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

[Bear]

"Great" how Kojima retweets this and all other comments are how IGN (US) never really played the game and is bad and horrible and the usual bullshit.
Thanks Kojima for making their life a better place by signal boosting this crap.

Geez

Click to shrink...

This kind of behavior says all you need to know about Kojima as an "auteur".

 

[nelsonroyale]

But what if the film was boring, frustrating, and slog to get through AND not fun? Still a excellent film?

Click to shrink...

I mean you ignore the actual positives they assign to it, so your question is highly skewed...I also think making seem as if fun is the only positive experiential emotion is stupid.

 

[FormatCompatible]

"Great" how Kojima retweets this and all other comments are how IGN (US) never really played the game and is bad and horrible and the usual bullshit.
Thanks Kojima for making their life a better place by signal boosting this crap.

Geez

Click to shrink...

Oh c'mon Kojima!

 

[Deleted member 176]

Edge gave it a 1?

Click to shrink...

they aren't reviewing it

 

[nib95]

"Great" how Kojima retweets this and all other comments are how IGN (US) never really played the game and is bad and horrible and the usual bullshit.
Thanks Kojima for making their life a better place by signal boosting this crap.

Geez

Click to shrink...

There's nothing wrong with him retweeting that or highlighting how IGN US's score is an outlier low score among the IGN outlets. It's his game, he needs it to be successful, and obviously review optics is part of that.

Also, what stupid things other people say with regards to the lower review isn't exactly Kojima's fault. That's on them.

On a side note, IGN Latin America gave it a 9.8 and IGN Brasil gave it a 9.0.

 

[cavegift]

Alright, reading reviews makes it seem like it's what I really hoped: combat-minimal, mechanically-dense postman simulator. As someone who adored just wandering around in RDR2 and BOTW I'm happy. I'm also so sick of Kojima story bullshit this decade that I'm ready to skip every cutscene. Peace Walker was the last Kojima story that actually had any weight, it really feels like he went from having a finger on the pulse of the future in MGS2 to uh. Having fewer and fewer prescient or interesting things to say each time around since.

There's nothing wrong with him retweeting that or highlighting how IGN US's score is an outlier low score among the IGN outlets. It's his game, he needs it to be successful, and obviously review optics is part of that.

Click to shrink...

If you're the highly visible director of a multi-million dollar flagship game you kind of have a responsibility of handling the optics of your game. Which definitely involves trying to mitigate death threats that your fanbase sends to reviewers, or maybe examining why fans of your games seem rabid enough to send death threats to people that don't like your game.

 

[RedMercury]

Oh I agree with you, I am not using the "too deep to understand" argument here as someone else pointed out. Im not at all trying to discredit those that didn't enjoy the game. All I am really trying to say is that Kojima's perception of fun when creating the game might not align with what the end product presents and/or most of the players actually enjoy in a game. Which really is a risk that every game developer will go through whenever they try to create something too different or risky. What I said is that, despite all these things I (as in a single person) will probably still find enjoyment in playing it due to the fact that things I value in a game like story, character development and social interaction will still be there. That's all I meant.

Click to shrink...

I agree with this. I think Kojima takes a lot of joy in the small details, and in using systems to reflect his vision and attempt to make a more immersive experience. For someone like me, it just comes off as too much to keep track of and over-complicating things, but I understand what he's trying to do.

 

[Pariah]

The fact it's not scoring perfect 10s makes me more excited.

Click to shrink...

It's actually tied with RE 2 as the game with more 10s this year.

 

[TransEuropaExpress]

If it ends up being really shitty, I secretly hope he has to go back to Konami to make MGSVI: The Phantom Pain II but Ground Zeroes style due to time restriction. Yeah boi

notevensorry.gif

Wait, is this real or a joke?

Click to shrink...

I...don't even know at this point...?

 

[KernelC]

I told you it wouldn't beat Luigi's Mansion 3.

Click to shrink...

THE PROPHET, THEY TIED

 

[ANDS]

It's getting 10s from outlets that the reviews do not read like a 10. That's why. It's just odd

Click to shrink...

. . .for example? I'm looking at the perfect score reviews and none of them are unclear about why they loved the game; warts and all.

 

[RevengeTaken]

PushSquare - 10/10

Hideo Kojima's Next Revolutionary Masterpiece

Click to shrink...

 

[Deleted member 21858]

Kojima thinks way too much of himself, and Im saying this as someone that has MGS3 as one of my favorite games of all time. I think that at least nowadays Myiazaki deserves way more credit for his games than Kojima.

 

[BossAttack]

There's nothing wrong with him retweeting that or highlighting how IGN US's score is an outlier low score among the IGN outlets. It's his game, he needs it to be successful, and obviously review optics is part of that.

Also, what stupid things other people say with regards to the lower review isn't exactly Kojima's fault. That's on them.

On a side note, IGN Latin America gave it a 9.8 and IGN Brasil gave it a 9.0.

Click to shrink...

It is absolutely wrong. It implies US IGN made a mistake and is being contrarian to the rest of the world that loves the game.

It's not his job to weigh in on reviews.

 

[chimpsteaks]

I think I'm going to wait to see what people say about the game in retrospect in a month or two, once the launch madness dies down

 

[Komali]

"Great" how Kojima retweets this and all other comments are how IGN (US) never really played the game and is bad and horrible and the usual bullshit.
Thanks Kojima for making their life a better place by signal boosting this crap.

Geez

Click to shrink...

IGN US is probably salty that the game's message isn't something like "Murrica" and Kojima knows that.

 

[MechaMarmaset]

Oh my god, I'm watching the Giant Bomb Quick Look right now. Let's say you ignore every single thing these guys say. Let's say you assume they're 100% wrong on everything they say. Let's say that every word they speak is a lie. The actual gameplay of this actual pizza delivery speaks for itself. Yikes. I'm dying laughing over here watching his motorcycle go 10 mph as he delivers a pizza. This can't be real.

Click to shrink...

Yeah the bike gameplay looks really bad in some spots. The only place where it seems natural is when it's on the charge strips on highways. That's the only time I've seen it go fast enough to feel like a bike. Other times the thing is going practically walking speed as Sam jerks it oddly to the left or right.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

Why would you think that when a number of Kojima loving outlets/reviewers have given it a lukewarm score? It doesn't make sense at all. Like I said this is not the type of game that has gotten universal praise, 10/10, GOTY in the bag etc.. So reviewers shouldn't/wouldn't be worried about "rocking the boat" and upsetting Kojima etc... They know they're playing a game that polarises opinions, so if they truly didn't like it they would have said so been in good company with number of other reviews. But they didn't, do you know why? Because they actually liked the game. Shocker I know....

I'm actually really surprised we're STILL getting comments like this given how the game scored. No offence but I think comments like yours go to show that some people truly do make their minds up about a game early and then shape narratives to fit their beliefs.

Click to shrink...

I literally read multiple reviews that called the game out for being boring and frustrating and then still gave it a 9.5 or a 10.

Keep in mind, it's got nothing to do with rocking the boat or upsetting Kojima. What I have been saying all along is that people have very personal relationships with Kojima and his games. And subconsciously, those feelings may influence the way they allow certain flaws or drawbacks to alter the way they decide to score a game at the end of a review. This is how subjectivity works, and this is also why numerical scores don't fucking work.

Look at me. I'm a cynical piece of shit, yet I make excuses for Kingdom Hearts despite knowing how dumb it is, because I have a personal, emotional connection with Kingdom Hearts. Square Enix isn't paying me, Tetsuya Nomura and I aren't friends. And you know I'm harsh as hell with most things. But I'm going to find ways to tank or otherwise ignore things in KH that would be dealbreakers for me in other RPG franchises I don't have a personal connection with. Again, this is how subjectivity works.

 

[Johnnybarra]

Wait, I just read one hour cutscenes and my balls ached. Lord have mercy.

Click to shrink...

Oh, hell yeah. I loved those long cutscenes in MGS4 and I sorely missed them in MGS V.

Bring it on.

 

[Deleted member 7148]

Redbox will be carrying this game. I think I'm just going to rent it and play around with it and see if it clicks with me. There's so many more games I can spend $60 on this month that I know I will enjoy rather than taking a risk with this one.

I've watched several video reviews and the gameplay just looks totally unappealing, but the world looks fascinating to explore. It's like I want to experience it but I also know I probably won't enjoy playing it. Just like what happened with RDR2 for me.

 

[DOBERMAN INC]

I actually think you're super close to the truth. And everything you described culminated in me cancelling my subscription to them.
The thing with Giant Bomb is that I don't think they gave DS really a chance. Since the beginning they've been goofing and laughing about it. So them now ripping into it comes to no suprise at all. Dan is definitely no Kojima fan. He likes Metal Gear. And him hoping DS would be like MGS was a dud from the beginning.
And it's not like DS is the first game they acted like this over. It's a continuous cycle with them. If you told me everyone on their teams disliked videogames in general I would instantly believe that.

That's one thing I see in a lot of DS reviews so far. Publications that are often down on games for being to "similar" to others in the genre, now get something that is very unlike anything out there. And they still hate on it. And saying that the story doesn't go anywhere, when the story is actually one of the main things being praised in most other ones?

Okay.

Click to shrink...

What? Dan loves Kojima and specifically said he didn't want this to be another Metal Gear game, he wanted something completely new.
It didn't meet his expectations but you would have to spin an incredible web to somehow turn him into a Kojima hater.

 

[Deleted member 10737]

I don't know. Hundreds of people in each of these review threads brings up Opencritic so vestan knows at this point lots of people use it here but he chooses not to include them.

Click to shrink...

hm... that's weird.

 

[Idoru]

"Great" how Kojima retweets this and all other comments are how IGN (US) never really played the game and is bad and horrible and the usual bullshit.
Thanks Kojima for making their life a better place by signal boosting this crap.

Geez

Click to shrink...

American publications being trash? That's really nothing new.

 

[Aaron D.]

Well as a Farming Simulator fanboy, I think this will be right up my alley.

I'm not being sarcastic at all, btw. The joys of FS have legit taught me about the value of Zen gameplay loops. Same can be said about Euro Truck Simulator 2.

Titles that can look super mundane or boring on the surface to many, but prove very satisfying for those aligned with the the genre's slow pacing.

I've been skeptical over stranding from the start. But I'm finding the "cons" voiced in reviews actually being "pros" for game systems I value in many of my favorite titles.

Now I'm bummed that PC release is lagging behind PS4 (I don't own any consoles).

 

[Bacon]

IGN US is probably salty that the game's message isn't something like "Murrica" and Kojima knows that.

Click to shrink...

🤡🤡🤡

 

[Deleted member 54292]

So does the STRAND GENRE have it's foot hold in the gaming industry now?

 

[newmoneytrash]

IGN US is probably salty that the game's message isn't something like "Murrica" and Kojima knows that.

Click to shrink...

What?

 

[sortofdotdotdot]

I don't know if that's fair to say. MGS1 kind of revolutionized video game narrative when it came out. Kojima gets credit for that, for sure.

It may not be one of the most intelligent stories in gaming history but it was ABSOLUTELY important to why that game was so well-received when it came out.

Click to shrink...

Thats a good point. And MGS 2 does have that whole scene with the Colonel where he predicts the future of social dynamics on the internet. But a lot of it has always been heavy handed, thats part of the charm imo. Made the Metal Gear games feel like a cheesy blockbuster action movie in the best way.

Maybe thats not the case here since combat doesnt seem to be the main draw

 

[FormatCompatible]

IGN US is probably salty that the game's message isn't something like "Murrica" and Kojima knows that.

Click to shrink...

What does that even mean.

 

[Artdayne]

The divisiveness is legit cracking me up!!!!!!!!!!!!

I honestly might hate this game, I kinda doubt it, but I'm so excited to play it simply because it's so contentious, it's not focus tested safe art. If it's going to fail, it will do so swinging for the fences, and I like that.

 

[GMT Master]

American publications being trash? That's really nothing new.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, that must be it.

 

[Patitoloco]

IGN US is probably salty that the game's message isn't something like "Murrica" and Kojima knows that.

Click to shrink...

lol this thread is peaking really hard in the last few pages

 

[Wink784]

Not being a regular viewer of Giant Bomb, I still have listened to their year end awards podcasts for a long time and also used looking forward to them. In the last couple years I've noticed that I'm not fond of that particular event anymore. It often seemed to me like a more intellectual or emotionally intelligent viewpoint was either missing or drowned out. I'm not trying to accuse them of something, but it just isn't for me anymore. Don't know if they have changed or I have. And I'm glad people can relate to the opinions of Jeff and Dan and the others, most of them are veterans of the industry.
Since what I said is a very broad statement I will give one specific example I remember that turned me off. In the God of War consideration it was brought up that Atreus was annoying, especially in one scene where it was a) intentional and b)

Spoiler

somewhat accidentally the fault of Kratos giving him alcohol

and then dismissed as didn't make sense or even bad writing. In a room of 10 people not a one had either paid enough attention to that scene or retained it in memory long enough to bring up that point, or maybe cutting the little boy who lost his mother and is being turned into a savage killer by his gruff father in order to survive some slack or viewing it as a storytelling device and it felt so wrong that didn't come up in a meaningful way (always possible I remember it wrong as well). I have a few experiences like this with them, even though I'm sure many members have said very smart and sensitive things about the content of videogames at GB. Yet I don't think the majority of the staff jives with me personally, so all this complaining about DS doesn't worry me at all.

 

[Deleted member 224]

American publications being trash? That's really nothing new.

Click to shrink...

Lol ok now come on

 

[NuclearCake]

Peace Walker was a good story. So...

Click to shrink...

It wasn't a disaster but good? I don't think so. It had a neat theme but some of the plot points were whack. I don't see how it stacks anywhere near MGS1-3. It did complete Big Boss's downfall at the very least.

MGS4 has an enjoyable story given how bat-shit insane and totally tongue-in-cheek it gets. MGS4 remains the best example of never giving fans what they want.

Click to shrink...

Well it wasn't a good game so you are right about that, but on a story level, MGS4 was overbearing with how much fanservice it was cramming down everyone's throat. It was giving fans EXACTLY what they were begging for since MGS2 and that's the problem. It's why the story sucked. Bat-shit inane doesn't mean it's good. Especially if the crappy story came at the expense of the gameplay.

Let's not even go into MGS4 having the worst story epilogue ending i have ever seen in a game.

 

[dmr87]

Did anybody at Giant bomb like it? Seems like a lot of them are playing it.

Click to shrink...

Vinny and Alex completed it with a playtime around 60 hours, they don't hate it but they don't love it either. Dan is shitting on it which is too bad cause I wanted him to love it so him and Jeff can argue about it during the GOTY discussions.

 

[Lant_War]

what narrative?

Click to shrink...

If you ignore all bad scores, you can create the narrative that it's unanimously praised
If you ignore all good scores, you can create the narrative that it's something horrible that nobody liked
The truth is, all scores count. That's why it's divisive.

 

[Belthazar90]

It was bound to be very divisive, but still sitting at 84 despite that is an impressive feat. Just means the highs were really high and the lows were not that low (bar that ridiculous 3/10 review)

 

[Linus815]

There's nothing wrong with him retweeting that or highlighting how IGN US's score is an outlier low score among the IGN outlets. It's his game, he needs it to be successful, and obviously review optics is part of that.

Also, what stupid things other people say with regards to the lower review isn't exactly Kojima's fault. That's on them.

On a side note, IGN Latin America gave it a 9.8 and IGN Brasil gave it a 9.0.

Click to shrink...

it literally invites mob mentality. And Kojima should know better, as someone in his position.

Also IGN germany gave it 7.9
IGN poland gave it 7.6

it's not nearly as unified as that tweet implies.

 

[Idoru]

Yeah, that must be it.

Click to shrink...

Says the triggered american.

 

[Lobster Roll]

Yeah the bike gameplay looks really bad in some spots. The only place where it seems natural is when it's on the charge strips on highways. That's the only time I've seen it go fast enough to feel like a bike. Other times the thing is going practically walking speed as Sam jerks it oddly to the left or right.

Click to shrink...

Not just that, though. I'm a huge gameplay > narrative type of player. The fact that they're saying "this is the gameplay loop" is a bad, bad sign to me. I can only be carried so much by a compelling narrative in a game, and if it's to the point where the actual "hands on the controller" gameplay is just these boring deliveries, I can't see myself buying this game. I'll watch some of my favorite streamers to get the narrative and Kojima weirdness. Otherwise, it sounds like a chore when actually *playing*.

 

[BakedTanooki]

So, long Kojima cutscenes are back? Absolutely loved them in MGS4. I was pretty bummed about the low amounts of cutscenes and how short they were in MGS5, compared to previous titles.

 

[Asriel]

American publications being trash? That's really nothing new.

Click to shrink...

LOL. Was waiting for posts like these.

 

[RedMercury]

What a ridiculous take. By EVERY metric possible, he has made a good game if not a universally good game. INFINITE JEST is a good book, but some people absolutely loathe it. That doesn't mean the talent and craft isn't evident.

Click to shrink...

I don't understand how you feel this way.

 

[laxu]

I dont think stories have ever been Kojima's strong suit (Liquid reincarnated into an arm)

Its the gameplay scenarios within those stories that make his games truly unique

Click to shrink...

I think his stories are some of the most unique in the industry. Yes they are confusing and convoluted but you come back just to witness what crazy things he has come up with again. They are certainly not the best written by any measure, but they are always interesting and different. If Death Stranding was say a standard cover shooter the story alone would carry it.

Doing things with gameplay that most other developers don't bother doing is just adding on top of that.

 

[Pitchfork]

IGN US is probably salty that the game's message isn't something like "Murrica" and Kojima knows that.

Click to shrink...

What a fucking post wow

 

[Baccus]

Kojima should really be allowed to direct a movie.

 

[luther manhole]

Says the triggered american.

Click to shrink...

really?

 

[Artdayne]

It seems to me that those reviews that largely agree with the more negative ones in terms of their characterization of the gameplay yet continue to give it a good score are those that want videogames to be taken seriously as an art form and all that, so they want Death Stranding to be proof of this. The ones with the negative scores are those reviewers who are more the of the view that videogames fundamentally should be entertaining. If you're of the latter type, as I am, I think you're almost certainly going to hate this game, too. If you're the former, you might be able to put up with the gameplay to get through the story. But even then, some reviewers are saying that even the story, dialogue, etc. is pretty bad.

Click to shrink...

I've played too many MMOs to belong to the latter group. I think something that video games can also be is relaxing and also feel satisfying and rewarding when you've invested time towards something that is meaningful in the game.

 

[Deleted member 224]

There's nothing wrong with him retweeting that or highlighting how IGN US's score is an outlier low score among the IGN outlets. It's his game, he needs it to be successful, and obviously review optics is part of that.

Also, what stupid things other people say with regards to the lower review isn't exactly Kojima's fault. That's on them.

On a side note, IGN Latin America gave it a 9.8 and IGN Brasil gave it a 9.0.

Click to shrink...

Why is a developer talking about reviews like this at all? Like, have some tact

 

[nib95]

It is absolutely wrong. It implies US IGN made a mistake and is being contrarian to the rest of the world that loves the game.

It's not his job to weigh in on reviews.

Click to shrink...

No it doesn't. It just highlights the fact that IGN US liked it less than every other IGN site. The 'mistake' narrative you've conjured yourself.

Reviews are ultimately subjective takes, hence mistakes don't even come into it. It's a personal opinion which people can either disagree or agree with. One person just enjoyed it less than the other 6, and Kojima merely highlighted that (presumably to draw attention to how other IGN outlets loved it, thus improving the public perception of the game).