Killer 7, Warp and the demythification of gameplay

So, I haven't played Killer 7 yet. I've been following the discussion on LPN, though, and the mention of Kenji Eno warmed my heart. It confirms my belief that someone at Capcom (most probably Mikami, maybe Suda 51) is a huge Warp fan. Included in Resident Evil 4 is perhaps the most shameless and loving homage to D, because the matching of a girl, medieval armor and QTE is just too big a coincidence.

I also find very similar the way Suda 51 and Kenji Eno both see the videogame medium. While most games are judged by their mechanics, as if jumping and shooting were a game on itself, these men see mechanics as a serviceable medium to communicate their vision. The biggest complaint towards Killer 7 is that its gameplay is "archaic, almost a step backwards". The same could be said of Rez, which in gameplay terms is nothing but a glorified Starfox, or D, which demands a minimum of interaction from the player, being little more than a string of FMV movies.

Yet these are the games that strive to offer a truly remarkable experience. D, with its four discs of grainy FMV, lasts only one hour, but it is an incredibly memorable one. I've played dozens of 20+ hour rpgs and most of them didn't make such a lasting impression as Eno's game. Rez stimulated the senses in what I can only describe as universal harmony, as there's nothing like playing it in the dark, really loud with a nice subwoofer and a good rumble pak. So what if you are shooting little robots; it's such a blissful experience that, once a stage ends, it leaves you reeling, gasping for air.

Silent Hill as a series has been maligned for its clunky controls and obscure puzzles, but those are mere means to achieve a bigger goal (I?m on the fence with SH3, as, though I liked it, I suspect conceptually it kinda missed the point). I mean, it's Konami for chrissake, of course they could've tighten the controls, but the experience most likely wouldn't be its haunting same with a super-responsive character.

So... most gamers, when asked what a game is like, are accustomed to give a description of the gameplay. I think with the really special games, that way of thinking doesn't cut it anymore. Gameplay shouldn't be a goal in itself, it should be a tool to communicate feelings and ideas.