Current Events > Is Death Stranding good

(+) Yeah! (+)

.... or just a meme game? I'm aware it's Kojima, so I definately know I'm not going to get what the hell is going to go on in the story, but is it at least enjoyable gameplay wise?

---

The game has very high production values but the gameplay isn't for everyone.

Pome posted...

The game has very high production values but the gameplay isn't for everyone.

From what I'm seeing, it looks like a delivery game simulator... which looks fun for like 2 hours before getting old. I wonder what kind of stuff this game will throw at you to make it interesting.

---

The game drags for the first 4 hours then gets amazing. It's honestly one of the best gaming experiences you can have this generation if you can tolerate the abysmal slow start.

---

Makeveli_lives posted...

The game drags for the first 4 hours then gets amazing. It's honestly one of the best gaming experiences you can have this generation if you can tolerate the abysmal slow start.

nah the first hour or 2 is amazing
then then its a drag
then its cool again

---

No

---

Yes it's good

If you want to play something that will bore you into doing something else besides play video games, its right up your ally

---

I loved it, but it's definitely not something everyone will enjoy

---

For those of you who enjoy it, is it primarily story or gameplay reason that keeps you playing? I'm generally curious.

---

divisive game but fwiw i enjoyed it a bit more than RDR2/persona 5(never finished P5) and vastly more than tlou2.

your enjoyment seems to hinge on whether or not you come across shortcuts laid down by other players(and yourself) which can seemingly make or break long stretches of the game.

since the game is also designed to last a while, you definitely don't wanna screw up too many deliveries which will just extend the game further.

---

Prestoff posted...

For those of you who enjoy it, is it primarily story or gameplay reason that keeps you playing? I'm generally curious.

Story, but the atmosphere was pretty good as well

---

Prestoff posted...

For those of you who enjoy it, is it primarily story or gameplay reason that keeps you playing? I'm generally curious.

The vibe. Story is interesting but it's the usual Kojima fair where it's more grandiose then it needs to be. That's for each person to decide if they like that or not. Some love it, some find it pretentious.

---

I played it for 50 hours and enjoyed every moment. Sure it's "just" a delivery simulator, but that just means the quality is dependent on the world you're travelling through to deliver the packages, which happens to be incredibly well made. The story is fantastic, but does have some minor Kojima goofiness to it. Definitely worth it I'd say.

Prestoff posted...

For those of you who enjoy it, is it primarily story or gameplay reason that keeps you playing? I'm generally curious.

Mostly story, but also building shit is strangely rewarding which is a big aspect of gameplay

---

lol no

---

One of the few games Ive played twice in recent years. Considering playtime comes in at about 30 hours thats saying something. I found it amazing and I actually enjoyed it more second time through.

It is very... Kojima though so YMMV.

Definitely worth a go because if you like it youll love it.

---

It is the best game in the Strand genre.

---

armandro posted...

nah the first hour or 2 is amazing
then then its a drag
then its cool again

Chapter three is where it drags a bit. The game has about 15 chapters and chapter 3 probably makes up about 25% of the game but for good reason imo. Id say play until you get part way through chapter three and see how you feel.

---

its great game if you hate yourself and have low self esteem to think its a great game

---

It's basically the marmite of games from what I can tell.

---

The first chapter (or two? i dont remember) is very barebones but getting from point a to point b is a bit more involved than your average game. You'd want to chart your path beforehand to make your journey easier. Rocky terrain and water can knock you off balance. Sometimes you'll need to rebalance yourself so you'll have to tap the right trigger button to pull yourself in the opposite direction. You'll have access to limited tools such as ropes and ladders. I thought these gameplay mechanics were enough to keep me from being bored at least for the early story missions. People don't recommend spending too much time on the early chapters though.

Once you get to chapter 3 (i think) a lot more tools open up. You'll get access to vehicles and you can build structures. The social aspect is pretty interesting too. You can work together to asynchronously build structures such as bridges, highways, ziplines (super cool). At this point you'll naturally start yourself personal quests and tasks to complete. No more tedious than something like Animal Crossing. I spent hours creating a zipline network to connect to another player's network and the end result was pretty satisfying... but really all that means is I can finish my side quests in 5 minutes instead of 20.

I feel like I have to play this at some point just because of how divisive it is, even though I don't like MGS. I know it plays differently, but the weirdness of a game is often appealing to me.

---

Pome posted...

The first chapter (or two? i dont remember) is very barebones but getting from point a to point b is a bit more involved than your average game. You'd want to chart your path beforehand to make your journey easier. Rocky terrain and water can knock you off balance. Sometimes you'll need to rebalance yourself so you'll have to tap the right trigger button to pull yourself in the opposite direction. You'll have access to limited tools such as ropes and ladders. I thought these gameplay mechanics were enough to keep me from being bored at least for the early story missions. People don't recommend spending too much time on the early chapters though.

Once you get to chapter 3 (i think) a lot more tools open up. You'll get access to vehicles and you can build structures. The social aspect is pretty interesting too. You can work together to asynchronously build structures such as bridges, highways, ziplines (super cool). At this point you'll naturally start yourself personal quests and tasks to complete. No more tedious than something like Animal Crossing. I spent hours creating a zipline network to connect to another player's network and the end result was pretty satisfying... but really all that means is I can finish my side quests in 5 minutes instead of 20.

the zip lines are why I loved my second play through more. I barely used them in my first. Getting the network set up in the weather station.


---

Prestoff posted...

For those of you who enjoy it, is it primarily story or gameplay reason that keeps you playing? I'm generally curious.

Mainly the gameplay. It may seem boring but it's addicting. Though like others have said, it's not for everyone.

The story is crazy and really self absorbed at times, but it's such a wild ride I don't think it's bad by any measure. There's a lot of really beautiful scenes.

---

Alright you guys convince me to get it. I saw it on sale at a local ma and pa video game shop on sale for $20's, the only catch was it was non-returnable but it does look like a kind of game I might be interested in. Even if I don't like it, I hope at least it can provide $20's worth of gameplay lol.

---

its what you make of it

if you only go in like "This is a delivery simulator" you wont like it
if you appreciate its a game meant to connect you to other people, even if you can't see them, it feels great

---

I'm fragile but not that fragile

---

SSJ2GrimReaper posted...

I'm fragile but not that fragile

I enjoyed it and didn't even mind the fetch quest stuff, since you're constantly carving a path through a wasteland and can see tangible progress. The thought of replaying is hard, though, for exactly the same reason -- so much resource collecting, so much BT-dodging annoyances, having to wait for a long time to get ziplines, etc.

---

Prestoff posted...

For those of you who enjoy it, is it primarily story or gameplay reason that keeps you playing? I'm generally curious.

Story atmosphere. Gameplay complimented it.

Akagami_Shanks posted...

its what you make of it

if you only go in like "This is a delivery simulator" you wont like it
if you appreciate its a game meant to connect you to other people, even if you can't see them, it feels great

That's what it looked like to me, but I always go into games with an open mind. There's rarely any games I hate, maybe dislike but I'm not picky.

---

Best game of strand genre that I've ever played

---

https://youtu.be/ukqZ5VOoK5s

Most people who vociferously hate death stranding either played a small amount of it or didn't play it at all

It's a very good game and it continually gets better and better as it goes. The weakest part is the first couple hours or so, before the game starts to add a bunch of stuff to the core gameplay loop. Once you start being able to make more things, though, it just keeps getting more fun

---

Great game.

---

Prestoff posted...

For those of you who enjoy it, is it primarily story or gameplay reason that keeps you playing? I'm generally curious.

Gameplay and characters for me. Then the difficulty gets cranked way up

Its also beautiful.

---

terrible game, IMO.

the only strength it has is with its visuals.

the gameplay is bad, an by that I mean, its combat and stealth. the actual walking stuff is just boring, but you can unlock vehicles and other means of traveling, which aren't even compelling to use. I mostly walked because it at least added a little flavor to the bland experience.

the writing and characters are laughable - they don't talk or act like regular people, at all; everything that's said is in service of its themes. the overall plot is also really dumb.

Death Stranding is easily the worst game in recent memory that I've played that had no technical issues, and had good performance.

---

It was my GotY 2019 and is one of my favorite games of the generation. I find a lot of people who don't like it didn't give it a fair chance and don't try to learn the systems at all. They try to carry way too much weight, run straight down hills, Rambo through BT areas, etc.

Story was slow at first, but has a great payoff. Cliff is one of my favorite new characters in the past few years.

---