#27
Change YoY: -4 My Rating: 9.3 / 10
Hideo Kojima is a fascinating person to talk about, isn't he? Over the last 30 years he has successfully carved out a niche for himself that is unlike that of just about any other video game creator in history. He makes games that tackle challenging and often harrowing subjects like nuclear war, child soldiers, genetic manipulation, war propaganda, and various other political and philosophical themes through stories that are often poignant and heartbreaking in equal measure. And then, he follows that up with some of the most inane and childish moments in video game history, causing such tonal whiplash to leave players guessing whether he's a genius, insane, or both. At this point, it's just something everyone's learned to accept as part of his games' weird charm. It's just Kojima, and there's nobody else quite like him.
As far as I'm concerned, Kojima's finest work to date remains Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. This was the game where his most eccentric tendencies, which could at times detract from his games' themes and messages, were at least somewhat kept in check, and as a result the story doesn't get overly convoluted and the characters' motivations remain clear and understandable throughout. The poignant moments are genuinely earned, and the silliness never gets too ridiculous, feeling more like added flavour that give the game a bit of levity when it's needed. Part of the reason for this may have been the fact that it's a prequel to the rest of the MGS series, meaning that many of the franchise's weirder elements weren't weighing it down yet, and the game was just allowed to tell its story without too much over-complicated nonsense. Naturally, it still features Kojima's trademark style, but not to its own detriment. This is, in my opinion, Kojima's true masterpiece, which none of his other works have quite matched in either effectiveness and overall quality. Other games of his might have individual elements that are done better, but in none of them have they come together as fantastically as they did here in Snake Eater.
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