what is it, unto itself, if not a neutral quantity? wait, let's not go there, because it's ayn rand territory.
that said, it could be just as conveniently argued that your history on internet message boards (about VIDEOGAMING) packed to the gills with the meandering nonsense of nerds seeking intellectual validation has ultimately spun YOUR current take on mgs4, as well. you pretty much acknowledge that! (the same, of course, could be said for me.) at this point, it's all cheap sniping, regardless of the vector, and mgs4 remains mgs4. me, i figure its more earnest apologists are reacting to the gross levels of fanservice in the game as well as the completely anticipated preference for the uniquely japanese manga/anime cliches instanced throughout the game (so far), and that its detractors are being disingenuously reductive in the name of spoiling the party.
i don't think there's any naivete at all, unless we're ONLY discussing the narrative -- because only the naive wouldn't roll their eyes at the cliches, or likewise assume the cliches comprise the whole experience. rather, i think there's a little TOO much internet experience going on, here, and that we're seeing yet another hyped game become a flashpoint for the usual imbroglio of warring agendas: sfags versus xfags; "pure" gamers versus the experiental set; anime fans versus frat boys; yadda yadda yadda. this argument, as unfortunately embodied in tom chick's clever-but-completely-irrelevant review, is about the fucking internet, and it's a shame hideo kojima didn't capitalize on that somehow like he did in mgs2.
