No doubt about it -- Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots should be an incredible send-off for one of gaming's sneakiest heroes. The forthcoming PlayStation 3 adventure marks the final chapter in Hideo Kojima's celebrated series, and it looks like he'll end things with a bang. Recently, Konami showcased roughly fourteen minutes of in-game action, revealing many of Snake's reputable talents and abilities. Here's what you can expect from that crafty old fart:

The game continues to lean heavily on stealth action, just like previous entries in the series. However, it takes place on a much more interactive battlefield, as two warring factions battle for control over a Middle Eastern-like city. At the start of the demo, Kojima showed off the Solid Eye, one of Snake's most useful tools. This basically works as a high-tech set of binoculars, magnifying what lies ahead. Players can zoom in close if necessary, catching a glimpse of approaching enemies.

Snake also takes advantage of several different types of camouflage. With the statue camouflage, for example, Snake dons a rock-like skin texture and must stand carefully next to a structure in order to blend in and avoid being noticed. He also has an operating OctoCamo skin feature that automatically picks up textures on floors and walls, allowing him to fit in with the surroundings almost seamlessly. Players can return to their normal attire simply by shaking the SIXAXIS controller.

Snake can dispatch enemies in a number of ways, thanks to many innovative techniques and weapons. Along with being able to roll and squirm around on the floor without being seen, he can also hold an enemy at gunpoint, search them, and then knock them out by choking them from behind or by using a number of tranquilizer-powered weapons. The sniper rifle seems the most effective, as Snake can pick off foes with ease by simply aiming and shooting. The typical tranquilizer gun proves just as effective from close range. Handheld knife combat also comes into play, either to slash an enemy or for a cool electrically charged attack. For more explosive situations, Kojima's aged hero can also pick up on a P-90, fire grenades (which he can actually toss laying down from any angle, thanks to a well-implemented invisible arc technique) and the unbelievably effective RPG, a weapon that can dismantle an armored car in one shot.

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