New Game 'Death Stranding' Is A Compelling Mess
In the world of cinema, we're led to believe that a given film lives or dies by the creative decisions of a single, all-powerful hand: the director. In the world of video games, things are (usually) different.
Instead, game players and critics tend to celebrate (or condemn) the work of studios and development teams. This focus on a collective group of individuals as opposed to a monolithic auteur feels more honest. After all, video games are made by hundreds — sometimes thousands — of hardworking creatives.
The games of Hideo Kojima have proven an exception. Kojima is one of big-budget gaming's few legitimate auteurs — someone with the power and influence to slap the words "A Hideo Kojima Game" on a product and have it signify something.
Known mostly for overseeing the Metal Gear series, Kojima has auteur-ed some of the most inventive, polarizing, provocative and distinctive titles in video games. These games tend to borrow Hollywood conventions: They include long cinematic sequences and star-studded voice casts, they feature outsized narratives where B-movie-level dialogue sits alongside insightful social and political commentary.
But Kojima also strives to ensure his games are something more, something wholly different, than interactive movies — he stuffs them with self-aware jokes, meta-commentary, and that force players to think about the very act of playing a
