Death Stranding - New Kojima game

For all of you on the fence about this game... watch this video. No spoilers, and really well explains the gameplay which seems quite varied and very stealth-oriented as well as the more social elements and how other players affect your game. Doesn't sound like a "walking simulator" to me...


 
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John @ DF is a major Kojima fanboy so I don't put too much weight into his thoughts on Kojima stuff (I know we're talking tech specifically here, but... had to say that.)
 
The more I see about this game the more I think I'll just watch a 30-minute video of the story highlights and never play it. It seems like everything I don't like in a game, but it seems like a pretty neat story.
 
I'm not one to fully dismiss a game until I've gotten hands-on, but from the reviews I've seen and read so far, it really doesn't sound like my cup o'tea. The tech is impressive though. Awesome to see the improvements made to the Decima Engine since the last time it was used in HZD. I'll give it a whirl when it shows up on PC. The only games from Kojima I've fully played all the way through and really enjoyed was the 3rd Metal Gear game (MGS1 on PS1) and Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner. The others I've either never played (like Snatcher and Policenauts), or I didn't care to finish (like MGS3 and MGS5 TPP). I'll probably try Death Stranding, won't care for it, and then end up just looking up the story details elsewhere.
 
Wow. This looks stupid and interesting at the same time..might just watch this one on Twitch (can't believe I said that).
 
Preload complete, and I have a 3 day weekend coming up

I just pre-ordered it like 8 hours before launch and realized Sony still hasn't fixed that UI issue where there's no option to pre-load the game after purchasing. I had to go into my library, view all purchased games, then select Death Stranding to start pre-loading it. It would only show me the countdown clock with no button to preload it when I selected the game from the PSN store.. really stupid UI. Also, the PSN's checkout is totally busted on mobile if you use Paypal as a payment method, as it kept telling me I had to authenticate through the Paypal app/site to continue the transaction, then would never redirect me to do so. So I had to wait until I was home to buy it and start preloading it. These have been issues for years since I've pre-ordered and pre-loaded most PS4 exclusives since Uncharted 4.

/rant

Anyways, looking forward to playing this weekend long weekend as well. I'd say my wife might like to watch me play this, but am sure she's going to lose interest during the long strolls across the lands, heh.
 
T4rd Interesting, I preordered last week and last night it was on my dash saying playable in whatever hours. So I assume it preloaded immediately on its own.
 
From what I have been seeing so far this game looks boring AF (with the worst inventory management system of all time), like Hideo Kojima went full artist without Konami and wants the player to experience the mind numbing grind of creating such a beautiful game.

I'll wait for some gamer impressions before making a final conclusion, but I don't hold much hope.
 
Just cranked it up. I'm playing with a PS4 Pro on a 52" 1080p TV, text (or button icons) is difficult to read from ~12 feet away. Almost like it's running >1080p but the image scaled down to 1080p.

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Just cranked it up. I'm playing with a PS4 Pro on a 52" 1080p TV, text (or button icons) is difficult to read from ~12 feet away. Almost like it's running >1080p but the image scaled down to 1080p.

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That's a long way away from that size TV...I'm generally like 6-8 feet away from my 60" while sitting on the couch.
 
That's a long way away from that size TV...I'm generally like 6-8 feet away from my 60" while sitting on the couch.
I agree. Instead of sitting on the couch, I'm going to likely put a chair up closer. I intend to buy an 85" Sony once they start putting HDMI 2.1 on them, I'll have to suffer until then. :'(
 
I’m about 10’ from my 65 and the text is just on the edge of easily legible. (Unlike the Outer Worlds which the text is too small)

On a pro as well. The 4K image and HDR is pretty great, but I did have to adjust my TVs black level setting down to satisfy the brightness setting. Gameplay....it’s like playing Zelda Breath of the Wild, but with some crazy intense stealth sections. Of course I’ve only played about 2 hours.
 
Watched a few streams of the game today. Glad I cancelled my preorder of the collectors edition and didn’t preorder the standard game. I was going to give it a shot but after watching the streams I really doubt I’d enjoy this game in the long run.

Might give it a try when it’s on sale for under $30.
 
I really hope next gen fixes this shit...

Oh and there's no way I could play on a TV that small from that far away
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After a lot of review surfing and some YouTube watching... it’s an indie walking sim wrapped in the trappings of Hideo Kojima.

Hard pass.
 
Just barely started playing, but definitely tops the list for best graphics in a game next to Horizon Zero Dawn.
 
After a lot of review surfing and some YouTube watching... it’s an indie walking sim wrapped in the trappings of Hideo Kojima.

Hard pass.

It expands beyond traversal later on, but yes the start is traversal only.
 
So I found a few people selling digital keys online and bought one myself for $30. At that price I'm willing to give it a shot.

EDIT: There are also digital deluxe codes being sold for $50 if anyone wants to indulge a little. Found a seller on one of the game selling sub-Reddits.
 
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I’m about 10’ from my 65 and the text is just on the edge of easily legible. (Unlike the Outer Worlds which the text is too small)

On a pro as well. The 4K image and HDR is pretty great, but I did have to adjust my TVs black level setting down to satisfy the brightness setting. Gameplay....it’s like playing Zelda Breath of the Wild, but with some crazy intense stealth sections. Of course I’ve only played about 2 hours.
Game looks incredible on a 65" C9 Oled. I sit about 8' from my couch.
 
So I played this for far-too-late tonight, and I do like it overall. One gripe I have, and I feared this as soon as I saw the social aspect revealed, is that once you connect areas to the chiral network, you start seeing just a shit ton of player-made stuff all over everywhere. Mostly messages and shit that are meaningless and really take away from the overall aesthetic of the game, but also all of these random little green rock things (rest spots? Not sure) and of course ladders, ropes, bridges, etc. Honestly the amount of stuff that is everywhere sort of removes all challenge or interest when having to go back through the area. Kind of a bummer. I do like the social aspect and it's nice when a well-placed rope helps you out, but I find that the majority of the time I don't even need to carry any ladders or ropes because there will inevitably be one in an ideal location with 1000+ "likes" on it already.
 
So I played this for far-too-late tonight, and I do like it overall. One gripe I have, and I feared this as soon as I saw the social aspect revealed, is that once you connect areas to the chiral network, you start seeing just a shit ton of player-made stuff all over everywhere. Mostly messages and shit that are meaningless and really take away from the overall aesthetic of the game, but also all of these random little green rock things (rest spots? Not sure) and of course ladders, ropes, bridges, etc. Honestly the amount of stuff that is everywhere sort of removes all challenge or interest when having to go back through the area. Kind of a bummer. I do like the social aspect and it's nice when a well-placed rope helps you out, but I find that the majority of the time I don't even need to carry any ladders or ropes because there will inevitably be one in an ideal location with 1000+ "likes" on it already.

I played it for 4-5 hours I guess yesterday and think it's decent so far. I removed a lot of the useless messages/signs I saw from everyone (hold options button) like the grinch, hah. I found a few ladders and ropes that I was grateful for though, so that was nice and was sure to give out the likes for it.

After getting to the first few waypoints and distribution center, I'm surprised no one has commented on how small the US is in this game, lol. I thought these treks to other areas were going to be like begrudgingly long hikes, but each one so far has taken maybe 5-10 mins to get to even with sneaking through and around BTs. But then I realized that I had walked from DC to like Indiana on the map in the just a couple of those hikes, hah. Also, from my first Mule encounter at least, those guys are super easy to take down even without weapons, which pretty much removes any need for stealth in the game. I just ran up and punched them a few times and they stayed down until I looted their camp and left. Their electric spears were too easy to dodge and I just took them down one at a time as they arrived to me.

Anyways, unless the time between points gets a lot longer, I don't see a big prob with delivering everything. But I'm only at the beginning of the game still too, so we'll see as the game progresses.
 
Played a few hours last night. The story telling and cut scenes are very well done. The gameplay actually fits the story well and what you’re doing (can be seen as a bit tedious) actually feels impactful. I’ll wait until I’m deeper into the game before giving a more solidified perspective but after a few hours in I’m enjoying the game.
 
Has anyone tried shaking the baby? I tripped and had to console mine, thought about shaking, but I didn't want to make it mad.

I'm pleased with how well the game runs and I can't tell if the cut scenes are FMVs; the experience is very consistent and any loading times are surprisingly quick (I do have an SSD).

I played it for 4-5 hours I guess yesterday and think it's decent so far. I removed a lot of the useless messages/signs I saw from everyone (hold options button) like the grinch, hah. I found a few ladders and ropes that I was grateful for though, so that was nice and was sure to give out the likes for it.

After getting to the first few waypoints and distribution center, I'm surprised no one has commented on how small the US is in this game, lol. I thought these treks to other areas were going to be like begrudgingly long hikes, but each one so far has taken maybe 5-10 mins to get to even with sneaking through and around BTs. But then I realized that I had walked from DC to like Indiana on the map in the just a couple of those hikes, hah. Also, from my first Mule encounter at least, those guys are super easy to take down even without weapons, which pretty much removes any need for stealth in the game. I just ran up and punched them a few times and they stayed down until I looted their camp and left. Their electric spears were too easy to dodge and I just took them down one at a time as they arrived to me.

Anyways, unless the time between points gets a lot longer, I don't see a big prob with delivering everything. But I'm only at the beginning of the game still too, so we'll see as the game progresses.
I'm not far, just connected my first place and was looking at the map thinking exactly this. I'm fine with it because I was a bit concerned about actually connecting the US and having to trek across it.
 
I've noticed this game has no day->night cycle. Seems like the game forces you to sleep to avoid having to deal with that.

That said, I have to imagine if nightfall/darkness were implemented, then roaming the countryside would be absolutely terrifying.
 
Has anyone tried shaking the baby? I tripped and had to console mine, thought about shaking, but I didn't want to make it mad.

Yeah, if you shake it too hard it does get upset, but not irreparably so.

I've noticed this game has no day->night cycle. Seems like the game forces you to sleep to avoid having to deal with that.

That said, I have to imagine if nightfall/darkness were implemented, then roaming the countryside would be absolutely terrifying.

It does get pretty dark sometimes when there's a heavy storm and BTs around
 
Made it to act 3 tonight. BTs must have made a sea in central America now too, else I don't know where there's a body of water that takes over a day to cross on a ship like that.

I'm still enjoying the game for the most part though. They could have made the side quest deliveries more personal and engaging in the 2nd act on the east coast. But at least once you get the bike, you can blow through Mule and BT areas pretty easily and make deliveries super fast except to the wind mill area since the terrain is too steep and rough there. Other people made bridges and charging stations in the area too, which made it that much easier.

When you go to Port Knot, be sure to stock enough blood and bodily fluid grenades (only Kojima could put these in a AAA game), because there's a good chance you'll have to fight a BT crossing the hills to there. I didn't have enough the first time and wanted to kill one for the first time, so I reloaded the game and then was able to blow through that whole section on my bike instead of being pulled off of it the first time, so didn't even need the grenades that time fortunately.
 
I've noticed this game has no day->night cycle. Seems like the game forces you to sleep to avoid having to deal with that.

That said, I have to imagine if nightfall/darkness were implemented, then roaming the countryside would be absolutely terrifying.

During some of the storms is gets terrifying. During the rainfall (oops... I meant timefall) and especially the thick fog.
 
After getting to the first few waypoints and distribution center, I'm surprised no one has commented on how small the US is in this game, lol. .


I honestly have to say that I have been looking forward to this game for 3 years... or at least since it was first announced because I love Kojima's work.That being said however I have to say that the map size is big enough. I got to a wind farm over the weekend and I was told to go back to the very beginning from where I came from, but also to stop at each point on the way back. And that is where I turned the game off... because I just didn't FEEL like doing that. I instantly was thinking of other open-world games and fast-travel points, but then begrudgingly realizing the walking and traversing is part of the game but as soon as I was told to go back to Capital Knot City (or whatever it's called) I shut the game off because I just again didn't FEEL like doing it. I am enjoying the game overall... I think... but it's also not one of those games like say the first time I played Witcher 3 where I just COULD NOT put the controller down and stayed up late to play and whatnot. I love the music in the game, the atmosphere, the story is confusing a little bit, the graphics are absolutely gorgeous... more than a few 4th wall breaks take me out of the game like the egregious Monster Energy bullshit... like the world is crumbling and falling apart and humanity is barely existing but you're telling me there's a factory out there pushing out Monster Energy drinks like it's nothing? It's hilariously stupid... but also the songs that play with their title and artist for the entirety of the song is very strange and takes me out of the game.... when Sam takes a shower and you get advertisements for a AMC show about Norman Readus riding motorcycles... it's shit like that that takes me out of the game world... but again it's typical Kojima which to me is ONLY okay because it's him but it still bothers me a little bit.

I am not sure where I stand in the game... I know I am in the very beginning still basically with just reaching a Wind Farm after the Distribution Center, but I am still excited to play it when I think about it and haven't played in a couple days so we'll see where it goes...
 
I honestly have to say that I have been looking forward to this game for 3 years... or at least since it was first announced because I love Kojima's work.That being said however I have to say that the map size is big enough. I got to a wind farm over the weekend and I was told to go back to the very beginning from where I came from, but also to stop at each point on the way back. And that is where I turned the game off... because I just didn't FEEL like doing that. I instantly was thinking of other open-world games and fast-travel points, but then begrudgingly realizing the walking and traversing is part of the game but as soon as I was told to go back to Capital Knot City (or whatever it's called) I shut the game off because I just again didn't FEEL like doing it. I am enjoying the game overall... I think... but it's also not one of those games like say the first time I played Witcher 3 where I just COULD NOT put the controller down and stayed up late to play and whatnot. I love the music in the game, the atmosphere, the story is confusing a little bit, the graphics are absolutely gorgeous... more than a few 4th wall breaks take me out of the game like the egregious Monster Energy bullshit... like the world is crumbling and falling apart and humanity is barely existing but you're telling me there's a factory out there pushing out Monster Energy drinks like it's nothing? It's hilariously stupid... but also the songs that play with their title and artist for the entirety of the song is very strange and takes me out of the game.... when Sam takes a shower and you get advertisements for a AMC show about Norman Readus riding motorcycles... it's shit like that that takes me out of the game world... but again it's typical Kojima which to me is ONLY okay because it's him but it still bothers me a little bit.

I am not sure where I stand in the game... I know I am in the very beginning still basically with just reaching a Wind Farm after the Distribution Center, but I am still excited to play it when I think about it and haven't played in a couple days so we'll see where it goes...

I kinda had the same feeling about backtracking, but didn't mind it at least initially once I got the bike at that Distro center next to the wind farm so I could just haul ass back to Capital Knot and the other sites in a matter of 2-3 mins, blowing through mule and BT areas without even slowing down (make sure to hit L3 to boost too). But even with the fast deliveries I was making with the bike, it was definitely getting a bit monotonous after a while since every site was relentless with deliveries to other sites. If they could have fleshed out these deliveries/side quests a bit more to make it seem like they tie into the main story arc a bit more (like integrate other characters or have the ones at each site communicate with you as you're delivering them to explain why this is important), then I would have felt better about doing them.

Graphically, this game looks great overall, but I think with the exception with water, Horizon (the previous Decima engine game) actually did a better job with the environmental textures and effects (or at least atmosphere - esp. with night time lighting) while this game does much better with character models and their expressions. I also immediately noticed the janky physics in the game like when you take a small fall either in person or with a vehicle, it just doesn't seem natural at all. I don't remember Horizon's physics being that janky, but I do remember MGS5's (and pretty much all other MGS games) being like that, so it's odd if that's like a preferential thing Kojima has.
 
My friend yesterday asked me how I like the game as he sees it as just a fetch quest simulator. And I honestly couldn’t describe it as much more and that’s where the problem lies.

On the surface it is largely a fetch quest simulator. But it’s not until you personally experience the game and take time to immerse yourself in the atmosphere and story that you get the full experience Kojima was likely intending. I feel like those reviewers that disliked the game may have just played the game to get it done and give it a score. But those that took the time to immerse themselves enjoyed it. That’s just my theory, but the game may just not be for everyone.
 
One thing that is really cool is how dirt paths start to form based on collaborative continued use - at least, that's what it seems like it's doing.

The gameplay can be tedious at times, but sneaking through a BT area is really intense. I'm just invested enough in the story to keep going with the semi-tedious gameplay.
 
My friend yesterday asked me how I like the game as he sees it as just a fetch quest simulator. And I honestly couldn’t describe it as much more and that’s where the problem lies.

On the surface it is largely a fetch quest simulator. But it’s not until you personally experience the game and take time to immerse yourself in the atmosphere and story that you get the full experience Kojima was likely intending. I feel like those reviewers that disliked the game may have just played the game to get it done and give it a score. But those that took the time to immerse themselves enjoyed it. That’s just my theory, but the game may just not be for everyone.

Yes and lots of drive-by posters who skim comments and then say "ok so its just another walking simulator...".

Which is funny, because it IS a walking simulator. In the most literal sense that maybe a game of this scale has ever attempted. You carry gear and you have to balance it on your body. and that affects your movement. As an example of one detail, amongst many details, about how you have to handle aspects of traversal. This game has very detail and nuanced gameplay and controls. Unlike the so called "walking simulator" games, where you don't really do anything, except press forward and move the camera around to look at pretty graphics.
 
This is just another lame walking game. Anywayz, are you guys as excited about Call of Duty 16 as I am!? OH YEAH! I can't wait to buy a purple hat and play dress-up with my character! ^_^;
 
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