Just finished the game (loved it). Non-spoiler thoughts:
- Kojima has always been better when he tries to convey emotion through sequencing and editing than when he does it with exposition. I think a big part of that is the language gap. DS was no exception.
- I was really surprised with how good the performances were. I was super uninterested with Norman Reedus coming into the game, but he added some good subtle moments to the game.
- Kojima and his producers need to get a ton of credit for creating this world and game out of whole cloth in like 4 years. Yea, they were gifted an engine, but the amount of interacting systems taking place in this game at any time is daunting. The social aspects work flawlessly. And a new lore and story needed to be created, written, acted, and captured in that time. It honestly is a big testament to that studio.