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Kojima: Do you think of him differently after Metal Gear Solid 5 ? (NO SPOILERS)

Haunted

Member
Nope. Still a shit writer.

I already thought he was a hack writer after MGS4, so I guess I don't think of him any differently now.
tumblr_m0imd357ez1r5img1o1_400.gif
 
well, sort of... the story production seems rather mismanaged

that said, I loved Chapter 1 and I wish it had been the ending in a sort of Mass Effect 1 sort of way

meaning that I wish it had been the start of a trilogy ;/
 

KOMANI

KOMANI
It's a difficult question to answer.
My first response is to say, " Yes, he's a hack". But now I'm thinking of P.T, and how great I think it is.
So I'll boil it down to this. I will credit Blaustein, Kaku, Nojiri, Fukushima, and Kojima for why I love Metal Gear. But when it comes to writing a story with a team that can't push their own weight, Kojima is a hacky writer. Even with its good gameplay, my impression of metal gear is disappointment.
 
nothing changed.

i enjoyed V like every other MG he made. the only difference is that this game had content for 3 games, and i enjoyed every minute of it.
 
Hard to say, because I am not sure how many of the shortcomings with MGSV are actually his fault. The fact that they even released Mission 51 to us shows me that he obviously wanted to uh...finish the goddamn game but couldn't. Then again, there are also some easily avoidable design misses like with the overall mission structure which basically falls on its face in chapter 2.

Then again, I feel like he made one of the most boring open worlds ever. I mean the game is supposed to be set in areas that are currently embroiled in full-on proxy and/or civil wars yet does almost
nothing to utilize that potential.

However, there is absolutely zero attempt to create a dynamic open-world. It is basically just a huge playground for Snake, not some sort of realistically designed battlefield.
No action really ever happens unless Snake initiates it.

I mean you see a more dynamic battlefield in the opening chapters of MGS4, and that still got railed by fans as not living up to the hype.
 

janoDX

Member
MGS V is a "10 out of 10" game that could have been a "15 out of 10" game. The game itself is amazing, a top 10 for me on my list of favorite games.
 

DeSolos

Member
Your praise is premature OP.

Not to say that he doesn't deserve praise for the game because it is amazing, but you haven't seen or experienced the later portions of the game which feel largely incomplete.
 

KingV

Member
I think he bit off more than he could chew and blew past release dates and budget constraints while still not really finishing the game.

What's here is SO good, though, that it's disappointing how it ended up. It's a really well made game but I feel like Kojima and crew really just tried to do too much and Konami ultimately prevented it from happening (due to the exploding budget, no doubt). I mean, they tried to pull off a game as polished and impressive as the most linear of games with the same kind of detail we're used to in a Kojima game set within a massive open environment. It's insanely ambitious.

I agree with this, but at the same time think that if I had an unlimited budget to make a game, Kojima is the guy I would trust to use it in a way that brings the medium forward.

MGS V is my least favorite MGS game, but its easy to see where the money went. The attention to detail is pretty amazing and there's a lot of fully realized gameplay elements that are barely used. I think i used a mortar once and drove a vehicle only a handful of times.

The crack climbing thing has a bunch of animations tied into it, but I maybe actually used it in 3 missions.

There's a bunch of stuff with weapon development that are really not needed to beat the game.

If given more money and time, its easy to see that Kojima would have just added more and more detail and cutscenes and generally amazing stuff.

I'd love to see what the guy could do with a $150 million budget.
 
Gameplay is extremely enjoyable, but not sure how long until it gets old for me. So far, it's at the same tier as Snake Easter for me.

Kojima did good, but episodic credits is sort silly and he's still quite the perv.
 

tensuke

Member
I actually wished he went more MGS4 and included lots of foreshadowing, cameos, exposition, and dramatics. I'd have been totally fine seeing (SPOILERS ABOUND)
cool big boss stuff like naomi & frank jaeger, more of eli and bb shitting on him, solid snake at the end (more than just an n313 tape, but like an actual cutscene with bb facing snake at the very end), more metal gears (yes pw spoiled me with essentially 5 metal gears, one you get to build then fight), more skullface fuckery (seeing him after he died besides that one time driving boss to demonhood, or his skull being inspiration for outer heaven's logo (despite msf's skull)), the boss flashbacks, eva besides a mention in a tape, Ocelot barging in and kicking ass with dual revolvers and maybe you can make an ocelot unit within DD that rescues BB when he inevitably gets captured, more psycho mantis stuff, actually seeing Hal, maybe come into contact with Solidus (without knowing it's him (since he'd probably be around 16 growth-wise), more boss fights, a ninja character (chico!), more music tapes (80s tracks were great but overall it was lacking iconic tracks like calling to the night, heavens divide vocal, love theme, best is yet to come, 20 year history, ground zeroes music tapes, etc. etc
. Basically, a really hammy story like MGS4 with the excellent gameplay would have made it PERFECT. But, I still loved what it did and it's still GOTY for me (and will probably remain that way, since it still excites me more than Fallout).
 
MGS3 is still story king but MGSV is the best game gameplay wise. I also consider it hands down the best open world and best stealth game of all time. Too bad they really dropped the ball with the writing, Quiet, and overall story.

My opinion of Kojima changed for the better in some ways only. After the lukewarm reception that GZ got (including from me) I was very hesitant of the direction TPP was gonna take. To say my expectations were shattered was putting it mildly.

I do think now that he's a bigger pervert and sexist man than I thought before. His handling of everything related to Quiet, to the extent of him wanting us we'd feel ashamed of criticizing Quiet (only to have a weak as shit excuse for her half nakedness), and the camera direction every time a woman was on screen (female Skulls of course he's introducing them zoomed to the tits and ass first!) made me realize he wasn't as progressive in some aspects.

MGSV helped me realize how much of what I liked in MGS was thanks to Fukushima's touch. Kojima is a terrible writer. He should stick to being a game designer. He's S++ there.
 

Topfuel

Member
Should have gotten another year to finish his magnum opus. He should be snapped up by a big western publisher with free reigns to do a new cyberpunk project.
 

tbd

Member
Still have to play MGSV. From what I've heard it has less story and cutscenes, considering how much hate this game gets, this would reinforce my theory that most fans like the series because of the cutscenes and that the gameplay is actually shit. However, I already played GZ and it played a lot better than 1-4; I'll definitely give 5 a chance.

Never thought MGS is particularly good in any way.
 

Roubjon

Member
He seems like your average Japanese man who happens to have some cool ideas and has worked hard to get to where he is. I definitely liked his older ideas more than his newer but who can blame someone when they've been working with the same characters for 20 years.

So, no. My opionion hasnt changed and I'm looking forward to his next non - metal gear project.
 

Jackpot

Banned
I believe that whilst Kojima has remained at the same level during his development of the franchise, I have outgrown him. It is a shame his vision plateaued.
 
Still have to play MGSV. From what I've heard it has less story and cutscenes, considering how much hate this game gets, this would reinforce my theory that most fans like the series because of the cutscenes and that the gameplay is actually shit. However, I already played GZ and it played a lot better than 1-4; I'll definitely give 5 a chance.

Never thought MGS is particularly good in any way.

MGS always had good and fun gameplay, at least for me, it's been always just as important as the story. And it always had a lot of little details just like V.
I don't think your theory is right for me, maybe for most fans like you say.. but the gameplay in the series is far from shit.
 

gelf

Member
No different really, I always thought he always designed fun games to play even if you skip cutscenes and did so again. His plots were always all over the place and I've held that opinion since MGS2.
 

Dr. Kaos

Banned
I already played GZ and it played a lot better than 1-4; I'll definitely give 5 a chance.

Never thought MGS is particularly good in any way.

I played GZ after TPP and wow! TPP plays noticeably better! The dive is higher and goes further, the run feels even better, picking up, dropping enemies and other basic things have been improved too. And here I thought they couldn't improve upon GZ controls (best running feeling ever!).

the magic of MGS5 is doing the same mission with different buddies, different times of days (day/night/twillight), different paths, different weapons AND different tactics.

Its insane how much replayability it adds. But wait! There is more!

I was going around shooting tranquilizers to enemies head and then they adapted and started wearing helmets, forcing me to change my tactics some more. They did the same things with shields, body suits, paired-patrols, sniper rifles, shotguns, etc.

Even MORE replayability. As if it didn't have enough.

In a parallel universe where Konami doesn't hate us, MGS6 would have likely addressed the somewhat barren nature between villages/outposts, bringing the game to new heights of greatness.

And I forgot to mention that the surround sound in this game is exceptional. I don't know what they did, but they totally crushed the soundscape!

A billionaire should bankroll Kojima. No questions asked. Because otherwise, what the fuck is the point of being a billionaire?
 
Still have to play MGSV. From what I've heard it has less story and cutscenes, considering how much hate this game gets, this would reinforce my theory that most fans like the series because of the cutscenes and that the gameplay is actually shit. However, I already played GZ and it played a lot better than 1-4; I'll definitely give 5 a chance.

Never thought MGS is particularly good in any way.

Well it doesn't really have less story, the story length is more or same similar to previous games. It's just more spread out and not what people wanted and quite a bit of it is not presented through cutscenes but through tapes. The story's still good though and the gameplay is extremely satisfying. Try to go in blank if you can, when you do play it.
 

A.Romero

Member
I love the guy. He is a visionary in my eyes.

That said, MGSV really showed that he lacks the necessary skills to keep a project within certain limits.

I feel a lot of important development stuff took second place to marketing stunts, tours and stuff like that.

I still enjoyed the game but as many have said, it does feel like the true phantom pain.
 

Pez

Member
I wish he wouldn't have gone next-gen so we would have gotten a completed game and then a port to next-gen next year.

Sucks to have such a compromised experience. He also made the absolute wrong decision with Kiefer, as the production couldn't afford him, clearly.
 

nded

Member
He's still the guy that makes mechanically solid stealth games and writes cornball stories and dialog. Except this time the cornball stuff is kinda bad instead of fun and there's a lot of boring fluff that doesn't even try to be corny.
 
The Missing Link was nonsense from narrative standpoint the game sucks, cool ideas and Skullface had so much potential but he was oh well. Gameplay wise undisputed it's the best/fun in the series.

Fucking ending twist had no lead up towards it.

I agree.

I'm a huge Metal Gear fan, but this game sucks - I'm sorry, it just does.

That is my opinion, sure - but I didn't purchase at retail what the trailers for this game led me to believe I was supposed to get - a finished game and a complete experience.

The narrative is all over the place, the "bosses" suck, the endgame is disjointed and filled with padding, like the nonsensical retread missions instead of finished content.

The twist was infuriating - the entire point of this game is to explain how it was possible for Big Boss to have died twice. That's it. How inane. We were promised the "missing link in the MGS saga" and "men become demons", etc. Instead, we got shit on.

Kojima threw in the "you are the Phantom Big Boss" nonsense to sweeten the deal, but in the end, it makes the game unplayable for me anymore knowing that there is a substantial amount of the game left unfinished and the twist ruins everything else.

Please open you eyes everyone, the game is just not that good. The perfect 10's and 9/10's this game is getting are not deserved. I really wonder if the press played a different game than I did sometimes...
 

Foffy

Banned
I think his work in Phantom Pain as a director was pretty weak. It was probably a result in the different direction of the game design, which was what got the boost with the open-world inspiration.
 
Opinion improved. Always wrote nonsense but needed an editor, and still writing nonsense with little less need of editing. Made one of the best playing games of all time.
 
I agree.

I'm a huge Metal Gear fan, but this game sucks - I'm sorry, it just does.

That is my opinion, sure - but I didn't purchase at retail what the trailers for this game led me to believe I was supposed to get - a finished game and a complete experience.

The narrative is all over the place, the "bosses" suck, the endgame is disjointed and filled with padding, like the nonsensical retread missions instead of finished content.

The twist was infuriating - the entire point of this game is to explain how it was possible for Big Boss to have died twice. That's it. How inane. We were promised the "missing link in the MGS saga" and "men become demons", etc. Instead, we got shit on.

Kojima threw in the "you are the Phantom Big Boss" nonsense to sweeten the deal, but in the end, it makes the game unplayable for me anymore knowing that there is a substantial amount of the game left unfinished and the twist ruins everything else.

Please open you eyes everyone, the game is just not that good. The perfect 10's and 9/10's this game is getting are not deserved. I really wonder if the press played a different game than I did sometimes...

Because it's becoming a quick consensus that it's one of the best stealth action games with amazing gameplay. Critics may judge that more highly than it's stucture or narrative.
 
I agree.

I'm a huge Metal Gear fan, but this game sucks - I'm sorry, it just does.

That is my opinion, sure - but I didn't purchase at retail what the trailers for this game led me to believe I was supposed to get - a finished game and a complete experience.

The narrative is all over the place, the "bosses" suck, the endgame is disjointed and filled with padding, like the nonsensical retread missions instead of finished content.

The twist was infuriating - the entire point of this game is to explain how it was possible for Big Boss to have died twice. That's it. How inane. We were promised the "missing link in the MGS saga" and "men become demons", etc. Instead, we got shit on.

Kojima threw in the "you are the Phantom Big Boss" nonsense to sweeten the deal, but in the end, it makes the game unplayable for me anymore knowing that there is a substantial amount of the game left unfinished and the twist ruins everything else.

Please open you eyes everyone, the game is just not that good. The perfect 10's and 9/10's this game is getting are not deserved. I really wonder if the press played a different game than I did sometimes...

Those are both criticisms of the marketing, not of the game. They're valid criticisms of the marketing, but you can't fault a game for it's marketing, you have to evaluate it on it's own terms and not any external factors. You can't say what the game was supposed to be about when you weren't involved in the creative process of the game at all.
 

Marjar

Banned
MGS2 was his magnum opus in terms of writing. MGS3 is decent, but I have a good handful of problems with the writing in that game too.

Really Kojima was never that good of a writer. He has a lot of interesting, thought provoking ideas, but he could never properly put them on paper without it being absurdly long-winded and redundant. As much as I love MGS2 and its crazy cutscenes, a lot of them did not need to be as long as they ended up being. MGS3 also suffered from this, especially during its intro, but less so. Every MGS game has pacing issues like this.

In terms of gameplay though, he rarely disappoints. His games are almost always incredibly designed with a ton of freedom and attention to detail. Phantom Pain's gameplay is easily the best in the series, it's just that it lacks mission variety and of course is blatantly unfinished.

So no, I really don't think of him any differently.
 
Those are both criticisms of the marketing, not of the game. They're valid criticisms of the marketing, but you can't fault a game for it's marketing, you have to evaluate it on it's own terms and not any external factors. You can't say what the game was supposed to be about when you weren't involved in the creative process of the game at all.

Kojima himself put the "missing link" and "men become demons" bullshit in the trailers he himself created, edited and put out.

It's not a marketing backfire when the creator himself lies to you directly and repeatedly.
 
Kojima himself put the "missing link" and "men become demons" bullshit in the trailers he himself created, edited and put out.

It's not a marketing backfire when the creator himself lies to you directly and repeatedly.

Do you find MGS2 flawed in the same way? He did that then too.

Creator-approved marketing material is still just marketing material though. It doesn't make a game bad because it's not part of the game.
 

Struct09

Member
I'm just glad we got an MGS that plays extremely well. I stopped caring about the convoluted story a long time ago, so MGSV holding back on the flashy storytelling and going all in on the gameplay is pretty much the best way the game could have turned out for me. MGSV really surprised me and is easily my favorite game of the year.
 
Do you find MGS2 flawed in the same way? He did that then too.

Creator-approved marketing material is still just marketing material though. It doesn't make a game bad because it's not part of the game.

I do.

MGS2 and MGSV are my least favorite games in the saga. Also they have an almost identical twist at the end - M. Night Shyamalan would be proud.

That, is lazy writing.
 

Edzi

Member
I do.

MGS2 and MGSV are my least favorite games in the saga. Also they have an almost identical twist at the end - M. Night Shyamalan would be proud.

That, is lazy writing.

There's a major difference though. MGS2 had the twist right at the beginning, and then spent the rest of the game fleshing it out and trying to justify it. MGSV on the other hand just throws the twist in at the very end, with no reason or buildup, and it just ends up invalidating the game that took place before it for most people.
 
There's a major difference though. MGS2 had the twist right at the beginning, and then spent the rest of the game fleshing it out and trying to justify it. MGSV on the other hand just throws the twist in at the very end, with no reason or buildup, and it just ends up invalidating the game that took place before it for most people.

True.

Well said.
 

KTallguy

Banned
Overarching story be damned, as an encapsulated experience MGSV was pretty glorious. Lots of really interesting emotions felt while playing, especially a feeling of loss.

Some characters' motivations weren't explored as much, true. But the outcome of the story felt far more personal than the other games. I felt like I was Snake, for all intents and purposes. That's in stark contrast to the older games where you're pretty much along for the ride.

Kojima made more of a pure game for the Metal Gear swan song, and it's better for it, lore be damned. Hats off to him for taking risks.
 

ghostjoke

Banned
Ridiculously in-depth gameplay mechanics that have no right to exist in a profit driven business but i love that they do.
Bad writing (though it appeared to have skimmed past the desk of an editor this time/fallen on the cutting floor).
Anime in every freaking way except being animated.
Plain weird juxtaposition.
Misleading advertising.
Rusings (twist was basically MGS2 but far more direct).

Pretty much everything I suspected from Kojima given free reign, so I'm pretty much the same but now I see what he can do on the gameplay side of things when allowed to go insane. Most of the straight up fuckery I definitely see being in the Konami pachinko camp when someone of high rank walked into the KojiPro offices and saw what was going on and the party was cut short. I would easily still trade the majority of gaming for a few auteur driven games/series like MGS.
 

Saven

Banned
I don't think of him differently at all. He is still my favorite game director, even if I hated mgs4. Mgsv was not the best game in the series, but its still high up there for me and is just underneath Mgs1 and mgs3. Mgsv was the most fun I had in awhile.
 
I loved him before, but value him even higher now. With MGSV he's shown that he isn't just capable of making completly bonkers, but great stories and telling them in a way that plays to the strength of the medium, but also some of the best gameplay in a action game ever. Gaming as a medium is in a better place because of Kojima.
 
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