The fact isn't that there's storytelling an immersion. The fact is this game goes nuts with info. Storytelling is a good thing provided the writer has at least a little restraint or the ability to toss copious amounts of data at us without it becoming an exercise in tedium. The MGS series has an issue with both. Kojima can paint a brilliant world and mold a truly heart wrenching story, but it's somewhat undercut by the fact that so much is added. Take the scene at the end of MGS 3. That should be how all cutscenes go. Well, not all, but you get my point. Important information all the way through with emphasis placed where it needed to be to really hammer home the point, but not so much as to beat it into the audience. The visuals and the music accompany said writing in such a way that all three blend together to create a stunning effect, so much so the simple salute at the end and the haunting melody bring even the most hardened of hearts to tears.
This is the problem people have with the new game. It doesn't establish a balance between the three, or even attempts to tone down the writing, it just tosses info about willy nilly in an attempt to wrap everything up. In fact I can almost guarantee that if the cutscenes had at least a little editing and trimming and the extra fluff was relegated to the comm system that more people would be touting it as amazing.
And yes, there is such a thing as "too much story telling." If a story is about Bob and you suddenly go into a tangent about Bobs cousin Jim who like to ride motorcycles and wore a faded denim jacket with one arm missing, who's actions involving a python and a tube stake ran out of control and resulted in the scar on Bobs left ear...Well, you see how it gets? Extra info is nice, yes, but at a certain point it has to be relegated to it's place as EXTRA (superfluous) information, not given a starring role.
References to previous games are also just fine, provided you know what to reference and when. It's again, a balancing act. If you can't tell, I love the hell out of MGS 3, but it failed to balance some of it's writing as well. It segued into WORDS WORDS WORDS every once in a while with the only thing to break up the uninteresting and pointless ranting being the ability to change to first person point of view...Though I give them credit where it's due. The scenes with the Sorrow and the countdown, they were funny. I half expected him to just get a huge grin while pointing to Snake and then to the bomb timer, silently mouthing "Neener neener neener, you're going to get blown up." or something to that extent.
Oh, and some arcade shooters manage to have a decent story. See Time Splitters. The last one, while goofy as hell, managed to give a feel for Cortez. It's not brilliant writing, but it's enough to give him some personality and bring him to the point where he's less the guy holding the guns and more of a person. I realize the game t'ain't that great, but I do love me some good old fashioned crazy shootin' action with oddball characters. That's neither here nor there though.
This is the problem people have with the new game. It doesn't establish a balance between the three, or even attempts to tone down the writing, it just tosses info about willy nilly in an attempt to wrap everything up. In fact I can almost guarantee that if the cutscenes had at least a little editing and trimming and the extra fluff was relegated to the comm system that more people would be touting it as amazing.
And yes, there is such a thing as "too much story telling." If a story is about Bob and you suddenly go into a tangent about Bobs cousin Jim who like to ride motorcycles and wore a faded denim jacket with one arm missing, who's actions involving a python and a tube stake ran out of control and resulted in the scar on Bobs left ear...Well, you see how it gets? Extra info is nice, yes, but at a certain point it has to be relegated to it's place as EXTRA (superfluous) information, not given a starring role.
References to previous games are also just fine, provided you know what to reference and when. It's again, a balancing act. If you can't tell, I love the hell out of MGS 3, but it failed to balance some of it's writing as well. It segued into WORDS WORDS WORDS every once in a while with the only thing to break up the uninteresting and pointless ranting being the ability to change to first person point of view...Though I give them credit where it's due. The scenes with the Sorrow and the countdown, they were funny. I half expected him to just get a huge grin while pointing to Snake and then to the bomb timer, silently mouthing "Neener neener neener, you're going to get blown up." or something to that extent.
Oh, and some arcade shooters manage to have a decent story. See Time Splitters. The last one, while goofy as hell, managed to give a feel for Cortez. It's not brilliant writing, but it's enough to give him some personality and bring him to the point where he's less the guy holding the guns and more of a person. I realize the game t'ain't that great, but I do love me some good old fashioned crazy shootin' action with oddball characters. That's neither here nor there though.
It really is frigging bananas.
