Even MGS5, which was pretty clearly pushed out before he wanted it to be and broke him up with Konami, was extremely technically sound, just not filled out as much as it should have been.
Even disliking it, I still saw how stylish and imaginative it was, akin to the OG MGS. The last half and parts of gameplay were very unferwhelming thanks to Konami. I wonder how it could've ended if MGS5 have been given the time wasted on that zombie survival flick.
For me it was basically that every encounter should have been multiplied by three. Those little checkpoints being two soldiers aren't worth it, and it's the same up the line. Even the big stuff almost always feels empty.
Sniper Elite 4 and 5 are comparable in terms of stealth mechanic quality, but their bases are actually filled in and they're better games for it. MGS5 could have been that, and I'm pretty sure Kojima wanted it to be that, but they pulled the plug and shipped a partial game instead.
Yeah. It ended up as a Pokemon Go with soviet solders, kek, istead off a full flashed masterpiece. And it's depressing.
I'm happy tho that MG:R happened. Platinum Games did it in their own way, but they didn't hold any punches. Unlike Kojima, they had time to do what they wanted to achieve, and even though it's a niche game, it was a delight.
I think this is compounded by his reputation goes past just his fans.
I actually don't think I've ever played a Kojima game and I don't know that I ever will but even I understand he has a reputation of making extremely solid games even if it means he's fighting tooth and nail to continue that trend.