Hideo Kojima bashes Metal Gear Solid 4 -- is he being too hard on himself?

by Nick Doerr { Apr 19th 2008 at 2:30AM }

It's been circulating the internet for a little while now -- Hideo Kojima's comments regarding Metal Gear Solid 4 and the PS3. It's almost inevitable our take on the situation will be misconstrued as blind fanboy bias, but we'd like to try to take an objective glance at what he said. In a recent interview in Edge magazine, Kojima said that the gameplay of MGS4 is fairly close to his vision, but the graphical side of things got a slight hit from what he envisioned: "things like motion-blending and the size of the map, totally was not accomplished to my original vision - to my satisfaction."

After their initial TGS showing, everyone was excited to see what the PS3 was capable of, but once development really started, Kojima says they could not evolve as much as he wanted. "The original vision was to go ten steps further, the reality was just one step, which isn't to say we didn't progress." The CPU apparently is at fault here, as the Cell is being fully employed, says Kojima.

He doesn't blame the PS3 and rightly so. It's one thing to lay out your plans and envision what you'd like to do, but when it comes to it, you've got to sacrifice some of your dreams and ideals. Was Kojima dreaming too much with his original ideas? Not really -- but what he wanted might have been something we'll need to wait another generation for. We'd like to have a smell-o-vision, but we'll settle for rumble. Is that the PS3's fault? Nah. Kojima should relax -- his game looks fantastic and we're sure all his fans will agree he's made much more progress than he's giving himself credit for.

[via NeoGAF]

Tags: hideo-kojima, konami, metal-gear-solid-4

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

strike911 @ Apr 19th 2008 2:41AM

I've been reading the coverage of this and I don't think he's trying to tell people MGS4 will be a bad game. We have to understand that this is (supposedly) the end of Solid Snake's story, the end of a character that's been around for 20 years, that is essentially Kojima's baby. He's been building MGS4 for years... everyday going to work and working on a game. Game developers ALWAYS want more content in their games, but because of deadlines, budgets, etc. they are unable to get everything they wanted in there. EVERY developer deals with this. I respect Kojima for what he's saying, but he does sound like he's being too hard on himself. I don't think he's saying he's completely dissatisfied with MGS4, but I believe he's merely saying that there were more things he wanted to implement into it that he was unable to accomplish. MGS4 (and MGO) look fantastic, and all the reviews/previews I've read have only said good things. The video's I've seen look incredible. I was reading some comments at kotaku saying "I'm cancelling my preorder now." and I think that's wholly ridiculous. Kojima is a perfectionist; I'm sure he's said this about all the games he's made at the end.

stevend1038 @ Apr 19th 2008 2:46AM

I personally think he sets his bar way above everyone else's but fails at his own expectations and delivers on player expectations. Too be honest I wasn't expecting anything revolutionary, I just want to be able to take snake through a game, just one last time!

MrEverdred01 @ Apr 19th 2008 11:04AM

Not only that, but it's just Japanese culture that when somebody compliments you, you're supposed to be modest and downplay your success. Like if somebody in Japan said to you, "that's a nice hat you have on" then you're supposed to say, "no, it's not really that good." If you say, "yeah thanks. I picked it out myself." then whoever you're talking to will think you're an arrogant, narcissistic prick. It's just one of those cultural differences that doesn't make very much sense. Kojima's just trying to be modest so everyone doesn't think he's full of himself.

John McPoop @ Apr 19th 2008 2:20PM

@strike911

I agree with what your saying there. I also think there is a little reverse psychology about this situation with Kojima. With all the hype surrounding this game I think he wants everyone to take a step back and lower their expectations a little bit. Then, once the game releases and we are all blown away we will be truly befuddled about what Kojima's vision was for this game. I think this game will win GOTY and will be one of the best games in the history of console gaming.

brettjr @ Apr 19th 2008 2:48AM

Okay after all Kojima said about maxing it and not being able to achieve his full vision then I'm just going to look poorly at his skills if MGS4 doesn't have the graphic qualities of CoD4.

He's saying he got the best out of it then a least it should be just as pleasing visually and special effects wise.

Thoas @ Apr 19th 2008 5:36AM

Please dont put COD4 on the same level as MGS4 graphic wise. MGS4 should be right behind Crysis in that area.

RazLeboL @ Apr 19th 2008 9:35AM

COD4 graphics are just good use of their engine. The engine itself is nothing spectacular. Everything is "fixed" instead of "dynamic". Still gorgeous though.

Lavat @ Apr 19th 2008 2:49AM

It is something to fill the cup in the terms of console capability, since the ps3 out specs the 360 and of course the Wii. Although since he just feels down about the things he could not do he probably also wishes that he had more Time to squeeze every dam bit of anything he can do with the PS3 and the Game but he has gone far. Wouldn't you be disappointed to if you were stopped by something while you took over the world? I would...

Pirathonite @ Apr 19th 2008 2:54AM

Kojima has said this before with his previous games, yet every one of them have been amazing. Who knows, since he is disappointed with MGS4 maybe in the future he'll make MGS5 so he can use the ideas that weren't put in MGS4.

strike911 @ Apr 19th 2008 2:54AM

The game will be revolutionary. Just not AS revolutionary as the concept that Kojima thought up in his head.

Everyone is overreacting from this minor interview.

*rolls eyes*

He blatantly says that game-wise it's close to the original vision. It's only the graphics/motion blending/size of the maps that he was referring to. I mean, the gameplay is what matters, and graphically the game looks fantastic.

everyone stop overreacting, damn it.

John Benoit @ Apr 19th 2008 3:00AM

Hideo Kojima is without a doubt one of the most forward thinking, hard working, revolutionary leaders in the gaming industry today. When he says that he got 1/10th of what his original plan was, I'm not disappointed at all. Instead, I think about how absolutely amazing even a tenth of Kojima's original idea is going to be!
Mr. Kojima is extremely hard on himself, all perfectionists are. If perfectionists such as himself do not let their fear of failing get in the way of trying, as Kojima has, they often produce extraordinary work, MGS4 should be a perfect example of that.

foxhound @ Apr 19th 2008 3:41AM

Kojima is way to hard on himself it gonna be great I'm just sad to know that this is the end of the story I feel like my has now come to an end all I have to say thanks to mr Kojoma for 20 years of a great series I'm sure everybody here feels the same ...sob.....

John McPoop @ Apr 19th 2008 2:59PM

Well there could be more MGS type games just with Raiden and maybe a different mission in the future. This is just the last game for Snake. Who knows Snake could be cloned again as well ... I could see Kojima making another Zone Of the Enders after this ... something less complex ... But, I don't think MGS 4 will be the last tactical espionage game from Kojima ... I expect to see a Raiden game in the future ... Maybe a completely different game with similar priciples

foxhound @ Apr 19th 2008 3:43AM

i meant to say i feel like my childhood has finally come to an end

Jim @ Apr 19th 2008 4:05AM

Nah, he's just Japanese... it's all about understatement.

Dahk @ Apr 19th 2008 1:31PM

Yeah haha I was gonna say that too.

But in all seriousness, Kojima's vision was set WAY too high, and no one can blame him for it. It's his last monstrous baby, and who doesn't want to go out with an insane BANG.

He wants that level where, developers aren't even going to touch that graphical awesomeness for another couple years lol. Which... in this day and age, is basically impossible (with studios like Epic Games, 2K Boston, Insomniac and Naughty Dog breathing down your back)

Logan @ Apr 19th 2008 4:19AM

haha there's been a lot of people say "hard on." that's what i think about all this. can't wait to be floored by this game.

JayFight @ Apr 19th 2008 4:23AM

if you ask me (yes i know you didn't ask but if you had) i'd say Kojima sounds like an artist one who is never satisfied with what they made, i bet Leonardo Da vinci was unhappy with the Mona Lisa and Michaelangelo probably didn't like how the Sistine chapel came out and yet everyone revers those to be great works of art. So even though he says it's only 1/10th what he envisioned, i for one will not be dissuaded from buying MGS4, and i hope not to many others will be, for it would be a shame for people to miss out on what promises to be as great a work of art as Kojima's past MGS games have been.

Wayne @ Apr 19th 2008 4:50AM

Hype control. Nothing more.

Rye21 @ Apr 19th 2008 4:59AM

@ Strike911

I read that comment about canceling pre-order and its ridiculous how easy people are put off when they catch a whiff of ill-spoken news about a game.

In this case I think because MGS4 is meant to meet unprecedented perfection. Everything must be absolutely as stated. But with the slightest comment from a man who is an amazing man and a perfectionist. Everyone over-emphasises and panicks.

I totally agree with you Strike911, this has been blown out of the water and has been misinterpreted, he is not talking about the game play being dumbed down. Rather the graphical capabilities maybe content,that they once hoped for wont be as good as originally plan. Who cares itl still be a wonderful looking game and cut above the rest, maybe this mgso will give us an idea of graphics.

In truth we probably wont notice that much of a change, since we have not played the game before its release or know how big the maps are or anything he is stating didn't make it to the final cut.

Since we have not seen the game enough we probably will never know as the saying goes 'what we don't know can't hurt us.

Do you self a favour buy this game and enjoy it.

leiwei @ Apr 19th 2008 5:25AM

Meh. I don't think Kojima meant what he said when he said he fully utilized the Cell. Maybe whatever's going in his mind, he meant fully utilizing the space given to him by Blu-ray, but colloquially speaking, he associated the technology of the PS3 to the Cell. Like me telling a coworker I'm going to Xerox some of these documents rather than saying I'm going to use a copy machine to make some copies. OR maybe he was able to fully utilize the Cell to process all those things happening on the screen in a seamless continuous motion, e.g. having 20-30 different gun sounds firing from every direction w/ smoke particle effects, lighting, AI, voice dialog, etc chuggling along for 10-20 different NPCs.
For a perfectionist, I can see why he's not happy with MGS4. If it doesn't encapsulate the vision of a perfectionist, it isn't good enough. 50 gigs wasn't good enough for him. 100 wouldn't even be enough for this man and his brilliant mind.

leiwei @ Apr 19th 2008 5:26AM

Testing. Testing. Well I know short comments post immediately, but just in case.

JaseH @ Apr 19th 2008 6:09AM

Kojima you're a GOD!

But he's acting like a dude with a chick who's attractive in every way & yet he says "Nah, not good enough" !

:P

________________________________________
JaseH.

held225 @ Apr 19th 2008 7:08AM

I have full confidence in Hideo Kojima ,MGS 4 will be the greatest game ever!!!.... its just so hard to believe that this is Snakes final battle.

Sim and Sim @ Apr 19th 2008 6:54AM

I'm going to put this down to them not using the Cell right, because after seeing the Killzone 2 Tech Demo I started to look down a bit on the MGS4 graphics, though in saying that, I'll probably play much more MG than Killzone, if he isn't happy about it, scrap the game, start again and get Guerrilla onboard to create his vision... I don't mind waiting 10 years....

the MG series is in my opinion the best set of games ever created, and I want this to be truly mind blowing considering its the last, for that to happen Kojima needs to make his vision come true... if that means making me buy another PS3 stick the two together just so they can use the cell to the best they know possible, I'll do that, but to say that they use the full power of the cell, has to be wrong... I was talking to Dr. Steven Collins in Trinity one day, (hes the guy who started Havok) and he told us that when the PS3 came out it was 15 times more powerful than computers out at the time, Moores law tells us that it can't be up to that just yet, so I'm going to go with if they did reach the cells fullest, its used up to as much as they can, maybe then ever employed proper streaming techniques with the XRD ram and the Cell, maybe they're just building it so it can be ported in several parts to another console or PC... who knows, but I REFUSE to believe they've reached the height of the Cell

thebigpants27 @ Apr 19th 2008 8:15AM

I have a ps3, so don't consider it bashing. The Cell is a bizarre proccesor, and although it has very advanced physics and simple processing tasks, the ram constraints(256+256), the old-gen video card(no unified pipelines, etc.), and the fact that the original ps3(according to sony) was going to have 2 cell's and no gpu at all, make it incredibly difficult for devs...or ANYONE to figure out how to develop for the ps3. I believe that not until the end of the ps3 life-span will we finally see the graphics that ps3 is fully capable, look at the ps2(release titles vs. god of war II or Black). Kojima wants his vision to be reality...wait for better dev kits...and other companies mistakes, release MGS4 in 2010.

Nneo @ Apr 19th 2008 8:36AM

this is the guy that i respect as he says the truth and he knows how to look on his masterpiece for and objective point of view
and i dont think he is being too hard on himself :
as far as the story goes its verry creative as far as gameplay maybe he added a bit more gimmicks to the game but it cant go any further as there was nothing wrong in the gameplay to start with its snake he's supposed to be smart and slow and deliver killing blows so he cant be like raiden fast paced and so on .graphically he said it already it is the CPU's fault and theres no arguing about that as hideo kojima and his MGS series was always known for their graphical capabilities and no break throw was done here if you ask me it doesnt REALLY go FAR beyond LOST PLANET so its good but not extraordinary which we are used to in MGS (7 cores should have done way more stuff)

FEWWWW that was really a long one but i hope you all agree

Kururugi Suzaku @ Apr 19th 2008 8:44AM

I want this game more now. 1/10th of Kojima means 10% better than any other game out there.

Nneo @ Apr 19th 2008 10:24AM

John McPoop @ Apr 19th 2008 2:54PM

@Nneo

Well from what I have seen of the gameplay videos the graphics are some of the most amazing ones I have ever seen. This is also not seen on a 1080p HDTV like I have here at home. The graphics look amazing but the real enjoyment is all of the gameplay mechanics and the AI of the enemy and the best part is the story. All of the CG cutscenes used in game models and assets and therefor are actually the same quality as the in game graphics. Not to mention the game is 50 GB large. Thats the scope of this game. This is not some simple shooter with a tacked on story like Lost Planet. Rather, this is a masterpiece and the last game in the best franchise in gaming history. I understand Kojima's frustrations but there is no doubt this will be the best game of the year and possibly of all time.

McKey1991 @ Apr 19th 2008 10:54AM

I hate when you fanboys come over here and talk crap. 360 would never handle MGS4 you jealous dick. I think he was just trying to say that he wanted alot more in there but wasn't able to. It sound like he's done his best and I'm good enough with that.

scott @ Apr 19th 2008 1:47PM

Well, he did say he wouldn't make another MGS game for atleast 9 or 10 years so maybe on PS4 or 5 he can fully make his dream a reality, imagine the graphics...

scott @ Apr 19th 2008 10:58AM

well, he did say that he wouldnt make another mgs game for atleast 9-10 years so maybe with PS4 or PS5 he will be able to fully make his dream a reality, imagine the graphics...

Kokomadeta @ Apr 19th 2008 10:59AM

Maybe if he used a little thing called compression, he would be able to fill up the 50 alleged gb and get the game closer to his original vision. But without compression, you can only get so far. For example, if the N64 didn't use such compression, they wouldn't have been able to fit all the music and voices in Perfect Dark.

Ninjakamster @ Apr 19th 2008 11:04AM

Yes Wretched, we know all you spout is PS3 hating.

Its kind of sad that a PS3 raped your mom isn't it? Your mom got raped by an inanimate object, LOL.

Ninegauger @ Apr 19th 2008 11:14AM

Of course he's right, MGS has been getting worse since the first one which was pretty awesome, the second one has a weird story (really, Liquid is in his arm?) and the third one was more like "Menu" Gear Solid.

I don't have high hopes for this one either...

Drake @ Apr 19th 2008 11:33AM

I don't think this is him being "modest", actually I think this is him being way too arrogant. Saying that the console (That other developers have only gotten 30% out of) was not GOOD enough for his vision.. and even more that he only got 1/10 th of his vision out there, that's arrogance. The man makes great games but he has a huge chip on his shoulder. Modest people say THEY are to blame for a game that isnt as great as they wanted, he says the console is to blame for not being able to fit his vision.
Nneo:
Comparing this game to lost planet is the most far fetched thing you could've done. This game will blow that game, and any other game out there (except maybe GTA IV) out of the water.

Gaucho @ Apr 21st 2008 10:23AM

Agreed. Everyone who is saying that this is modesty has a strange take on the term. Principally, imo, I think that he should have kept his mouth shut until the game actually came out.

MGS4 will be beyond great, I know this, fans know this and Kojima knows this. I havent bought MGS games for huge maps (MGS2 mostly took place on narrow platforms) or great graphics (though they are). The story is one of the best in video game history.

jtyson @ Apr 19th 2008 11:52AM

This is something about Hideo Kojima that I really detest.

He tries to be "hard on himself" in order to appear modest and humble, but in truth it's all just a vain attempt to coax people into disagreeing with him and, in essence, agreeing that his work is excellent.

It's similar to how a thin girl who is conscious about her weight will say, from time to time, "God, I am SOOOOO fat!". It might appear that she's saying this to chastise herself (y'know, being "hard" on herself), but in reality she says it so that her friends disagree with her and say "Are you crazy? You are not fat, you're skinny!", and so on. I know this because I went to school with "that girl", and it was annoying as hell.

This is what Hideo Kojima does in this interview. He's not saying that he's disappointed or that the game falls short of his expectations so that you can agree with him. He's saying it so that you disagree with him, which is annoying as hell.

Granted, his work is excellent; there's really no disputing that. I just wish that he wouldn't masquerade as such a humble, modest person who's an unforgiving perfectionist. If you're proud of your work, there's nothing wrong with that. Albert Einstein was a brilliant and modest man, and he was generally proud of his work. The difference is that he was a genuinely modest man who didn't need to be hard on himself, and as long as he didn't wear a gold chain that said "Einstein" and walk around saying "My name is synonymous with GENIUS, muthafucka!", nobody considered him arrogant.

I guess my point is: if you're going to be proud of your work, be proud. If you're going to be arrogant like Kanye West, do that. If you want to be humble like Einstein, do that. But for the love of God, don't do what Hideo Kojima does. It's annoying as hell.

Rooslin_100 @ Apr 19th 2008 12:14PM

probaly told to say this so the games hype would stay high but people wouldnt be expecting amazing stuff and then when they get there hands on it they go crazy with stuff thats in it instead of expecting stuff thats amazing

Josh @ Apr 19th 2008 3:45PM

Every time you post something one of your idiotic posts it makes me even happier I chose the PS3 over the 360 so I don't have to listen to ignorant 7 year olds spout off about stuff they have no clue about over Live, now GO DIE!

ajiezer @ Apr 19th 2008 12:49PM

Well I'm not a developer and my knowledge of hardware is not that good, one thing about the specs that I was kinda disappointed of the PS3 is that it only "has 256 MB of XDR main memory and 256 MB of GDDR3 video memory for the RSX" (via wikipedia) that is IMO so poor considering that many computers have much more, but then again I'm not a geek so maybe it's a helluvalot. And about Kojima san, my experience as a gamer tells me that a console gets juiced better after some years (anyone remembers the Donkey Kong game for the super nintendo that really looked next gen at that time and graphically nothing came closer to it? ) so I don't buy that "The CPU apparently is at fault here, as the Cell is being fully employed, says Kojima" he definitively is a master but I doubt that the cell has being used 100%, or maybe they are using it at that rate but without efficiency. Just my thoughts. But any way kudos for Kojima san, I respect and admire his work.

Goity @ Apr 19th 2008 1:33PM

While 512mb total RAM isn't loads, there's little overhead for the OS, virus scanner, firewall and all the background processes a computer needs. Besides, most graphis cards only have 256mb RAM even on computer, which is what the ps3 has, and the PS3's ram is also quite fast (XDR at 3.2GHZ (very, very fast for RAM), GDDR3 at something else).

ajiezer @ Apr 19th 2008 1:35PM

Thanks for those facts, now I know :P

The Sound @ Apr 19th 2008 1:09PM

Hah, you make me laugh.

So no limitations huh? What about the DVD space isn't limiting? The game fills a 50gb Blu-ray disc already, that's what? 5+ Dvds?

And Gears is nothing too special, there are already games that look as good, if not better than gears does, and one is a PS3 title: Uncharted.

And what have you seen of Gears 2? Nothing really has been shown of it anyway....

Fuck off.

Twinturbo120 @ Apr 19th 2008 1:49PM

wow hes so dumb...great game tho

John McPoop @ Apr 19th 2008 2:44PM

@Wretched

What are you talking about? The console with graphical limitations is the Wii. You must be very young and immature because Kojima has said the same thing before each release of MGS games. He even said he was not bashing the console. From the sounds of it (you know if you actually read the article) Kojima is saying there is no console that can achieve his vision.

This game will not gimped or limited in any way. If Kojima had his way the game would probably never be released because of constant improvements.

Ty @ Apr 19th 2008 3:27PM

Hideo Kojima is a genius in my mind when it comes to video games. You can tell that only someone who pushes himself this far can make games this good. Although its kinda sad that he didn't achieve his plan of sorts, you have to consider the fact that his goal was so far ahead of everyone elses that his so called failure is a success by all means necessary. The game looks great, has gameplay elements evolved from the previous games, great story telling as always and the best character oriented advancements of any game franchise I can think of.

Yeah, he's being to hard on himself. I'm sorry he is but I'm glad that he is Hideo Kojima. His failures are some of the best video games ever created. I also can't wait till he is successful. Its the fault of no one that he can't realise his dream except reality.

He's thinking outside the box.

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