I do admire Kojima's work to a point, but I have to say that after recently getting my hands of MGS4 (just got a PS3), that his name being attached to a project does not automatically stand for quality gaming experiences. At least not to me.
It stands for self-indulgent, overblown narrative and decade old gameplay devices that have been done better by others long ago. MGS4 was a slog of boring gameplay mixed with even more boring and excruciatingly drawn out cut scenes that weren't merely bad, they were awful. I never skip cut scenes or story exposition in games, ever. Guns of the Patriots broke me of that completely.
I know I'm in the minority on that, but MGS 4 taught me that Hideo Kojima's games do absolutely nothing for me, and I'm frankly worried about what's going to happen to Castlevania not simply because of Mercury Steam's involvement in the project, but more so because of his... Hideo Kojima's name is on the box is a red flag, not a seal of quality as far as I'm concerned.
As best as I can tell they're turning Castlevania into a God of War clone with Hollywood voice acting and I can't help but feel that's a terrible, terrible thing. Probably in the minority on that opinion too...
@stranger: Despite having lengthy, self-indulgent cutscenes and convoluted plot lines, MGS still brought along some of the most memorable gaming cinematics to date. Not to mention top-notch humor, musical score, and production values... So many elements are masterfully intertwined and woven together, yet people like you are still grasping for straws. I personally find the situation laughable. In regards to gameplay mechanics: why fix what isn't broken? Plus, they've always been adding layers of depth and refining the formula. There's so much depth and hidden content that you can play through each game in the franchise at least a dozen times before finally getting bored -- then you can make it harder and more challenging! Are you trying to incite a flame war, here? You can say "MGS is just not my type of game", but no one can dispute its greatness. I dare you to find a better example in the stealth-action genre with more CHARM. Good luck!
You're the one at fault here. Stranger made it VERY CLEAR in his post that everything he was saying was his opinion (and even mentioned how he was in the minority). And then you come and try to tell him his opinion is wrong like a douche.
Is that EACH cut scene lasts no longer than 15 minutes or ALL of the cut scenes put together? I wanted to double check...this is Kojima we're talking about!
A 15 minute cut scene is still taking the piss. This is like the interactive movies of the 90s CD-ROM boom, except without the interaction. No matter how much some people want them to be, games are not movies. Please stop sticking movies into the middle of games. Please.
@Archaotic: Your defintion of 'good' and my definition of 'good' are different. (Hint: It doesn't involve a guy fighting a classical literature character with a whip).
@Rachel Fogg: Serious question, then, that maybe a devoted Kojimite could answer...
Why all the adulation for him? If you look at his bio and credits, other than 9 versions of MGS, he's done very little, verging on nothing else.
I've never played ZoE, but I was watching gameplay vids the other day, and it didn't seem to be anything overly fantastic (and certainly no different from a lot of games of that ilk).
So I guess my question is, why does his name have such cache that they'd slap him on this project and immediately people get excited?
@Yossarian: Snatcher. Zone of the Enders. Boktai. Policenauts. He's done plenty of games that aren't Metal Gear; if anything, he's been typecast as "the Metal Gear guy" by his fans when he seems to want to do something else. This should be good for him, letting him work on something that isn't MGS for a little while.
...even if he's working on a new MGS game at the same time. =/
@Yossarian: Yep, Arch said it before me, but for me...I'm a girl and I think that's a good lookin man. j/k..(no srsly, I would have like his tribe of children..:cough:)
I have alot of respect for Kojima because he busted his ass to get his work out there, MG was his first big break and he hasn't slacked off. He went on to make other games...some were good, others not so good. But he always worked and worked hard.
His hands are in EVERYTHING that his game possess, I admire that alot.
Kojima and Daisuke Ishiwatari (Guilty Gear/Blazblue)...two of my top favourite directors (with Kamiya, Mikami, Uedo and Nomura coming in close second, third, forth and fifth respectively)
See, the same question can be posed to why everyone sucks the anal sweat off Itagaki, THAT I don't understand and I LIKE NG.
@Handsome Al: Hopefully that means, by the end, they'll all be badass mofos who can take on an unstoppable crowd of frogs with a BFG all while doing gun kata with a girl with man shoulders, because that's the kind of team I want to see making Castlevania.
The first time I read this article it had a section talking about how the cut scenes are "only 15 minutes long, despite Kojima's involvement" then when I refreshed the page, it was gone! I was planning on saying,
"If there isn't at least one 50+ min cutscene in it, Kojima is losing his edge"
@FriedConsole: On further research this one is actually different. I thought it was one of those Castlevanias that comes out for the DS every other year.
I have played three of the GBA/DS Castlevanias but I couldn't tell you which ones because they all seemed like the same damn game.
Michael Dukakis for Senate! promoted this comment
Edited by Bouzi...not a graphics whore! at 09/03/09 3:01 PM
Bouzi...not a graphics whore! was starred
Bouzi...not a graphics whore! was unstarred
09/04/09
Really?
I don't think saying "Have at thee!" takes more than a couple seconds... and really, that's all the cutscene I need in a Castlevania game!
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It stands for self-indulgent, overblown narrative and decade old gameplay devices that have been done better by others long ago. MGS4 was a slog of boring gameplay mixed with even more boring and excruciatingly drawn out cut scenes that weren't merely bad, they were awful. I never skip cut scenes or story exposition in games, ever. Guns of the Patriots broke me of that completely.
I know I'm in the minority on that, but MGS 4 taught me that Hideo Kojima's games do absolutely nothing for me, and I'm frankly worried about what's going to happen to Castlevania not simply because of Mercury Steam's involvement in the project, but more so because of his... Hideo Kojima's name is on the box is a red flag, not a seal of quality as far as I'm concerned.
As best as I can tell they're turning Castlevania into a God of War clone with Hollywood voice acting and I can't help but feel that's a terrible, terrible thing. Probably in the minority on that opinion too...
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You're the one at fault here. Stranger made it VERY CLEAR in his post that everything he was saying was his opinion (and even mentioned how he was in the minority). And then you come and try to tell him his opinion is wrong like a douche.
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I'd still like Igarashi to make SotN 2 for PSN and XBLA, but I can't wait for this one.
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y'know, I think it's his sexy stare...I could look at that all day.
09/03/09
Why all the adulation for him? If you look at his bio and credits, other than 9 versions of MGS, he's done very little, verging on nothing else.
I've never played ZoE, but I was watching gameplay vids the other day, and it didn't seem to be anything overly fantastic (and certainly no different from a lot of games of that ilk).
So I guess my question is, why does his name have such cache that they'd slap him on this project and immediately people get excited?
09/03/09
...even if he's working on a new MGS game at the same time. =/
09/03/09
I have alot of respect for Kojima because he busted his ass to get his work out there, MG was his first big break and he hasn't slacked off. He went on to make other games...some were good, others not so good. But he always worked and worked hard.
His hands are in EVERYTHING that his game possess, I admire that alot.
Kojima and Daisuke Ishiwatari (Guilty Gear/Blazblue)...two of my top favourite directors (with Kamiya, Mikami, Uedo and Nomura coming in close second, third, forth and fifth respectively)
See, the same question can be posed to why everyone sucks the anal sweat off Itagaki, THAT I don't understand and I LIKE NG.
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"If there isn't at least one 50+ min cutscene in it, Kojima is losing his edge"
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I have played three of the GBA/DS Castlevanias but I couldn't tell you which ones because they all seemed like the same damn game.
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Too subtle?
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LOL! I'm very sad that it took me a while to connect the dots.
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@BlisteringOrange:
08/19/09