Let me preface by saying that DS1 caught me completely off guard, as it did for many people, I presume. It's not the same feeling here.

After a short intro, we get in the flow of what feels like more missions from DS1. Some of them are really boring, and you get bombarded by tools you don't really need but are fun to use and ooze with style (shout out to the BT pokeball). I was a bit disappointed by the enemy diversity for a game that's supposedly more oriented toward action. Sure, we get introduced to the Ghost mechs faction, but they mostly feel like human characters in suits except for the elite ones. It would probably have been better if they didn't use guns.

But then from time to time you get some wonderful moments where you need to be more careful, or you need to prepare for extreme conditions of all kinds. This is where the game really shines, the weather system is a wonder with its sandstorms, clouds, fires and some more .... out there atmospheric disturbances. I'm not usually very impressed by graphics, but it's impossible to play this game without realizing that Sony cooked really hard with this engine and that DS2 is probably one of the most visually impressive games out there with Avatar. The first Nirvana mission especially is really one of those moments where you have to sit and realize how far gaming tech has come.

Last but not least, the story, and here it's definitely more digest, probably because the most complex topics are already introduced in DS1, and for sure it doesn't seem as inventive because it's the same world, the same lore, and the overall narrative structure of the game feels maybe a bit too close. But damn, the cast and cutscenes make it so charming. Even the dialog for the side missions with some of the NPCs are really cool (big up for the Musician and the Animal Shelter staff). I got pretty burned out by side stuff mid-game though and tunneled through the second part and was rewarded by the most epic ending sequence ever.

I'd say that I disagree with the take that if you didn't enjoy DS1 you might still like DS2. Sure the pace is a bit less "slow burny" mostly because you get vehicules very early, but it's still the same elements that make it outstanding, creative direction, super immersive graphics, soundtrack that makes it very chill to just sit back and deliver packages on a sunday morning. And most of all, some really intense highs that make the game memorable. I'm just really glad that there are still games out there that manage to get such a big budget for amazing cutscenes that are artistically amazing. And if I have to drive through Australia outback for 30 hours to get there, it's well worth it in my opinion.

4.5/5

Death Stranding 2 takes almost everything from the first game and makes it better. The graphics look incredible, there are new toys to use for deliveries, new types of enemies, new mechanics I don't want to spoil here that don't get introduced until almost halfway through the game! Two big things that were downgraded in my opinion this time around was the story, and the diversity of the environment. The story was a continuation of the first, but with the training wheels taken off. It's wild how someone can come up with this massive, vast story with an incredible vision but at the same time name a character who is trapped in a doll "dollman". It's as if he puts all his creativity into the world building, but runs out by the time it comes to naming the characters. As in typical Kojima fashion as well, you get drip fed the story throughout the game until the very end where you get almost full length movie cutscenes that explain (kind of?) everything.

The game is still great, and the moment to moment gameplay is addicting as hell. I would put on a movie, podcast, or sporting event and just go around building roads, ziplines, other forms of transportation for hours. I'd almost argue a third of my playtime was doing just that. The game does let you go back into the world and do more deliveries and other side quests after finishing the main story, which you'll definitely want to do as there is so much content to this game. I think I only maxed out relationships with 3 or 4 bases throughout my play time, despite the higher a relationship the better gear you will get. Unfortunately though some of that can make the end game too easy.

There's a heavier focus on combat this time around, and much less focus on the BTs. They are not nearly as intimidating as they were in the first game. You also very quickly get so many options for dispatching the various enemies (sniper rifle OP) that the only 2 or 3 times I did was either from getting caught in the terrain via a glitch, or something dumb that I did. This is not a difficult game by any means, but still a very enjoyable one.