I've had many an MGS disagreement prior to your registration Blinge, but I think 'enlightened' fans are the ones who offer an explanation for something where there is none.
At one point I was directed to a thesis on MGS2, a laboured attempt to explain away all its 'meaning'. Suffice to say it's one of the most convoluted and reaching pieces of drivel I've ever read; an examination of something that's already shit - what's the point?
Others like to tell you "weird and wacky, that's Kojima's thing!", and while that's acceptable to a degree, it's unnaceptable as an excuse. Self reference, meta jokes and memes don't maketh a satisfactory work. If you don't have the higher intellect to create a story worth telling, pare it back! There's no harm in that. We all love stories about New York cops being accidentally trapped in terrorist heists and having to kill their way out. Doesn't need to be ruined by aloof eccentricity and philosophical waxing.
We must remember however that Kojima is Japanese, and that's partly to blame for this. Faux profundity and a desire to be 'higher' happens a lot in Japanese stories. They struggle to tone anything down and are often guilty of ruining perfectly good setups with terrible flapping about existentialism and the meaning of being human.
To play MGS is largely fine, generally good, occasionally great. To deal with all Kojima's wanking almost constitutes a dealbreaker in terms of player investment, involvement and suspension of disbelief. Skipping cutscenes doesn't feel right, but you know when one kicks in you had better call the lobotomist.
This is 100% correct.I can't help but get the feeling that he needs some guidance. He reminds me of a bright teenager who tries to impress people with his latest collectanea, constantly citing Kant or Coleridge to prove his intellectual credibility. The problem is that it is not enough to have complex thoughts or superficial knowledge of relevant thinkers/writers, it takes time and effort to chart an entire mental map. And if you try to create a narrative for yourself you need to have a clear outlook on what you want to tell, a story is not a general store. It's great that Kojima gets excited about things and wants to evoke some imagery or reference some pieces of art, but he is completely unable to find a guiding thread. Someone else needs (needed) to intervene for the higher good.
