I don't like his stuff either. I played MGS 1, and it was fun....and then MGS 2 happened, and that game had so much impacted batshit crazy that I just couldn't touch anything like it again. I know some people revel in the sheer insanity that is Japanese storytelling, and the MGS insanity in particular, but I don't see the appeal, and never will.
Why do people like Hideo Kojima and his games?
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Hey man, Kojima put in one slightly dodgy female character in once. That cleary invalidates The Boss, Meryl, Eva, Naomi, Sniper Wolf, Fortune, E.E and Mei Ling.Ezekiel said:
They all suck now becaise Quiet exists.
For me, it just means something interesting and maybe new.
In a gaming age where everything is predictable, Kojima brings the crazy, HARD! All these franchises and sequels and every time you know exactly what the game is going to be, nobody is expecting the next assassins creed to be an RPG like dragon age ... it's going to be a TPS, action/adventure, set as a spiderman from 500 odd years ago, with repetitive combat and some kind of Illuminati VS secret league of do gooders with possible ancient artefacts. (thought the last one I really played was the Ezio ones, so I don't know if they have given up on the magic apple)
Now tell me, what the fuck do you expect from ANY kojima game? Before MGS1, tell me what you expected? Ok, so you played MGS1 and keeping that in mind tell me the plot of two!?
I mean he calls it death stranding, which is about sea life committing suicide but ties in strands of a rope from "stranding", nobody thinks like this guy! That makes for interesting games.
I'd rather play a game from a weirdo like Kojima, than whatever people see in journey!
In a gaming age where everything is predictable, Kojima brings the crazy, HARD! All these franchises and sequels and every time you know exactly what the game is going to be, nobody is expecting the next assassins creed to be an RPG like dragon age ... it's going to be a TPS, action/adventure, set as a spiderman from 500 odd years ago, with repetitive combat and some kind of Illuminati VS secret league of do gooders with possible ancient artefacts. (thought the last one I really played was the Ezio ones, so I don't know if they have given up on the magic apple)
Now tell me, what the fuck do you expect from ANY kojima game? Before MGS1, tell me what you expected? Ok, so you played MGS1 and keeping that in mind tell me the plot of two!?
I mean he calls it death stranding, which is about sea life committing suicide but ties in strands of a rope from "stranding", nobody thinks like this guy! That makes for interesting games.
I'd rather play a game from a weirdo like Kojima, than whatever people see in journey!
If people don't get it by now then chances are they probably never will. This is assuming they've at least made an active attempt to. It's also likely they're same ones who think all his games add up to are cutscenes. A quick Google search for MGS series Easter eggs would be the first indication that they're being perhaps a wee bit short-sighted.
Maybe it's a more recent attitude though, since prior to the seventh generation there weren't nearly as many comments on it. The whole MGS4 cutscene length debacle seemed to have created its own fanboy rage war.
When playing his games it's important to realize he's been in this gig for nearly what, 30 years now; long before the modern days of hand-holding games that pretty much play themselves and overturn every stone for the player. Bit-for-bit, it would be pretty difficult to find another developer who can pack more content into a game than Kojima. The secret is that most of the time it's up to the player to discover it all.
That's basically why a lot of people are at least curious about what he's doing. It may only be cinematic, and it'll probably be some form of wtf, but there's generally always a dinstinctively thoughtful method to the madness.
Maybe it's a more recent attitude though, since prior to the seventh generation there weren't nearly as many comments on it. The whole MGS4 cutscene length debacle seemed to have created its own fanboy rage war.
When playing his games it's important to realize he's been in this gig for nearly what, 30 years now; long before the modern days of hand-holding games that pretty much play themselves and overturn every stone for the player. Bit-for-bit, it would be pretty difficult to find another developer who can pack more content into a game than Kojima. The secret is that most of the time it's up to the player to discover it all.
That's basically why a lot of people are at least curious about what he's doing. It may only be cinematic, and it'll probably be some form of wtf, but there's generally always a dinstinctively thoughtful method to the madness.
Having only played Metal Gear Solid V (and enjoying it) I may not be the most informed in the thread but my opinion the matter is this:
Good, bad or indifferent you can never confuse a Hideo Kojima game for anything other than a Hideo Kojima game.
Good, bad or indifferent you can never confuse a Hideo Kojima game for anything other than a Hideo Kojima game.
Because he is a unique personality in game design and, like it or not, he has a unique vision. He likes to put his influences in the forefront of his games. He is also one of the first to come out front and center as a game director, which gave him some sort of personality status at a time and in a society in which that wasn't common.
People associated MGS with Hideo Kojima, not so much with Konami. Outside of a handful others (Miyamoto, maybe Igarashi and Suzuki), there were not many Japanese game designers that were known.
So, he was among the first to provide video games with something other mediums had lots of: the auteur examples. Whether you like his style or not, he is on the same list of Burton, Tarantino, Rowling and Bowie... the list of creative people others pay attention to when they have something new.
People associated MGS with Hideo Kojima, not so much with Konami. Outside of a handful others (Miyamoto, maybe Igarashi and Suzuki), there were not many Japanese game designers that were known.
So, he was among the first to provide video games with something other mediums had lots of: the auteur examples. Whether you like his style or not, he is on the same list of Burton, Tarantino, Rowling and Bowie... the list of creative people others pay attention to when they have something new.
The bold part could probably be the key takeaway of this thread. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but when he makes a game he generally goes above and beyond most of his peers and it shows. From Software has been the only developer since him that's been able to thoroughly engross me in a game. CD Projekt Red comes close too, but even they are missing that secret sauce. I suppose it's like a signature touch that distinguishes a body of work in some significant way. I could say Rockstar also has this, but IMO only really for their amazing sense of place in creating game worlds.Saelune said:
I can't vouch for his writing, but when it comes to game design, he does have one very notable virtue: He's very thorough when it comes putting content into his games. His games are always loaded with easter eggs and rewards for unconventional gameplay choices. Basically, he's the antithesis of game devs who won't create something if there's a chance you'll miss it while playing. His games have always had an appeal for the curious gamer who wants to find every little secret hidden in a game, either through well-timed codec conversations, or just messing around in random areas.
He may appear to write good female characters, but they are basically no more than gender-swapped noble males. Life experience does determine the quality of a creator's work, nothing is irrelevant. Of all the MGS fanbase, how many of those are female? I know of none so far, but could be wrong and may well be. He at least doesn't show any desire to understand.Ezekiel said:
Because the game play is incredible. Yes, the plots are insane, and off-putting... but MAN the game play is good.Zhukov said:
This is the worst argument ever. You can use it to hand wave literally any good female character put forth by anyone.Xsjadoblayde said:
Yeah, but that's also due to the different development process between 'the west' and japan. In japan it's apparently more 'top down' and every decision needs to go through the director first. It's how you can instantly tell when a Resident Evil game is not from Mikami, a Souls game not from Miyazaki or an MGS game not from Kojima. Their unqiue vision and focus is what makes that game. Quite different from their western counterparts; when a new Fallout game is released and it doesn't have Todd Howard involved I don't think anyone would notice.hanselthecaretaker said:
Kind of a ridiculous suggestion. Ofcourse, a game that has soldiers, giant robots and war involved appeals to guys more. Similarly, how many of those waiting in line to see the new Bridget Jones movie are male?Xsjadoblayde said:
Argument against what? I wasn't arguing with anything. If you honestly believe in Kojima's characters as an example of convincing humanisation, then good for you. However that is your opinion and I do not wish to change it.Here Comes Tomorrow said:
Does that nullify any criticism of either then?stroopwafel said:
Well, the answer to your post question ("why having Kojima's name in the Death Stranding trailer makes people react that way") is simply because those people like Kojima's previous games, and this is the first game he will make without Konami's supervision (which those people dislike since they canceled Kojima's Silent Hill and removed P.T. from the PlayStation Store).Zhukov said:
Jeez, if you think the dialog from the females characters in his games is unrealistic or juvenile, it's enough to say it so. No need to make douchy assertions about his personal life (you're not Yahtzee). Or have you watched how he talks to women in real life? (Kojima, not Yathzee)Xsjadoblayde said:
People shouldn't get hung up on "unrealistic" portrayals of any character in his games. He's always been about blending real world backdrops with off the wall stuff up front. Realism is one of the reasons IPs like Splinter Cell are so forgettable, or at the very least never given a second thought. Kojima reminds us that we're still playing a game for entertainment, not to be taken so seriously.
Why are you acting offended for him? It isn't that nasty or serious an assumption and I'm sure he doesn't care either way. I am merely entertaining the idea, not forcing anybody to think anything other than their own opinion. It's just my opinion that his character writing intends to aim for something that changes on the whims of the excited auteur, and that is something that pulls some people out of the experience. A subjective criticism.CaitSeith said:
(Am confused by the Yathzee thing, are those assumptions something he is known for? If so, you'll find that many more comics do that other than him. Not even confined to comics, but perhaps that sets the tone
)The Boss: Pretty good character.Here Comes Tomorrow said:
Meryl, Eva, Mei Ling and Naomi: Eh, ok. Hard to say if Eva's a good character when most of her screen time is her putting up an act.
Sniper Wolf: You know, characters like her really make me think of a line from A Dance of the Dragons. ?You Westerosi are all the same. You sew some beast upon a scrap of silk, and suddenly you are all lions, or dragons, or eagles.? Eh...she's all right I guess. Can't help but roll my eyes that she unzips her top. In fucking Alaska. It's the "in Alaska" part of this situation that makes me sigh. I'm ok with Kojima wanting to wank to his work, but I draw the line when the story actively makes less sense because of it (See Quiet breathes through her skin). And yes I know Vulcan Raven had the same thing going in and it was stupid with him too, but at least there was some implication of mysticism with him that made it SLIGHTLY more tolerable. That and I knew it wasn't meant to be fapped to.
Fortune: Ok I'm willing to admit Kojima can write good when he stops being fucking weird, but this is not a good example. Woman in leotard and unexplained railgun is sad that she can't die (Because death by starvation, suffocation, gravity, lethal injection all never occurred to her) and her personality is
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tragic_past.PNG
Also she can't really deflect bullets except she actually can because this was the same game that introduced the concept of Liquid living on through an arm.
I can't help but noticed you grazed over the Beauty and the Best squad though. Sexualized traumatized young girls is just kinda...icky. And it's a shame because they all had really cool designs before they reverted back into moe blobs.
In conclusion? Kojima can do good. He can also do bad. He's a mixed bag....with just about everything.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yofzFR1SBtI/UjnoVOSoBjI/AAAAAAAAAZg/kY2M7D-9nfw/s1600/0w1Z0Fe.jpg