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

[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.

 

[GrafvonMoltke]

Kojimbo was always a hack

 

[Rocket-Propelled Game]

Kojimbo was always a hack

Somehow he found a way to entertain with Metal Gear. This? I couldn't care about the characters (except Madds as I said).

 

[GrafvonMoltke]

MGS1 was good in spite of Kojimbo rather than because of him, and it still has all the Kojimbo writing hallmarks his ego just hadn't inflated enough to become completely self-absorbed, which was on full display in MGS2. MGS3 at least had a little more fun with the comic side of things, although climbing that goddamn ladder for five minutes sure was a peak Kojimbo moment. MGS4? Nothing really needs to be said there. Never played the handheld games so no idea about them. Phantom Pain had some decent gameplay, but how many more goddamn times do I need to ride the goddamn chopper into a mission.

 

[hayst]

Never played the handheld games so no idea about them.

Peace Walker is excellent.

 

[Silverfish]

Kojimbo was always a hack

Friendly reminder that the #FuckKonami retards said nothing when Team Silent and Koji Igarashi were shown the door to make room for Kojima-produced abortions of their respective series.

 

[DJOGamer PT]

MGS3 at least had a little more fun with the comic side of things, although climbing that goddamn ladder for five minutes sure was a peak Kojimbo moment.

♫ What a thrill... ♫

 

[Venser]

Kojimbo was always a hack

Friendly reminder that the #FuckKonami retards said nothing when Team Silent and Koji Igarashi were shown the door to make room for Kojima-produced abortions of their respective series.

 

[Darkozric]

I finished this yesterday, fun shit and I'm not even a Kojimafag at all so I'm not biased. There are plenty of values to appreciate here but it could've been even better with a few more additions.
A mule ranking system ala stalker would've been nice. Mule bounties could enhance the experience. Also a reputation system, for each mule camp infiltration, you risk to trigger hunting teams coming for your ass.

More variety in missions and more "puzzle" elements like the one that you needed to think how to cross over the sea to the other side (it was easy since an email hints you but you get what I mean).

I did almost everything in the first area, after that, I focused mostly to the main missions and have build only 1 fucking road since the asking materials to build shit was autistically demanding.
I guess building autism would be easier and fun if there are more faggots to participate.

Fun fact: I'm currently watching Entrapped, a TV show with a fat cop in Iceland and the environment was very familiar. Game's end credits confirmed that the shooting location was indeed Iceland.

Anyway, I came, I touched chiralium, I won.

 

[Silva]

Finishing Act 2 and I'm impressed. Gameplay is so smooth it's almost therapeutic, the story is exciting and the setting well thought out. Even the cutscenes are not so cringe this time.

Something I'm really liking about the setting is that it ditched a lot of post-apocalyptic tropes and went with original (and poignant) ideas instead. For eg, I was annoyed at first that the surviving humans looked super clean and civilized and not the Mad Max-esque ragtag hobos we usually see in the genre. Then I've read some database entries and got it - the cataclysm hit when humanity tech level was through the roof. These communities have 3D printing and the likes. Food and comfort is not a problem for them. The problem is they're buried down their own asses with all that comforting tech (and Iphones and Twitter etc) and not caring to understand and counter what's out there threatening them with extinction. It's at the same time great world building, and a meaningful critique to our current society and the technology that's been pushing us apart. Brilliant.

Maybe this is the game that makes me see some genius in Kojima and not just a pretentious movie maker wannabe. Let's see..

Lithium Flower , have you played this?

 

[hayst]

Finishing Act 2 and I'm impressed. Gameplay is so smooth it's almost therapeutic, the story is exciting and the setting well thought out. Even the cutscenes are not so cringe this time.

Something I'm really liking about the setting is that it ditched a lot of post-apocalyptic tropes and went with original (and poignant) ideas instead. For eg, I was annoyed at first that the surviving humans looked super clean and civilized and not the Mad Max-esque ragtag hobos we usually see in the genre. Then I've read some database entries and got it - the cataclysm hit when humanity tech level was through the roof. These communities have 3D printing and the likes. Food and comfort is not a problem for them. The problem is they're buried down their own asses with all that comforting tech (and Iphones and Twitter etc) and not caring to understand and counter what's out there threatening them with extinction. It's at the same time great world building, and a meaningful critique to our current society and the technology that's been pushing us apart. Brilliant.

Maybe this is the game that makes me see some genius in Kojima and not just a pretentious movie maker wannabe. Let's see..

Lithium Flower , have you played this?

The way so much exposition is delivered through log entries gives the world an impersonal separate feeling which fits nicely with it's themes. This is sort of conflicting for me, it works well for the theme but regardless I still wish for more rich world building delivered in other forms.

 

[Harthwain]

The way so much exposition is delivered through log entries gives the world an impersonal separate feeling which fits nicely with it's themes. This is sort of conflicting for me, it works well for the theme but regardless I still wish for more rich world building delivered in other forms.

It is obvious that while the log entries serve as a form of exposition it is also done that way, because it is an easy way of introducing more generic delivery quests in a cheap way. That's why you get so many log entries. The game simply has no other means of conveying information outside of cinematics and logs. That said, it works for those who are curious and if someone doesn't care, he can ignore it altogether and still be fine gameplay-wise.

 

[Venser]

Gotta go back and finish the director's cut content.

 

[Jason Liang]

Finishing Act 2 and I'm impressed. Gameplay is so smooth it's almost therapeutic, the story is exciting and the setting well thought out. Even the cutscenes are not so cringe this time.

Something I'm really liking about the setting is that it ditched a lot of post-apocalyptic tropes and went with original (and poignant) ideas instead. For eg, I was annoyed at first that the surviving humans looked super clean and civilized and not the Mad Max-esque ragtag hobos we usually see in the genre.

Death Stranding takes placing *during* a still ongoing Apocalypse, not post-Apocalypse (which is why it's quite unique and cool). You are in a story while human existence is ending, not decades after near human extinction. People are going mad and suiciding, not struggling to survive and dying of radiation. It's more The Rapture, The Stand and Gehenna from VtM and not Mad Max.

 

[KIss My Ass]

Gotta go back and finish the director's cut content.

No you don't. You should never have played the game in the first place. What the hell is wrong with you people anyway? Why tf are you playing a literal hiking sim?

 

[HeatEXTEND]

Gotta go back and finish the director's cut content.

No you don't. You should never have played the game in the first place. What the hell is wrong with you people anyway? Why tf are you playing a literal hiking sim?

What, you don't like hiking?

 

[Modron]

I think if he liked hiking he would prefer to actually go hiking over playing a videogame about hiking. But that's just me.

 

[HeatEXTEND]

But the videogame has supernatural shit and guns, that's worth something.

 

[Silva]

The way so much exposition is delivered through log entries gives the world an impersonal separate feeling which fits nicely with it's themes. This is sort of conflicting for me, it works well for the theme but regardless I still wish for more rich world building delivered in other forms.

I noticed other potters (NPCs) showing up outside more frequently around areas I've helped, which is interesting (I'm playing offline). But yes, I wish the game had more ways of delivering the theme too.

What, you don't like hiking?

..and throwing piss and shit at enemies!?

Spoiler

Reminds me of my youth when we threw sacks of piss at bus windows at 6 o'clock, to hit workers in suits going to work (we only aimed the most well dressed ones). We called it "perfume de mijo" (piss perfume) at the time. Oh man, good times. There was this day where the bus stopped and the driver actually came out running and screaming for us. That shit scared our 10 yo selves and so we ended our "operations".

 

[illuknisaa]

The worst part about the game is the more you play the more you learn about mechanics that don't matter.

 

[Silva]

Even the cutscenes are not so cringe this time.

I talked too early.

That hourglass chick arc is the worst attempt at videogame acting I've ever seen. It's like an alien being or AI who's clueless about human emotions or interaction trying to replicate it. Reminded me those David Cage games, but I honestly think this is worse.

And these moments feel more jarring here than in MGS because the later is a silly premise from the start. A shame.

Game is still great, though. I'm reaching South Knot city.

 

[Duraframe300]

Even the cutscenes are not so cringe this time.

I talked too early.

That hourglass chick arc is the worst videogame acting I've ever seen. It's like an alien being or AI who's clueless about human emotions or interaction trying to replicate it. Reminded me of those Cage games (Fahrenheint and Omikron), but worse.

I think these moments feel more jarring here than in MGS because the later is a silly premise from the start. A shame.

Game is still great, though. I'm reaching South Knot city.

Fair warning: It shits the bed storytelling wise around the last few chapters. Including Sam switching his personality on the fly and then reverting back for no reason as well as plot points getting ignored (and then randomly focused on again AFTER the event where they should have made a difference).

A big mess that would have been easily avoidable. Just a warning though to be prepared for it, you're plenty away from that.