First things first. Yes Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots has a lot of cutscenes, a lot of very long cutscenes some over a hour long. But in the end it's all worth it. If you've been following the series from the beginning the MGS4 will tie almost EVERYTHING together for one big final encounter. If like me you have not then you will still be able to play as past event are told by characters who lived through them in flashbacks from the original games.
You play as Snake, er uh Old Snake as you try stop Liquid from taking over again. You start off in the middle east, and make your way back to a familiar location, until you finally board Liquid's Battleship. It's kind of hard talking about the game without giving away too many details, so I'll quickly move to another subject.
MGS4's gameplay is probably the most versatile game I've ever played. You can run through the game as a shooter, or you can sneak your way through the entire game without taking a life. You have an arsenal of weapons to choose from an aid you in battle, but the more weapons you carry the heavier you become meaning Snake moves slower. There is also a stress meter, and when Snake's nuder stress he begins to lose health, which adds another layer to the gameplay. The Octocamo is probably the coolest gadget ever in a game. It lets you blend in with you surroundings allowing guards to walk right pass you, aiding dearly to the stealth game. There is so much more you can do in MGS4 that's it's mind blowing that the game came out when it did.
Now Metal Gear Online. MGO comes with MGS4, however, I've still haven't played it so I can't say anything about it. Sorry I'll write a separate review for it later.
So from this review I would say you can't get a good read on where I'm going with this, so let me sum it up for you. Metal Gear Solid 4 is a game EVER PlayStation 3 owner should have. Everything about this game is absolutely amazing, yes it has incredibly long cutscenes, but you can skip them; however, you would be missing important details and information to the incredible story. The Gameplay is the best I've ever played. To me it's like openworld gameplay. I get to do whatever I want, rather than be stuck to a simple shot and kill everyone kind of game. Metal Gear Solid is a great achievement and one Kojima should be proud of, as it sits as one of the greatest games of all time to me.
I would give this game a 10 if it weren't for the crap online. Do yourself a favor and don't try out MGO. Pretend it never existed.