Death Stranding - Review Thread (see staff post for discussion guidelines)

[noyram23]

Hardcore niche audiences are generally into games very different from this. This is solely for the gameplay as storytelling art people and those guys aren't vocal online.

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Have you seen SkillUp's review? It's a system heavy gameplay but there isn't too much action in terms of shoot bang. It isn't for me, I hate too much management on my game especially if it just comes to traversal (I hated botw partly because of that).

 

[Maffis]

So Konami was responsible for MSG games being awesome and not Kojima?

xD

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The game has a 84 meta score right now.

????

 

[Van Bur3n]

Aren't you a big destiny player, lol?

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Oh, that I am. That's why I have so many yikes to give. Destiny has over supplied me with enough yikes to hand out to everything.

Even you can have one.

 

[Knight613]

So Konami was responsible for MSG games being awesome and not Kojima?

xD

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Something I'm sure is lost on a lot of people is that Kojima Productions has a lot smaller staff that worked on Death Stranding than worked on a Metal Gear game. Not to mention that he put this game out way faster than other MGS games. Of course it's not going to have the intricate combat/stealth mechanics that a Metal Gear game has.

 

[Gilver]

These reviews are great, i find that games most tailored for a specific taste are better than games that are designed for the masses. And this game is probably not for me.

 

[ZeoVGM]

So Konami was responsible for MSG games being awesome and not Kojima?

xD

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Are these posts serious?

 

[Team_Feisar]

Personally, the divisive scores don't bother me at all. Every AAA game that tries to do something interesting and unique is a positive in my book.
Even if Kojima is less of a genius as he himself probably thinks he is, I appreciate that he at least tries to make his own vision come true, even if it might not be for everyone.

 

[Theorry]

Easy Allies review is well done as always. Shame to hear the bossfights and combat are not well done.

 

[vestan]

From the IGN review, thought this was interesting

One particularly torturous mission required me to carry a hefty weight on my back through a visibility-masking snowstorm and over near-vertical stretches of terrain. It took me 51 minutes to complete. Spending close to an hour schlepping heavy cargo through waist-deep snow, up and down mountains, constantly pushing against fierce winds, in a pair of shoes that wear out over time isn't an enjoyable video game mission

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[TheModestGun]

So jaded they all seem super high on The Outer Worlds? Your comment is unwarranted.

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I love all of the GiantBomb crew, but honestly generally speaking they are cynical as fuck. Awesome personalities and interesting perspectives, but I rarely trust them as to whether I'll like a game or not. Their GOTY list constantly is baffling for me.

 

[Paquete_PT]

People talking like 85 is a bomb. It's at least something original, it may or not be any good in the end, but the originality and craziness makes me want to play it.
Anyone knows how long it takes to finish?

 

[Shark]

I peaked at the scores in the OP and a big grin just appeared on my face. I'd never known how excited I would feel about a, from the outset, divisive Kojima game. But it makes total sense. Many of the most interesting films, books and games I've experienced in my life have started exactly the same way. I'm now way more hyped than I would've been if this thread was all 9s and 10s.

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It definitely shows we're getting something at least unconventional and demanding. That's exciting to me.

This year has been mostly a slog of acceptable. I want something I can have a severe reaction to: good or bad. I hope this gives me that.

 

[Dark1x]

This game is getting an additional yike from me.

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I couldn't disagree with that IGN quote more.

On paper, yes, but it's the mechanics that completely change things up.

Here's the thing - most open world games focus on what happens when you arrive at your destination. The space between the objective and starting point is useless, empty space - you hold forward on the stick and you go. There's not usually much there.

Death Stranding inverts that - the arrival at your way point isn't usually the payoff - it's the journey.

Here's some examples..

I need to reach my objective in a stony field with large chasms running through it. I had a lot of things to carry and could barely walk with them so I loaded everything into a truck and hit the road. Unfortunately, I tried to jump a large chasm and missed - the truck fell into the chasm. Ruined, I climbed out of it and tried to consider my options. However, this commotion triggered a nearby camp (they have these pylons which scan for cargo). You can hear them above the chasm and then they start climbing down after me. So I open up the truck inventory quickly, grab a few supplies for combat and run.

Then I spent time taking out the patrol one by one (non-lethal - since killing leads to a voidout which blows a huge crater in the map).

After dispatching them, I returned to the truck and transported things piece by piece up the side of the chasm back to the surface. Carrying everything would be too difficult so I made my way to the bandit camp where the enemies had arrived from. Managed to steal one of their trucks and get back to my pile of stuff where I could load it up. I was able to continue my delivery route to the next way point until BTs appeared and the battery on the truck ran low (and since I wasn't in the Chrial network, I couldn't build a charge station). So I grabbed the key items for the mission and continued on foot, sneaking through BTs. Eventually, I made it to the top of a mountain (looking something like Mars at this point) and used the steep terrain as an excuse to run down the hill while trying to keep balance. Then - the objective was reached.

A simple little story but it's this type of occurrence - things going wrong on the road - that makes for such a memorable time.

 

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

Have you seen SkillUp's review? It's a system heavy gameplay but there isn't too much action in terms of shoot bang. It isn't for me, I hate too much management on my game especially if it just comes to traversal (I hated botw partly because of that).

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I don't think vocal hardcore players are the type to praise fetch quests. I don't see this catching on like Doom or DMC4 did online overtime.

 

[Slaythe]

Yeah it really feels like another Detroit Become Human and Last Guardian. As in, if you connect with the games, you will forgive its few flaws and have a very unique experience that is well worth your time. But if not it's gonna be "pretentious and worst game ever".

So read the reviews, check out some non spoiler gameplay, check out what reviewers that liked games you liked thought of it, and see if it's for you.

Not every game is for everybody. Skillup said it's one of the best game he has played. Period. Which is a bold statement. And clearly some other reviewers have hated it with passion because of very valid reasons.

 

[Fezan]

It is definitely divisive. When even mixed reviews are highly neagitive and positive reviews are commenting not for everyone.

If you want to look for no divisive game look at Gears 5 same metascore and every one saying it's just good but nothing ground breaking

 

[Praxis]

These reviews are great, i find that games most tailored for a specific taste are better than games that are designed for the masses. And this game is probably not for me.

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This is true for film and music as well.

Also, this game doesn't sound like something I want to play at this point in time, going to see how I feel when it comes out on PC.

 

[Ryo]

It has an 84 and rising. More 10s keep coming, it has over 15 now and dozens and dozens of 9s. It's not "divisive" at all. It's a good game by definition. If 84 is divisive, then I guess recent games like Gears 5 are divisive as well, which also has an 84, and I thought it was great.

Anything in 70s range and under is divisive.

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To have that many tens and not be in the 90s, it's divisive.

 

[Tmespe]

Oh dear oh dear oh dear. I've awoken this morning to a nightmare. Gamecritics thinking they are all of a sudden qualified art critics doing all sorts of wild mental gymnastics to justify what I think a lot of people knew would be just an amped up MGS4 of pure unedited Kojima self indulgence. The man is not a genius.

This really does just seem like a test for Kojima fans - but I have to say I'm more interested thanks to these divisive reviews than I was prior to this. Seems like something worth seeing but I don't think I'll have the patience.

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Seems like you are the one doing mental gymnastics here tbh.

 

[signal]

Okay that IGN video review was brutal.

But it also got me thinking. If the ladders from other players are there at the cliff sides for everyone to see and use, are the roads there as well? And won't that remove the boring traversal sections? And in the end make the game a ton more enjoyable as time goes by?

Maybe this is yet another game that shows how day 1 reviews are really doing modern games a huge disservice? Few games are ready day 1. So why should we focus so much about how they are day 1?
I'm playing it on PC next year. Who know what the DS world will look like by then?

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Roads do show up in the games of others. So the game could potentially be significantly easier and less frustrating in a year. Whether or not that makes it better or not is unclear as people who praise the game are praising it solely for the storytelling experience through gameplay.

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This is something I was wondering about as well. If the game has a significant online component, how can pre-release reviews fully assess the experience?

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Apparently the rain in the game provides a reason why some of that might disappear over time, so it doesn't seem like those objects are permanent.

 

[Zonal Hertz]

It has an 84 and rising. More 10s keep coming, it has over 15 now and dozens and dozens of 9s. It's not "divisive" at all. It's a good game by definition. If 84 is divisive, then I guess recent games like Gears 5 are divisive as well, which also has an 84.

Anything in 70s range and under is divisive.

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Haha - apart from most of the good reviews caveat it with 100 different things. This game is divisive, just some critics are scared of looking stupid by calling out Kojima on his bullshit.

Honest to god, I'd love for some top art/movie critics to review this game as an experiment. People who actually know what they are doing for a game like this with such "lofty" ambitions.

 

[Minilla]

Oh, that I am. That's why I have so many yikes to give. Destiny has over supplied me with enough yikes to hand out to everything.

Even you can have one.

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I was just laughing at your yikes at repetitive mission design, with destiny and all that. But hey I play destiny too, but I can laugh at myself and the games that I play

 

[Proven]

From the IGN review


Aaaa, that sounds like a turn-off not gonna lie

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Here's the thing, if you are invested in DS, then this doesn't sound too bad.

RDR2 is one of my favorite games ever but a good chunk of that game was me slowly walking through a camp and having an hour long conversation with my camp members.

Does that sound fun to most people? Probably not, but if you're invested in the world it's probably not that big of a deal.

 

[Tpallidum]

I hate how the world acts like the scale ranges from 7-10.

6.8 to me = "okay"

metacritic in the 80s is generally pretty good

 

[texhnolyze]

From the IGN review, thought this was interesting

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That actually sounds pretty challenging to me.

Are there checkpoints in the middle of the mission though, at least? Restarting all over again for failing would be a nightmare.

 

[Patitoloco]

It's what I expected, some people love it, some people hate it, some people think it's weird, some people think it's brilliant. All and all, having a 80s-middle score in Opencritic is pretty damn good for such mixed opinions.

From the first day it looked like it was going to be divisive as hell, so here we are. I'm still excited to play it. Especially the second half, which pretty much everyone agrees it's crazy.

 

[Renfran]

To have that many tens and not be in the 90s, it's divisive.

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...Since when did a game over 80 become divisive. Anything over an 80 is good. Especially mid to high 80s, which this is. Spider-Man, Horizon, Fire Emblem, Luigi's Mansion, Gears 5, all mid to high 80s. Come on now. I enjoyed all these games so it doesn't matter too much to me.

But this place is something else Lol

 

[Shark]

I'm not convinced by all these "It's an experience, it's art" reviews.

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God forbid.

 

[ImaginaShawn]

The game sounds tedious and annoying. What surprises me is what the good reviews focus on, the weirdness of story, the beautiful world, or just fawning over Kojima, I see no glowing reviews about the actual gameplay.

 

[Arta]

I'm not convinced by all these "It's an experience, it's art" reviews. It's Delivery Quest - The Game.

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Agreed. All of these reviews have said the game really is nothing but fetch quests broken up by janky action and awkward stealth, even the positive ones.

 

[Flon]

I can piece together enough to know that I wouldn't like this game that much, but that's simply because it just ain't my thing. I need more stuff to do, and certainly no exposition heavy cutscenes. I can definitely apprieciate how unique this game is, though.

 

[ZeoVGM]

It has an 84 and rising. More 10s keep coming, it has over 15 now and dozens and dozens of 9s. It's not "divisive" at all. It's a good game by definition. If 84 is divisive, then I guess recent games like Gears 5 are divisive as well, which also has an 84, and I thought it was great.

Anything in 70s range and under is divisive.

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"Divisive" isn't based off a number.

Read the reviews, don't just look at scores.

 

[Voodoopeople]

I have to admit that my first thought at the 6.8 from IGN was "Ah good. Someone else that can't stand his thing". In a way it was strangely cathartic, so when other, far better reviews rolled in, I actually felt much more likely to get the game. I think I'd have been really annoyed had everyone given it 9s and 10s, because Kojimas shtick and the following it generates grates so much I'd feel like he'd fooled everyone all over again.

These scores are much more grounded. He makes, on balance, good games that some people think are amazing and others terrible. That's about where he lands. He's like Tarantino. Good but lauded so much by his fans that they never restrain his worst indulgences which tend to get the better of him.

 

[nachum00]

Would Resi 2 be included in GOTY nominee's since it's a remake?

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I mean its so drastically different from the original I not see how it wouldn't be included. Its not like they just threw in a fresh coat of paint like Medievil or something.

 

[MegaSackman]

I couldn't disagree with that IGN quote more.

On paper, yes, but it's the mechanics that completely change things up.

Here's the thing - most open world games focus on what happens when you arrive at your destination. The space between the objective and starting point is useless, empty space - you hold forward on the stick and you go. There's not usually much there.

Death Stranding inverts that - the arrival at your way point isn't usually the payoff - it's the journey.

Here's some examples..

I need to reach my objective in a stony field with large chasms running through it. I had a lot of things to carry and could barely walk with them so I loaded everything into a truck and hit the road. Unfortunately, I tried to jump a large chasm and missed - the truck fell into the chasm. Ruined, I climbed out of it and tried to consider my options. However, this commotion triggered a nearby camp (they have these pylons which scan for cargo). You can hear them above the chasm and then they start climbing down after me. So I open up the truck inventory quickly, grab a few supplies for combat and run.

Then I spent time taking out the patrol one by one (non-lethal - since killing leads to a voidout which blows a huge crater in the map).

After dispatching them, I returned to the truck and transported things piece by piece up the side of the chasm back to the surface. Carrying everything would be too difficult so I made my way to the bandit camp where the enemies had arrived from. Managed to steal one of their trucks and get back to my pile of stuff where I could load it up. I was able to continue my delivery route to the next way point until BTs appeared and the battery on the truck ran low (and since I wasn't in the Chrial network, I couldn't build a charge station). So I grabbed the key items for the mission and continued on foot, sneaking through BTs. Eventually, I made it to the top of a mountain (looking something like Mars at this point) and used the steep terrain as an excuse to run down the hill while trying to keep balance. Then - the objective was reached.

A simple little story but it's this type of occurrence - things going wrong on the road - that makes for such a memorable time.

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I'm so in on this.

 

[noyram23]

I don't think vocal hardcore players are the type to praise fetch quests. I don't see this catching on like Doom or DMC4 did online overtime.

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Fetch quest is such a reductive description for the game when there's too much system you have to consider when it comes to traversal. The fun is on the traversal, the planning, min maxing inventory, tools and direction.

 

[KernelC]

I don't think vocal hardcore players are the type to praise fetch quests. I don't see this catching on like Doom or DMC4 did online overtime.

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a friend of mine criticized me for beating Outer Worlds with a "speech playthrough" because I talked the final boss out of fighting me and he/she/it simply gave up. My friend (a huge devil may cry fan and your average "hardcore gamer") told me: "so you didn't play the game, that sounds boring."
Don't know why they think a game not focusing on combat means the game doesn't have gameplay worth playing!

 

[Koralsky]

I've already finished the game a few days ago - my review will be online (for a non-English media) in a day or two (I am also a full-time game developer). But looking at the IGN video review, IMO, we have another Alien Isolation situation - the structure of the review is very shallow (yes, I know we all have some huge NDA restrictions to conform) and need different angles when reviewing an unusual game like DS.

Dark1x DF's video, even though it is not a review article is much more informative about what the game is trying to do. As expected the DS will be a polarizing game, been so different in its execution, but IGN's approach, sadly, is a low-grade affair.

 

[HellofaMouse]

the fact that this is a big budget game that is trying something outside the norm alone makes it worth checking out in my opinion.

not sure if it makes it worth 60 dollars though, probably not..

 

[WhovianGamer]

Happy with those general reviews. I'm in.

This was never going to be a game that would get straight 9/10s for me.

 

[Jecht]

From the IGN review, thought this was interesting

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Conversely, this sounds awesome to me.

 

[dmr87]

Lot of people say MGS4 was shit, well, FU homies.

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A lot of people don't know what they're talking about.

 

[DixieDean82]

Imagine a movie on rotten tomatoes having an 84 and being called divisive. Shows how fucked up game scoring is.

 

[texhnolyze]

The game sounds tedious and annoying. What surprises me is what the good reviews focus on, the weirdness of story, the beautiful world, or just fawning over Kojima, I see no glowing reviews about the actual gameplay.

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He probably should just make a movie next time. Or maybe a seasonal TV series.

 

[SolidChamp]

I couldn't disagree with that IGN quote more.

On paper, yes, but it's the mechanics that completely change things up.

Here's the thing - most open world games focus on what happens when you arrive at your destination. The space between the objective and starting point is useless, empty space - you hold forward on the stick and you go. There's not usually much there.

Death Stranding inverts that - the arrival at your way point isn't usually the payoff - it's the journey.

Here's some examples..

I need to reach my objective in a stony field with large chasms running through it. I had a lot of things to carry and could barely walk with them so I loaded everything into a truck and hit the road. Unfortunately, I tried to jump a large chasm and missed - the truck fell into the chasm. Ruined, I climbed out of it and tried to consider my options. However, this commotion triggered a nearby camp (they have these pylons which scan for cargo). You can hear them above the chasm and then they start climbing down after me. So I open up the truck inventory quickly, grab a few supplies for combat and run.

Then I spent time taking out the patrol one by one (non-lethal - since killing leads to a voidout which blows a huge crater in the map).

After dispatching them, I returned to the truck and transported things piece by piece up the side of the chasm back to the surface. Carrying everything would be too difficult so I made my way to the bandit camp where the enemies had arrived from. Managed to steal one of their trucks and get back to my pile of stuff where I could load it up. I was able to continue my delivery route to the next way point until BTs appeared and the battery on the truck ran low (and since I wasn't in the Chrial network, I couldn't build a charge station). So I grabbed the key items for the mission and continued on foot, sneaking through BTs. Eventually, I made it to the top of a mountain (looking something like Mars at this point) and used the steep terrain as an excuse to run down the hill while trying to keep balance. Then - the objective was reached.

A simple little story but it's this type of occurrence - things going wrong on the road - that makes for such a memorable time.

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This sounds absolutely incredible. I love things like this.

 

[Phendrift]

I couldn't disagree with that IGN quote more.

On paper, yes, but it's the mechanics that completely change things up.

Here's the thing - most open world games focus on what happens when you arrive at your destination. The space between the objective and starting point is useless, empty space - you hold forward on the stick and you go. There's not usually much there.

Death Stranding inverts that - the arrival at your way point isn't usually the payoff - it's the journey.

Here's some examples..

I need to reach my objective in a stony field with large chasms running through it. I had a lot of things to carry and could barely walk with them so I loaded everything into a truck and hit the road. Unfortunately, I tried to jump a large chasm and missed - the truck fell into the chasm. Ruined, I climbed out of it and tried to consider my options. However, this commotion triggered a nearby camp (they have these pylons which scan for cargo). You can hear them above the chasm and then they start climbing down after me. So I open up the truck inventory quickly, grab a few supplies for combat and run.

Then I spent time taking out the patrol one by one (non-lethal - since killing leads to a voidout which blows a huge crater in the map).

After dispatching them, I returned to the truck and transported things piece by piece up the side of the chasm back to the surface. Carrying everything would be too difficult so I made my way to the bandit camp where the enemies had arrived from. Managed to steal one of their trucks and get back to my pile of stuff where I could load it up. I was able to continue my delivery route to the next way point until BTs appeared and the battery on the truck ran low (and since I wasn't in the Chrial network, I couldn't build a charge station). So I grabbed the key items for the mission and continued on foot, sneaking through BTs. Eventually, I made it to the top of a mountain (looking something like Mars at this point) and used the steep terrain as an excuse to run down the hill while trying to keep balance. Then - the objective was reached.

A simple little story but it's this type of occurrence - things going wrong on the road - that makes for such a memorable time.

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People will ignore this but thank you for providing such an in depth experience

 

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

A lot of people don't know what they're talking about.

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MGS4 has really fun gameplay scenarios.

The story is incredibly awful and up there with KH2 for one of the worst stories in gaming history. It just won't shut up... even though it's not saying anything.

 

[IamFlying]

German outlet 4players has a massive 13 page review from Jörg Luibl and he gave it a whopping
95/100 (which basically the highest score in years they gave)

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4players consist basically a bunch of "fanboys" with no self reflection. Luibis reviews are among the worst. He gets easily into the hype spiral.

 

[dreamfall]

I want that quiet Ico exploration and the slow mundane adventures. I can't wait to just marvel at how stunning the game looks and feels to inhabit, I'm so hyped!

 

[Butch]

From the IGN review, thought this was interesting

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Sounds amazing to me, I'm pretty sure I'm going to love this game after reading these reviews.