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

Final predictions for Death Stranding?

  • 95-99 (Same as MGS2)

    Votes: 101 6.4%
  • 90-94 (Same as MGS, MGS3, MGS4, MGSV)

    Votes: 487 30.7%
  • 85-89 (Same as MGS: PW)

    Votes: 512 32.3%
  • 80-84

    Votes: 279 17.6%
  • 75-79

    Votes: 135 8.5%
  • <75

    Votes: 73 4.6%

  • Total voters
    1,587
  • Poll closed .

Renfran

Alt Account
Banned
Aug 28, 2018
3,325
Not for this issue. I highly doubt they wont put out a review at all. The only reason they couldnt put it out for this issue was because they didnt beat it and that was a precursor for getting the game early and publishing a review early.
No. They aren't reviewing the game, period. Not this issue, not next issue. They aren't reviewing the game in January either and it wouldn't make any sense as it's 3 months later and start of next year. It's pretty clear they're not interested. It's not because they didn't finish it, it's because they don't want to finish it.

But the MC will stay high because of it so why does it matter.
 

More_Badass

Member
Oct 25, 2017
20,911
No. They aren't reviewing the game, period. They've been clear about that. It's not because they didn't finish it, it's because they don't want to finish it.
The equivalent of walking out of the theater. I wish that was more acceptable/open to discussing in the medium. Someone like Ebert would not mince words when he was reviewing/discussing a movie that made him walk out.
 

nib95

Contains No Misinformation on Philly Cheesesteaks
Banned
Oct 28, 2017
17,995
It goes both ways. Exclusives certainly gets more hate but they also get more love. A multiplat with the same score needs to be really special to get the same hype, love and talk.
What makes things super weird is the many people here still have all platforms. Why are so many flocking around the exclusives?
To be fair, exclusives tend to be the bigger platform showcase games, and I also find that I sometimes (though far from always) end up enjoying certain exclusives over multiplatform stuff, this goes for all the platforms.

If you head to this thread I made about people's all time favourite games and trends among them, you'll notice exclusives inadvertently feature very prominently among them.

And this isn't exactly exclusive to Era members, if you check out Metacritic top rated games on PS4, Switch etc, or any of the major publication all time top games, again, exclusives are going to occupy a healthy portion of the top highest rated titles, even though statistically they're less commonly released than multiplatform titles.

Your Top 25 Games of All Time, with a brief analysis of your own list

I don't really know why this phenomenon exists, but if I had to take a guess I'd imagine it may be because exclusives are permitted a more curated or concentrated development effort, since the studio is only having to focus on a single platform or two (PC), thus the attention to detail or focus can sometimes be greater. Especially if that title is intended to be a platform showpiece, and thus may not be beholden to typical multiplatform development schedules or more ridgid financial or revenue expectations.
 
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daninthemix

Member
Nov 2, 2017
3,331
It goes both ways. Exclusives certainly gets more hate but they also get more love. A multiplat with the same score needs to be really special to get the same hype, love and talk.
What makes things super weird is the many people here still have all platforms. Why are so many flocking around the exclusives?
This is all so true. Exclusives get both defended and attacked much more vehemently than equivalent (in a Metacritic / critical reception sense) third-party releases.
 

eso76

Member
Dec 8, 2017
4,455
Just watched a twitch live with two friends from the local ign discussing it.

They were incredibly passionate about it and the chat went on like 2hrs without spoiling anything.
They absolutely love it, like 'revolutionary GOTG and VG milestone' love it.
Neither of them was ever especially into Kojima stuff either.
 

Love Machine

Member
Oct 29, 2017
2,346
Tokyo, Japan
Wow, Stranding was always going to be divisive, but damn...

Still, some of those low scoring reviews read like people already had a bone to pick with the game long before they played it.

Edit:
Nathan Brown putting the edge in Edge.
 

Fredrik

Member
Oct 27, 2017
9,003
To be fair, exclusives tend to be the bigger platform showcase games, and I also find that I sometimes (though far from always) end up enjoying certain exclusives over multiplatform stuff, this goes for all the platforms.

If you head to this thread I made about people's all time favourite games and trends among them, you'll notice exclusives inadvertently feature very prominently among them.

And this isn't exactly exclusive to Era members, if you check out Metacritic top rated games on PS4, Switch etc, or any of the major publication all time top games, again, exclusives are going to occupy a healthy portion of the top highest rated titles, even though statistically they're less commonly released than multiplatform titles.

Your Top 25 Games of All Time, with a brief analysis of your own list

I don't really know why this phenomenon exists, but if I had to take a guess I'd imagine it may be because exclusives are permitted a more curated or concentrated development effort, since the studio is only having to focus on a single platform or two (PC), thus the attention to detail or focus can sometimes be greater. Especially if that title is intended to be a platform showpiece, and thus may not be beholden to typical multiplatform development schedules or more ridgid financial or revenue expectations.
I know exclusives often are good, but not always, yet everybody flocks around them, like all the time no matter how small they are, hating on them, hyping them, even though so many here have all consoles.
It would be logical if people just owned one console but that's very far from the truth at least here.
 

nib95

Contains No Misinformation on Philly Cheesesteaks
Banned
Oct 28, 2017
17,995
I know exclusives often are good, but not always, yet everybody flocks around them, like all the time no matter how small they are, hating on them, hyping them, even though so many here have all consoles.
It would be logical if people just owned one console but that's very far from the truth at least here.
I'm not really sure that's necessary always true. It really depends on what sort of exclusive it is, eg whether it's a tentpole exclusive or not. It's not like people were or are flocking around MediEvil or Concrete Genie in the same way.

In-fact, I'd argue there was far more positive hype around games like RE2R and Sekiro than many of the exclusives this year, at least on this forum anyway.
 

Jashobeam

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,733
It's going to be interesting to see how many people turn on the game after playing it for a few hours, I suspect there will be many tapping out early from fetch quest fatigue. This game is going to test the will and patience of many, I wonder if I'll be able to endure it myself, nevertheless can't wait to dive in, just under 3 more days!
 

dean_rcg

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,234
User Warned: Inflammatory false equivalence
This reminds of Brexit, we now have two polarised camps each convinced they're right, each hating the other and side and a most prepared to fight over it!

As such, user reviews will be as mentioned above, as the confirmation bias on both sides is now so strong.
 

Nightengale

Member
Oct 26, 2017
4,801
Malaysia
On average, a traditional AAA game gets 100 reviews on Metacritic by the end of its review cycle.

DS is at 75 now.

With 25+ more to go, give or take, there's plenty of time for scores to shift upwards or downwards.
 

wafflebrain

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,339
It's going to be interesting to see how many people turn on the game after playing it for a few hours, I suspect there will be many tapping out early from fetch quest fatigue. This game is going to test the will and patience of many, I wonder if I'll be able to endure it myself, nevertheless can't wait to dive in, just under 3 more days!
This is where I'm at, I have no idea what to expect as for my own constitution regarding long term play for this sort of gameplay outside other walking sims, but none of those have the minutiae this does in terms of the sim elements for traversing rough terrain nor the unique social building mechanics. So either its going to be something frustrating or potentially meditative and rewarding, I'm hoping for the latter obviously.
 

DrBo42

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
3,627
What I'm most curious about after watching this Tim Rogers review for the 4th time is if these ridiculous towers of deliveries are actually required or is the user punishing themselves by taking on more than they can handle.
 

wafflebrain

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,339
What I'm most curious about after watching this Tim Rogers review for the 4th time is if these ridiculous towers of deliveries are actually required or is the user punishing themselves by taking on more than they can handle.
I'm also curious what the base requirements are for completing each mission/section of a given part of the map to progress to the next area in the US. I'm assuming you can't just go fuck it and throw your packages off a cliff and huff it to the next region.
 

DrDeckard

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
8,109
UK
Wow, Stranding was always going to be divisive, but damn...

Still, some of those low scoring reviews read like people already had a bone to pick with the game long before they played it.

Edit:
Nathan Brown putting the edge in Edge.
And can easily be said the other way too. Basically, like I've said a few times. You really have to try it once it's at a price you are happy to jump in. I nearly pre ordered last night then I remembered my ps4 pro noise levels are completely unacceptable for a game like this. So I'm deffo holding out for the pc version.
 

Kaversmed

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,318
Denmark
And can easily be said the other way too. Basically, like I've said a few times. You really have to try it once it's at a price you are happy to jump in. I nearly pre ordered last night then I remembered my ps4 pro noise levels are completely unacceptable for a game like this. So I'm deffo holding out for the pc version.
Aren’t you gonna play with headphones on anyway?
 

What-ok

Member
Dec 13, 2017
3,024
PDX OR
What I'm most curious about after watching this Tim Rogers review for the 4th time is if these ridiculous towers of deliveries are actually required or is the user punishing themselves by taking on more than they can handle.
Been wondering the same. Loved the video by the way, thanks again for sharing 800%.
 

VanDoughnut

Member
Oct 30, 2017
2,395
Read quite a few reviews so far and compiled a bunch of fantastic excerpts I came across regarding the moment to moment gameplay. Enjoy.

"It’s an engrossing set of systems that, together with the uncertainties of plotting a route, make even the simplest supply run an adventure."

"As players, we often take the sheer quantity of ground we cover in open world games for granted, because we don’t have to really think about where we’re putting our feet. By contrast, Death Stranding’s distances actually feel like distances, its surfaces like presences, alien and unwilling."

"Where most video games are built around what you do when you reach your destination – absentmindedly pushing forward on a stick or revving a vehicle to a destination – here the journey is the game, not the shooting people when you get there."

"Death Stranding is a mountaineering game. Kojima has been talking up the online aspect – where structures created by other players appear in your world and vice – versa but it’s in the traversal where the game really does feel different."

"Because there's often so little around, seeing the evidence of someone else can be comforting, and you feel appreciative of whatever it is they placed into the world, not necessarily because you need it, but because it punches through the wall of isolation the game is so good at constructing."

"There's a sense of longing and isolation that leaks into every part of the game."

"This impression of immensity and isolation is as striking as it is soothing, and this is undoubtedly one of the great strengths of Death Stranding : a solitary and desert experience"

"The caution we have to take when hiking through the game world contributes greatly to the atmosphere of the game and even the simplest footpaths quickly turn out to be an exciting challenge. Finding the best, safest path through the terrain is extremely appealing - almost as if the game world of Death Stranding itself is a big puzzle to solve."

"There’s an incentive to complete deliveries quickly, or take shelter in the crevices of mountains or makeshift facilities spread across each region."

"There's a grittiness to the traversal that's absent in other big-budget games, and it goes a long way toward selling the notion of Sam being all alone in the wilderness."

"The gameplay requires a degree of patience and care that few other modern games require from players."
Hype. Let’s gooo!
 

Love Machine

Member
Oct 29, 2017
2,346
Tokyo, Japan
And can easily be said the other way too. Basically, like I've said a few times. You really have to try it once it's at a price you are happy to jump in. I nearly pre ordered last night then I remembered my ps4 pro noise levels are completely unacceptable for a game like this. So I'm deffo holding out for the pc version.
You're right, and I suppose a huge part of your impressions depends on your mindset, personal taste, and how much (time and money) you're able to invest in a game.

I realise that I may be speaking from my own bias here, but I just feel that the positive impressions are more all-embracing than the negative ones, which generally seem more bitter and scathing. (E.g. PowerUp saying that games need to be "entertaining". The whole review reads like he has a personal vendetta against it.)
 

hobblygobbly

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,376
DEUTSCHLAND
Not really surprised at the range of those reviews, for me Kojima has become more and more indulgent, like wanting to be an auteur, but unlike auteurs such as Herzog, Bergmann, Tarkovsky, etc, their themes are not schlock, not overbearing, and don't overstay their welcome, which Kojima does not know how to do. Kojima's attempt at being an auteur in the most arrogant way possible e.g. "A Hideo Kojima Game", while the increasing output is that of Anthony C. Ferrante's Sharknado, weans my interest with each passing game. And I really love Metal Gear Solid, but I began to trail off that franchise too for the same reasons.
 

John Frost

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,264
Canada
Read quite a few reviews so far and compiled a bunch of fantastic excerpts I came across regarding the moment to moment gameplay. Enjoy.

"It’s an engrossing set of systems that, together with the uncertainties of plotting a route, make even the simplest supply run an adventure."

"As players, we often take the sheer quantity of ground we cover in open world games for granted, because we don’t have to really think about where we’re putting our feet. By contrast, Death Stranding’s distances actually feel like distances, its surfaces like presences, alien and unwilling."

"Where most video games are built around what you do when you reach your destination – absentmindedly pushing forward on a stick or revving a vehicle to a destination – here the journey is the game, not the shooting people when you get there."

"Death Stranding is a mountaineering game. Kojima has been talking up the online aspect – where structures created by other players appear in your world and vice – versa but it’s in the traversal where the game really does feel different."

"Because there's often so little around, seeing the evidence of someone else can be comforting, and you feel appreciative of whatever it is they placed into the world, not necessarily because you need it, but because it punches through the wall of isolation the game is so good at constructing."

"There's a sense of longing and isolation that leaks into every part of the game."

"This impression of immensity and isolation is as striking as it is soothing, and this is undoubtedly one of the great strengths of Death Stranding : a solitary and desert experience"

"The caution we have to take when hiking through the game world contributes greatly to the atmosphere of the game and even the simplest footpaths quickly turn out to be an exciting challenge. Finding the best, safest path through the terrain is extremely appealing - almost as if the game world of Death Stranding itself is a big puzzle to solve."

"There’s an incentive to complete deliveries quickly, or take shelter in the crevices of mountains or makeshift facilities spread across each region."

"There's a grittiness to the traversal that's absent in other big-budget games, and it goes a long way toward selling the notion of Sam being all alone in the wilderness."

"The gameplay requires a degree of patience and care that few other modern games require from players."
Man, I can’t wait to try this.
 

DrBo42

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
3,627
I need to be released from this prison. Is this nonsensical load self-inflicted or something that actually occurs?

 

DrBo42

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
3,627
I honestly feel like having competitive online mode of who could deliver the most packages, the fastest while keeping the content in perfect condition could be really interesting.

Make a timed mission challenge and get online leaderboard
This might be a little difficult to judge based on the asynchronous multiplayer. I might be in X region with more enterprising players building or that have built (redacted for potential spoiler worries) while you might be in Y region where the same isn't available to you. You'd probably have to turn it off for both players and make sure all the same equipment is available. But it's a neat idea. I wonder if they have any plans to add anything post-release.
 

Callibretto

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,387
Indonesia
This might be a little difficult to judge based on the asynchronous multiplayer. I might be in X region with more enterprising players building or that have built (redacted for potential spoiler worries) while you might be in Y region where the same isn't available to you. You'd probably have to turn it off for both players and make sure all the same equipment is available. But it's a neat idea. I wonder if they have any plans to add anything post-release.
They could make it separate mode to make sure the state of the world is the same for everyone. Same location of stair, rope, bike etc
 

Ojli

Chicken Chaser
Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,802
Sweden
Polygon just published their list of the 100 best games of the decade.


Death Stranding is #53. The Last of Us and Metal Gear Solid are #59 and #68 respectively
List seems more like it's more focus on influence than quality (whatever quality means). PT at #7 and Sea of Thieves at #49 are also examples that are interesting compared to the ones you listed.
 

tulpa

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,870
List seems more like it's more focus on influence than quality (whatever quality means). PT at #7 and Sea of Thieves at #49 are also examples that are interesting compared to the ones you listed.
How could it possibly list a game that hasn't released yet if it's focused on influence?
 

DrBo42

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
3,627
They could make it separate mode to make sure the state of the world is the same for everyone. Same location of stair, rope, bike etc
I want a mode where I can edit the world you inhabit during your missions. Essentially be Kojima in your playthrough of a delivery. Edit what items show up in your world, weather, control the BTs and their placement.