd be mad to skip them and miss out on any of the plot of this, the final game in the series.

So, worth buying? Absolutely. The best stealth-action gaming ever; some of the best cut-scenes ever; the excellent Metal Gear Online; and the emotive conclusion to a series that's two decades old. Don't be put off by the scaremongering rumours floating around - just go and buy this game as soon as possible.