Death Stranding reviews

[Dalisclock]

So I played a little of the game at a friend's house and this is a hard pass for me. I just don't find the Fed Exing thing exciting, and traversal just annoyed me when it didn't bore me.

I'm gonna watch a let's play for the story and call it good.

Death Stranding?

A catastrophe to surpass the Death Stranding!

BBs, Son!

I'm not super worried about getting spoiled about this because I'm fairly sure it's gonna be the normal Kojima wankfest. I haven't heard any reviews so much as mention the story very much, which implies its nothing special. And I say that as someone who liked the Metal Gear Series.

I just got to the part were this happens. Not at all in the same words, but the same gist is talked about.

I also found conan o'brien. He gave me an otter hat. If anyone wants to see him he is labeled as the cosplayer on the map.

Broad but significant spoilers below.

Spoiler

Apparently the story cribs a fair number of plot points from Neon Genesis Evangelion as well. Replace "2nd Impact" with "Death Stranding" and you start to get the idea

 

[stroopwafel]

I still can't put the game down which is kind of strange as I pretty much abandon any open world game after a few hours. I guess those games give you tons of shit to do but none of it compelling. Death Stranding really eschews any videogame convention by being this meandering, moody trek through an abandoned environment that is so thick with atmosphere it stimulates the imagination in ways other games don't. The game is like the opposite of a GaaS where it tries to almost actively avoid to trigger that dompanine spot but rather tries to build to something ultimately more fulfilling. I love the world and characters Kojima created with this game so much. The game really tries to ask questions and with an original, philosophical view of the world. Absolute masterpiece.

Never played anything like this and I doubt it will ever be replicated in the AAA space. This is like a retread of MGS2 for me, a game in which Kojima shows that games can be so much more than mere entertainment. That they can be thematically relevant and that they can convey messages through gameplay systems and narrative design that can only be communicated through this particular medium.

Game is a great tourism ad for Iceland as well. Those mountains and wide spaces look so beautiful. Definitely on my list of places to visit.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

What I don?t understand is, if the game is supposed to be taking place in future America, then what has terraformed it to look like Iceland?

 

[Yoshi178]

No one would have cared about this game at all if it weren't for Kojima's input.

 

[Yoshi178]

Double post. Ignore

 

[Casual Shinji]

What I don?t understand is, if the game is supposed to be taking place in future America, then what has terraformed it to look like Iceland?

Russia also had a lush-ass jungle with crocodiles and shit in MGS3. Kojima's just.. kinda stupid like that.

 

[nomotog_v1legacy]

What I don?t understand is, if the game is supposed to be taking place in future America, then what has terraformed it to look like Iceland?

In the game there is timefall that is rain that ages everything it rains on, so the idea is years and years or errosion. It makes for better walking though.

 

[Silvanus]

No one would have cared about this game at all if it weren't for Kojima's input.

Well, sure, but the only reason we hear about most newly released games is down to the publisher. Hearing about it because of a developer/ creator's input is a lot more sensible than hearing about it because of a publisher.

 

[PsychedelicDiamond]

What I don?t understand is, if the game is supposed to be taking place in future America, then what has terraformed it to look like Iceland?

Russia also had a lush-ass jungle with crocodiles and shit in MGS3. Kojima's just.. kinda stupid like that.

I'm still about 80% sure that MGS 3 was originally supposed to be set in Vietnam and they only decided to set it in Russia instead after they had already finished a lot of the assets.

 

[Specter Von Baren]

Just watched Jim's video on it, and he thinks its boring as fuck. Its an ugly, boring, tedious self-indulgent slog of a game that's every bad idea Kojima ever had(which is a lot) roped into one game. He even said the shoes have a degradation meter.
I'll be skipping this one for sure.

Is he planning to sue them for using him as their villain?

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

Just watched Jim's video on it, and he thinks its boring as fuck. Its an ugly, boring, tedious self-indulgent slog of a game that's every bad idea Kojima ever had(which is a lot) roped into one game. He even said the shoes have a degradation meter.
I'll be skipping this one for sure.

Is he planning to sue them for using him as their villain?

Is he?

 

[Casual Shinji]

What I don?t understand is, if the game is supposed to be taking place in future America, then what has terraformed it to look like Iceland?

Russia also had a lush-ass jungle with crocodiles and shit in MGS3. Kojima's just.. kinda stupid like that.

I'm still about 80% sure that MGS 3 was originally supposed to be set in Vietnam and they only decided to set it in Russia instead after they had already finished a lot of the assets.

Most likely a case of Kojima wanting his cake and eating it too, like with most of his nonsensical ideas; He wanted jungle gameplay/mechanics, but he also wanted Russia/The Cold War. And then he also wanted James Bond shit cuz whatever.

What I don?t understand is, if the game is supposed to be taking place in future America, then what has terraformed it to look like Iceland?

In the game there is timefall that is rain that ages everything it rains on, so the idea is years and years or errosion. It makes for better walking though.

Everybody's faces seem blessedly impervious to that timefall rain though don't they? All you need is a hood, nothing covering your face or anything. When I'm walking around normal rain with my hood up I already pull it down as far as it'll go, this game has literal death rain and the people are like 'yeah, just a hood is fine.' And then there's times when they even look up during these rain moments. Also, considering how the rain has zero effect on your trenchcoat uniform thing, why didn't they just make packaging material out of that? Also, aren't there any helicopters in this universe? This gameworld makes no fucking sense.

 

[stroopwafel]

What I don?t understand is, if the game is supposed to be taking place in future America, then what has terraformed it to look like Iceland?

Antimatter bomb ghost.

 

[Yoshi178]

No one would have cared about this game at all if it weren't for Kojima's input.

Well, sure, but the only reason we hear about most newly released games is down to the publisher. Hearing about it because of a developer/ creator's input is a lot more sensible than hearing about it because of a publisher.

usually the only games that get hype because of publishers are sequels to already established franchise's.

new IP's just only ever get attention through word of mouth and mainly after the titles released, for example: Untitled Goose game, it got advertised, but no ever gave a shit about it or spoke about until it had basically come out and then spread through word of mouth because "ha ha, mean silly goose is a hilarous meme! lol"

i don't think anybody even knew what the actual genre of Death Stranding was throughout its entire marketing campaign and the only reason its ever got any attention is because "hey it's that new Kojima game that i have no idea what it's about but because Kojima made it it MUST be good"


edit: also this:

 

[nomotog_v1legacy]

No one would have cared about this game at all if it weren't for Kojima's input.

Well, sure, but the only reason we hear about most newly released games is down to the publisher. Hearing about it because of a developer/ creator's input is a lot more sensible than hearing about it because of a publisher.

usually the only games that get hype because of publishers are sequels to already established franchise's.

new IP's just only ever get attention through word of mouth and mainly after the titles released, for example: Untitled Goose game, it got advertised, but no ever gave a shit about it or spoke about until it had basically come out and then spread through word of mouth because "ha ha, mean silly goose is a hilarous meme! lol"

i don't think anybody even knew what the actual genre of Death Stranding was throughout its entire marketing campaign and the only reason its ever got any attention is because "hey it's that new Kojima game that i have no idea what it's about but because Kojima made it it MUST be good"


edit: also this:

People are upset it's not a shooter. I can see why people would assume it was. If you never watched the gameplay video he did (In Japanese), then you would have no idea what the gameplay would be like. I do take umbrage with the idea that the game is a walking simulator or that it should be a movie. It's a game. I am not really engaged with the story. (I mean it's not a bad story just eh.) I'm engaging with the gameplay.

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

Most likely a case of Kojima wanting his cake and eating it too, like with most of his nonsensical ideas; He wanted jungle gameplay/mechanics, but he also wanted Russia/The Cold War. And then he also wanted James Bond shit cuz whatever.

Thing is, there actually are jungles in Russia, in south-central siberia and the most eastern part to the north-east of Korea. They're temperate rainforests, not tropical, and nothing like what's shown in the game, but still. They have tigers, leopards, and bears and shit.

 

[Specter Von Baren]

Just watched Jim's video on it, and he thinks its boring as fuck. Its an ugly, boring, tedious self-indulgent slog of a game that's every bad idea Kojima ever had(which is a lot) roped into one game. He even said the shoes have a degradation meter.
I'll be skipping this one for sure.

Is he planning to sue them for using him as their villain?

Is he?

Ah, sorry, got confused, he's not the villain, the character I think that looks like him is Deadman.

 

[Casual Shinji]

People are upset it's not a shooter. I can see why people would assume it was. If you never watched the gameplay video he did (In Japanese), then you would have no idea what the gameplay would be like. I do take umbrage with the idea that the game is a walking simulator or that it should be a movie. It's a game. I am not really engaged with the story. (I mean it's not a bad story just eh.) I'm engaging with the gameplay.

Nobody who reviewed this game thought it was a shooter. They knew it was different from the norm before they went into it. What's causing this game to be so divisive is NOT because it's not a shooter, there are plenty of games that aren't shooters or action focused that aren't this divisive. So for Kojima to accuse reviewers who gave it a low score of not liking it because it isn't a shooter is complete bullshit. Or did he forget Metal Gear Solid 2 was also very divisive, certainly at the time, a game that was very much so focused on action?

Most likely a case of Kojima wanting his cake and eating it too, like with most of his nonsensical ideas; He wanted jungle gameplay/mechanics, but he also wanted Russia/The Cold War. And then he also wanted James Bond shit cuz whatever.

Thing is, there actually are jungles in Russia, in south-central siberia and the most eastern part to the north-east of Korea. They're temperate rainforests, not tropical, and nothing like what's shown in the game, but still. They have tigers, leopards, and bears and shit.

Yeah I know, and it would've been cool if we actually got that type of scenery, but Kojima obviously just wanted the typical jungle with snakes.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

No one would have cared about this game at all if it weren't for Kojima's input.

Well, sure, but the only reason we hear about most newly released games is down to the publisher. Hearing about it because of a developer/ creator's input is a lot more sensible than hearing about it because of a publisher.

usually the only games that get hype because of publishers are sequels to already established franchise's.

new IP's just only ever get attention through word of mouth and mainly after the titles released, for example: Untitled Goose game, it got advertised, but no ever gave a shit about it or spoke about until it had basically come out and then spread through word of mouth because "ha ha, mean silly goose is a hilarous meme! lol"

i don't think anybody even knew what the actual genre of Death Stranding was throughout its entire marketing campaign and the only reason its ever got any attention is because "hey it's that new Kojima game that i have no idea what it's about but because Kojima made it it MUST be good"


edit: also this:

People are upset it's not a shooter. I can see why people would assume it was. If you never watched the gameplay video he did (In Japanese), then you would have no idea what the gameplay would be like. I do take umbrage with the idea that the game is a walking simulator or that it should be a movie. It's a game. I am not really engaged with the story. (I mean it's not a bad story just eh.) I'm engaging with the gameplay.

It?s a mix of him being an arrogant snob and actually being correct about our culture. On one hand the FPS reference makes no sense, as it never bothered people with any of the MGS games, or other Western developed games (The Last of Us in particular) he compared DS?s combat to.

On the other, yes, judging by continued insane sales stats Western gaming culture is heavily embedded in the CoD fragtastic teabagging bs; most of whom would scoff at something like Death Stranding and likely find it lame dullard garbage because the game asks the player to be more than a moving reticle and there aren?t perks and kill cams popping up on screen with every kill.

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

I've been avoiding Death Stranding as much as possible. Specifically because while I do respect and love Kojima as our currently lauded Video Game Artist... I barely played any of his games.

Only Metal Gear 3 on the PS2. And yeah, I liked it. But I didn't immediately have to buy every other Kojima game that came out due to needing more and more of his brilliance. I look at all games that come out, and if my interest is piqued I'll get it. Most of his games don't pique my interest.

And I was fine with it. Not all art is for everyone. Let's live and let live.

And then this BS came out.

This is officially the type of thing that turns people against public figures. Like Ariana Grande isn't for me, but I'm glad those who love her have her in their lives. But the second she says "Minorities don't get me because they are too into Gangsta rap to listen to anything else", I start to have negative feelings for her because she doesn't know me and my tastes.

My favorite Musical Genre is freaking Drum and Bass. And I swear I'm one of only a thousand people in this damn country that even knows that's a genre of music.

Here's the thing. For people playing his game and giving their honest opinion about how they feel about it, he's actively prejudging all of America. And that ticks me off.

I was one of the countless people completely pissed off that P.T. was robbed from us. And I mean Robbed. I would have boycotted Komani if they ever made video games any more due to their disgusting treatment of Kojima. I was one of those people who had his heart broken along with Geoff Keighley when Kojima couldn't even be celebrated on our only night to Praise One Another. I applauded when I saw Kojima announce to everyone He's Back.

I'm a not a Diehard Kojima game fan, but I love how he inspired people. But this? This is a bad look, Kojima. My favorite Video Game Genres are Fighting Games, Soulsborne, RTS, Open World RPGs, and Dungeon Crawlers (Looters) in that order. You don't know me. I had no interest in your game because of the game itself. Because I'm fucking hyped about Disco Elysium [https://store.steampowered.com/app/632470/Disco_Elysium/] and I'm currently begging any God that will listen that they will put it on the Nintendo Switch.

... Because I'm now realizing any game I really care about, I want it on the Switch so I can always play it. Games that I'm casually
interested in, I'll have on my PC or my PS4 pro. But like with the Outer Worlds, I want it on the Switch so I can have the experience with me whenever I want.

That tangent aside and to sum this up, it's not our love affairs with a particular genre. Your game isn't for everyone, Kojima. Making excuses or explanations like this are beneath you.

On the other, yes, judging by continued insane sales stats Western gaming culture is heavily embedded in the CoD fragtastic teabagging bs; most of whom would scoff at something like Death Stranding and likely find it lame dullard garbage because the game asks the player to be more than a moving reticle and there aren?t perks and kill cams popping up on screen with every kill.

I get your point, but you have to admit it falls apart when we look at the actually insane sales statistics for Madden and/or Fifa. That's like saying we can't appreciate Death Stranding because there's no Cheerleaders or a way to get a microtransaction purchase of Messi.