MGS4 to have 90 minute long cutscenes?

[Profcrab]

TheBigFatJ said:

Profcrab said:

In many ways, Japanese game designers seem to pursue the same line of reasoning as anime. They have an idea for a really far out there story and they do everything to make it work instead of modifying the story to make it work. Cutscenes are how they still push their story concept even when it wouldn't fit the gameplay of that game.

90 minutes sounds like an exaggeration but even 20 minutes is too long for a video game and I can easily see Kojima including cutscenes that are 20-30 minutes. I just think he is way too high on his own ideas and is suffering from the George Lucas problem where no one can tell him "No!". Think of all the extra work that could be done on the game that might have gone into cutscenes.

This is partially a cultural issue. In Japanese culture, you generally do not correct people who are in a position above you. So, for example, a lower worker may know his boss has a fact wrong, but he will not correct his boss because it is improper to do so. In America, this should not be the case (but sometimes is).

Kojima can say things his subordinates know are incorrect, or he can have ideas they know are bad. But they wouldn't tell him these things, most likely, for cultural reasons.

To put it bluntly, Kojima can't hold the jock of Bioware's janitor.

Kojima's ideas and methods may be obsolete compared to Bioware but this is just going to insult people who are fans of his.

It seems like most in this thread agree that 90 minute cut scenes are unacceptable. As this is a site primarily filled with core/hardcore gamers, this doesn't bode very well for MGS4 as many people will just end up skipping the cut scenes. Whether or not it will hurt sales is another question.

The problem is not that Kojima's ideas are obsolete, he's trying to build a steam-powered supercar. This concept of cutscenes to tell the story is getting out of hand. He's showing his limitations. If people are chauvanistic fans then they deserve to get a little pissed. Never put any developer up on so high of a pedestal. Seriously, I would take anyone at Bungie over Kojima to tell a story in a video game. He's just not that good at it. Rabid Kojima fans are similar to rabid anime fans. It's ok to like overcomplicated stories and long cutscenes. If you do, then MGS is giving that to you in spades. Just don't fall head over heals in love with Kojima. He's catered more to those fans as the series goes on than he has to general gaming audience.