#this was kojima's vision

[memendoemori]

GUITAR COMBAT

[creatureesque]

dont ask me for my thoughts about higgs monaghan or ill start acting like a mad man

[kaltstrahls]

so sad that there’s barely elements of interaction on mother base in mgsv. will never be a scene where you walk into kaz’s office and see a row of leashes on the wall so you pick one up to inspect it further. item name Venom’s Leash

[toskarinfr]

oh, I get it! they call them KOJIMA games because the socioeconomics conditions of being a creative under capitalism incentivises marketing oneself as an auteur of a sole, creative vision!

[toskarin]

all quiet on the western front is a horrific vision of hell on earth, a glimpse into how war turns the innocent into killers and then discards them, a prescient cry of agony through time, and perhaps, if opened to a queer reading — [the audience begins to throw bottles at me, but as I flinch away, none other than hideo kojima himself appears to catch the bottles out of the air with his mouth like a protector wolf]

[argent-sz]

I've always been held back by hardware limitations

[xamiipholia]

okay y'all seemed to like the last one so here's a few more Horizon 3 thoughts:

Aloy won’t die. It would completely upend the series’ themes and just be really nihilistic.

Since Nemesis is a gestalt entity I think it’s a safe bet that we’ll see Sam Witwer, Carrie-Anne Moss, etc again. I’m curious how they’re going to do it because at least structurally, it’s basically a reaper. Maybe it’ll use different Avatars when communicating like the Leviathan in ME3. 

It's gonna take some work to make a flashback/dream/vision not contrived but I would love to see Varl and Rost again. I think we deserve that.

Minerva is gonna have its work cut out for it blocking access to both the dormant Faro Swarm and the ZD terraforming system. 

I wouldn’t be surprised if Nemesis has some sort of corruption function that becomes the equivalent of the corruption in HZD. It would be a really fun tech showcase if GG uses Zenith nanotech for machine corruption and leans into mechanical body horror.

If we’re going to Ban-Ur I really really hope they do the work to make the Banuk less problematic and more fleshed out as a culture. A quasi-Spartan society absolutely would not survive in an extreme environment, *especially* without megafauna to hunt. The Banuk characters are lovely and well-written; they deserve a society as well thought out as the Utaru or Carja. I’m honestly fine if there’s retcons or revamps to the cultural lore because the whole “outsider barges in and becomes chief” is rooted in racist, colonial tropes and we just don’t really need that imo.

The most recent footage of Death Stranding 2 (also running on Decima) has me SO excited for the visuals. GG’s gonna knock it out. The facial rendering and animation that Kojima Productions are doing looks industry-peak and I’m sure GG’s gonna match that. Aloy’s Gay Panic™️ scene on the beach in HBS is already top-tier nonverbal storytelling through animation. Digital Foundry actually just posted a really cool tech breakdown of the current Decima engine. I’m especially excited about the environmental stuff. The ocean simulations in HFW are already incredible and I hope they increase verticality in the world. I can’t wait to see the Sacred Lands in current gen graphics. 

I really love Kotallo’s DIY arm and it’s so so important to his development but Beta and Gaia now have access to Zenith nanotech, maybe give your buddy a sick upgrade hmm?

Speaking of, I can’t wait to see Beta come into her own. She’s one of the best parts of HFW and Aloy’s character absolutely shines in a sibling dynamic. 

I wouldn’t get your hopes up for a romance mechanic. Everyone’s feelings on that aside, it would be really odd from a game development perspective to just overhaul part of how the narrative develops Aloy’s character in the last act of the story. Yeah, there are flashpoints but I would argue that the presence of choice in Horizon is smoke and mirrors- cosmetic at best. Kentucky Route Zero (which you should play) does something similar where the player is given a certain amount of control over the substance of individual conversations and scenarios and it does absolutely nothing to alter the plot, by design. I think it’s the same here - this isn’t really a choice-based RPG, the flashpoints don’t really affect anything plot-wise or for Aloy’s character development. Olin is still out of the story, Nil lives, Regalla still dies one way or another. Aloy’s character development is pretty firmly on rails (think Jin Sakai, not Shepard - you get to guide some momentary character reactions but that’s it). I don’t think HBS is a testing ground either - If they were gonna introduce a romance mechanic I think they’d just do it, and not spend two years making a direct continuation of HFW’s main quest and establishing a specific romance hard-baked into the plot, complete with multiple leitmotifs for the character relationship (which is something they haven’t done before afaik) just to introduce a side quest mechanic coming in 5 years. I genuinely can’t think of any game or dev that has beta tested a major alteration to upcoming game mechanics that way - it doesn’t really make any sense in terms of developer resources, and these games are extremely time-consuming to make. I know this is a thing a bunch of people want and I can totally empathize with that! I just think it’s probably not on the table. 

I would bet money the series will bookend itself and the epilogue will involve a) the naming of Zo and Varl’s kid and b) Lis’ pendant. 

Mostly I'm just looking forward to being surprised. One of my favorite things that Horizon does is use carefully established elements in the world to pull the plot in unexpected directions and keeping the world grounded while they lean into speculative science fiction. I can't wait to see what Guerrilla is cooking up

[cliffs-sniperrifle]

Kojima's perception of big boss and clifford unger: the relationship between mother and son

Where best to start than with big boss. The catalyst for big boss becoming the man he was, was none other than his only figure, his 'mother' the boss being killed by his own hands. From then on in the serious, he takes a serious change in character that leaves him spiraling until his mother’s grave is the only place to feel loved.

Kojima decides that one of the many ways to show big boss's attachment to the boss is having him carve out that same c-section scar that she had. We already know of its importance of the scar from the boss as she had explained America already had taken everything from her, including her son, so there was nothing left for her to do except give her life (hence leaving john to take it) it's an interesting choice that big boss decides to take that scar from her and put it on himself, the exact same pattern of the botched c-section (like a snake). Later we find out that eva had volunteered to have big boss's children through his cells and using her as an incubator.

Now talking about Cliff. While Cliff was married to Lisa who had gotten pregnant around the time of the first death stranding happening, she got into a fatal car crash that essentially left her braindead and in a coma. The child was able to be saved and put into the BB program, incubated while Cliff constantly visited BB and Lisa in the hospital room. From then on Cliff was thrown into a role of both mother and father, sharing stories of his life and talking to Lisa in front of BB. But when it was found out that the BB program was going to take BB from Cliff and never giving it the chance to be born, Cliff, even after death vowed to set his child free.

The moment Cliff and BB were killed, set off a chain of events, but most importantly changes that effect how both Sam and Cliff are perceived. They both ended up being shot right in the abdomen, connecting them not only as father and son, but through death as a string.

But dare I even say connected as mother and unborn child. I say this because of the constant parallels put in the game. Kojima describing Cliffs cords as umbilical cords as well as holding a misconstrued version of his BB whenever he shows up as a BT ghost. Sam swimming in the waters of the beach every time he 'dies', flaoting like a baby in the womb. Connected by other BTs by cords adjacent to umbilical cords. It's hard to just see these things being put in as a coincidence when this can be heavily interpreted as a relationship between a pregnant mother and her baby, even sam shows this behavior passed down with him and Lou. Connecting with her through the cord hooked up (umbilical cord) viewing his memories through her. Being possessive when people try and take her from him or even being separated for too long. That C-section like scar that he shares with Cliff. And what tops it off is how the typical mothers in both of these relationships are never shown. Lisa was already in a coma when we see her and Lucy has been dead before the game even started. They are important figures in Sam and Cliff's relationship but aren't important to focus on them being mothers, rather than mother imagery and symbolism being used on Sam and Cliff instead.

C-section like scars for reference:

I just find it extremely interesting that Kojima has now TWICE used this imagery for important male figures in his games that tie down to deeper symbolism than at first glance, just viewing it as "coincidental" scars in the same places but not really understanding the purpose and place of the scars.

Big boss has the scar to symbolize his deep unhealthy attachment to the boss and his twisted vision of who and what she stood for. He carries her to her own grave, his love for her was never surpassed by anyone else.

Cliff's scar is not only there as a reminder of how he and Sam are connected by amelie and john (by proxy) but that deep connection that exists between a pregnant mother and that unborn child.

[orchidblack]

Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij's The OA stands as one of the more fascinating artifacts from the anything-goes era of Netflix-- an unfettered, deeply personal vision that somehow exists in superposition between love it or hate it. Their new Hulu series, A Murder at the End of the World, isn't as bugnuts, but after two episodes I'm totally on board. The show is a cyberpunk-tinged whodunnit that feels equally inspired by Agatha Christie, William Gibson, Stieg Larsson, and Alex Garland. Marling has half-jokingly mentioned Carmen Sandiego as an unconscious influence, but the vibe is far closer to the games of Hideo Kojima. Most of the action unfolds in a high-tech Icelandic compound straight out of Death Stranding, haunted by mysterious masked figures and AI holograms. As with Kojima, subtlety is in short supply-- the needle drops are defiantly dorky, the characters broadly archetypal (a Banksyesque artist critical of Silicon Valley goes by the moniker FANGS), and the ideas and emotions unabashedly big. If you like your gothic techno-dystopias with an undercurrent of aching sincerity, new episodes out Tuesdays.

[vampirepunks]

Hi read your analysis of the "ghost lou" and higgs fight at the end of the rabbit hole DS2 post, and galaxy brained shit! When I first saw those scenes, I was worried that there was more conflict/agression happening, but seeing as playful?! So good! Like maybe im reading into it too much, but the fustration from higgs feels like a reaction of an exhausted parent dealing with a troublemaking kid, like similar if not exact things have happened before. " not now, daddys busy with something kid" chaotic parent and child energy.

Kojima was really like I'm going to make one of the characters with the most childhood trauma in DS and make them a begrudging parent, huh?

Ah, you see my vision!! That's exactly how I'm picturing it, and I so hope that's the case. It'd be goddamn adorable and completely weird. Very glad you enjoyed my musings on the subject! 💛

I have a lot of strong feelings when I picture Higgs as a father, and I'm ill about it. I can see him being so soft and protective with a little girl. Abuse victims go one of two ways with parenthood: Either they continue the cycle, or they break it and give their kids the love and understanding they themselves never had. I'm biased, obviously, but Higgs is so strong-willed, rebellious, and deeply empathetic that I imagine he'd be the latter. Chaotic dad? Yes. Most devoted dad you've ever seen in your life, would walk through fire for his kid without question? Also yes.

[memendoemori]

Hideo Kojima should be allowed to do his weird fucking magnum opus masterpiece vision forever and ever. His shit is unapologetically bizarre and I barely get what's going on because I took like two philosophy classes in undergrad but it is deeply earnest. And incredibly fucked up. He will not let his ideals be compromised. You WILL enjoy his horrible low framerate living puppet who is somehow intrinsically connected to the narrative. You have no choice

[juunyar]

Snake And Otacon Courtroom Sketch - Standing for Their Crimes

Joan Baez' "Here's to You" is a sensational track, and one that made Metal Gear Solid V Ground Zeroes introduction that much more impactful and salient. However, originally Kojima planned to use the piece in MGS 4, in a scenario where Solid (Old) Snake and Hal Emmerich (Otacon) are synonymous with persecuted, and executed, anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti. Although still utilized in MGS 4's end credits, I do believe it loses its gravitas with the way the ending was changed (plus I prefer Joan Baez' original rendition).

Although I am happy with the ending we received, I wanted to pay homage to Kojima's original vision, which I do feel is more emotionally impactful, and true to how radical political actors are treated (Just look at Edward Snowden).

[sanctaignorantia]

From time to time, ever since my sister and I finished Death Stranding for the first time, I've sat down to research things about the game, things "out of the box" because I've always found it strange that there isn't much reflective content about the various themes that the game addresses, because we can analyze the game from many different perspectives. But there was this time when I was researching the game's queer vision and I ended up on a reddit link where someone said something about Kojima offending queer people. I was confused because the first thing I thought was "I didn't feel offended" - which was strange, since I'm not queer, so I stopped and took a breath thinking "why did these negative comments affect me so much?".

Each person is a universe and each person will interpret the game based on their life experiences, based on who they are. I kept searching because I didn't want to believe what I'd read on reddit... And then I found this text that made me smile and breathe a sigh of relief, so I think everyone should discover it too.

So I think I don't know Kojima well enough and maybe I don't know myself well enough to grasp all the details that exist in such a complex narrative. I laugh when people say that DS is just a walking simulator, because if it was my life would be so much simpler... But sitting down to play it for the first time and realizing that the game goes beyond that, beyond walking, beyond the rope and the stick, it's crazy.

Maybe I'll never know if all the things Kojima gives us are intentional, or if it's just us, universe by universe that makes it all keep expanding infinitely.

👍🩵🤝🫂👣🐳🐬🐟🐙🪸🗺️⏳🌈🌧️☔⛱️

[vyragosa]

"i shot that bitch when i got the chance"

should amelie strand from death stranding be regarded exclusively with hatred?

or was it the very goal on kojima's part to make a human being bear the unthinkable load of functioning as a system ending a natural cycle dictated by the arbritrary cosmos while retaining human sentimentality and sentience? life is made to perservere and survive and even the extinction bringer would rail against the inevitable a little longer.

"to make sense of everything you need time, you need perspective, and i'm not a line, i'm a single dot."

a very popular sentiment even on the official reddit of death stranding, you would see it fairly enough to assume it the general reaction toward amelie as a character, very little space if offered for discussion and understanding of the character's purpose

cumulate it with the fact that her dialogues comes off as "haughty" when kojima intended the original text to merely give her the "unattainable princess" archetype which is how she comes across in japanese more naturally, she is embodying the sun queen burdened with visions, a role with a deeper meaning that does not translate either to the worldwide audience but is ultimately the key to the story

her sins are not accepted by sam nor anyone else from the cast, she is shot at just as bridget, the body without a soul (important) was the one to order cliff to be shot, the absence of being able to transmit feelings in the manner of a human being made of flesh and warmth is what amelie represents, bridget's inability to act as a mother and connect with sam is also reminiscent of this fact, the sheer inability to feel and connect as a human being when you are not only unable to touch anything but ultimately only "living" like the dead, in a different reality than anyone else

the feeling strikes a very particular chord with anyone who has felt this type of alienation, which is why the character of higgs was so willing to be by her side and his inclination to follow her plans and be tricked by her as well due to his own need for control (which is another topic)

the novel also introduces the fact that she saw herself as a child already plagued by visions of the world ending in painful vivid details in a painting of mary holding jesus weeping, knowing she would never be able to avert the death of jesus, only to be here, to witness, amelie had not gave into madness and instead, attempt to prepare the world to fight against it as bridget

the root of hatred lies in the fact that bridget "has a body, but no soul"

her heart is stuck on the beach in the form of amelie, which made her actions to be devoid of any "heart", in shooting cliff, in the BB experiments, in raising sam at all, in not connecting with him after his wife's death, she is not capable of it by virtue of being, she inevitably becomes a ruthless politician and people like john admired her for her capacity to act upon those goals, the goal of making humanity survive. the person who wants humanity to survive, is the part of amelie that has no heart

which is where amelie enters the scene, as the warmth that sam remembers, and the bringer of extinction, "the hunter's merciful kill"

the interplay of personalities between higgs and amelie is beyond blatant, even more so with a second game, but it also introduces the quiet implication that amelie might have wanted sam to join her side and watch the world end in a "mercy" that if sam was to be by her side, which instead she focused on higgs for this role which directly pit one another in the final waltz (fight)

ultimately, she obtained sam's understanding and had no use for the masquerade to continue by enabling higgs' destructive tendencies any longer, in the end, she shut herself out to preserve the world because it has sam in it willing to go against her, instead of joining her into the void

as long as humanity would not accept "mercy killing" which the homo demens represent, the total loss of belief in the future

amelie was willing deny her own humanity that remains in the possibility of "connecting" by shutting the world out of closing her beach, she essentially "killed" herself so that the world could fight against a natural cycle for a little longer

she made the choice to be crucified as mary, she made the choice to take her son's place, so that he could know love from others instead of her.

the ultimate sacrifice one could do, to leave with love

stranded with love.

[motherfucker-unlimited]

Oh I get it now! He's called Hideo Kojima because of the Hideous Visions he had his Warlock torment me with!

[lucisphere]

omg I found it, finally kojima's original vision can be experienced by the world