Joel was in the previous trailer wasn't he?

No, not even that. In media, when the word pretentious is used, it's almost always a way of saying that the creators of the media are trying to give off a greater importance of said media than there really is. In this instance, we're just talking about a trailer. Personally, I don't care how great Kojima considers himself to be : P . Especially because he's earned his reputation as a media genius. 

I think something a bit more coherent would have been great. Yes it's fun to speculate and fan theories are one of the best things about anticipating Kojima games, but it would be nice to at least know *some* of what's going on. A little bit of clarification might have been added but very little at all. I would have liked to see more genuine gameplay. I'm sure walking will be very much part of the gaming experience(lol), but I have a feeling there is a lot of depth that hasn't even been teased. 

Keep in mind none of this would be a problem if this wasn't the 3rd or 4th time...

Glad it's understandable now. I'm certainly not saying any of this as a fact, just as an opinion. I'm underwhelmed, but I'm sure we'll get something that delivers soon. 

Bout to drop the hardest album of 2019.

Death Stranding gameplay was probably the biggest letdown of E3? Never expected it to be a UPS simulator. There better be more to it.

They have already said in an interview that Ellie is the only playable character.  He is in the game but he is not playable.