>> |
No. 180433
Well but that's the basic requirement we ask of any media, really, that it be "good". Nobody ever sets out to make failure of a movie (unless they've discovered a way to make money off cheap shit like horror flicks). Nobody ever really sets out to make a bad game, even if bad games get made. A small team for a game on 360 or PS3 or Wii will probably have 80-100 people working on the game. If a game is "unfun", then that might suggest anything from flaws in game design to conflicts with the team to simply not having the time or money to polish and review a game as much as necessary. Agendas do not necessarily make a game imperfect. Halo 4 was terrible, for example. No Feminism required.
Fun tends to break down along two lines of thought in games, basically single player and multiplayer. The first idea is the idea of the meaningful narrative. Basically, in order to have enjoyment, one must progress along a narrative path that slowly reveals more of itself and more of the games' gameplay. The narrative is meaningful because it introduces irrevocable changes in the environment, presumably to the players' benefit (although in some notable exceptions, to their determent).
The Multiplayer interpretation of "Fun" relies on the concept of the Dynamic. In a multiplayer video game you are ultimately in an environment wherein all aspects of the simulation are "known". That is, the game is constantly aware of everything that is happening and is possible. What changes, though you play the exact same game 1000 times, is the nature of the opponent and how they approach a fight. What is essentially expected of multiplayer games is the ability to create changing experiences with each repetition, the expectation that though all factors are known, the human players act as elements of chaos and disrupt the natural flow of the fight to produce unique experiences that are ultimately generic. Their entire draw is in the possibility of difference, of being able to try and assume control over a chaotic system. Minecraft, Dwarf Fortress and Faster Than Light function on a similar principle even if the player is solitary.
MGS has always relied on the Single Player Theory of Fun to engage the user. Which has worked pretty well for it; Kojima is in some ways as big an Auteur as many of the Classic Film directors. And if you examine the industry you may find that that is the probably the industry gaming resembles most, Film. That's not to say that there haven't been missteps, assuredly. Quiet as she stands now is in the pre-release stages, and there is still some time for the character profile to be addressed in some fashion, especially after the public outcry. In a series full of iconic Weirdos, Quiet in profile seems lacking. The design is just baffling. Her silhouette is just boring, especially when juxtaposed with Vulcan Raven, who is like 90% drawn with silhouette in mind. And, without some direct indication of what her deal is on her character (the melting eyes only come through good in trailers, not in stills), she seems devoid of real development. I don't know how far Kojima can actually take "Mostly Naked Girl with Gun".
|