what exactly don't you like about metal gear? i couldn't get enough of it myself.
the first one had such an amazing story and the cutscenes felt like you we're watching a movie (yes sometimes they did go on a bit to long, but you had to enjoy them still)
the second one didn't quite meet the expectations left by the first, but still delivered a pretty impressive story, however the villains were less likable IMO.
Snake eater was amazing, and really brought the series back to life after what felt like a slight let down in the form of MGS2.
going back in time to tell us the story of Big Boss, so we could play as him as a person, rather than just hear tid bits about him was nice. not to mention it had the familiar long movie like cutscenes, and the villians again were actually quite likeable.
I never got round to playing 4 as i don't own a ps3 or have any intention to get one in the near future, but i have watched a few walkthrough videos on various parts of the game which did fill in a few blanks and tie up a few loose ends for me, as i always felt like i was missing out so much not playing 4, so it was nice to be able to watch a few vids.