Kojima him self admits it, it wasn't a good game before PG takes the development thing
btw , when the hardcore fans saw the E3 10 trailer did they like the game when they saw raiden as the min character ? if they did then how did they imagine the gameplay will look like ? stealth ? raiden never back stabs even in MGS4 so it should be the way PG developed.
He wasnt that much different from Solid Snake in MGS 2 and was just faster and more agile. Overall game mechanics were exactly the same, I understand he transformed a lot from that to the Raiden in MGS 4 but for the entire game to change because of the evolution of a character didnt sit right. As IGN said again (and I see where they are coming from in a way):
The character as he appeared in Metal Gear Solid 4 was certainly cool, but only as a part of the supporting cast. He was interesting because suddenly he wasn't the annoying, false substitute for Snake that he was in Metal Gear Solid 2. He wasn't an irritating failure, in other words. This trailer further removes him from being a relatable lead character. It continues to push the franchise in a direction unlike anything that made it brilliant in the first place. Raiden has now, for all intents and purposes, become a superhero capable of handling the mighty Metal Gear machines with one hand.
Think about that for a second. In this trailer, we see Raiden flip a Ray over his head with one hand. Spectacle aside, consider what that means for the franchise. Snake's battles with the Metal Gears always stand as the climax of every Metal Gear game. They are the payoff, the incredible battle that gamers anticipate from minute one. They are in many respects the ultimate boss character, larger-than-life and of immense challenge.
And Raiden is tossing the hulking beast as if it was a stuffed animal that belongs in the trash.
Granted I cant claim to be the biggest Metal Gear fan having only played the first, second and third but didnt get into the third properly (friend had it for months and I forgot to get it back). Didnt play MGS 4 so dont know all that much about it but it seems a hell of a change from Raiden in MGS 2 who everyone seemed to hate to the one seen in this. Snake merely aged whereas Raiden was transformed into some superhero like character.
Dont get me wrong I think the game looks cool and everything and im interested to see how it ends up as im looking to purchase it. However still seems an odd choice to take the game in this direction, spin off or not.