A little fan feud doesn't hurt anyone... http://xbox360.qj.net/E3-2009-Splinter-Cell-more-immersive-than-Metal-Gear-says-dev/pg/49/aid/131909
Splinter Cell took a nosedive in quality while MGS keeps improving. Sure there were one too many cutscenes in MGS4 but the gameplay was top-notch.
i loved mgs4. i didn't watch a single cut scene. i tried, but found them corny. i beat the game in 19 hours and change though, so maybe i should've been more patient with the cut scenes.
I loved it too. I also found the cut scenes a tad too Jap corny. But I did sit through them. A few of them were FAR too long. A few 40+ minutes ones at the end of the game were killing me. Still a great game.
I'd be surprised if an MGS game didn't have cut scenes, its a very story driven game(even though it is over the top). But it doesn't take away from the game IMO.
MGS4 was the first MGS game I ever played. I wish had played previous incarnations because of the storylines/cut scenes. I enjoyed them for what they were though. I like story driven games. Splinter Cell: Conviction might be even better than MGS4 gameplay wise. Having watched as many demos as I could find, the game looks incredible. I can't wait to play it.
You can find a lot of the cutscenes in 720p HD on youtube for MGS 1-4 and generally the completeness increases as you go up in sequel. Helps those who haven't played 1-3 get caught up.