Death Stranding: Misunderstood Masterpiece [SPOILERS]
Вставка
- Опубліковано 17 жов 2024
- / futurasound
/ futurasound
2019's Death Stranding has attracted its fair share of controversy and disdain. But is it just misunderstood? Will fans and critics alike come around years from now, like they have with prior Hideo Kojima releases like MGS2?
In this spoiler heavy video, I delve into what makes the game a timely and haunting work of brilliance.
**********
"Death Stranding is a sci-fi third-person open-world action-adventure game developed by Kojima Productions and released by Sony for the PlayStation 4 on November 8, 2019.
The first game by the reformed Kojima Productions (now an independent studio unaffiliated with Konami), Death Stranding takes place in the near-future as the world is ravaged by a cataclysmic supernatural phenomenon known as "death stranding", leaving cities isolated and the landscape both barren and plagued with spectral creatures. The game's main plot revolves around creating connections, or "strands," linking isolated survivors and cities to each other in an effort to rebuild society.
The game features the performances (including voice acting, likenesses, and dialogue motion capture) of numerous veteran actors for its central characters, most notably Norman Reedus as the playable protagonist and Mads Mikkelsen as the central antagonist. Other notable actors include Léa Seydoux, Lindsay Wagner, Margaret Qualley, Tommie Earl Jenkins, and Troy Baker. Film directors Guillermo del Toro and Nicolas Winding Refn are also featured, though in likeness only."
www.giantbomb....
NOTE:
I thought my section on the game’s deeper political and social context could use some clarification. I think like all Kojima games, Death Stranding is nuanced. I don’t think that it’s intended as a strictly anti-Trump statement, in fact the game would work arguably just as well had Hillary Clinton won the 2016 election.
Nor should the comparison between Germany and the US that I make here be taken too far. I think the real tension at the heart of the game is one caught between extremes: isolation and complete connectedness. Political and personal. Nationality and individuality. The future and the past.
Nationalism, populism, and demagoguery - from fascism to communism - thrive in times of widespread anomie, isolation, and paucity of purpose.
So while it’s good to reconnect, while our very future as a species may depend on it, I think the National Socialism imagery in Death Stranding serves as a stark warning to remember the mistakes of the past.
I didn’t get a chance to say this, but nostalgia for dead ages, from Making America Great Again like it (supposedly) was in the 1950s, to the first two German Reichs, to Marxism’s interest in our shared communal past...even to the ‘gate keeping’ by ‘gamer culture...all are examples of the kinds of ‘death worshiping’ that IMO Death Stranding tries to deconstruct.
In closing, it isn’t about name calling or overly reductive comparisons between this demagogue and that one, it’s about a common thread, a strand, of endlessly looping folly we’d all do well to avoid.
That folly however, is part of what makes us human. So it’s a careful balancing act that the game ultimately seems to warn us is necessary to strike: a balance between individualism and a wider collective, National, or any other unifying identity.
www.gamesradar...
![Death Stranding Isn't What You Think [HOLIDAY SPECIAL]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZdEDirN9DIc/mqdefault.jpg)
I love this game so much. I understand if some people didn’t dig it, it tests your patience quite a lot, but I love everything about it.
It is sad imagining all the people that played it and gave up in the middle. That's society today, move on to the next product to consume..
To be honest I'm willing to bet money that the majority that "didn't like it" never actually played it or dropped it in the first 5 hours, which is fine. Whatever suits them.
But there's actually a market for this game. I'd recommend this game to everybody that likes trading in Elite Dangerous, fans of Euro Truck Simulator (which is a game that has Overwhelmingly positive on steam) and a few other games.
The thing is, a guy like Kojima that gets a lot of praise will always draw the attention of people that don't like them but they actually aren't very vocal about it because they're a minority. These people wait for these guys to show some kind of weakness or sign of failure to jump at them.
So basically the "overall opinion" on Death Stranding is 2 vs 1 battle. The people that wanted to dislike the game and Kojima united with the people that genuinely disliked the game against the people that liked it. That's why the vocal majority will be, for a long time, that the game sucks.
@@Ocean5ix so u mean metal gear haters who couldn't express hate on those great acclaimed games now teamed up with death stranding haters(who didn't like game) and is giving this game and developers a bad time
@@tgdude6379 Not saying that they couldn't. You can always express yourself. The thing is, if right now I decide to express my opinion that CD Projekt Red sucks it'll be an uproar from a majority that likes it. You'll be questioned in comment sections or by friends because it's a VERY unpopular opinion. I like CDPR btw, it's just an example.
The thing with Death Stranding is that it belongs to a genre that is very niche and rarely becomes mainstream. Like I said, DS is pretty much Euro Truck Simulator in a sci fi setting with Kojima style story and storytelling and, again, like I said Euro Truck Simulator has 233 thousand reviews, 97% of them positive with Overwhelmingly Positive rating on steam.
The problem with Death Stranding is not because of what it is, but because of what it _isn't_. But Kojima himself made sure to downplay the game and expectations literally every single chance he had, so people can't blame false advertising.
And I personally don't call people that don't like something haters. Those that didn't like it were vocal about it saying "It wasn't what what I expecting and the game is not for me". The attitude of a "hater" is more in line with "this game is trash and Kojima sucks". They didn't "join each other" but they exist in the same side of the spectrum, although some don't like it and don't care about it while others don't like it and make sure to be more "extreme" about it every opportunity they have.
Misunderstood and overhyped before release and actually released to be just as bad as metal gear survive
Every time Kojima releases a game all the impatient people declare it a flop and then a couple years later it turns out it was a masterpiece the whole time after everybody finally unwraps all the details put in the game.
Every time lmao
Well said.
Most of the time. Mgs4 and 5 were beloved when they first came out but the MGS community has since endlessly criticized these 2 for bad plot or lack of plot.
@@awayforthewin1325 For Mgs4 the plot was messy but it was still a heart felt end off to snake's journey in a nice emotional way even with the chaotic fan service, trying to everything plot.
Mgs5 had story problems but thankfully it had the best stealth action gameplay and great cinematic presentation in the series to make up for lackluster/disappointing story.
@@Gadget-Walkmen doesnt obscure the fact that the MGS communtiy doesnt care.
The thing that scares me is that in the future, when people want to come back and play this again and possibly appreciate it anew, the online features may be missing. And it was such a huge part of the experience and message of the game.
I just played it & can happily say the shared gameplay among porters was wonderful even two years later
Same 4 years After the launch
Just got this game mid 2023 for free at EGS and upgraded it to Director Cut for discounted price. The game is still fun and people are seemingly still playing it from how shared locker are still filled by others cargo.
The Nazi Part fell like you were reaching and chasing for ghosts honestly, but other than that, I like your video. Also I want to point out two things out about Death Stranding and The Gaming Community. First off, I see Death Stranding having Blade Runner and 2001: A Space Odyssey Situation. When those movies come out, They were met with very polarized reception between critics and people at the time, then over the time, those movies started growing a cult following, and now seen as the best science fiction movies of all the time. I don't know if Death Stranding will have the same fate as those movies, but we will see in the future. Endlessly, I've seen gaming community being upset for some years, over games not being creative anymore. But We got Death Stranding trying to be some new and different, while being creative yet it's bashed to ground and joke around by the gaming community.
New and different doesn't mean good. Quality is what's good, not newness, or differentness.
@@t6v4l968 I agree with the connection to early America. But the Nazi connection does remain, even so more if you consider it in connection to the "original accumulation" of Marx represented by the Bridge Babies, namely, the seemingly inexhaustible capacity of the chiral network to produce goods is premised on the dead bodies of the Bridge Babies and the accumulated death of what happened before the Death Stranding. You could even draw a comparison between DS, and the proposed Anthropocene, taking all the imagery of black goo resembling petrol and the general topic of mass death. Anthropocene as the extinction event and petrol as the black goo that characterizes it (the accumulated biomass through millions of years that ultimately allows us to escape labor to some extent), thus past and present mass extinctions, seem to me unexplored vectors/symbols in Death Stranding.
@@t6v4l968 it is true that in the way Marx conceived original or primitive accumulation this happens in the past. It is not due to scarcity of resources to my understanding, but it is the creation of surplus and the origin of capital as a tendency towards surplus accumulation as an economic ethos. Nonetheless, prominent Marxists today (see Nancy Fraser) consider original accumulation to be what keeps capital afloat even today. See for example processes of expropriation of the lands, bodies, sexual and cognitive capacities of workers in south east Asia, Africa or Latin America where workers enjoy no labor rights and are paid almost nothing for their insane hours of labor. That would be a present instance of original accumulation.
@@t6v4l968 You are absolutely right about violence diminishing due to the industrial revolution (at least in the "developed world"). Nonetheless I understand here "original accumulation" as an ethos or logic of capital, as the way it configures class (and gender and race) relations. So then it can take many forms. Before it was colonialism (and thus violence was the way in which it justified its unjust treatment of "inhuman" subjects). Nowadays, even with the violence gone (to which many would say that it hasn't really been gone at all), capital still needs original accumulation to exist (call it unsustainable extraction of resources in developing countries or offshoring work from one country to another in order to cheapen production, among other things [like Mckinsey advising transnational companies to offshore their labor to countries where labor laws are more "flexible"] ). Were it not for this accumulation logic, the industrial revolution would have ended slavery, exploitation and expropriation worldwide a long time ago.
That’s interesting.
When I first played Death Stranding, I put about 10 hours into it, decided it wasn't for me, and quickly traded it in. But then something happened that hasn't happened since the likes of Persona 5 and The Last of Us, I noticed I couldn't stop thinking about the game, so I picked it up again, and decided to appreciate the game for what it offers rather than what I'd been expecting from it, and though I doubt I'll ever play through it again, it's now cemented as one of my favourite games of all time.
Well said and put!
I had a similar experience. I kept thinking there was gonna be a switch to heavy combat with BTs. But then I realized that wasn’t happening because I was avoiding it. This game imo is like one of those really good art house films. You appreciate for what it is. You’re either gonna like it or not.
I definitely found myself falling off the game, but it was only to break up the over hundred hours of playing this game, by playing RE3 Remake. But, inevitably I went back to it and completed it with over 300 hours play time.
Death Stranding is definitely a game that I don't see myself playing more than once. Never say never though.
Same
I never trade in games cause I never know when I'll wanna give something another try no matter how I left it.
The story ALONE was a 10/10 to me. It's one of the few games that made me cry in a while. The story to me is basically Silent Hill 2 on steroids. I feel like the gameplay hid the story a bit too well, so unless you beat the game in a few sittings like I did, it could be hard to really take in. Great video thank you!
I really like how the gameplay supports the story, everything makes sense in the world of the game, but reading your comment got me thinking, I finished this game in a couple of weeks with about 70 hours of playtime, didn’t do much side content. I wonder how I would have broken the pace if I hade tried to be a completionist as the story was going.
Episode 14: Lou
As if I wasn't sad enough, that soundtrack made me Cry like a bitch ! Cliff only wanted a happy life
I got that Death Stranding platinum just the other day.. and still after completion.. I continue’d making bridges & such.. in hopes that guys won’t have to grind as I did.. pretty cool 😎
keep on keeping on
👍 this one’s for you!
Happiest and saddest day of my life
today is a good day ;)
You're pretty cool
It’s funny because after I actually beat the game, I feel that death stranding is one of the greatest games ever made. Before playing it I thought I would hate it as so many others did. But the game is so thought provoking, I literally couldn’t sleep during my playthrough because I would dream about it. It was constantly on my mind.
Same here. This game is genius. It is criminally underrated.
Same here. Still play it
Since I played Death Stranding, I am missing how the enviroment feels real, the obstacles of the rocks in the field, how you have to be carefull walking, the rest of the games that I have played feels flat and unrealistic, only a person who finished Death Stranding is feeling that empty slot in the gameplay
Exactly. Thats why i was surprised. I mostly played the game for the crazy story but i was surprised at how well the gameplay clicked with me.
And thats because it felt real. It felt like i was actually trying to walk up a mountain unlike other games
Can't forget about those visuals. Death Stranding ruined every game I've played after because the graphics are so beautiful, it makes everything else look subpar. Hoping The last of us 2 and ghost of Tsushima can come close otherwise just gotta wait for ps5.
Ong im almost finished on my second playthrough
I'm sure when you go out in the forest and try to run around. You realize that you did it better than Redus does in the game.
The environment is modeled after Iceland. If you look of up pictures of Iceland you'll be like oh shit that's death stranding, but you'd be wrong, because it's a Iceland .Even Low Roar the amazing band who's music is in the game is from surprise, Iceland
I finished this game about a week ago, and I'm so bored with everything else I try to play now. It was so exciting to me, I looked forward to coming home from work and playing it every day. I really, really enjoyed DS alot. But, its not for everyone. My best friend wouldn't even give it a shot no matter how much I talked it up. "Whats the point? Your just a delivery boy" he'd say. Annoying.
You are outstanding for appreciating this game and I agree 1000 % with how you feel. After I finished it, I couldn't stop thinking about it. No game has ever done that to me.
I’ve never played and heard all the “it’s just a delivery sim” but I still see the appeal and plan on playing it one day.
Replaying MGSV right now and loving it. Could give that a go
F:NV was just "you're a delivery boy" and people LOVE that game, with good reason.
@@theendboss4849 to me only pillars of eternity story and yakuza 0 made me think of them after the end
Death Stranding has so much more of an impact on my life especially post-CV- pandemic. It's more than just a video game to me. Thank you Kojima!
We ain't post. It's still happening.
Umm... "post-Pandemic"?? 🤷🏻♀️🥴🩺🦠 LMAOO
I don't think so bro. Wear your mask, don't be giving no store cashiers a hard time about it neither - they don't get paid enough to put up w/people's harassment), and stay safe. Plz!
@@KabbalahSherry for almost everyone outside america, it's post covid.
he tried to warn us
He tried 😭😭😭 🤣 oh nooooo 😂 we are all hold up in our house now and we are now waiting for the next great and legendary delivery man/lady to be born 😀
This game was the “it’s about the journey not the destination” of games beautiful adventure with kojimas unfiltered story telling
Kojima can't write
So the real death tranding is friend you meet along the journey ?
@@theflashgordon193 a bad friend
Gordon rass kwasi connecting the people 👍
THIS GUY GETS IT. thank you man. This game saved me from depression. Deeply value its EXPLORATION of themes such as extinction, parenting.... My favourite game. Have never emotionally connected with a story game so much. Thanks for this.
Edit/addition: Also should be noted I didn't enjoy it at first and a lot of the time while playing it. I was struggling to see the cohesive point of it all but remained open to that it all might change by the time I witness the whole thing. The end absolutely bowled me over, especially the stuff with lou. And Sam spending the whole game quiet then speaking up at the end and fully realising his place in the connected world, because he's physically been walking and connecting it. And virtually, so had I. And I was reminded the importance of connection, compassion and understanding, and have begun to explore fear of death in a new, profound way. Thank you hideo...
I just finished the game I feel u so much, all the best to you
Death Stranding is my second favorite Kojima game, only behind MGS2 and my third best game of all time behind Bloodborne and again, MGS2. I miss playing this game every day..
I was recently looking for a "time sink" game, to just kickback, listen to music or podcasts while making progress, so I ended up buying Elite Dangerous (which has a core gameplay loop not much different compared to DS) and the game is fire but I can shake the thought of starting DS again or just load up my save and keep making deliveries or raiding mule camps.
I used to replay every MGS game every year (they aren't that big except PW and MGSV) but now I'm feeling like I'll replay DS every year at least once. Call me crazy but it'll be something like a pilgrimage and it really suits the themes of the game.
> Bloodborne and again, MGS2
wow, can't say i've ever encountered a person with the exact same top 2 as me, but alas, hello
The game suffers a bit from packing so much of the story into the back third, but man when this thing comes together it is MOVING. Nothing short of inventive and an amazing story from the master world builder himself. The emotional weight in the final act is among his best work. Troy Baker was the standout amongst a talented cast. It's nothing short of an arthouse game.
I really, really enjoyed playing Death Stranding and couldn’t get enough of it, and I was genuinely saddened at how much is has been reduced into a joke amongst the gaming community. It has beautiful scenery and immersive gameplay, and I really felt like I was part of a larger community when I saw that the structures that I’ve invested so hard into creating helped other players, and vice versa with me. It satisfied that longing need for connection. It’s almost like Albert Camus’ belief on how we’re all alone, but even so we are alone together. There’s a feeling of solidarity in Death Stranding, and it truly is misunderstood.
I really like death stranding I agree with the immersive gameplay, and the beautiful scenery. But I don’t like the guns it feels boring to shoot them
This game wasn't even a funny joke
It is misunderstood but it is a joke for good reason and I say this as someone who was a day one player and absolutely loved it. The story was great but the writing was bloody horrible. "MARIO AND PRINCESS BEACH" was actual dialogue!! Look quirky dialogues and characters are good but there is a time and place for that. You don't put it when Sam finally reunites with Amelie. He does it a lot and it really hinders the game.
@@saniakshay12 being surprised at cheesy kojima lines is the true joke.
First minute, give it a couple years, and people will look back fondly on it. People poo'd all over Wind Waker before, and shortly after it came out, and now its considered among the best action adventure games, and hailed as one of the finer in the Zelda series.
Read "Wind Waker" as "Peace Walker", and my brain just shat itself at the last sentence.
Well said. People well see it’s marvel!
asdf zxcvb the art direction of character design, atmosphere and tone is beyond phenomenal! Can’t wait to buy the art book!
Shinkawa has really out done himself with this one!
Wind Waker was a matter of visual style, nothing more. Don't try to compare it to Death Stranding, which had next to nothing in terms of gameplay variety, enemy variety, or even geographic variety. Death Stranding isn't a masterpiece, and it's far from Kojima's Magnum Opus, which is MGS3.
Alutrosity that's a narrow minded view on things.
The main aspect of the game is exploration.
The entire GOAL of the game is surrounded by mechanics that surrounds itself with traversal of the landscape and trying to get to point A to point B.
Every game has walking around but not every game focus is exploration of the environment around you and having to take careful steps to get around it than just simply holding up the analog stick.
As for the game itself, from my take as someone who played the game, I'd say it's not gonna be for everyone. The game is trying to be completely unconventional from it's approach to gameplay not so different from how Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, or even Journey approaches it's game design on massive area explore it's game's world. If you expect every game out there to be non stop action, then there is no need to play anything other than back to back action. The game clearly has barren world to explore for it's hiking/exploration aspect of trying to course through the experience.
Stop acting as if every game has to be just action and shooting things with a gun or cutting things with a sword. Games can be much more than that.
I played the game mainly for the crazy story and lore. Its so good and I've NEVER seen anything like it.
And I already pre-ordered the PC Version to play it again with higher framerate!
We shall cross each other's bridges. We shall climb each other's ladders. We will will walk the miles just to deliver the THE PACKAGE!
Yeah tbh i mostly played it for the story. Im a big fan of storytelling and movies but also i saw the story was trying to "say something" and im drawn to stuff like that
@@thesamuraispirit7686 The story was honestly the main thing that got me crazy about the game. The first trailer released in 2016 dropped my jaw so freaking hard and got me hooked up and looking up analysis and theory videos.
@@iroquoiskaram8639 when i saw the first trailer I was like: wtf is this? Lol
But it seemed mysterious enough that I was interested. When I saw the story trailer I was like: ok, seems interesting. I saw the opening of the game on UA-cam out of curiosity. Once Sam has that vision of the baby on the beach, I was like: I HAVE to play this game
Killer7
This game blew me away. I just didn't get why people were saying it's so slow. It kept me engaged from start to finish, with impeccable pacing. I guess it really is one of the most polarizing game of our time.
I'd say it's the most polarising TIME of our time lol, look at last of us 2, covid masks .... lol everything's about divison!
@@mabonman oh the irony!
i also liked it very much, but i can see the pacing problems. It really didnt need to make u wait for credits to move on.
And now we live in Death Stranding. 2020 pandemic is just like that. We are living in isolation, waiting for a delivery guy.
Couldn’t agree more. This was my absolute favorite game of 2019. I’ve played God of War (amazing) and Red Dead 2 (amazing) but, although those two games could be considered more “engaging”, they didn’t affect me as emotionally as Death Stranding did. Every time I did the side mission deliveries, and unlocked a better version of equipment or a newer better piece of equipment, I would smile ear to ear. Every time I saw time fall in the distance my heart would leap up into my throat. Every time a cut scene would play I would lose myself in the dialogue and acting. And then, by the end, after finally understanding the full story and everything that it entailed, and I had that one last delivery to do, and the “song” plays during that delivery, I wept. Tears fell from eyes. Not tears of sadness but, tears at the beauty of the experience I just had with this wonderful work of art.
I didn't even play this game but watched the cutscenes and was still moved... What a beautiful game and story!
It’s such a shame Jim Sterling gave up on this game so early because it’s really everything he’s complained about the industry not doing.
Jim Sterling always does that though. Complains about the homogenization of the games industry but never likes games that are too different from what he plays. He is a hypocrite plus I think if you review a game you owe it to at least play the full game unless it is broken.
It's not wrong to criticize a game for not being fun to play. And yes its boring. But I also believe a game doesnt have to be "fun"
@@achronos178 Dunkey didn't give it a chance either, and he has a bigger audience. So when a lot of people say Death Stranding is trash, they've never played it.
Savon The game is trash, I haven’t played it. Never will, rather watch paint dry.
all the running in it made him feel left out
The gaming community: "I'm so tired of AAA franchises regurgitating the same ideas over and over and failing to innovate or do anything new! Why are only indie games bothering to change it up?"
Death Stranding is released, a niche AAA experiment: "haha what the fuck is this shit all you do is walk let's meme on it xd"
I do think it's reputation is healing after all the mainstream capital G gamer hype of last year, as it's Steam score is actually quite high as of right now, but I'm really worried that because of the backlash it received, other developers won't take inspiration from it in the future.
Death Stranding managed to make an incredibly addicting gameplay loop out of walking, while packing in beautifully realised themes of connection and altruism that we could all use right now. The industry needs more games that dare to make satisfying gameplay loops out of more than just slaughtering countless mooks with guns.
I'd love to see Kojima take some independent studios under his wings and act as a consultant or co-director (and of course gib mone 💰). Cause as you said, other AAA don't dare to take risks like him.
Though now that I think of it, he might simply not have enough time to work on more than one project at a time...
93% VERY POSITIVE ON STEAM that's a win 👽
Just because something is "innovative", doesnt mean its "fun", which is subjective.
@@foyo5497 yesss it's subjective, but objectively this game is innovative, subjectivity it is a masterpiece and garbage depending on people's taste.
@@thewanderingartists True that. I loved the world design, characters and story(also the ability to effect another player`s playthrough and vice versa) but stopped 7 or so hours in and watched a cinematic 11 hour video in increments on YT. I just couldnt stand the gameplay. The innovative functions in the gameplay were a minus for me.
But at the same time I think there should be a scale for "innovative". Games like SMB/Mario64, Street Fighter 2, Wolfenstein3D, Resident Evil etc, were so innovative that they created new genres and/or droves of copy cat games/pile on innovative copycat games. At least in my eyes, DS is low in innovativeness, which is pretty much subjective. But screw my opinion, what made the game innovative for you?
I really loved death stranding. The moment I found a part of a highway built in the middle of nowhere it clicked so much with me.
I built ALOT of roads
@@EltonL I did also. I didnt know about it till I found the road built in the middle of nowhere. From that point on I was hooked on the game.
Wow what an excellent video dude! I never noticed these parallels you made in my playthrough but now isee them clear as day.
I dont know who's _subverting_ who anymore.
They subverted us like a damn fiddle!
I loved Death Stranding so much, i took my sweet ass time with it, exploring every cm of the map and taking in the stunning scenery. Sank 150 hours in, got the platinum and all.
So true the part where you talk about gamers' hypocrisy btw.
"The game speaks in a fourth wall breaking and ironic way to the very idea of video game culture largely by subverting expectations well beyond the average player's interest in or patience with to even perceive." This. This is the point. The game not only invites the scorn, but premonitions, exposes, and comments on the gaming sphere as a whole.
Genuinely appreciate this game despite the dislike it gets. Yes the goal of the game is technically to just be a postman, But the cool aspects of it come in the world and how it works. The BT's, The bridge babies, The desolate but beautiful environments, and of course, the Timefall, which is both weird and awesome. Plus if you ever get bored you can go deliberately pick fights with the BT's and MULE's. Not to mention the hidden features and details, Like sam getting frostbite in the snow, Pulling off toenails when his feet get messed up, Porters using timefall shelters (yes that happens, Porters do make actual deliveries and use timefal shelters) and the way the timefal makes sam's Suit and backpack slowly rust and look worn (There's no effects on gameplay with it, it just changes him visually don't worry) etc. Etc. I love playing some ambient music while trudging through the harsh environments.
I'll never forgot my 80 hours spent with this beautiful game. I've never played anything like it.
Gamers literally complain that all AAA games are the same, only to shit on anything doing something different
Mule camps felt just like an guardpost in MGS, but I could LITERALLY attack it from any angle I wanted. I wish an MGS6 could get made by Kojima to see what a perfect marriage of DS’s terrain traversal And freedom of exploration with the finer tuned stealth mechanics and infiltrations of MGSV. I imagine OKB Zero but I can throw down a ladder to climb the sidewalls or rappel from some high up area allowing unprecedented freedom (as if it didn’t already), or deathstranding but with air strikes and better stealth mechanics with more ways to play around with AI enemies. Sorry if my comment is off base but I can’t watch the video because I haven’t finished the game yet.
Dude I am all for this marriage of mechanics from both games. For the longest time I played mgsv wishing more emphasis was placed on traversing the environment. To take it even a step further, I'd like to see elements from mgs3 being combined alongside the other two games systems. Specifically camouflage and eating and healing mechanics
Camp Omega had some of these things.
Dr. Miles Manners how so?
Keegan Kimbllin It was a big enemy encampment that you could tackle from multiple angles. It had good enemy AI and many stuff to look for. If anything, it was so good that it kind of leave MGSV offerings a little underwhelming.
Dr. Miles Manners other than Easter eggs/smaller details and better enemy ai(which is subjective) Are you saying Phantom pain didn’t give you exponentially more options to tackle a camp from literally any angle? Underwhelming? Ground zeroes only has 3 spawn points and 6 extraction points. Ground zeroes is shallow compared to infiltration exfiltration options in Phantom Pain. Even compared to the smallest outposts in PP GZ is pretty lacking in terms of actual gameplay options.
This game means alot to me. When it came out on pc I was in a horrible head space this game kept me distracted. This game will always mean so much to me
I had this game since day one, i live in the bay area and was lucky enough to have Hideo Kojima himsellf signing it, i just finished the game today, after all that time, 90 hours of gameplay this game really connects, i see why is not for everyone but for me is more than a simple videogame, thank you Hideo Kojima for this profound masterpiece.
blessed those who understand this game and its scope
There are esoteric hidden meanings throughout the game I’ve noticed and some I’m sure I’ve missed. One thing I noticed was The Seam, the water dimension in-between the world of the living and the dead.
In LATIN GOAT is a sewer, the underground water channels. It’s how the underworld’s law is over land. The law of the sea/ admiralty law/ maritime law. Commerce/money/water.
Water speak examples:
Drowning in debt, keep your head above water, don’t rock the boat, they run a tight ship, liquid assets, their account was frozen, liquidate the company, banks control the flow of the currency / riverbanks control the flow of the current sea, cash flow, loan sharks, stay afloat, up the creek without a paddle. There are a lot more.
Red pill or blue pill, blood or water, tree of life or tree of knowledge, life or death, fact or fiction, truth or lies.
In Death Stranding The Seam is the hidden realm that surrounds the living world without people noticing, the esoteric hidden meaning would be what I’ve explained, that the world is surrounded and controlled by money/water/commerce.
Side note:
Biblically the hidden esoteric knowledge is that the great flood was commerce, the law of the sea that flooded the world metaphorically, the belief in money/water/commerce, LEGALLY-DEAD-LOST-AT-SEA.
Wow. Now i see it.
I honestly loved the visuals and Art style of the game the most.
Most of us gamers are so numbed by the shallow offerings which seem to pop around every corner now and then. It'll us some time to understand the depths of the mind of the Legend Hideo Kojima. I still can't believe how anyone can be so gifted. His creations always challenge the status quo and try to bring in something fresh and original.
I must confess that for the past few weeks I've been playing the MGS saga and every time I finished a title I felt so content, not just because of the unique gameplay but the story. Every word of the story so wonderfully crafted that it'll leave a lasting impact long after the game completion.
completely agreed with every word. one of my best experiences ever in gaming. i felt the same like when i first played Knights Of The Old Republic..the reveals, the twists, the depth was just awe-inspiring..I did not plat'd it, but 80 hours was just went by without noticing.
I love this game so much, I remember progressing in the game and wondering “enough.. the Sixth Extinction must happen, we are loaning time here. Humanity has ended” this game gave me the strong feeling of hopelessness. I remember stopping and wondering “why do we even bother connecting the UCA everything’s a mess.. we don’t even have roads that stays forever they decay” as it’s a reminder that we are borrowing time here.
Okay people, plz make it your mission to show this video to those who were dissatisfied, disappointed and and everything in between and see that they made a mistake and rejecting this misunderstood masterpiece of a game. I know I will. This game was such a refresher since most video games today somewhat don't break barriers in gameplay. This did and peoples expected a kojima Masterpiece. It is, just not the one people wanted to be.
You can lead a horde to water, and you can make it beg and follow orders...
Death Stranding was a Masterpiece, there is no doubt about it. Yes its not for everyone and i dont expect everyone to get it. I at first only dabbled my toes in it out of curiousity cause i was a kojima and mgs fan and loved the trailers, but didnt expect it to be much or play it past a few missions. I ended up falling deep into the game and being the only game i played for the first few months of 2020. The music, the story, the ATMOSPHERE, the acting, the artwork and designs, the fear, the tension, the isolation. Alot of ppl dont even know about the building aspects of the game. It was so relaxing doing side deliveries and unlocking better equipment, building roads and other structures knowing your efforts could help another players. I will never forget those tense moments first walking through that crazy BT field on my way to Port Knot, or the shear joy from finally seeing the city in the distance and running down the hill towards it with the sombering dark music playing. Or the crazy tension of getting caught in a snowstorm in the mountains and getting randomly attacked by a miniboss BT knocking me off a zipline and having to run away enough out of the black snow timefall to get another PPC out and zipline up to get away
Damn even the music during the loadout screen stuck with me, I still remember its sad yet somehow optimistic, idealistic sound. Its all in the little details and this game oozed with them, like a true Kojima game but never felt like a MGS clone. I should also mention not one time did the game feel unfinished or buggy or rushed, its a quality game and sadly beautiful. I didnt have a technical single issue in my nearly 250+ hours, which is impressive considering how many things could go wrong with lost cargo, player buildings, etc.
I would say that this game is not so different from the likes of Witcher 3,God of War 2018, and RDR2, which I consider both to be masterpieces. Instead of running into your typical bad guys, this game gives you rocky terrains, cargo management, BTs, and the MULEs that require just as much, if not more, attention, if you want to find the mechanics rewarding. They are just as rewarding as the other games are.
You know your a Death Stranding pro when you have the stabilizer on the backpack 😎
200 hours in, still making deliveries!
thanks for producing thoughtful content about what is, to me, an incredibly important piece of art from a blessed genius.
Imagine how some people felt when those characters were in quarantine.
2020 really hit hard didn't it.
What I have to WORK? Thanks Mom! Your thesis on this was quite brilliant I do not play games but enjoy watching breakdowns and walkthroughs and you captured what I saw in various walkthroughs very well.
There are 2 types of people ;
1. People who play just to play.
2. People who play to appreciate the art.
There's a shit ton of people that do both. It's not always, and arguably, shouldn't EVER be one or the other.
This game just keeps pulling me back in. 2nd play through and going with zero player structures, signs, or vehicles. Such a beautiful game!
great vid, cant wait for the day when "fun" is not the first and only bar by which games are measured. This is one for the history books.
Walking simulators
The best deserve an Oscar or three!
Luis-Raul Diaz-Rios that’s a pretty low misrepresentation of what the game is about because there so much more to it than that!
Dafuq
@@Ramsey276one I wouldn't necessarily call this one a walking simulator but i guess it literally is one as it truly simulates the experience of walking, that's pretty funny. If Firewatch was Ridge Racer than Death Stranding is Gran Turismo "The Real Walking Simulator"
That's a pretty dumb statement considering most ppl play video games for fun... and enjoyment... .. That's a failure on death Stranding part on kojima for not delivering to his customer what they want...
That's like me going to Carvel to get ice cream and that give me hot coco.... and then cuss me out for having a one dimension view of what Ice cream is.....
it's not wrong to expect fun and enjoyment from a game... that's like the bare minimum a game should be... you can reach for higher things.. but when you miss the first rung you've failed
Man You truly deserve more views, I'm gonna play my role and like and subscribe for sure
I disagree with your doom eternal point. People don’t find walking fun, but they find shooting fun. I don’t think that point works.
The majority of " fun " game involving you shooting at something that happen to stand in front of your gun barrel . The shooting part is real , people just love shooting too much that they rarely give different game a chance cus they keep asking " where the killing ? " .
It does work because different people find different things fun purely based on preference and perception. Billions of people take a nice walk for fun everyday. People do cross country treks across mountains and call it exhilarating. Really it's just a placebo effect and false sense of majority. It's like how people think chess is boring but football is fun, when an estimated 600+ million people regularly play chess but only 100 million watched the superbowl.
@@kampfer91 hey, I tested the game out, and played it until the end. I consider myself a pretty big rpg guy, and even I was pretty bored throughout. I’m not saying there’s any issue with enjoying it, but the way he puts it feels like he’s looking down on the people that disagree with his idea of fun which doesn’t sit right with me.
I was super hyped for the game since the mocap sessions in Sheffield, England with Mads.Near where I live and work. Early on. However the game in 2019 didn't live up to expetcation, not just because of hype, which was a part: but it's own scope.
It was this enigmatic idea, a sci fi based off the DNA of a silent hill game. It had big names attached and all spoke of heady themes and bringing cross media to the forefront. It promised a gorgeous photo-realisic world, like hiking in Iceland, but a mixed metaphor lost in translation of trudging through Dante's Inferno. But delivered a paperback journal of a guy who hid in a bus shelter occasionally and who's personal hygiene is on point. All I got from death stranding is; my mother's my girlfriend Kaiju bossfight backtrack indie rock. Rather than actually charged emotions I got. Which was "Hmmmm meh, remember Wizrard of Oz? I saw that too.Kojimas scope was larger than the means. Death Stranding is a great artpiece you hang on the wall, but playing it? Hmmm. It could have been a transmedia slam. It was mediocre. You're the baby - well no crap. Make the world one thing and the "upside down" another. Completely. Make the realm of mads alien. Instead it's the same rainbows and now it's a stealth shooter. Ooooo. I can imagine the ideas if it was a Silent Hill however. Humdrum gameplay till you enter the nightmare. Say a veteran , who feels at home, till it becomes apparent the horrors aren't really a part of you when you lash out. . But are. Explore violence in human nature, do something. Death Stranding is all sound and fury, signifying nothing. Whereas it sholuld have been a descent into a gameplayer's experience. Twisting and turning. Make you reconnect America but forcing you to confront Bridges Vs The Homo Demens. Seeing both viewpoints ultimate control via an artificial network, vs people being people. Say as Bridges you force people into the network, till Higgs holds the mirror and explains you are basically making people drones. You agree perhaps but he's breeding terrorists. - it writes itself. Essentially the remnants of humanity are holding on. You can either indroctronate and make them praise you under the system , or alighn with Homo Demens and get real tangeble rewards, but you feel conflicted. It's a mirror to 1984 and real life.
Although I understand the gameplay isn’t outstanding, but I loved this game the story blew me away and I enjoyed every min of it. Except the ending where you run all the back across America I had no shoes and it sucks
If people are still calling this a walking simulator you live in a bubble 💀
If this game wasn't made by Kojima, videos like this wouldn't exist. Sincerely, a Kojima fan boy.
Nah man. There are people such as myself who genuinely lovely this game. No reason to say projecting stuff like this. People are actually immersed into the slow paced land travsal nature of the game's world/
This game started to become my all time favorite video game, It gives me literally a whole new experience that I have never experience before. Definitely a masterpiece
So happy a game like this came out. Love story over flashy action shooter games any day
@Cold Moon: ....games are capable of actually being fun to play and stillhaving good stories AT THE SAME TIME.
@@EvilIceCream333 capable*
@@coldmoon7906 fixed it. Now quit thinking a game can't be crazy fun and tell a deep story at the same time.
@@EvilIceCream333 the comment was more referencing games like call of duty where all you do is shoot eachother no deep crazy story like death stranding
I played this game throughout this pandemic (I played this for like 70+ hours) and for me, its really a whole new experience, I dont know for many people, but I really love this game veeery muuuch ❤💯
Keep on Keepin’ On! 👍
Nicholas Stanley *spams the like button *
...I totally just heard the guy on the inter-com say that, in my head, as I read that!
the gaming community has been super toxic the past few years, destroying games saying they are trash because they can't understand them. Being a gamer doesn't mean you have to act like a toddler.
I think it is a perfectly valid criticism of the game if you can play every mission the same way without venturing far out of your comfort zone, however I don’t think I will have this issue with the game as I enjoy getting creative when I play.
I agree with your assertion that this game is a masterpiece. I agree with your argument about why it's a masterpiece. BUT I still have issues with this game.
This is how I describe this game to my friends: Is it a good game? Yes. Is it fun? Sometimes.
I think the main issue with this game isn't the subject matter or the way it tackles gameplay or even the way it forces players to think about the way the interact with the environment. For me, the problem with this game is that it isn't as fun as often as it could be. Too often I found the game to be a drudge. Take these packages to A, B, C, then D and the only reward is currency that can make that task easier or faster? That may be rewarding for some but I just found it tedious (and maybe that's the point). I never found the combat satisfying and the BTs are only intimidating the first hour or two. After that, they become an annoyance.
Now the thing is, I believe developers could get away with making a game that isn't fun IF and only IF the story is engaging. You can hook me with boring gameplay if the story is good. But Death Stranding fails for me where Kojima's other games succeed. MGS1, MGS3, even the bloated MGS4 (never played 2), they all had the typical Kojima issues but their stories were still engaging. Even if MGS3 & MGS4 played like 1, or even the OG MG, I still would have played them because their stories were engaging. But not DS. Dialogue is often cold and clinical, used more to explain plot than to explore characters. Characters, especially Higgs, are one note and flat (shocking considering the notable cast). And I found the lore too often to be an unsatisfying mess.
I do agree with you about the game tackling complex themes and ideas, and it does it well though gameplay (gameplay can be good and ludo narratively resonant and not fun at the same time). But the story contains too many of Kojima's typical writing problems and not enough of his quirks and personality. Remember when Naked Snake praised the value of the box? Remember when Old Snake just wanted some smokes? Remember when Liqued laughed maniacally when he revealed that he had been posing as Miller? Remember how you could make Naked Snake vomit by spinning him around in the menu?
I don't see any of the characters in DS becoming half as memorable. They're always so damn serious. Which is frustrating coming from a creator who insisted on a running diarrhea gag in every entry of his stealth series.
Although I do understand what you're getting at, I absolutely would not refer to Sam, Cliff, Amelie, or Die Hardman as "one note" or "flat". Even if they appear that way sometimes in the beginning. Once you reach the end of the story and all is revealed about these characters, you begin to see that the so called "flatness" you mention is actually a facade used by the character to either intentionally or incidentally mask their true intentions. And used by Kojima to subvert your expectations by convincing you that you fully understand these characters (I.e Amelie is only good, Cliff is only evil, Die Hardman is very straightforward and dull and is not a conflicted person in the least) when in reality there is actually much more going on beneath the surface of what we (the player) have been witnessing
Well the characters have almost full background stories, they got their arcs at least, much of what you mentioned about mgs characters were the little easter eggs in menus or some fun moments in dialogue.
But mgs characters have a lot more to them too, such as snake's memorable speeches, deep dialogues, and I must agree that this hasn't been explored in DS, there could've been much more "codec" calls where Sam and the rest of the cast would have dialogue, I miss that.
And I also think DS characters have well told stories, even Briggs, although it's only told by optional reading, a shame. Expensive cast of actors has been a problem for Kojima games since mgs V, that damn mute venom snake
Griffin Walker I fully agree. Really well put.
@@Memnoch_the_Devil you're right tbh
People are prisoners of their expectations these days because of developers like Ubisoft and EA who will never take risks and try something new. So if something defies even little of their expectations, they bash it with bad opinions. Also, they rely too much on others' reviews. Relying on reviews is completely fine if the reviews themselves are consistent and the reviewer understands what the game is trying to achieve. IGN, Gamespot have hundreds of employees writing for them making their reviews extremely inconsistant. For example RDR2 got a 9 out of 10 because the reviewer didn't enjoy the slow pace and realism which is exactly what the devs were going for. But some other reviewer might have given it a 10. To review a game, you need to understand it. A Review should never be about personal opinions. It should give an idea about what the game is trying to achieve. It is a big responsibility because it is going to be a deciding factor for millions of people. Same thing is happening with Death Stranding. People will like games like Call of Duty even though the gameplay(Single and multiplayer) is extremely repetitive. But if repetition is fine is if it is serving the gameplay loop.
You're straight up wrong about Doom eternal, its not just an fps, its actually a puzzle game requiring high speed mental gymnastics at its most tense along with traditional fps skill.
All its enemies are like chess pieces and you constantly need to decide which enemy to attack and how so as to break their formation.
Its all well documented.
I think you’re missing the point, i thing that he is just making a comparison of how people think that a game is just that when it involves much more on it that shooting people or delivering packages
Yeah that part of the video felt really off. That's not what Doom Eternal is at all.
Death stranding made me feel like a child. When all games are about killing things and seeing how many combos you can land, it was refreshing to play something different. You fight, yes, but against the enviroment, you explore, you face new challenges. I felt like i was a kid wandering around the forest in my first time out of the city, how thrilling it was to just walk, jump rocks, balance, be careful not to fall. See the trees, the animals, the world. Also that fear of the unknown characteristic of the infancy. Is just an amazing game that showed me that games do not have to be about killing to be about fight and challenge. Also reminded me the first time i played minecraft and didnt know how to craft a sword
Woah, I hadn’t caught onto the Nazi imagery. I’m aware of Kojima’s criticism of the U.S. in most of his games, although, you blew my mind with this bit of information.
Thank you for your video, it's rare to find someone appreciate this game in your level. Most of the time, I saw people rant about it and that's it...it's a bit sad to see that.
Personally, I really love Death Stranding. I pre-ordered the game and play it since day 1 finished it 2 month later and never regret anything.
The thing I like the most in this game is Sam. I connected with him really quick because, so to speak, we are quite the same, in terme of wanting to be alone. The scenery is BEAUTIFUL and real. Also, I really enjoy doing the side quests so so much LOL, I never found it boring.
Another thing that I like is that Kojima put the small detail in the game that I just noticed in post game; when Sam step on the stone him in the game will just grunting but him in post game just laughs and it present his mind between in game and post game.
I loved IT ABSOLUTELY. MASTERPIECE! DEEPEST STORY EVER AND AMAZING GAMEPLAY.
This video has made me glad I played through all of death stranding since I wanted it and got it as a Christmas present, I figured even tho the gameplay wasn’t much I should play through it and my god the experience was one of a kind.
Thank you. I was about to trade this game, gonna dive back in now...
Love your videos man, such a shame how Death Stranding was received, great to see there are still people like you who can appreciate it
thank you!
I finally finished it today. Picked it up last week and couldn't put it down. I'll be honest I heard the rumors it sucked and all you do is walk around and was like nah, but I finally jumped in and oh my God, it was beautiful. Giving it the tag of walking simulator is a gross understatement. This game is a mind f*** and makes you question what drives life as we know it. It feels so raw and every conquer you have in the game fits the narrative so well in the idea of life vs death that I would argue makes it worth the struggles and somewhat repititiveness of it all. You keep going and going until you don't want to anymore and turn the game off and come back later. After all, what is life but going on and on until it doesn't? Does it end? Who knows, but this game is so poetic and is one of the few titles I wish I could erase my memory and experience it all again. Few games today give me that same feeling.. great job!
Can guarantee that the smooth rains dying on their hill, still saying the game is trash, still haven’t played even 30 minutes of it.
Great concept as a walking simulator for a triple A game. I admire Kojma's guts. But when it comes to the narration... Oh boy... In filmschool they always told me: "Show, don't tell." Kojima has excelled at the contrary: telling and not showing. Are they sure it was ment to be black goo you were drowning into? And not melted cheese? 🧀 Cheezes this game is cheesy.
That's Good Ol' Kojima XD
@@kevinespada3421 exactly! Deep and cheesy, only Kojima
Haha Japanese people are into RPGs. Ive grown to know that Japanese people are the masters of exposition lol
It's what he's known for. Actually the only other franchise that nails the seriousness/cheesiness/melodrama is Yakuza.
You attended film school so you definitely know what you're talking about but showing instead of telling is why Lovecraft movies (and to be honest, most horror movies) fail 99% of the time. So I guess it's not a rule that ensures 100% quality in storytelling.
@@Ocean5ix Hi there. Ironically, his best games are the ones with the least dialogue in them. MGS1 and MGS3 are on the top of my list. All the information is dramatized, concise, straight to the point, blanced, functional.
Appart from:
The Terminator (1984),
The Thing (1982),
Predator (1987),
Alien (1979),
Aliens (1986)
and Robocop (1987),
the sci-fi/horror genre hasn't produced any compelling work in over 30 years.
I came accros three ways of interpreting the "Show, don't tell" principle during my career:
1) The traditional approach. Literally, by using as few dialogue as possible by dramatizing all the action. How can I show what I want to tell instead of telling it through dialogue.
2) Robert McKee's approach. By letting your chatacters verbally contradict their actions. They say they believe in something, but act the other way around. This creates subtext.
3) Alexander Mackendrick's approach. Show and then tell. Show an action, create mystery and a question in the mind of the viewer. Only then comment on the action.
Kojima did none of this. If he would have learned or try to master at least one of those techniques, the storytelling would have improved dramatically.
Like I said. His concept is great and original. But the delivery of the story makes it so exhausting to follow. Characters talk about everything they did outside the game, and it go's on and on and on... forever. And they have to repeat themselves over and over and over again, telling us information we already understood the first time.
The dialogue delivers 90% of the time information, not drama, that is Kojima's big flaw and weakness. It's the kiss of death to his storytelling. MGS4 suffered from the same problem.
The story in Death Stranding needed to be toned down. It is too dense for its own good. It needed more polishing and refining. But again, this is my opinion as a professional.
Congrats on making the best review of Death Stranding on the entire internet.
This is the first review that actually made me believe this person actually played this game, and actually liked it, and gave real reasons why it's good.
This is the only "correct" review I have seen so far for the game. Surprisingly, every other review was like, "game good graphics 10/10" which led me to believe the majority of big reviewers were "faking". Pretending to like the game, but didn't know what else to say.
Omg all Kojima games are secretly masterpieces and “you guys just don’t get it” 😑🙄
This was really great. Thank you for vocalizing my own personal views on this game and the hatred that so many have towards it who have never even given it a proper chance.
Only problem is that You did provide spoilers, therefore I can't share this video with anyone who hasn't already beaten the game. And I don't know anyone else who has beaten the game. I only even know one person who attempted to begin it but never even made it to episode three
Death Stranding will have an MGS2 like resurgance, I can guarantee that. Shit was so speical. Too bad that doesn't help Koji Pro now. I hope their next game is accessible thought, I don't want to see Kojis artist flare put them in jeopardy.
I initially gave up on it when it first came out but last year I restarted it and finished it and the deafening silence with sound of time fall as you trek across the seemingly empty spaces sold me and I think it’s an absolute masterpiece. And I’m on my second play through right now and it’s just as good if not better and the soundtrack could not be more beautiful
Definitely a great game. Spent plenty of time in it. I wonder what new genre we will get to play next.
Many people don’t understand what Kojima is trying to do. He’s slowly but surely changing the face of gaming and how we understand games in general.
John I’m sorry I just disagree. Any game that can make me think how I’m going to tackle the upcoming environment/topography instead of how I’m going to tackle “the enemy” is absolutely a game changer. What did you think of MGS2 when it first came out?
I agree with John here. I think this failed to even leave a mark, sadly. And I even like the game myself! It goes to show that Kojima, while talented isn't all knowing and infallible. Goes to show what made MGS such good games were the sum of efforts by the many people behind those games, and in many times the people who disagreed with Kojima and changed some stuff from his original drafts.
Dr. Miles Manners fair enough. I suppose only time will tell. Many hated MGS2 when it came out.
John fair enough that’s ur opinion
Was completely floored by this game. To me it is of a level of craft few if any other games have come close to, and was shocked when I finally went online and people hate it. This game alone is THE argument for games being an art form.
Thank you for this! 🙏
Love your videos
As a Canadian, I've moved on from being quarantined to working from home so I've sort of left the sense of isolation that characterized last spring, but I'd still be lying if I said Death Stranding hadn't served as Animal Crossing: New Horizons' weird, distaff counterpart for my Lockdown-period gaming sessions.
Both games were great at giving you space and time enough to think, all the while keeping you engaged. You could ruminate over what you planned on stocking for your advance order of groceries, project yourself months ahead to see how things might turn out, or just take in the day or the week's worth of grisly news while having something to serve as a mental dampener of sorts. I definitely remember feeling the onset of panic attacks after hearing updates from Italy back in March, and retreating to either my PS4 or my Switch, so I could digest it all while preventing myself from spiralling into uncontrollable anxiety.
Death Stranding's world is irremediably doomed in the grand scheme of things, but the game finishes on the idea that what was wrongly commodified is much more beneficial if treated with love and kindness. Animal Crossing, on the other hand, takes all the petty foibles of your everyday dickheads and turns them into quirks you can easily ignore. Everyone's trying to get along on your island, and you decide just how much confrontation you're looking to put up with.
At a time where it was so easy to turtle up and act like many others I'd seen - the TP-stealing idiots of the "Fuck you, got mine" persuasion - here were two games that felt like a friend just sitting by, coffee cup in hand, reminding us we were all in this together.
We still are. If the going gets tough, either hug a close relative, treat yourself to something nice without violating your region's social distancing guidelines, or maybe load up Death Stranding again, to see who's used your paths, your bridges or your climbing ropes. See that you've made a difference, even if you weren't there to witness it firsthand. Maybe return to youir island in Animal Crossing, too - this version's island denizens won't leave until you give them the final push, so you can expect a few rushes of dopamine as little low-poly animals rush up to you to fret over how long you've been gone. There's weeds to pull, sure, but nobody's going to hold your absence against you. As fake as they may be, your island denizens are just glad you're around.
If you're in quarantine or otherwise in lockdown, just remember this: there's a world out there that'll wait for you as long as you need it to. A world where you matter, where your contributions are noticed, where you're loved, appreciated, and considered by your peers.
Hold on, people. We'll get through this.
"It's not the game's fault for not being fun, it's your fault for not enjoying it!!!"
Blame the customer 101, what a great strategy.
I know you're being snarky but it also happened on the other side of the pond, with Sunset Overdrive and Quantum Brake, people were playing the game wrong and complaining how they weren't having much fun with it..
Play does not equate “fun” in any sense of the word. Fun is, sometimes, a side effect to play. I do not find uncharted or tlou “fun” and still find them great games. If you don’t like the game don’t play it. No one is obligating people to buy and play it.
@@tiagomiranda7397 I'm sorry, but you can have fun playing a serious game,
because most of the time fun comes from the gameplay, and assure you, TLoU gameplay is rather quite fun when Ellie isn't doing something stupid.
@Maxi Iroh I don’t see what point you’re making, u can have fun doing anything, u are not responding to anything I said on that subject, read again. Yeah I’m sure tlou can be fun for some ppl, definitely not for me, still can appreciate it as a game even though the gameplay was a chore (especially on higher difficulties)
If you expect a game to be like another game or something different then it's not developers fault. Everything is done for a specific purpose
Fantastic video.
Death stranding is one of if not the best game I have ever played! It really is a captivating experience. As soon as i started playing i was intrigued as it felt like an experience i never came across in a game before. Not like a regular shooter this game just feels peaceful and wants to be explored! Scaling a mountain is so satisfying for example as it takes a lot of effort to do so. Another thing i love is that although it is 'peaceful' you just know there is darkness and danger lurking at every corner. A masterpiece and i cannot wait for Death Stranding 2.
This game is a masterpiece
This was an amazing video. I loved Death Stranding. When I first got it I played it for almost a month just doing everything I could in it. I haven’t played it in a couple months because I thought I’d get “bored” but after watching your video i’m going to replay the story. Especially when you brought up the war flashbacks I forgot all about those lol
Imagine describing Doom Eternal as an "endless stream of the same basic things" couldn't be me. If you scratch the surface of any skill heavy game and don't dedicate some time every game becomes that, even chess is an "endless stream of the same basic things". Innovation for the sake of innovation is most of the times not needed to make a great product or discuss an idea. Kojima makes avant garde gameplay and avant garde is what it is. Sometimes you are looking at a Van Gogh and sometimes you look at banana on a wall. Some people are grasping to find meaning on a banana on a wall.
It is funny to me that Kojima is praised for his story regarding Death Stranding when in every other game that he has made, his stories are incohesive messes.
To be fair.... Metal Gear isn’t that messy... The things that make it a mess is all the disinformation and information. Lies and Truths...
Thank you. Your absolutely right. Players are so used to and accustomed to shooters that they can't adjust to a game without it. There's a special thing about games that don't focus on shooting. It can open up gaming asa whole.
I love death stranding
@@Novus_art thank you for letting me clarify my statement🙂
I’m actually replaying it rn and I have such a deep appreciation second time round
You've said that "if I choose to tackle every order exactly the same" it speaks more about my creativity than that of a game. This is undoubtedly true but so is the fact that the games which allows you to do everything in the same way are simply flawed, poorly thought out and maybe even fail to inspire the player to experiment in the first place?
-
This has nothing to do with stepping out of a comfort zone but whether or not there's a point in experimenting and/or putting an effort in doing that in the first place when you know that it will all lead to the same conclusion so you're not really motivated to experiment or simply don't care as the process of experimentation will probably take more time than completing the delivery twice in a way you're familiar with.
The only scenario where I'd imagine this not being the case is if you're either role-playing DS in some way or simply enjoying it that much that you want to take your time, enjoy the sights of the wasteland, explore all of the possibilities and artificially prolong your game time.
-
In my honest opinion, it's just not worth it and Death Stranding (as a whole) is a game that doesn't have a single redeeming quality that could make me play it (yes, I'm a fan of Kojima's previous work), and if you're wondering why I'm even bothering to write this, it's because I love talking about video games :)
Well said. I would also add that the “chiral network” multiplayer system hamstrings the games other systems by giving you everything you need without having to work for it. All you have to do is go to the location once, and boom, everything becomes trivial with all the player structures helping you. If I ever play this game again it will be offline.
You just want the most effective way to get to point A to Point B I get that but in DS in order to find that way you have to experiment.
There are situations in the game where I didn't have the right amount or kind of gear and i had to adapt to get to my goal. I was constantly out of my comfort zone throughout my first play through. I could never get through a route the same way twice when i was playing through the story missions, or even when i was just collecting material for structure upgrades I was constantly thinking about my approach before or after i had done my actions.
Since you didn't actually play the game you didn't get to experience these things that the game offers. DS isn't for everyone, just like RTS games or RPG's aren't for everyone. But it is dishonest and insulting to the gaming community to devalue a game that you have never experienced before.
You can be just like everyone else and think this game is bad, but never played it, because you want to feel like you belong somewhere in the gaming community but you should not say such bullshit on a video talking about how great the game is to a audience of people who have actually played the game themselves.
TLDR choose wisely where you decide to place your comments. or else your gonna look like you are craving for attention or maybe you have low self esteem?
Also, instead of love to talking about video games maybe you should learn to love playing video games instead.
Kokujin Black stopped reading after you said I didn’t play the game
@@gubertdubert4817 i don't care. reply back when you've read it all.
Kokujin Black don’t hold your breath, dipshit
Didn't play the game my self, but to me, no matter what playing it feels like, everyone should know what it stands for. It stands for true creative freedom in the game developing world, and this itself puts it very high on my shelf. The people shitting on it are the same ones buying EA and current Bethesda games.
You say stuff like "explicit response" and "litteral embodiment" but unless you back that up with a quote from Kojima, this sounds like your personal interpretation to me.
Isaias Vazquez it absolutely is my personal interpretation, sorry to give the impression I speak for Kojima. Thanks for watching!
The social aspect of this game is masterfully designed to fit the theme, since the player knows the world isn't empty yet never meets anyone. That dissonance is countered by the altruism you talk about and how you can still help each other and seek approval from others through your living legacy of shaping the world. The player gets a shared experience because in the game world everyone must endure the death stranding, yet they do it alone with only a network between them, just like the game. Truly masterful
@ 4:47 HE SAID IT!
My favourite games and are ones that give you a creative sandbox to play however you want. Death Stranding not only achieves that with it's gameplay but it surprises you.
When you think you've cracked the game you get caught off guard for example by a timefall, and have to revive.
Surprise, there's a giant ephemeral hand print in the environment now! (this only happens in certain areas).
Kojima is a path finder for engagement imo, and he's proved it again. I loved Death Stranding's emphasis on being creative. And you're 100% correct - this is a game about using your own imagination and coming up with cool and fun ways to overcome the challenges. - or even just challenging yourself to see if you can. MGSV had the same philosophy which is why it's also a replayable and fun game.
Red Dead 2 could learn from this style of mission making. Or any future Rockstar sandbox - where they give players amazing sandboxes but then create some really rigid missions that can only be played 1 way.
You know, the game fails at his primary objective when you consider that in my experience, i never ever had to actually build something. Never, it was so disappointing to find out i just didn't need 99% of the thing the game gave to me. The B.T. were so cool in the cutscens only to find out it's way more convinient to just being grabbed by them and fight the braindead boss, clear the zone from the rain and proceed. It was disappointing to find out that b.t. were always in the same place, scripted to be there everytime you would pass trough a speficif place. It was beyong disappointing that the majority of the dialogue were MMO style, explanatory, non interactive, monotone transmission that were only there to explain obvious mechanics or to repeat stuff. Every NPC you encounter just repeat the same thing over and over, without any personality: thanks for X, without you i could never done it, now i can. Copy, Paste, Repeat.
I mean, i don't want to hate the game, but calling it a masterpice just to feel a better person thinking you understood a game few others did is just pathetic.
Playing Death Standing on PC with mouse & keyboard made all the difference for me. I had it day 1 on PS4, and I nearly give up entirely from wrestling with the controls. Having a dedicated key to move forward makes diagonals a breeze, and balance being set to the mouse buttons feel more natural since you're always using the mouse to guide the camera. Definitely worth starting over and saving yourself the trouble of control sticks making you fall right in front of terminals. 😝