Hideo Kojima, famed creator of the Metal Gear Solid series, has expressed regret at the epic volume of cut-scenes in MGS4.
Speaking about his decision to make the cut-scenes non-interactive, Kojima said, “In MGS4, yes, I put everything in the cut sequences, which I kind of regret to some extent, because maybe there is a new approach which I should think about."
Hold on? Is that the sound of Kojima fanboys swallowing huge slices of their own words?
Going into more detail about why he doesn't make story elements of the Metal Gear games more interactive, Kojima said, “...if I make multiple storylines and allow the users to select which story, this might really sacrifice the deep emotion the user might feel; when there's a concrete storyline, and you kind of go along that rail, you feel the destiny of the story, which at the end, makes you feel more moved.
“But when you make it interactive - if you want multiple stories where you go one way or another - will that make the player more moved when he or she finishes the game? These two points are really the key which I am thinking about, and if this works, I think I could probably introduce a more interactive storytelling method.”
It's funny, SPOnG always assumed that developers don't include more genuinely branching storylines in games because it means putting time and money into huge swathes of content that might never be played. Not that we're suggesting they're lazy or tight...
Of course, when Kojima says things like, “this is an easy approach” of his storytelling techniques you might be forgiven for believing the former. You can catch the full story over on Kikizo.
Speaking about his decision to make the cut-scenes non-interactive, Kojima said, “In MGS4, yes, I put everything in the cut sequences, which I kind of regret to some extent, because maybe there is a new approach which I should think about."
Hold on? Is that the sound of Kojima fanboys swallowing huge slices of their own words?
Going into more detail about why he doesn't make story elements of the Metal Gear games more interactive, Kojima said, “...if I make multiple storylines and allow the users to select which story, this might really sacrifice the deep emotion the user might feel; when there's a concrete storyline, and you kind of go along that rail, you feel the destiny of the story, which at the end, makes you feel more moved.
“But when you make it interactive - if you want multiple stories where you go one way or another - will that make the player more moved when he or she finishes the game? These two points are really the key which I am thinking about, and if this works, I think I could probably introduce a more interactive storytelling method.”
It's funny, SPOnG always assumed that developers don't include more genuinely branching storylines in games because it means putting time and money into huge swathes of content that might never be played. Not that we're suggesting they're lazy or tight...
Of course, when Kojima says things like, “this is an easy approach” of his storytelling techniques you might be forgiven for believing the former. You can catch the full story over on Kikizo.
Companies:
Kojima Productions Konami
People: Hideo Kojima
Games: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
People: Hideo Kojima
Games: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
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Comments
Daz 26 Aug 2008 17:36
1/4
call me an idiot but I doubt I'll ever see interactive Cutscenes as a good thing, call me old fashioned but I like to observe what's happening not wondering what button is going to pop up and probably make me start again
deleted 26 Aug 2008 18:44
2/4
Cutscenes are a common product of the Compact Disc, Man those things loved cut scenes, I mean jebus even frogger had em!, i for one dont care much for cutscenes in any way or form it takes you out of the story i feel, funny isnt it as im a big big JRPG fan and guess what there packed full of the darned things!
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Joji 26 Aug 2008 22:49
3/4
Cut scenes have their place in games, that much is clear, whether rendered or in game engine.
Kojima, you know what? I respect your genius but you can also be a butthead. I think Kojima should just make his own MGS CG movies, dump them on DVD and get all that drama out of his head. Build on those digital novel things that were so cool.
Or perhaps an MGS anime series, now that would be cool, while helping us understand all his MGS stuff.
I guess the film maker in Kojima gets the better of him sometimes, hence all the crap why MGS4 hasn't hit 360. What a major mistake if Konami fail to exploit such an option.
Kojima, you know what? I respect your genius but you can also be a butthead. I think Kojima should just make his own MGS CG movies, dump them on DVD and get all that drama out of his head. Build on those digital novel things that were so cool.
Or perhaps an MGS anime series, now that would be cool, while helping us understand all his MGS stuff.
I guess the film maker in Kojima gets the better of him sometimes, hence all the crap why MGS4 hasn't hit 360. What a major mistake if Konami fail to exploit such an option.
entr0py 27 Aug 2008 04:18
4/4
Daz, I don't think that's what Kojima was talking about, at least I hope not. You seem to be thinking of Dragon's Lair/Shenmu/Indigo Prophecy style action scenes where you have to press the button that pops up or die. Not only do few people like those, but they're not really interactive, you either see the full linear scene, or stop it prematurely by hitting the wrong button.
Rather, I'm betting he meant allowing the player some choice in what their character says and how they react to others. Something adventure games on the PC have been doing for decades with dialogue trees. Dude needs to learn English so he can see some good examples of this being pulled off well. That's it, I'm reinstalling Grim Fandango.
Rather, I'm betting he meant allowing the player some choice in what their character says and how they react to others. Something adventure games on the PC have been doing for decades with dialogue trees. Dude needs to learn English so he can see some good examples of this being pulled off well. That's it, I'm reinstalling Grim Fandango.