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LTTP: Death Stranding aka Punished Kojima's Magnum Opus

makaveli60

Member
It's a bit hard to come up with a coherent post about this game but I'll try my best to convince you that it is one of the GOATs.

So I always felt that Kojima was a bit of an overhyped person in the gaming industry. I felt that while he was very good at what he was doing he was still just one person among a lot of others who develop these games and there are also different gaming directors who are also very good but they just avoid spotlight (or the spotlight avoids them). Now after finishing this game, which I consider his best work yet by far (and his other works are amazing as well), I feel like that he deserves the spotlight. I am still under the effects of this game and will be for a long time.

The basic themes of the game like life, death, love, hate, similiarities, differences, connections, understanding, our world, the other world(s), afterlife, ghosts etc. left such an impression on me that by the very end of the game, shame or no shame, I was crying like a little girl. And I can't even tell when was the last time I cried for anything. That the story itself is an emotional journey with a catharsis at the end is one thing, but it seems like a strange coincidence that this game was released at the time it was, just before all of this covid craze and the American election started. All the division among us, our detachment from each other, separation from society, etc. Perhaps Kojima knew something? It's like this game couldn't have been released at a better time.

Now on the one hand, I feel shame that I didn't buy this game on day one at full price, but I was not that hyped about it, had a lot of other things going on and felt like that the general consensus was that it was just a boring walking simulator, so I just decided that I will buy it later for a smaller price. On the other hand, this was the perfect time for me to play it. Since its release corona happened, the American elections happened and I grew A LOT spiritually in these 1,5 years and this was the perfect time for me to play this. I was not only crying because of the emotional story but the fact that this game and its content had a lot to say to me personally now. I know no one reading this will understand it but my current life, my current self had a strong connection to this game and its story.

And this is the most important aspect of this game IMO. Connections. What it teaches us. We have to come together, not looking at our differences, but our similarities. We should preach love instead of hate. Because if we don't correct our ways one by one the result will be similar to the Death Stranding. "Divide and conquer." This is how we are becoming more and more slaves to the 1%. We have to stop fighting each other and realize who is the common enemy. But no more politics. The point is to work on ourselves, be better in every sense.

The shared world aspect of the game is awesome as it helps forming these connections. It's quite genius that in a sense you build real connections with other players as you connect the game world with itself.

Now about the gameplay. You can call it a walking simulator, but that's a very disingenuous viewpoint. Yes, you walk a lot, but no other game treated walking and travelling the same way as this game (at least in the AAA space). I found its gameplay very unique and a breath of fresh air in industry standardized open worlds where traversal itself is always just a secondary aspect. Here you have to take into account everything. How much cargo you have, what kind of terrain you are moving on, slopeness, weather etc. Yes, it's a walking SIMULATOR. And I get it, it's not for the masses who only enjoy CoD and FIfa, but for those of us who enjoy unique things, the gameplay is awesome. And in addition there are always new things dripped slowly, just enough to always give you something fresh to avoid becoming boring. What is also genius is that despite it being an openworld game I always felt like (with a bit of an exaggaration, of course) every moment was handcrafted. Whether they were or not is not that important. The fact that the game achieves this is simply amazing. Amazing game design.

Well, I could go on and on about it but I think told my main points. I want more people to try this and realize what an amazing, unique game this is. I won't lie though, it's a total mindfuck and I admit I'm far from understanding everything that happens in it but if you are open to things like this, you will love it (Twin Peaks fans will certainly do). I'm afraid we will never get such a unique game that is so handcrafted as this in the AAA space. No publisher will finance such a game, and after the game's flop, corporate ass Jim Ryan and co won't either, unfortunately. So props again for the PS4 dreamteam (please come back) who were not afraid to throw money at Kojima and let the madman go wild. This is such a gem among Sony's awesome exclusives that it deserves much better treatment than it receveid. I heard rumours on GAF about some new edition I think. I will Day One it, just to show my support and thanks and to feel some redemption after skipping it at launch.

TLDR: IMO it's one of the most unique games ever created and proves that videogames can be art. If you had enough of standardized games, if you think AAA games are just copy-pasted nowadays then this is the game for you. Play it!

And to end, some screenshots I made to show that it's one of the most beatiful games ever created (and perhaps the most "realistic" looking):

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I loved the game, personally. It delivered an experience I haven't had 10,000 times already like every other game released these days. Kojima is batshit crazy for making this game - no other AAA studio/game would ever do something like this. Yes, it's flawed as hell and could seriously use some editing (fuck me for beating this game on a weekday and having to sit and watch the 2 hour finale at like 3 am) - but damn, it's one of the few games I will remember from this generation of derivative, soulless games that gets puked out, swallowed and shit out again every year.

I'm so glad Kojima gave us this game when he could've just re-skinned Metal Gear Solid to appease the masses and win an easy GOTY. Instead he released a bizarre, divisive game that stands alone. I understand people for hating it, in fact I'll probably agree with most of their arguments. All I can say is for me, it was the game I never knew I wanted and it gives me a sliver of hope the AAA industry can break through the cycle of big budget reiteration and down a path to big budget innovation.
 

Bridges

Member
One of the coolest and most unique games I've ever played for sure. I had zero interest in it pre-launch as the trailers made it seem like a 3rd person horror shooter that wasn't really breaking the mold in any department other than maybe story, but once the reviews hit and I saw how polarizing it was, I could tell this was something I had to try.

I really hope we get a sequel someday, or at least something else in the "Strand" genre. It is really hard to be amazed and surprised by games when you play so many, especially since so many developers tend to chase the same trends, but this was a BOTW level experience for me. An absolute game-changer that I never stop thinking about.

I fully understand why a lot of people don't like it, it's not for everybody, but that's kind of the beauty of it. So many games now are made with the idea of mass appeal at the forefront, "how do we get as many people as possible to play this?" Whereas Death Stranding clearly had a vision it intended to pursue without caring who got left behind in the process. This is the game that finally made me understand why people call Kojima a genius.

Always happy to see others giving it the credit it deserves.
 

Roni

Gold Member
It was a game that fell prey to the media hate mongering... A difficult game to explain, needs to be experienced.

We fought the good fight and let the world know it was worth a try and one of the most innovative games out there. Slowly the world is catching up...
 

brian0057

Banned
Kojima save us from the next generation of copypasted open worlds and "cinematic experiences" .

Amen.
Imagine thinking the dude most responsible for the scourge that is cinematic gaming is saving us from them, especially with a game whose cutscenes make the extended editions of The Lord of the Rings trilogy look like Tik Tok videos by comparison.
 
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ethomaz

Banned
One of the very best game I ever played in terms of gameplay.
Beautiful presentation.
Engaging story.

Masterpiece.

Over 150 hours and I’m missing it in my daily time.

It was not surprised it beat some big GOTY content like REmake 2.

Edit - I forget to say but some character acting are so amazing.
 
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I haven't really enjoyed Kojima's stuff since the PS1 days, but I have been curious to try this out because it looks so odd. I'll snag it on sale eventually, maybe I'll luck out and it'll be a psn freebie one month.
 

makaveli60

Member
I loved it too.

As a non-gaming developer, I can't wrap my head around how this game was done from beginning of 2016 with a release date of beginning of 2020 (the exact dates are from 2015-12-16 to 2019-11-8, but trying to keep it simple)

To me, the true master piece involved what happened outside the game too.

In the span of 4 years:
-Booted out of Konomi
-Created a new studio
-Hired some new/old employees
-Outline the story for a new game
-Convince Sony on this new game
-Iron out a deal with Sony once they accepted
-Hired voice actors/motion capture
-Learn how to program with the Decima engine (crazy!)
-Tons of stuff I don't want to get into(trying to keep it a small post), lets just say I get stressed just thinking about all the things he had to do.

I was late to the game too, so maybe all the bugs were ironed out, but I did not encounter any bugs, another amazing feat if it was this clean on the first version.
It’s pretty damn crazy indeed when you put it like this. I never even thought about this. Insane.

BTW, I love your responses guys. It’s nice to know that many of you get it.
 
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Humdinger

Member
Good post, makaveli60 makaveli60 . I appreciate your sharing how much the game meant to you. It's one thing to hear someone talk about gameplay, but it's another to hear them talk about their personal reactions. It's clear that the game really impacted you on a deep level.

Unfortunately, I was never able to get into Death Stranding. The world was beautiful, but there were too many cutscenes, where I just felt like I was watching a movie rather than playing a game. I had a hard time getting into the gameplay, too.

But I'm glad you enjoyed it. It's a game that definitely hit home with a lot of people.
 

SkylineRKR

Member
I loved how the world became more connected around me, and easier to traverse. I was doing a lot of looting and ignored the story just to build roads and stuff.

The game does get more linear in the snow chapters but on the whole I thought it was tremendous. Its a hate it or love it affair and I am in the second camp.
 

Bryank75

Banned
Incredible game that had a lot of commentary about gaming that went by without discussion. Like the way he has loads of gear like in MGS but instead he has to balance it all instead of it just magically appearing out of nowhere like in most games. The princess beach bit was obvious. The Otter Hood that allows you swim, much like a Mario power up.

I really thought it was really clever how they used Lou, to make you build a connection as a person who doesn't like human contact and that kinda mirrors what the game was trying to do.... take gamers who are generally not very social and trying to create this connection between players, where it was really rewarding to help others.

The end of the game had me a mess... very memorable game and great performances from Diehard man and Mads in particular.
 

CJ_75

Member
I love Kojima's work on the Metal Gear Solid series. Somehow I didn't like MGSV that much, even though the controls and gameplay were near perfect. I bought Death Stranding on sale, just because it is a Kojima game, but didn't play it yet.
Like most of you, I am holding out playing PS4 games as I am hoping some of my backlog will receive a PS5 patch. I have recently finished Ghost of Tsushima, Days Gone and both Spiderman games and was wondering what to play next. Death Stranding it is...
 

Werewolf Jones

Gold Member
Stupid story and sorely lacking in area variety. Otherwise great fucking game, walking mechanics weren't for impatient brainlets.
 
My main issue wasn't the gameplay, it was the narrative. Just nowhere near as strong as MGS 1-3. I think Kojima has become a worse storyteller as his stature has increased
 
I think it's my game of the generation. The building and shared world are what made it special.

It reminded me of classic resident evil game.

In those games you get to know the layout of the Mason, police station etc and start figure out the best route depending on your situation, inventory, monsters along the way etc.

Well death stranding is like that but on a much much bigger scale accept you and other players create the routes. Every generator, bridge, zipline etc makes the world a little bit more manageable and you will be using them many hours later making previously grueling journeys fly past.

If you didn't engage with this and instead just sped run through it to see the story I doubt you could appreciate how satisfying it was to really build up the map.

I liked that everything had some kind of limit on it be it weight, battery, speed, etc made me really think about what I needed before going out into the wilderness. I can't believe a game got me excited about a delivery truck with massive cargo space lol!

Most sandbox games don't do this they will just give you an attack chopper with infinite ammo and fuel. This will be fun for about 5 minutes until you're either bored because its overpowered or its balanced in some boring un fun way (often weak ass armour so its gets shot down in 2 hits)

Anyway it's still no doubt polarising so I suggest give it a go if you're on the fence you may love or hate it but won't know till you find out.
 

Markio128

Member
That first time you head down a hill and the music starts to play; one of the best moments of last gen for me. I’d love to play it again, but I’m hoping for a PS5 update before I do. Not for the visuals, because the game looked amazing on the PS4 Pro, but for some dual sense functionality, which I believe would really benefit the game.
 

Dick Jones

Gold Member
Only Kojima can make a literal walking simulator a game of the year contender. Whatever he makes next and whoever it is with, I want him to just go for it. His character naming process is fucking trash though.

I need to go back to it later this year.
 

Shmunter

Member
One of the most memorable games I’ve ever played. There was just something about the sense of space and isolation. Layered with the foreboding weight of the end of civilisation. And finding other players lost gear, or structures in this raw environment is remarkable.

Games rarely strike any semblance of tone, much less a deep mood like this. It’s a masterpiece.
 
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Bo_Hazem

Banned
It was a masterpiece and the first photorealistic approach in a game, most likely using Quixel Megascans and the Decima engine of Sony Guerilla Games made it looks this good.

The music is also so good in this game. My main problem with the game if you keep playing side mission, the interaction is so extremely dry after tedious work.

Game overall feels so weird, it's like taking place on another planet not on Earth, also the BT things are thoughtful approach from Kojima until he made piss and poop bombs which make sense from his perspective but kinda immersion breaker like the box in MGS games. He has a strange way of humor which is usually cringy.

Spent around 114 hours and completed all the roads. The collaboration with strangers and the likes back make you feel something unique unlike other games that tend to be competitive and against others. A ladder left to help you, bridge, etc all help make your journey less tedious.

Of course, my biggest advice is to wipe out those BT's totally by blood bombs. I ended up taking a truck full of blood bombs like pest control, lol. This cleans out the map totally and you can roam around without any fear. Many don't know this, I think.
 
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angrod14

Member
I loved the game. There's nothing quite like it. It's really "contemplative", for lack of a better word. Just you and BB wandering around in that vast and beautiful landscape, listening to music.

Like my previous experiences with Kojima games, at no time I understood a flying fuck of what was going on story-wise, but I didn't need to in order to feel mesmerized by everything I was seeing.

It's a shame we most likely will never be getting a sequel, so this only game will forever be our solely entry to this amazing world and characters. Although, you could argue that makes the experience even more special.
 
It was a masterpiece and the first photorealistic approach in a game, most likely using Quixel Megascans and the Decima engine of Sony Guerilla Games made it looks this good.

The music is also so good in this game. My main problem with the game if you keep playing side mission, the interaction is so extremely dry after tedious work.

Game overall feels so weird, it's like taking place on another planet not on Earth, also the BT things are thoughtful approach from Kojima until he made piss and poop bombs which make sense from his perspective but kinda immersion breaker like the box in MGS games. He has a strange way of humor which is usually cringy.

Spent around 114 hours and completed all the roads. The collaboration with strangers and the likes back make you feel something unique unlike other games that tend to be competitive and against others. A ladder left to help you, bridge, etc all help make your journey less tedious.

Of course, my biggest advice is to wipe out those BT's totally by blood bombs. I ended up taking a truck full of blood bombs like pest control, lol. This cleans out the map totally and you can roam around without any fear. Many don't know this, I think.
Are you saying you can wipe them out permanently?
 

Hydroxy

Member
It was me who felt punished for playing this game. A very mediocre experience. You can sugarcoat it as much as you want to, however the fact remains it was just a walking simulator. A fedex or usps delivery simulator.
If it had a great story, that may have saved it in my eyes however the story wasn't very good or interesting either.
I am a big fan of Kojima, I have played every Metal Gear game, however I feel this is far from this best work. MGS3 is probably his best game. Atleast my personal favourite.
 

BootsLoader

Banned
Very unique experience in my eyes. This was a blast to play, very different experience from the rest of the industry. It was nice to see a AAA studio taking such high risks. I hope the next Kohima game will be as crazy as this one was. Can’t wait, bring it on Koji, I’ll be here to support you.
 

GeorgPrime

Banned
Kojima save us from the next generation of copypasted open worlds and "cinematic experiences" .

Amen.

by creating an open world game that is literally about walking and nothing more?

I mean i get bored pretty fast by most open world games due to bad design but i cant see myself even touching death stranding to begin with
 
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