I wanted to like Death Stranding and also every other Kojima game.
Death Stranding in almost every detail is top notch. The visual fidelity, the optimization, the game play mechanics (even when they are a bit odd or obtuse) are incredible.
But I absolutely cannot get over how bad his writing is. It's so overindulgent. The man needs editors or something. It's as if he went to one language class and learned what metaphor is and said to himself "I've learned everything I need here" and never bothered to learn about any other literary device . He's even got unique ideas but I wish he'd just pass them to a better writer. I wouldn't even mind the long ass cutscenes, if what he were trying to convey made any lick of sense.
Every one of his games I sit through a 30 minute scene, and go "well that was stupid, lets see if the gameplay can carry this." Play 15 minutes of some of the most unique and cutting edge gameplay, then when the next asinine 30 minute cutscene starts I decide I'm done.
I used to hate kojima cutscenes for years then something inside of me snapped and now I can watch them on loop. The long ladder bit in MGS3 changed my brain chemistry.
I didn't finish this game, but making the obvious Hillary Clinton stand-in an icon for America and also your mom gave me some pause lol. Like Hideo Kojima grew super de-radicalized after MGS2
Okay but Hillary Clinton is secretly some kind of existential hate demon and you save the world by permanently locking her outside of reality. She also lies to and manipulates everyone and is strongly implied to have intentionally caused the end of the world in the first place.
"Amelie" has like five different layers of meaning including I think a Japanese pun, but one of them is "I am a lie". America's name is "I am a lie".
But I absolutely cannot get over how bad his writing is. It’s so overindulgent. The man needs editors or something. It’s as if he went to one language class and learned what metaphor is and said to himself “I’ve learned everything I need here” and never bothered to learn about any other literary device . He’s even got unique ideas but I wish he’d just pass them to a better writer. I wouldn’t even mind the long ass cutscenes, if what he were trying to convey made any lick of sense.
What you are describing is almost fully 50% of the appeal of Kojima's games, with the other 50% being innovative gameplay.
The who Metal Gear Solid series famously made no goddamn sense to anyone until years later when we realized the entire thing was a prophetic look in to the near future that we weren't wise enough to recognize at the time.
I'm sorry, but this is exactly why I love Hideo Kojima. Sometimes he'll uncannily predict the rough shape of the future Internet and the culture it creates around itself with chilling accuracy, and sometimes you'll have a dude named Die-Hardman because his real name is President John McClane.
It's that incredibly bizarre blend of sleek, military-accurate designs and presentation, with the SWAT clearing and codenames and all, and the weird philosophical high-concept themes he builds stories on, and the just fucking weird Hideo Kojima indulgences that are thrown in there because it's a fucking Hideo Kojima game, that makes his shit special. MGS2 wouldn't have the same vibe if Iriquois Plissken didn't make sure to clarify that he's called Vamp because he's bisexual, not because he's an immortal blood drinker who can dodge bullets and walk on special zero-buoyancy water.
I wanted to like Death Stranding and also every other Kojima game.
Death Stranding in almost every detail is top notch. The visual fidelity, the optimization, the game play mechanics (even when they are a bit odd or obtuse) are incredible.
But I absolutely cannot get over how bad his writing is. It's so overindulgent. The man needs editors or something. It's as if he went to one language class and learned what metaphor is and said to himself "I've learned everything I need here" and never bothered to learn about any other literary device . He's even got unique ideas but I wish he'd just pass them to a better writer. I wouldn't even mind the long ass cutscenes, if what he were trying to convey made any lick of sense.
Every one of his games I sit through a 30 minute scene, and go "well that was stupid, lets see if the gameplay can carry this." Play 15 minutes of some of the most unique and cutting edge gameplay, then when the next asinine 30 minute cutscene starts I decide I'm done.
I used to hate kojima cutscenes for years then something inside of me snapped and now I can watch them on loop. The long ladder bit in MGS3 changed my brain chemistry.
WHAT A THRILL
I didn't finish this game, but making the obvious Hillary Clinton stand-in an icon for America and also your mom gave me some pause lol. Like Hideo Kojima grew super de-radicalized after MGS2
Okay but Hillary Clinton is secretly some kind of existential hate demon and you save the world by permanently locking her outside of reality. She also lies to and manipulates everyone and is strongly implied to have intentionally caused the end of the world in the first place.
"Amelie" has like five different layers of meaning including I think a Japanese pun, but one of them is "I am a lie". America's name is "I am a lie".
I mean come on.
The whole game is an argument for communism.
What you are describing is almost fully 50% of the appeal of Kojima's games, with the other 50% being innovative gameplay.
The who Metal Gear Solid series famously made no goddamn sense to anyone until years later when we realized the entire thing was a prophetic look in to the near future that we weren't wise enough to recognize at the time.
I'd restrict that to the first 3 games. 4 and 5 are just dumb.
I'm sorry, but this is exactly why I love Hideo Kojima. Sometimes he'll uncannily predict the rough shape of the future Internet and the culture it creates around itself with chilling accuracy, and sometimes you'll have a dude named Die-Hardman because his real name is President John McClane.
It's that incredibly bizarre blend of sleek, military-accurate designs and presentation, with the SWAT clearing and codenames and all, and the weird philosophical high-concept themes he builds stories on, and the just fucking weird Hideo Kojima indulgences that are thrown in there because it's a fucking Hideo Kojima game, that makes his shit special. MGS2 wouldn't have the same vibe if Iriquois Plissken didn't make sure to clarify that he's called Vamp because he's bisexual, not because he's an immortal blood drinker who can dodge bullets and walk on special zero-buoyancy water.