I think people are a bit more forgiving because MGS1-3 were mostly reigned in on this regard, even if they still had some problematic designs here and there (Sniper Wolf, EVA), and had bad ideas outright rejected (The Boss exposing cleavage in her final battle). The stories and characters in those games were still batshit insane and wacky, but for the most part, entertaining and occasionally thought-provoking with super tight gameplay and design.
Both the level design and story started to get away from him in MGS4, and from there on it feels like more creepy shit gets into his games. I'm not sure if it's because he developed enough clout by then that he had free license to do whatever he want (and even not then - he originally wanted the B&B squad in MGS4 to be completely nude), or he genuinely got worse with these sort of things. People have been openly critical of Kojima games since MGS4 for many reasons, but I think there is occasionally enough there for fans to latch onto and get excited about from a storytelling perspective. There are very few directors in the AAA space as committed to subversive and outright bizarre storytelling, so his problems get a pass in that regard.
My perspective is different as I was a latecomer to the MGS franchise, I played MGS1-4 and PW in the span of a couple of months, but there has definitely been a slippery slope that has accelerated since MGS4, and because of the goodwill he's built with the first few games, people are willing to look the other way - although I feel like it's definitely gotten a lot of blowback in recent years. "Ashamed of your words and deeds" is an internet meme for a reason.
I'm interested in Death Stranding, but I am in no rush to play it, and although I enjoy a lot of Kojima's wacky antics, I'm not sure I'm ready for another Quiet scenario. At this point, I think Kojima is simply too old and set in his ways to change his stance on these things in any significant way, unless higher-ups reign in him.
