Death Stranding (DC) [XBSX|S, PS4, PS5, PC]

[manux]

It's so when you have to repeat the same gameplay mechanics during hours 30-48 you reminisce about the first 18 hours?

My interpretation of tedious beginning is

Spoiler

it is meant to make one appreciate the results of building. Building makes moving supplies less tedious. It also helps to appreciate help from strangers. Also it emphasizes the isolation aspect as the game is meant to be giant postman show to connect nation

 

[Rootax]

Problem is, for now, there is nothing unique. Go from A to B is the basic for a looot of games. In this case Kojima didn't even try to build a gameplay around that fact. It's a apocalyptique paperboy reboot (ok ok I'm going to far).
I added some hours last night, I like the multiplayer aspect, even if I don't really now how it's working.

 

[London Geezer]

Honestly, the first couple of hours are tedious as hell. I’d very much recommend not doing the optional deliveries in the first two or three chapters. Keep going with the story, as that really opens the gameplay up and makes it a lot better - you just have to focus on the story missions so that you get those extra “Things” that turn the game from a walking simulator to a more action/adventure one.

 

[upnorthsox]

Honestly, the first couple of hours are tedious as hell. I’d very much recommend not doing the optional deliveries in the first two or three chapters. Keep going with the story, as that really opens the gameplay up and makes it a lot better - you just have to focus on the story missions so that you get those extra “Things” that turn the game from a walking simulator to a more action/adventure one.

Yep, akin to some grinder rpg's where for the first few hours everything is insta-death so you learn to just runaway until you've leveled up enough to fight. Its hard for the OCD'ers but it does get better.
Story wise, I think its more akin to a FF game than a MGS techno dump. If FF story telling does nothing for you than neither will this.

 

[London Geezer]

Without spoiling anything, the end left me crying and sobbing like a little baby. Embarrassing but that’s how good it was.

But yes, best advice I can give is to forget about optional missions in the first 2-3 (maybe 4?) chapters and just do the story, so you get weapons and items that generally make the game a much nicer experience.

 

[Rootax]

So, 20 hours in, I tried to love this game, but I can't. In some brief moments, I really liked the vibe, but most of the time, it was very bland. Some of the story is shaping up, but it's not interesting at all, or at least not enough to endure the non-existant gameplay. The async multiplayer is really nice, but after the pleasant surprise moment gone, well... same thing, it's not enough.
- The story doesn't interest me. Which after 20 hours is bad. If it gets better after, well, too late.
- Sam is boring, why should I care about him ? Did Kojima ever played to games like mass effect, the witcher, dragon age, the last of us, etc ? Where characters are important and you feel connected to them ?
- The audio part : the musics are great in the sense that it fits the world very well. But most of the time there is none. Like the studio didn't have a sound team or whatever.
- The gameplay... Finding a good route is sometime fun, with the ladders, ropes, etc, but you can't base a whole game on that. The vehicules are not fun to drive at all, especially the bikes, having trouble with small rocks... And the constant back&forth is not fun either. I really don't get the take of John (of Digital Foundry) who enjoyed the experience a lot. Nothing happens. Even the BTs, a kind of selling point for the game, don't matter. One is in your way ? Pop a grenade, done. They are removable rocks.

It may seems rude, or a sort of "rage quit" post, but... I saw the light from time to time, like "oh ok, I rarely felt that in a game", but it was way to short and not often enough to make it for the lack of interest in the story, the simplistic gameplay, the very limited "message/theme" of the game...
I was expecting a great adventure, with a strong story and a robust gameplay. None of that. Worst thing is, this "game" doesn't respect my time imo. And I hate that, in most aspect of my life. Respect my (our) time, it's important.

I really like Kojima, but this time, imo of course, he proves his critics right. The dude have serious problem building a decent story and gameplay mechanics around his story. + the pacing is problematic too.

Ganted I "only" put 20 hours in, but If you need more to enjoy this, something is wrong.

Such a let down.

 

[Scott_Arm]

...
Ganted I "only" put 20 hours in, but If you need more to enjoy this, something is wrong.
...

This is like when I played Diablo 3 and during Act 1 I was thinking to myself that I didn't like the game at all. My friends said, "Wait until you get to Act 2. That's when the real game starts." So I got to act 2, and I didn't like it and they said, "Wait until you get to Act 3, that's when it gets really good." This went on through the full game, and then the expansion and the story became, "Well the REAL game starts in the end-game," so I did that and it I hated it to. Their story changed to, "Well, the end-game only gets good once you hit greater lift level blah and such and such." Sometimes you just know what you like and it's better to quit while you're ahead and not give up tens or hundreds of hours of your time for nothing. I put quite a bit of time into Diablo 3, but according to these friends I "never even played the REAL game" after having finished all of the content and doing the end game for weeks.

 

[Betanumerical]

Just finished it today. I liked it but the game is 100% not for everyone.

 

[chris1515]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1234510041845092352

This what Kojima Productions wanted to talk about.

 

[PSman1700]

Nice with higher framerates, photomode and and ultra wide, but half life content, what?

 

[novcze]

Nice with higher framerates, photomode and and ultra wide, but half life content, what?

most likely instead of Horizon Zero Dawn content

 

[DieH@rd]

but half life content, what?

https://twitter.com/x/status/1057761560276299776

Gaben is his bestie.

 

[BRiT]

Gabe is the new Boss in the first DLC for PC...

 

[PSman1700]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1057761560276299776

Gaben is his bestie.

Maybe the next half life is going to have death stranding content then

 

[AlNom]

Gabe is the new Boss in the first DLC for PC...

He's stopping you from delivering a mysterious lambda³ package?

 

[BRiT]

He's stopping you from delivering a mysterious lambda³ package?

He's chasing you the entire time thinking you have GrubHub deliveries? Or at least Cake.

 

[PSman1700]

He's chasing you the entire time thinking you have GrubHub deliveries? Or at least Cake.

Gitgud.

 

[orangpelupa]

Just finished it today. I liked it but the game is 100% not for everyone.

if playing with cheats and mods, do you think it can be more fun for those that got bored with DS?

I'm curious because DS looks interesting but boring. In other games, for example JRPG, i usually skip the boring part using cheats. For open world games, i usually use mods or mod the game myself according to my taste. But i'm not so sure with DS. Because from what i saw thru gameplay videos, the "boring" is a crucial part of the gameplay experience and design. Like when fiddling with what stuff to carry, the crying baby, the walking simulator part.....

its the main reason i didnt buy it on PS4 and waiting for PC version. I'm afraid I will be instantly bored and wasted money just like when i bough RDR2 on PS4.

second reason

Spoiler

my ps4 pro is bloody loud. Will be pretty annoying for playing a game like DS that have tons of "down time".

 

[Nesh]

Maybe the next half life is going to have death stranding content then

That would be cool since they can have some over their themes interconnected, you know, with alternate dimensions and things like that

 

[Betanumerical]

Problem is, for now, there is nothing unique. Go from A to B is the basic for a looot of games. In this case Kojima didn't even try to build a gameplay around that fact. It's a apocalyptique paperboy reboot (ok ok I'm going to far).
I added some hours last night, I like the multiplayer aspect, even if I don't really now how it's working.

I believe the way multiplayer works isn't a spoiler but just incase.

Spoiler

I think it works by connecting you to players within the same 'shard' as you. What this means, and how this is calculated is a mystery to me (for example I am geographically close to a friend that plays but we are not within the same 'shard' as each other). Within this shard you are selected a random assortment of players per area and within those players your are displayed and can interact with a random assortment of the buildings that they have built.

The amount of buildings of a given player you see depends on your 'connection' level with them which you can increase by interacting with the players buildings and some other things (kinda maybe?).

I think it generates some interesting scenarios where you end up kinda being the connecting thread being a random assortment of buildings that you can see of a number of players.

I have no proof for any of this aside from what I've observed.

if playing with cheats and mods, do you think it can be more fun for those that got bored with DS?

I'm curious because DS looks interesting but boring. In other games, for example JRPG, i usually skip the boring part using cheats. For open world games, i usually use mods or mod the game myself according to my taste. But i'm not so sure with DS. Because from what i saw thru gameplay videos, the "boring" is a crucial part of the gameplay experience and design. Like when fiddling with what stuff to carry, the crying baby, the walking simulator part.....

its the main reason i didnt buy it on PS4 and waiting for PC version. I'm afraid I will be instantly bored and wasted money just like when i bough RDR2 on PS4.

second reason

Spoiler

my ps4 pro is bloody loud. Will be pretty annoying for playing a game like DS that have tons of "down time".

I feel like changing thinks drastically like that may change the experience. If you wanna play that changed game that's up to you, the story is at least in itself interesting kinda movie likes (like MGS).