Death Stranding Director's Cut - Kojima's post-apocalyptic deliveryman simulator

[Jason Liang]

I started playing this today after finding out it was actually a part of my PS Plus Extra subscription. Got to chapter 2. This game is on the same wavelength as Werner Herzog and La Jetee/ 12 Monkeys.

It’s basically a cross between The Postman, *12 Monkeys, Stalker, and Silent Hill.

*specifically the future stuff and time travel bits of 12 Monkeys

The walking simulator in alien environments devoid of human life to Wagnerian music is the Werner Herzog aspect. Also, Werner has often stated that he always viewed his documentaries as sci fi and he's always wanted to make a sci fi movie.

https://tubitv.com/search/person-werner-herzog
https://tubitv.com/movies/595013/the-dark-glow-of-the-mountains
https://tubitv.com/movies/268901/lessons-of-darkness
https://tubitv.com/movies/268893/fata-morgana

Werner Herzog is a German film director, screenwriter, author, actor, and opera director, regarded as a pioneer of New German Cinema. His films often feature ambitious protagonists with impossible dreams, people with unique talents in obscure fields, or individuals in conflict with nature.

Herzog has said that our civilization is "starving for new images"; in a 1982 interview with Roger Ebert, he explained that "We do not have adequate images for our kind of civilization...We are surrounded by images that are worn out, and I believe that unless we discover new images, we will die out." He has said it is his mission to help us discover new images: "I am trying to make something that has not been made before."

 

[Trojan_generic]

This one was a weird game. Thankfully the fedex stuff was never more than about 10-15 min at a time (using vehicles as much as possible).
What sucked was the partially shitty/over-the-top plot and, if IIRC, the end video was like 35 minutes long. Also, the guy is obsessed about his sister (which is in this case probably still better than being obsessed with for example tentacles).
I'd still give it 3 out of 5 for the fact that I never got stuck on the rough terrain and you have to give some points for originality.

 

[Dadd]

Why do you have to give points for originality? You know I make original fecal matter every day.

 

[Jason Liang]

Why do you have to give points for originality? You know I make original fecal matter every day.

It reminds me of weird ass computer games of the late 80's/ early 90's like Balance of Power or Glider. Also SimCity and some of the weirder Sim games.

 

[Silva]

Yeah, I'm very curious about the game but seeing "Kojima" in it makes me hesitate. Every "plot" I've seen from this guy is cringe level fanfic, from Policenauts being a Terminator rip-off to Metal Gear terrible Hollywood cinematics. I mean, I like his gameplays - I enjoyed MGS 3 and 5 - but seeing as this one "gameplay" seem simplistic af, I will wait when it goes free on some sale or PS plus service or something.

 

[Jason Liang]

Yeah, I'm very curious about the game but seeing "Kojima" in it makes me hesitate. Every "plot" I've seen from this guy is cringe level fanfic, from Policenauts being a Terminator rip-off to Metal Gear nonsensic plots. I mean, I like his gameplays - I enjoyed MGS 3 and 5 - but seeing as this one "gameplay" seem pretty simplistic, I think I will wait when this gets free on some sale or PS plus service or something.

The setting and action is what makes the game work. If nothing else, this is probably the best sci fi video game since... Star Control 2 or SMAC.

Free on PS Plus Extra.

 

[Trojan_generic]

Why do you have to give points for originality? You know I make original fecal matter every day.

Because when you have played computer games for almost 40 years you don't see new concepts every day; concepts that entertain me longer than your shit.

 

[Dadd]

Why do you have to give points for originality? You know I make original fecal matter every day.

Because when you have played computer games for almost 40 years you don't see new concepts every day; concepts that entertain me longer than your shit.

So you're giving points for entertainment, not originality?

 

[Silva]

But is it Art?

 

[orcinator]

But is it Art?

Yes, visual art, (certainly not any other form of art as the story and gameplay are shit) meaning you can watch this on youtube and not feel like you've missed out on anything. You can even hold a controller in your hands, push the left stick forward and you'll be hard pressed to figure out who's really playing.

 

[Terenty]

As someone who loved the game and spent like 130 hours playing it, I gotta agree it was a bit on the easy side and some mechanics were quite pointless.

Like timefall can only damage the container, but never the cargo,rendering using a repair spray practically meaningless.

Non lethal weapons are always preferable to lethal. They have the same damage and you don't need to deal with bodies. As a result I didn't have to burn a single body during my whole playthrough, which is a shame cuz I would like to have engaged with this mechanic.

Batteries they give you in the mountains were useless as well as stamina is not an issue by this point in the game and you don't need to rest.

Gas hazard was only used in one place which I thought was strange, because they give you a mask for that(though it has other uses as well)

Wind and rocks could've been placed in more places.

With all that mentioned, I gotta say the game becomes quite engaging when you want to 5 star every prepper. It's no longer a walking sim, but rather an infrastructure building/delivery sim with different tools really coming into play.

Like BTs and the fact you can just get dragged on purpose and leave the area to clear it. Yes it's pretty stupid, but it still takes time to do and when you 5 star preps you don't wanna waste your time doing it every time. So you just put Timefall Shelters in the right places and skip time untill BTs disappear and you can go.

Building roads was pretty cool and usefull. Placing zip lines became kind of a puzzle when running out of bandwidth. Floating carriers came in handy in the rocky environments. Sticky guns helped take additional cargo along the way to max those stars out. Different exosceletons for different purposes etc.

Yes, the game is far from being perfect, but it still managed to create an engaging gameplay loop with pretty unique mechanics that you don't see every day.

 

[Silva]

Descriptions makes it sound like SimCity.

 

[Dexter]

I mean, even the "walking" part of the game is challenging at the start before you get used to it. Having to balance weight, distribution and terrain while keeping your balance and not falling over or whatever was interesting gameplay. Some of the most hilarious moments were when you lost your balance or grip and fell down and packages flew down some cliffs or were taken with the water stream or whatever. Of course, by the point you reach endgame and you have the highest level exoskeletons for balance and speed and you have zip-line, ladder and road networks to everywhere it becomes somewhat trivial, but you have to get there, unlock all those areas and build them out to get to that point. The game has a bunch of "exploration" moments that also give you a real sense of it that I can still remember years later like the end of the first map when you reach Port Knot city having passed the narrow BT area and Timefall and feeling a bit of relief when you finally make it while the music starts playing, or the first time you pass the mountain between East and West without any infrastructure:

Spoiler

 

[illuknisaa]

It's a shame that you rarely hear the soundtrack. It only plays in very specific points in the game and you can't manually listen the music songs you unlock from Sam's wrist watch thing.

In euro truck simulator you can listen to real world radio stations and it adds a lot to the immersion.

 

[Verylittlefishes]

Finished this after 60 hours. This is so bad!

 

[NecroLord]

Finished this after 60 hours. This is so bad!

60 hours? What the hell.
I know great RPGs that can be finished in half that time.

 

[Venser]

Finished this after 60 hours. This is so bad!

60 hours? What the hell.
I know great RPGs that can be finished in half that time.

Those are rookie numbers. I put 140 hours in it and that was before the Director's Cut content came out. I have to go back to it to do the additional missions.

 

[Verylittlefishes]

Finished this after 60 hours. This is so bad!

60 hours? What the hell.
I know great RPGs that can be finished in half that time.

Those are rookie numbers. I put 140 hours in it and that was before the Director's Cut content came out. I have to go back to it to do the additional mission.

crazy person

 

[Perkel]

Expansion "walk harder"

 

[Verylittlefishes]

Expansion "walk harder"

 

[HeatEXTEND]

Finished this after 60 hours. This is so bad!

60 hours? What the hell.
I know great RPGs that can be finished in half that time.

Those are rookie numbers. I put 140 hours in it and that was before the Director's Cut content came out. I have to go back to it to do the additional mission.

crazy person

Bought it on ps for a buddy, he proceeded to 5 star everything.

Spoiler

Yes, he's german.

 

[Jason Liang]

 

[DJOGamer PT]

 

[DJOGamer PT]

There's no stopping 'La Creatividad' :

 

[Konjad]

Literally a walking simulator of a drunken man, who trips over everything or even on a straight and clear path, but with dog damn long and fairly boring cutscenes.

Actually, you are better off skipping all of the cutscenes and play it as a drunk simulator - like when you need to come back home but are so drunk you don't remember what is going on but have flashbacks of falling down here and there and continue on your journey.

 

[Rocket-Propelled Game]

I went into this game expecting to love the story and hate the gameplay. Instead I came out of it actually enjoying the novel gameplay and with a newfound loathing for Kojima's writing that I never got from Metal Gear Solid even at its worst. Go figure.

Also the battlefield-Beaches were pretty fucking metal. Relatedly Mads Mikkelsen's character was the best character in the game and I will fite anyone who disagrees.