[Once A Villain]

Originally Posted by EvoG

Don't bother mag, he's just goading you into a ridiculous argument, showing his clear immaturity (oh, remember, that I tried to cleverly deduce just that in my "veiled" comment. Who's captain obvious now?) ...little does he know its even more telling, admitting to being 25. Perhaps my so-called veiled comment was even more devious than he thought...

And you call me immature. How funny. Keep it up, I actually like to laugh at stuff like this, ask mag.

Originally Posted by EvoG

Anyway, he's clearly not played MGS3, at least not through any major portion of it, and I even doubt he played 2 and perhaps barely a portion of 1, only to opine ignorantly on what his "friends" tell him about the games. Note his newly minted sig.

Excuse me. I've played every major Kojima game (except Zone of the Enders) to completion. The Metal Gear games on NES were some of my favorites when I was young. I had Snatcher for Sega CD. I imported Policenauts from Japan. In fact, I actually imported Metal Gear Solid when I was eighteen just because I couldn't wait an extra month for the U.S. version! Then I bought the U.S. version and played it through as well.

Metal Gear Solid 2 was one of the first major releases on the PS2 that I was excited about. I played it all the way through. The reason I mention my friends is because they actually talked me into buying MGS3. I wasn't going to originally. I didn't even play it and beat it until January of this year right after I finished Resident Evil 4. But, as I said, it would be in my Top 10 of last year as far as when it was released.

Originally Posted by EvoG

Funny, little did you know that you indeed wouldn't make friends, not because of your opinion on MGS, but rather your personality. Good call chief.

Nope. It was my opinions that have you and mag in an uproar. Try as you may to deny it.

Originally Posted by EvoG

Oh and for mag's sake and sanity, it was you, genius, that decided to start discussing the merits of MGS being sci-fi based on one innocuous comment mag made...here let me help (for clarity adding what you briefed above):

You continued by offering your nitpickings of how MGS is not sci-fi and it escalated from there. You couldn't leave well enough alone...immature or not, it was stupid but nonetheless you started us down that track.

No, he called me stupid because I didn't share his opinion. That's why it started down this track. Obviously you are biased because you despise my opinions as much as mag does. But it's very clear here that mag said the stories were sci/fi, I replied, "Not in my opinion." He then said I was stupid. Should I just walk away from that? Grin and bear it? No, I'll defend myself on paper, a PC screen, or in person. That's just the way I am. So yes indeed, he started it when he called my opinion stupid.

Originally Posted by EvoG

...Your intial comment was how Kojima was a hack, and where the pseudo-intellectualism comes in, is where you begin to spout comparisons to other directors/movies and this LIST of 20 instances where he is supposedly ripping them off, but never once mentioned anything specifically ABOUT MGS and its extreme state of being haXorzd, stating your opinion as some sort of fact. But wait, then you said "because all my friends said so as well". It MUST be true, Kojima MUST be hack if your cabal of haters said so!

Well I wrote the list up seven years ago. That's not exactly a small issue. I've moved twice since then, changed computers, changed screennames, etc. I couldn't cut and paste it for your viewing pleasure. Off the top of my head I can go into a few things:

1) The female sniper in MGS, I believe her name was Sniper Wolf, she asks Snake to give her her rifle. She can't die without it. That scene was taken directly out of Kurosawa's Yojimbo.

2) There's a scene in a restroom between Snake and Meryl (I can't believe I remember this...) where they discuss who really wins in war. The dialogue and the things that are said make it clear this scene was taken from Kurosawa's Seven Samurai.

3) The entry into the compound in MGS uses practically the same exact style and idea (and is "shot" using similar angles and editing) used in The Rock. Speaking of Michael Bay, he seems to have had great influence on Kojima even though he's one of Hollywood's worst directors. Kojima uses a lot of Bay's favorite, cheesy, music video shots like the "characters walking in slow motion toward the camera" bullshit. An instant sign of a Jerry Bruckheimer/Michael Bay piece.

4) The method of cloaking in MGS used by the Ninja is clearly a rip off visually of Predator.

5) Snake was inspired by Snake Plisken from John Carpenter's Escape From New York. The voice, the attitude, and even the look are strikingly...the same. No originality there at all.

6) There are numerous similarities to Die Hard, from the vent shafts to the look of Liquid Snake who might as well be named "Karl".

7) The jeep chase at the end has been done in countless movies. It's a favorite of those that go straight to video.

8) The torture sequences in both MGS and MGS3 are right out of Lethal Weapon in terms of style, devices (electrocution, hanging the wrists, etc.). There are others certainly, but I doubt Kojima went much further back...he seems like more of a "rip off of a rip off" kind of guy.

9) Just look at Snatcher. Many people consider it to be Kojima's greatest achievement, but the plot is directly from Blade Runner, and the design of the robots is straight out of The Terminator.

The problem isn't one or two or even three of these things...it's that he steals from everywhere. I don't expect everything to be original or fresh, but almost everything Kojima does is borrowed from someone else.

I will say one thing in Kojima's defense. He doesn't try to hide it. In an interview in a Playstation magazine in the late 90's there's a picture of him in his office and you can see a Predator figure in the background. Then for his favorite directors he lists Kurosawa and McTiernan (Die Hard, Predator). He also admitted that he took Snake from Escape to New York. So, these aren't coincidences, but the fact that it's so blatantly obvious is what turns me off. I like creators that have their own style.

Originally Posted by EvoG

Then, as I tried to maintain some modicum of coherence to your initial post, I commented on the emotional impact of the story, the ONE MAIN point of contention you had with Kojima and him being a hack, and boom, you tell me that merely has to do with plot and not gameplay, when in fact we were NOT talking about gameplay, but rather his storytelling ability. That, and you even SAID you had no problem with his gameplay:

No, at this point I was comparing the gameplay of Splinter Cell and Metal Gear Solid. One has more of a focus on gameplay, the other more on movie sequences. The gameplay in MGS is fine, but not as good as Splinter Cell in my view. I was just surprised that you said the ending of MGS3 was better than anything in Splinter Cell. Splinter Cell doesn't go for the big, epic Hollywood ending. At the same time, I said you have a right to your opinion and you do.

Originally Posted by EvoG

Which then lead us to the sci-fi arguments noted above. BTW, MGS is about robotics and genetics...the science part of the fiction.

I even went so far to counter your arguments about his choice of camera control and design by stating a new version was coming early next year, and you chose to ignore it TWICE because it wasn't convenient for your case.

It's also about soldiers, countries, war, humanity. It's also about silly villains that are in no way the "science" part of anything. Hornet men, vampires, people who deflect missiles with their souls, and dead people who show up as ghosts and haunt you in a boss fight of sorts. As for ignoring you twice, it is you who ignored me. I said much earlier, "As for the updated MGS3, I'll have to try it sometime." I already knew about this version coming out anyway. The camera part sounds very cool because yes, that is one of my main gameplay complaints.

Originally Posted by EvoG

Anyway, if its gameplay you're all about, WHO THE F*%K CARES then about Kojima being touted as a great designer??! The games are fun, AS YOU SAID.

The games are fun, yes. But I do like the Splinter Cell games better. I don't really think Kojima is a "great" designer.