Man, MGS1 and MGS3 are also games with lots of cutscenes that can be beaten in about two hours!
The only difference is that they didn't give them to you in large doses at once like MGS2 and 4 did for the most part.
Maybe that's the "sweet spot" you're talking about, but I wouldn't call any game in the series "balanced" in regards to gameplay::cutscene ratio.
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"The great GF...Bahamut."
"...GF? I...? Using my powers...It is you humans...I fear..."