Death Stranding reviews

[hanselthecaretaker]

First one I?ve seen [https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/1/20941606/death-stranding-review-ps4-hideo-kojima], and based on the couple showings earlier in the year it?s pretty much what I thought.

Then there?s of course the infamous Meta aggregate. [https://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-4/death-stranding/critic-reviews]

At least there?s criticism to be found, and not just blown smoke.

 

[CaitSeith]

tl;dr? I have limited access to gaming sites over here.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

tl;dr? I have limited access to gaming sites over here.

Its 'Meh'

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

tl;dr? I have limited access to gaming sites over here.

Cumbersome controls, lengthy and tedious gameplay, nonsensical story, weirdly engrossing experience overall.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

I think by the time gamers get their hands on this game, the consensus is going to shift from positive or meh, to something more like this: https://stevivor.com/reviews/death-stranding-review-dead-arrival/

It sounds like the most honest review so far. Most others seem to be trying desperately to say something positive and kiss Kojima's ass. I don't know why. Maybe they think that if they express real criticism they'll be branded as too stupid or shallow to understand his genius. But there is no genius. There's just an old video game creator who desperately wants to be a filmmaker, but he's simply not talented enough for that, and truth be told, he's way past his prime when it comes to video games as well. He once was a visionary, but now he's obsolete. It happened to George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola as well, it's not a big deal.

 

[PsychedelicDiamond]

It seems like a very polarizing game. Everything I've heard so far makes it sound like I'm gonna absolutely love it. Can't wait for next week.

 

[Kwak]

and truth be told, he's way past his prime when it comes to video games as well.

The technical mastery of the medium on display in the game is undeniable. So how is he past his prime if the game looks and performs this well?

tl;dr? I have limited access to gaming sites over here.

60 positive, 11 mixed, 1 negative.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

The technical mastery of the medium on display in the game is undeniable. So how is he past his prime if the game looks and performs this well?

Does it play well? Is it actually fun? Does it make sense or is it more pretentious than the average David Cage game?

 

[PsychedelicDiamond]

By the by, Heather Alexandra's review of the game on Kotaku is the best piece of gaming criticism I've had the pleasure to read in quite a while. It really deserves some acknowledgement.

https://www.kotaku.co.uk/2019/11/01/death-stranding-the-kotaku-review

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

I think by the time gamers get their hands on this game, the consensus is going to shift from positive or meh, to something more like this: https://stevivor.com/reviews/death-stranding-review-dead-arrival/

It sounds like the most honest review so far. Most others seem to be trying desperately to say something positive and kiss Kojima's ass. I don't know why. Maybe they think that if they express real criticism they'll be branded as too stupid or shallow to understand his genius. But there is no genius. There's just an old video game creator who desperately wants to be a filmmaker, but he's simply not talented enough for that, and truth be told, he's way past his prime when it comes to video games as well. He once was a visionary, but now he's obsolete. It happened to George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola as well, it's not a big deal.

Huh...The only honest review has a rating that?s almost half of the next lowest? Dismissing someone?s work as ?irredeemable garbage? just because it doesn?t ?play? like a typical video game we?ve all played many times over is so far beyond the point of being irrational that it reads like someone was forced to eat Kojima?s shit ever since he left Konami, and is just aching for the chance to get back at him with ?words?. Ok, maybe that?s a gross exaggeration; I understand where his tone is coming from (frustration on top of cynicism), but it?s a weee bit over the top, if somewhat entertaining. I?m actually curious as to what he says about some other popular, highly derivative games.

I?ll wait til I actually play it to judge, but taking the middle road of praise and criticism it at least seems to have more ?visionary? elements than anything else released this generation; especially in the AAA space. I?m wondering at what point Kojima could?ve been considered a visionary in the first place if this, his most advanced, ambitious and personal work, doesn?t qualify.

 

[BrawlMan]

I am sure Death Stranding will be fine. I have no interests for now, but I do wish Kojima and his team the best.

 

[Dalisclock]

The reviews I've seen make it seem very much a Kojima game. Very slow and very much "The Journey" rather then the destination, but with a plot that's either overwrought or incomprehensible(don't count on learning much of how any of this works). It seems like it's a bit full of itself though apparently does have some touching moments.

That being said, it does sound fascinating, like a big budget game with arty pretensions and I'll probably end up getting it at some point. I'm just going to be aware of what it is and what it isn't. Also, have a month budgeted for this game because it's apparently a LONG game.

 

[CritialGaming]

The general reviews I've seen are saying that the game is capitivating in its boredom as if playing the game to be bored is the point. And some people really like it and think it makes for an interesting experience. While others think making a game boring on purpose is fucking stupid.

I'm of the opinion of the second group. Purposefully making the game tedious and boring to enforce a theme of atmosphere and boredom to the player is a noble experiment but not one that I think is really worth it. Especially considering it boils down to a pretenious Fed Ex simulator for 40 hours. What action does exist is incredibly basic and pointless, and quite honestly I just don't get it.

This is gonna be a hard pass for me.

 

[09philj]

I'm interested in playing it but I'm the kind of person who likes doing cargo haulage and deep space exploration jobs in Elite: Dangerous, and I suspect if you're not that kind of person you're not going to get much out of the experience.

 

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

The few Youtubers I actually pay attention to (Laymen/Skill Up and Rurikhan) have all said the game is pretty great so I'll be checking it out after getting my fill of Monster Hunter World Iceborne (probably be at least a hundred more hours), Disco Elysium, and then Outer Worlds.

The general reviews I've seen are saying that the game is capitivating in its boredom as if playing the game to be bored is the point. And some people really like it and think it makes for an interesting experience. While others think making a game boring on purpose is fucking stupid.

I'm of the opinion of the second group. Purposefully making the game tedious and boring to enforce a theme of atmosphere and boredom to the player is a noble experiment but not one that I think is really worth it. Especially considering it boils down to a pretenious Fed Ex simulator for 40 hours. What action does exist is incredibly basic and pointless, and quite honestly I just don't get it.

This is gonna be a hard pass for me.

There's several games like Death Stranding, it's not really a new concept of a pick up and deliver game. Rurikham mentions it's similar to space trucker games for example. And saying the game is purposefully designed to be boring is pretty much the most asinine opinion. Sure, some people will find it boring, that's perfectly fine, but it's not designed that way. Plus, we have so few games in the AAA landscape that don't revolve around combat, it's a breath of fresh air. You know what's boring, playing the 20th+ iteration of the same game over and over again, which is basically the AAA model right now. Another Souls-like or open world game, how exciting?!?!

 

[Dalisclock]

The general reviews I've seen are saying that the game is capitivating in its boredom as if playing the game to be bored is the point. And some people really like it and think it makes for an interesting experience. While others think making a game boring on purpose is fucking stupid.

The difference of opinion is more "If you make something slow with long stretches of quiet time, does that make it boring or does it give it a sense of gravitas?" It's an artistic statement that works or doesn't in the eye of the beholder.

A film example is 2001: A Space Odyssey. It's considered a great sci-fi film by many, and it has long stretches of time where little to nothing is happening(notably in the beginning and during the Discovery segments). A lot of people would argue that's why the film works so well, because it takes time to linger and breathe, while others would argue it's a long film with very little that actually happens, making it boring. And where you fall on that is up to you, but the idea of long stretches of quiet time to enhance the experience or put the actiony bits into a different light isn't a new one by a long shot.

It sounds like that's what Kojima was going for, to drive home how desevated and isolated this future America really is by the Death Stranding, and apparently it works very well in that regard. The real question is if enhances the game as a whole, or just makes it feel a lot bigger and longer then it needs to be(like the maps in MGSV).

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

Huh...The only honest review has a rating that?s almost half of the next lowest? Dismissing someone?s work as ?irredeemable garbage?

Considering the fact that this $60 game has ads in it, it should immediately get a 0 rating.

 

[stroopwafel]

The more divided the opinions the more intriguing the game is for me. My favorite Kojima game is MGS2 but after that he really started to cater to the masses and that he now returned to an uncompromising vision only makes it tremendously interesting. Looking forward to playing it and seeing for myself in just a few more days.

 

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

The more divided the opinions the more intriguing the game is for me. My favorite Kojima game is MGS2 but after that he really started to cater to the masses and that he now returned to an uncompromising vision only makes it tremendously interesting. Looking forward to playing it and seeing for myself in just a few more days.

Yeah, MGS2 is his masterpiece, so much more poignant today than it was when it released.

 

[Laughing Man]

Interesting I suspected that a lot of the defence for this game looking very very dull would revolve around comments such as 'unique' 'visionary' 'original' or some other load of nonsense to disguise that since the split with Konami, Kojima now has on a suit of armour that protects him from any and all criticism. He could come round to most folk's houses take a dump in their coffee and people would thank him and say what an amazing piece of work.

It says an awful lot when this 30 second trailer

https://youtu.be/f02GKR7SahQ

turns out to be more fun, more engaging and more entertaining than the 8 minute trailer the guys behind the game released to advertise the game.