Why do people like Hideo Kojima and his games?

[Zhukov]

WAIT!

Just... just give me a second, okay?

I realise that internet discourse being what it is, especially when games are concerned, this is going to be immediately interpreted as a dig at Kojima or his fans. "Oh man, how can anybody like Kojima games. They're so shit. Only idiots and creepy losers could like that garbage".

However, that's really not what I'm going for here. Now, obviously I'm not a Kojima fan personally. If I was then I would presumably already know why people like him. I'm asking purely out of curiosity.

If anyone cares, this was prompted by the reaction to the Death Stranding trailer. It made no coherent sense and told us absolutely nothing about the game, not even its general genre, but was received with interest purely because it had Kojima's name slapped on it. So what is it that people are looking forward to when they see that name?

 

[Bilious Green_v1legacy]

I don't really get it either. All of his games seem to have a suferficially reasonable premises but then the plot goes off into bizarro land. They do generally have solid gameplay though, so I can understand the appeal of that aspect. The part that puzzles me is why people think he's some sort of genius auteur.

 

[Saelune]

Its called Metal Gear Solid 1 and 3. Thats why. I mean, I think 2 and Peace Walker are great, and 4 was fine, but mostly its 1 and 3.

In more detail, its is uniqueness. He is experimental, abstract, and funny, while also somewhat insightful. He is a passionate creator seemingly above greed, and we need more of that in creative fields like game development.

Im excited about his new game because...I dont know what it is going to be, and Im really curious. I dont know at all what the game is about, and thats exciting. Besides so many people complain about a lack of creativity and originality, so ya know, this game might got ya covered there.

Ofcourse, it could be a hot ball of garbage, but even so, I think at worst it will just be a creative idea that just didnt pan out.

 

[Luminous_Umbra]

As others have said, it's the weirdness/uniqueness of what Kojima brings to his games. He's willing to explore the more strange aspects of game design. His passion and love for his games certainly doesn't hurt.

To give an example from MGS3...

Spoiler

The End, an aging sniper, can be dealt with in three main ways. You can fight him head on, wait a week of real time for him to die of old age, or take him out at the start of the game in a narrow window of opportunity. Not too many creators would have the latter two options.

 

[stroopwafel]

Well, you kinda have to see it in perspective. The guy has been going at it for a long time now and has broken a lot of new ground. First with the original Metal Gear way back in the late '80's. Then Metal Gear Solid which pioneered genuine cinematic storytelling in games(still a novelty back then). MGS2 which had a postmodern narrative design not used by any other game before or since. Then there is fan-favorite MGS3. And most recently MGS5 which might not have delivered story-wise but still perfected stealth gameplay in an open-world setting with a degree of polish and attention to detail other developers would not think twice about. Also not forget Zone of the Enders 2 which is still considered one of the best mech games. Even Kojima's older and less popular games like Policenauts and Snatcher were really interesting in their own way.

I personally really like Kojima b/c he always tries new things, even if they don't always work out. Thematically his games always have this eclectic mix of serious real world issues and '80s action movie and oldschool anime influences offset by (sometimes borderline inappropriate) goofball humor. And somehow it really works to tell this unique brand of story.

So yeah, I guess it's the mix of a long and genuinely impressive legacy and the unqiue style of gameplay and narrative design that makes people (still) excited by Kojima's games(myself included ).

 

[Here Comes Tomorrow]

I like him because he explores the medium. He pushes boundries and messes with it in ways you wouldn't expect and that no one else really does.

If you give him a stealth game he doesn't just say "right, sneak about don't get spotted". He makes thinks "wouldn't it be cool if..."

I mean people have entire threads dedicated JUST to the little features in his games that you might never know existed if you don't mess around.

 

[Pseudonym]

I suppose how experimental he is. There is something weird and unpredictable about his games. He has a strange mix of weirdness that sometimes feels rather japanese but is mixed up in all these more western tropes about superspies, the cold war ans soldiers. He also has these weird tricks where 'the code is on the back of the box' (mgs1) means on the back of gamebox. A hassle to find out, because unprepared it will take you longer than I'd have patience for, but a cool idea nonetheless.

I have to say though. His experimentality is combined with a certain lack of restraint. A lot of the things he does are just kind of dumb in one way or another. Sometimes because they are too over the top and lacking in subtlety (starting off a game with a massive burning whale), sometimes because they clash with the gameplay (every bossfight in mgs5), sometimes just the general incoherence and disjointed feel of the plotline (mgs1). It's just weird to have a serious and well done scene about sick contagious soldiers that have to be killed to prevent the disease from spreading on the one hand and Quiet on the other. One showed remarkable restraint and timing, the other is continually trying too hard to be cool and you know, that outfit.

You have to be somewhat patient with it and see it as it comes. It certainly isn't boring, though it can be rather annoying at times, when things just don't work for whatever reason.

The death stranding trailer shows us incredibly weird things like dissapearing babies seemingly given birth to by a male, spilled oil appearing out of nowhere, floating people in the distance. It is bewilderingly confusing and in all that there seems to be an enviromental message about death whales and other sea animals. Kojima could have just gone for all that weird stuff being weird but then there suddenly are the hints of an oil spill and whalehunting. Whether there is any point to it all we will have to see but it is certainly different.

 

[Arina Love]

His style of writing , his sense in cinematography and the fact that only 1 game he made left me disappointed: MGS 5. And that's why i'm exited for Death Stranding, i don't know what it is but as long as Kojima is being Kojima i have no problems buying it day 1.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

Unique game design and unprecedented attention to detail.

 

[The Purple Grape]

Memorable scenes, decent writing (by video game standards), has a unique style and likes to experiment with his games. He doesn't always hit the the mark but he takes risks. Sometimes they don't pay off. Onyl worry now is that he might succumb to the 'George Lucas' effect if surrounds himself with yes men. I hope not.

Some of my favorite scenes.




And mechs. Everyone like mechs.

 

[Fox12]

I don't get it either. People talk about his attention to detail and realism in the same games that have these:

I don't think his writing holds up that well either. I mean, his games seem fun in a zany kind of way, but I never considered them thought provoking. To each his own I guess. I can't begrudge him his success after everything he went through. Calling him one of the greatest gaming minds of the generation is really pushing it, though, Sony.

 

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

He also has these weird tricks where 'the code is on the back of the box' (mgs1) means on the back of gamebox. A hassle to find out, because unprepared it will take you longer than I'd have patience for, but a cool idea nonetheless.

This is actually an old anti-piracy measure that was rather widespread in the late-80's and early-90's. You'd reach a point in the game when it would suddenly fling a question like "What's the third word on the second line on page 12 of the manual?" or "Write the number that's at the bottom of the last page of the manual". MGS did it a little bit different by deadpanning it in the game, instead of completely breaking immersion, like what often happened when you played a sub sim (man, those were popular in the days) and when you prepare to fire your torpedoes on an enemy carrier you got asked to provide a snippet from the manual.

 

[Here Comes Tomorrow]

I don't get it either. People talk about his attention to detail and realism in the same games that have these:

I don't think his writing holds up that well either. I mean, his games seem fun in a zany kind of way, but I never considered them thought provoking. To each his own I guess. I can't begrudge him his success after everything he went through. Calling him one of the greatest gaming minds of the generation is really pushing it, though, Sony.

I really think MGS2 was him at his peak and the backlash it recieved shook him a bit.

Some people can handle the weirdness and the seriousness. What I like about Kojima is that he makes games and while his games have some weird stuff in them it's because he probably doesn't forget that games are supposed to be fun for the player.

 

[Casual Shinji]

He has a very operatic style that people find delightful. A mix of serious, wacky, and fourth wall breaking characters and situations that can lead to some wonderful moments. It's not unique to him though, it's actually a very Japanese thing, he just rolls with it unabashedly.

His games also have a ton of little things to mess around with, like putting C4 on guards, poisoning them by blowing up food supply shacks and throwing a dead venomous snake at their feet when they're hungry as hell. Even MGS5, for all it's not greatness, had these little details, like guards opting for helmets should you perform too many headshots.

And he's one of the few remaining "artistes" in the business with basically carte blanche.

I like the guy and I'm glad he's around, but I don't stroke my beard at everything he comes up with. Sometimes it's just shit, like MGS4 and 5, and sometimes it's tedious artsy fartsy whining, like MGS2, or the Death Stranding trailer.

 

[Maximum Bert]

I dont know why and I am sure it is a different reason(s) for different people but he has successfully built a brand with his name which not many developers do so I can understand some people being excited if they hear his name mentioned.

For me personally I loved Metal Gear Solid on PS1 (first MG I played) also special missions was great fun but 2 and 3 did not do much for me while I never even bothered with 4 and 5 (unless you count that expensive demo ground zeros which admittedly I got for free).

I am glad he is able to make games outside of the MG universe again now and see what he comes up with because the guy does have a lot of good ideas I feel even if they are not always implemented the best.

As for the trailer it did nothing for me as it showed nothing. Hopefully gameplay details emerge when it is further along.

 

[TheMysteriousGX]

He's the Quintin Tarantino of video games. Which means a lot of people like him while I'm left scratching my head.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

I know a fair few casual gamers that grew up with the PlayStation and its' sequel, they all adore the MGS games unequivocally for what would probably be counted as breaking new ground at the time. Not only for adding cinematic style storytelling but also for the mechanical details and i guess no one else really provided that style at the time. Admittedly, an immature me was fairly impressed by the games focus on storytelling, crazy cutscenes, sporadic tone and little details that add to stealth enjoyment. But the more you think about it, the worse it gets. And looking back, it's a lot of cringeworthy material. I can still appreciate the games mechanically, but Hideo writes like an over-excited teenage boy that ages like a cucumber slice in summer heat. If I were trying to convince anybody of the potential of gaming, the MGS series would not be chosen for its' story.
As for the cult of personality...eh, a mild entertainment that will appeal more to some than others. I think Hideo really needs to spend time with some female friends though, I am not sure what experience he has of conversing with tbe opposite sex, but it is far from enough.
At least he's not David Cage levels of pretentious, creepy bullshit, if only because he produces actual games with some gameplay.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

I am not sure what experience he has of conversing with tbe opposite sex, but it is far from enough.

I'm not sure what fanservice and some awkward dialogue has to do with talking to women. But he's married.

Being married does not imply good communication. If that were the case, the world would be a marginally better place by now.