Death Stranding (2019)

I'm maybe half way done with this game. I like it, but I hate fighting BTs. I'm not bad at it, I just don't like it. It breaks up the serenity of the game. I have thought about switching to easy/very easy to avoid BT encounters, but it almost feels wrong. The game keeps adding ways to fight BTs, and I don't like any of them.

I'm nervous this game will end with some bad BT boss fight. Just let me do a long trip. Give me a zen experience, not a half baked ghost roast.

In my first playthrough, I made it to Episode 3 and quit. I don't know exactly why but I didn't like the game at all. I switched to play other games and I even forgot it was sitting on my shelf.

Then a few days ago, one of my friends visited me and he wanted to give Death Stranding a try. He was lucky because having already spent around 10 hours in the game, there was more stuff to do; bola guns, trucks, MULEs etc. He said that "it wasn't as bad as I told him" and he would like to play more.

So, I started over. And strangest thing happened: I started to like it! I realised that I didn't pay attention to story that much in my first try. Because probably my mind was clouded with the thought that "this shouldn't be the next Kojima game that we wanted".

It's not fair to say "this game is like every other games' side quests; you carry an object from point A to point B". No, you don't carry an object which disappears magically in your body and which has no effect on your movement at all. You REALLY feel like you are carrying something. You may still not like this idea but you have to give credit that it is a well crafted game mechanic. The attention to detail is amazing, as in every Kojima game.

So, what I don't like about the game? BTs. They are not much of a challenge, at least for now. When I encounter them I feel boredom instead of being excited.

And UI... The game starts as seeming very immersive with minimal HUD. Then the screen becomes cluttered very easily. I didn't try tweaking HUD options yet, so maybe that will solve my problem.

I should say that "it gets better starting from Episode 3" argument is meaningless. If you don't like it from the start, you won't like it ever. Yes, this game is not for everyone. But, which game is for everyone?

Man I'm finding this so amazing that I wanna kiss Kojima in the cheek. Goddarn what a madman!

I just wanted to comment on the controls: they are perfect! Whoever thinks they are janky doesn't realize they are as janky as riding a motorcycle through super uneven terrain.

Speaking of uneven terrain, this game's collision detection is kind of a miracle!

You ever see someone go with a terrible idea, but then they executed that idea so damn well that you couldn't help but respect the audacity? That's basically how I feel about Death Stranding.

Main Pros: The online stuff is real neat. Doing deliveries also sometimes felt therapeutic.

Main Cons: The writing is atrocious at times (you need someone to do a pass on your script Kojima), and the last few hours are the worst.

I mean, yes, there was technically a lot of good stuff in this. But what a fucking mess

Hideo mate, I love you, and I appreciate that you're trying to do something different. But just make a full length, non-Silent Hill trademarked PT, okay? That 2 hour long cutscene with 'gameplay' interspersed at the end reeeeeally tested my patience. Rubbish boss fights, endless fetch quests, vast beautiful landscapes with nothing to do in them but fall and flounder...I love a slow burner, but Christ.

Finally... adding more and more dialogue to desperately try to make sense of your story does not make it more profound. Frankly, I'm even annoyed at myself for giving this three stars, but something compelled me to play this for 40+ hours so...

'Press Triangle to take a shower' with Guillermo Del Toro is still probably my favourite button prompt ever, though.

im enjoying this. it's fun. i like to drive around and freaking whip dudes with the rope gun. im really glad i bought this at launch because its fun seeing the way that the community is just popping up over time.. im curious to learn more about the history of the world in this game, i really liked the backdrops of snatcher and policenauts, and the world seems to be built with a similar attention to minutiae (not that mgs's world didn't, but you access the world's backstory through a computer terminal those games, just like in this one. mgs is built out through more conversations, cutscenes, only getting a glimpse of the world through the main character's eyes)

im still pretty early in the game "ch. 3", (out of i have no idea how many) but one thing that surprises me so far is a relative lack of intrigue relative to other kojima games... like the main character doesnt really seem to have a lot of dramatic motivation... its there and its subtle, i understand, but where the other kojima games have a strong narrative draw conjoined with thoughtful and evolving levels, skills, and actions to keep me playing at all times, this one im just kind of playing for the second half of that equation. not a bad thing.. just that ive noticed a formal shift in the story he is telling in the first act of his newest game. it's got a vibe of its own. whether it is a slow build or just a chill game, i will discover soon enough.