Hideo Kojima continues to be unrelentingly frank on Twitter, saying that ‘betrayal’ may be a good thing when it comes to the changes observed and slated to appear on Metal Gear Solid 5.
Of course, Kojima is acknowledging the comments of fans that Metal Gear Solid 5 is making a complete break from older conventions in the series. As noted in this thread, changes include slow motion executions, regenerating health, tags placed above enemies, freezing time to avoid alerts, and so forth. Overall, people are comparing the game to Splinter Cell, a somewhat ironic choice considering Splinter Cell is often considered a revision of the Metal Gear series.
Unlike those old days where creators devote themselves creating game in the cell, today's game development is more open to public. (cont)
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) September 25, 2013
We try to create detailed directions by doing focus test repeatedly w users from the world. This is one of the intentions founding LA studio
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) September 25, 2013
In his tweets, Kojima points out that game development has changed, in that changes are more visible in public than it was in the older days. (Remember, Kojima was around for the MSX 2.) He explains that he is doing focus testing frequently around the world to get more details on how to make the game. Ultimately, Kojima points out that they can’t please everyone.
Although, you can't expect excitement by providing what all users wished. Betrayal in good way w/i acceptable limits is needed. (cont)
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) September 25, 2013
Because game is entertainment. But as long as it is an interactive, we need to adjust controls & systems reflected to the time we live today
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) September 25, 2013
And this is where he says betrayal, in a good way, within acceptable limits is needed, because the game is ultimately about entertainment. However, because of gaming’s interactive nature, they have to adapt the game’s controls and systems to match modern expectations.
Honestly, Kojima lost me the moment he brought up focus testing, often blamed as the bane of game development, among a multitude of other things, but consider this my opinion. It is true that the conventions of Metal Gear, even if we start with 3D Metal Gear in 1998, has been around for over a decade. Is Kojima right to infer the series needs radical changes to keep up with the times? Expect this debate to keep going for the next few months.
