It's no secret that Hideo Kojima fashions himself as a filmmaker, what with the multitude of cutscenes, immense dialogue, and narrative structure present within all of his games. This is exactly what sets him apart from the rest of the industry. With George Miller, the legendary director of Mad Max: Fury Road, now contending with the Kojima hype, it's clear Death Stranding speaks for itself (and Kojima's mastery at storytelling).
Miller begins his dialogue on Kojima simply by stating the nature of modern movies, underscoring how most filmmakers reuse older tropes and concepts. To him, Kojima utilizes them with creative purpose and ingenuity within a completely different industry. In his own words:
"In films, you see the same ideas, the same tropes, the same—something that a few years earlier might have been groundbreaking now become kind of cliché. And, that's where the creative courage comes in. Somebody, like Kojima-san, who's prepared to push the boundaries."
Hideo Kojima is certainly a name that will be long remembered. Only just recently, the Japanese video game designer was awarded with the first-ever Cologne Creative Award, exemplifying his talents not simply in creating long-lasting characters, genres, and stories, but also for evolving the craft, as a whole.
This isn't the first time Miller has praised Kojima and his upcoming video game, either. Miller once called Death Stranding "mathematically correct," according to Kojima himself. The amassing hype and overall acclaim surrounding the game is extraordinary yet for those few still concerned about it being overhyped or too confusing, George Miller has some words for them. In his recent sitdown with Death Stranding, the director says:
"The skill that I see in great filmmakers I now see in Kojima-san's work. All the visual languages, the syntax, the compelling imagery, it's all there, all in the service of giving an audience an intense experience. The risk is, people just don't accept it, it's too radical in some way. But, of course, the upside is that you change the medium that you are working in."
Kojima and his brilliance attract icons, as evidenced by Conan O'Brien touring Kojima Productions, in addition to Mads Mikkelsen, and even George Miller's recent remarks. There's no denying that both Death Stranding and Kojima himself will revolutionize and evolve the landscape of conventional gaming.
In an interview with Financial Times, Kojima himself identifies his start in the industry as first evolving through film. He says:
"People who first came into contact with stories through games, or found out about the profession through games, are now making films. I find that fascinating because I am the opposite: I came to films first but now I make games."
This is what makes his games so emotionally powerful. His love for storytelling has seeped into his design and developing tactics and is why his games are multidimensional. Death Stranding is less than two weeks away. The extreme hype and anticipation have now reached well beyond Hades.
Source: VG247