Ben Judd: 'Kojima needs to put the clamps on himself'

Legendary Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima's stories would be "fantastic" if he limited himself to only 30 minutes, Capcom's Ben Judd has said.

Speaking to VideoGamer.com in an interview to be published later today, the Bionic Commando producer said that he liked Metal Gear Solid 4 on the PS3 "with the exception of the story", which he feels "keep getting longer and longer".

When asked what games caught his attention in the last year, he replied: "I liked Metal Gear Solid 4, with the exception of the story. I like Kojima's stories, but they keep getting longer and longer. He needs to put the clamps on himself and only give himself 30 minutes. If he did that I'm sure they'd be fantastic."

[Silogon]

and to think, Bionic Commando could be fantastic if only it had a little more story to it. Strange how that works, Ben.

I agree with him on Super Mario Galaxy and MGS4 both being the same as previous entries, though. That is very true.

[thor]

It's only as similar as it can be, whilst still remaining the same game. It's a sequel for a reason, and not a new game entirely. A LOT changed from the previous iterations. If they changed it much more it could have slipped into the "action-adventure" genre even. It's about as similar to MGS3 as Motorstorm is to Pure, both in the same sub-genre of racing (or stealth) but still vastly different.

[shadowghost752]

Hideo Kojima > Ben Judd

[Rich1631]

Kojima >>>>> Ben Judd

[hay]

Agree.
Oh Ben... Drown in your sweet lakes of jealousy.
What I didn't like about MGS4 is... Well it was too short for me.

[Lord Anubis]

so the guys has a short attention span.

[Overr8ed]

No need to Rush greatness.

[dro]

i know the hole mgs4 cutscence is now old news but this gy has a point, every thing about mgs4 was amazing apart from the cutscence...i even skiped part of the ending, i tought the hole getting married in the end was just long and the hole radien with hes son/wife was even longer... :/

i hope he makes mgs5 but the cutscence will only be like 10-15 min and the rest gameplay. lets just hope god of war 3 will not do the same long cutscence bcuz it has a deep story as well. but the action scence in mgs4 was sick, remember the radin vs vamp fight!!!

[Lucreto]

Its his style. He likes long story cut scenes. It would be like telling Uwe boll to make a good movie or getting Valve to make MGS5 and changing things they see fit.

[The Lazy One]

There's no reason he can't go back to that.

[dro]

i know it is hes style but the fans and people who pay money for the game has different toughts,i still think the cutscence are too long and i hope mgs5(if it comes out) cutscence will not be as long.

[FantasyStar]

It's not the fans that are complaining. It's the MGS newbs that are saying the cut-scenes are too long. MGS Veterans know that long cut-scenes is how Kojima likes to do things. An MGS without the long cut-scenes and codec conversations is not an MGS at all, it's a butchered Splinter Cell.

MGS4 was made for the fans, you have to accept that and move on. If you don't like the length of cut-scenes in MGS4, chances are the game wasn't intended for you.

[Testo]

"i know it is hes style but the fans and people who pay money for the game has different toughts"

I think they are one and the same, and NO fans would not complain about the cutscenes.

P.S. I figure most kids ADD kicked in after 10 seconds and ruined the game for them.

[Maldread]

I must say i thought MGS1 and MGS3 had a better story than MGS4, and that some cutscenes should`ve been shorter or altered in other ways, in order to be better. That dosn`t mean MGS4 is a bad game t all.

Out of my 3 PS3 games so far (MGS4, COD4, GTA4), i will still say MGS4 is the best PS3 game i have so far.

[shadowghost752]

Uncharted is wicked you should get it, or rent it even

[Maldread]

Funny you should say so. I`m waiting for a delivery of Uncharted and Oblivion GOTY as we speak (or type i guess) ;)

[shadowghost752]

Enjoy it, it is awesome, Oblivion is pretty good also,

Let me know what you think of Uncharted when you are finished with it.

[Final_Rpg]

and the gameplay, why does it matter how long they are?

[gano]

Buy it if you know his games are like that.
I'm so sick of hearing this.

[sajj316]

I do agree that MGS4 cutscenes are incredibly long after playing the game quite a bit. There are some scenes that could have been edited out as well as some of the nano transmissions.

The Uncharted way of story telling was fantastic. No disrespect to Kojima but Naughty did it right. I still enjoyed all the dialogue in MGS4 but not everyone will!

[FantasyStar]

MGS4 wasn't made for you. This is how Kojima does things, and there is how Naughty Dog does things. MGS was always like this ever since the era of Nintendo Systems. I respect your opinion, but that Ben Judd fellow doesn't deserve a shred of credibility for his mindless banter about MGS4.

[DJ]

But incredible in their beauty and emotional impact. I had absolutely no problem with the length, especially since the cutscenes had a skip AND pause option.

[thor]

I would have been dissatisfied with any shorter cutscenes. If anything, they could have taken MORE time to explain the whole "Liquid Ocelot" thing, because whilst I think I understand it, I think most of the decisions about him contradicted what we saw in MGS2 (remembering that MGS2 was never meant to have a sequel in the first place). Where did liquid's voice go for instance?

I doubt if many people understand the story even now. I didn't on my first playthrough. So whilst they went some way to explaining, it gets so confused (because you're told lies the whole way through, or kept from information) that by the end it's hard to work out. I think some of the confusion arises from inconsistencies in the canon, but a lot is under-explained (or could have been explained in a better way).

[juuken]

I'm sorry but maybe you should put the clamp over your own mouth.

[Prismo_Fillusion]

Who the hell is Ben Judd?

MGS4 is perfect as is.

[Drekken]

Retroactive trophies would be mighty fine.

[JohnnyMann420]

.....if MGS4's story wasn't so friggen good!

This was supposed to be a game made for MGS Fanboys, Kojima said that himself.

You pretty much had to be a MGS story nerd to not mind all of the storyline..

I'm sure this isn't true for everyone, I am just saying that people knew what to expect.

[Jecht]

Hideo Kojima > ALL OF CRAPCOM!!!

A company that, for the most part, makes such mediocre games doesn't have the right to have even one employee criticize Kojima.

And it seems that a lot of you don't understand that MGS4 was a wrap up game. Kojima wanted to end every part of Snake's story in that game. That includes what happened to Snake's "friends" (allies is a more accurate term), who Snake was always REALLY fighting, and final explanations about the MGS world. The story of MGS4 was so large, there were few ways to tell it. Cutscenes were the most logical choice.

AND, and this may come as a shocker to most, there is actually a way to skip them. It's true. I know it's impossible to find, but it's there. You see, the process is exceedingly difficult. You have to press Start during a cutscene, and select Skip Scene. I know what you're thinking, how the hell was anyone supposed to get that right? It takes a lot of hard work to find hidden things like that. /sarcasm

[Sitdown]

you really think that one guy is greater than all of Capcom?

Anyhow...I can not read the article because I am at work...how is Judd making the distinction? I feel like most people are commenting on the length of the cut scenes...where as long cut scenes does not equate to a long story and vice versa. You can have a long story and have it driven by short cut-scenes. So is he saying shorter stories or shorter cut scenes? I have no problem with long cut scenes as long it does not sacrifice the length of a game.

[Duraji]

And I thought I was the only one who feels that Capcom is overrated! Bubbles for you! :)

[Z501]

good point.
It's so funny i wondered the same thing last night.
What happened to liquids voice?

@ Jecht
It kills me too. THERE IS A SKIP FEATURE!

"b-b-b-but i'll miss the story"
To that i always say ... "STFU"

3 options for MGS4.(always)

1)Play the game. Absorb everything.
2)Play the game. Skip the cutscenes.
3)Don't play the game and STFU.

If you're new to the series. I totally understand. But you have to understand .....

THIS-IS-METAL-GEAR-SOLID! circa 1998 it has'nt changed, gamers have.

Off Topic:
Halo 3 speed run 77 minutes
MGS4 speed run a little UNDER 5 hours -or- a little OVER 4 hours

[Baka-akaB]

When capcom will do a game with a noticable story (save the sadly sorely missing in next gen Breath of fire series) that doesnt involve flamboyant white haired dudes with guns and sword , i'll listen to their view on storytelling .

[xionpunk]

Hey, didn't you know bionic commando's story is gonna totally blow metal gear away? and all in 30 minutes apparently. yeahhh....

Its so weird to me when people bash MGS's cutscenes/story. I feel like Im on crazy pills.

[Jecht]

Yeah, the game's probably 30 min. total. But, because Capcom is always broke, you'll still be paying $60.

[Michael Jackson]

What's wrong with the MGS cut scenes? It's not like it made the gameplay a lot shorter compared to games this gen. If you remove all the cut scenes, it would be just as long if not longer than a lot of other games. Besides, cut scenes are only bad when they're used as fillers. The MGS cut scenes are the best we've ever seen, graphical wise and story wise. Just like the Dark Knight, so what if it was long? It's still a masterpiece.

[Tsalagi]

While i agree that some cutscenes in MGS4 were a little long i don't think developers should be trying to cut out the stories in games. Like many other people in here have said Uncharted has a good balance of story/action and others devs should be trying to hit that mark. Mindless violence and constant action is fun but a good story will keep gamers hooked to a game and playing longer.

[XXXCouture]

and besides the amazing story, it got an amazing gameplay. I'll never get tired of that game

[SnakeShady]

people like judd live in our world? we need another olocaust to burn all this idiot.

[Michael Jackson]

hahaha yah. if kojima changes his style, then it's no longer Kojima anymore.

[bakasora]

yup

[ceedubya9]

Although I wasn't too bothered by the cut scenes, as I already knew what to expect. I definitely wouldn't mind them being a bit smaller though. Overall, it didn't take away from the total package, which is most important.

[TheColbertinator]

Boo-Hoo.Ben Judd does'nt like the complicated and mature story of Metal Gear Solid 4.Hey Ben,Dynasty Warriors 6 is out,you might wanna pick that up instead.

[Awesomeo3000]

yea can i ask who is this guy to be talking about kojima when he makes a game it doesnt say "a ben judd productions" u gotta work for that sh*t like kojima did

[MakgSnake]

He can Suck on my ball sack... for saying that.

Your garbage game, no one even knows about that stupid game.

Who is this guy to say how KOJIMA should create a game or not.

What a dumba$$

[Strife Lives]

I love MGS 1 ,2, 3,4. Hideo Kojimas genius astounded me since I had connect my controller into controller port 2 to defeat Psyco Mantis.I loved the twists and plot turns of every game.But. . .come on guys. . .some of you defend him like you're married to the guy.I mean,if you disagree with the guy,state that. But gees. . .some of you have to go on a rampage.. Btw,Im refering to statements like, 'another holocaust lets burn the idiot'

[FantasyStar]

He's asking to change what defines MGS. That's like saying Halo should have less shooting and more puzzles. It's so much of a drastic difference that it's obvious Judd has no idea what he's talking about. MGS4 was made for the fans, because of this console war, MGS4 got lumped together with the other "big-hit" exclusives. But really MGS is just another game. Every game has their own style and some people are going to like that style, then you have some no-name guy out of no where saying that it sucks and lists reasons that are only valid if you're a total NOOB. (I don't use that word often)

He just a guy talking non-sense about a game the average MGS-Veteran would need at least 3-9 years to appreciate. If he had those qualifications; maybe I'll listen to him. But ever since MGS4's launch, I've heard plenty of whiners complaining about the LONG cut-scenes and I can't help but think "what'd you expect? It's MGS!"

[The Lazy One]

He's saying that he needs to focus more on what's important in the story and less about the filler. You don't need a 15 minute fight scene with raiden to prove that he's got super ninja powers now. You don't need to wrap up every plot line. You don't need to give every boss a 15 minute emotional death monologue. You don't need to give every minute detail about every characters back story.

When you put restrictions on yourself, like the guy was saying, it forces you to make sure that only the best of the best is left in the game.

[bunbun777]

What do you mean exactly, "You don't need a 15 minute fight scene with raiden to prove that he's got super ninja powers now."?

Well if you think that Kojima showcased Raiden's most amazing fight scenes just to prove his powers you got another thing coming. Ever watch Samurai Jack? Minutes and minutes spent building atmosphere and tension, no words and then..... a 10 minute fight scene! Amazing stuff really but no one needs to do it that way, just like we don't need to watch or play, or even care. But we do, and I absolutely love that Kojima has the balls and guts to showcase what it is we want to see...bad ass fight scenes where Raiden kills slices and dices with those break dancin ninja moves.

I'm sorry but i can not agree that the source of quality is in the ability to discern the amount of story being conveyed. That is a part of the overall quality I will agree, but the source is in the story teller themselves, and to discredit a story and to try to rearrange the protocols for length or content, well that's just bureaucracy and short sightedness, maybe not in terms of relative honesty to your own perception, but definitely in the scope of limiting others through preconditioned expectations.

[bunbun777]

I was going to make a snappy comparison about great theater and television, but screw it. Judd is a tool, even if it is his own opinion, you don't bag a story for things like length, if the integral parts themselves are overdrawn then fine. But saying War and Peace would have been a lot better if D. had cut out about 500 pages, well that's just retarded. All this really does is make me think Bionic Commando will be "fun" gameplay, with a 30 minute story, parsed out into tidy little scenes throughout the game. Great. But that's not MGS4, that's BC. Judd is an ass, and shouldn't try to shine his products by attempting to cast shadows on other, imo, greater works than his own.

[The Lazy One]

would you think war and peace would be better if it were 1000 pages longer?

a lot of good TV, theatre, and writing is forced to go through very critical editors and publishers. Kojima's to the point where nobody wants to tell him to change anything in the story, because they know he'll make money regardless. On top of that, he'd probably get anybody fired that criticized him and held their ground.

[Jamegohanssj5]

Wtf? Hideo > All!

TGSI

[ApocalypseShadow]

are the same people that would rather:

1)buy fast food than create a grand feast.or wait for it to be cooked.

2)read a small comic book or flyer than a novel or regular sized book.

3)would rather watch a short program than watch a mini series.

4)can't watch a movie like godfather,lord of the rings and any other long movie.

5)rush through sex trying to get to the good part.

these individuals like BEN have an "ATTENTION PROBLEM."

no one is saying that fast food,comic books,30 minute tv shows,etc. are bad.but if you get bored by something that is long,or not even bored,you just want to skip through and not wait,then you got...

A.D.D.

MGS4 is long.but it's because it is to entertain you in other ways beyond just "PLAYING."all his games tell stories.this one was to clear the air and end the series.if you don't like a good story,then you would have to have a major brain malfuction.

this guy is just trying to get noticed.but it will be years before he ever gets to kojima status if ever.

apocalypse......

[heyheyhey]

look mate, come back when you create the most compelling story ever created in a video game mmkay?

[cereal_killa]

Kojima is one of the very few GODS OF GAMING Ben Judd only wishes he could come close to anything that Kojima has done.. Kojima FTW!!!!!

[Figboy]

are of this variety:

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

there are a handful of "boring" cutscenes, but most of them are so good, so well shot, and so packed full of either gut-wrenching emotion, or balls out action, that you don't WANT to skip them.

being a Metal Gear Solid fan since 1998, i knew what to expect from MGS4 in terms of cutscene length.

i absorbed every bit of it the first two playthroughs.

i skip the boring cutscenes nowadays, and feast on the badass ones, but the game still takes me over 10 hours to beat it, and i'm playing as fast as my current skills allow me. even when i skip EVERY cutscene, the game still takes me over 8 hours to beat.

the GAMEPLAY is what ultimately matters, and MGS4 delivers in that department so much it's practically a crime.

Ben Judd is entitled to his opinion, but i personally think it's rude to tell another developer how to do their job.

lets see Capcom try to wrap up 20 years of gaming continuity in 30 minutes. of course, how deep and complex are the stories in Capcom's games anyway. last i checked, Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, and many other Capcom games aren't known for having a strong narrative. or voice acting, or directorial merit in any way, shape, or form. Capcom gets praised for fun, often difficult gameplay, and that's their strong point, and they should continue in that direction.

Kojima's strong point is his ability to wrap a complex narrative in a visually stunning world with incredible immersion and emotional impact. it wouldn't be a Kojima game otherwise. each one of his games carries his signature, and being one of the most influential Japanese game developers since Miyamoto and Sakaguchi, i think he should be honored with a bit more respect.

no, MGS4 isn't for everybody. it is for the FANS of Metal Gear Solid, who understand and expect the flaws of it's extremely talented, gifted creator (and his hardworking team, of course; Kojima Productions isn't a one man army, you know, even if Solid Snake IS).

[name]

MGS4: The only game which can be called both too short and too long.

[gaminoz]

The guy is right: MGS4, while brilliant at times, was way too self-indulgent.

[clintos59]

Until this guy makes a better game with an amazing story like MGS4 please shut up and stick to making your games and dont talk down on other devs that are beyond you. MGS4>>Anything this guy has ever made.