Why I loved playing Death Stranding

[Sergeynest]

Before I begin to describe my experience with Death Stranding I want to say that I'm not a Kojima fan boy; and I've only played a little bit of one or two of his Metal Gear games; but they never managed to spark my interest in completing them; in fact by the time Kojima left Konami and Death Stranding was announced I couldn't stand to hear all the praising he was getting, specially from Geoff Keighley; the man praised him so much it almost felt like he saw Kojima has God or something.

But then the Covid - 19 pandemic arrived to Change the world in almost every aspect of our daily lives.
It was during this period that my interest for Death Stranding Started to sparkle; the game had already came out and it had received like Shenmue 3 a lot of polarizing reviews; I had already beaten Shenmue 3 twice and I wanted to play something totally different; I wanted to have a new experience and my interest headed towards something futuristic and somehow Death Stranding Started appealing to me.
After listening to the soundtrack and watching some reviews I decided to give this game a chance.
I bought a copy and Started to play the game and right away like with Shenmue I felt that this was going to be something special.
Immediately I was drawn in by the beauty of the setting; the music; the soundfx and the cinematic cutscenes; but what surprise me the most was how we controlled the main protagonist "Sam" through the terrain; it is by far the best virtual recreation of traveling on foot ever made in a vídeo game. It is something that is hard to explain and something that must be experienced playing the game.
"I'm also very interested in how this feature Will evolve in the directors cut edition on Ps5 with the haptic feedback. It Will be most certainly worth replaying the game just for this feature Alone."

Another thing that I also absolutely loved was the overhaul atmosphere of the game.
Altough it is suposed to represent a sort of post apocalyptic América; the game world in Death Stranding is absolutely gorgeous and even with almost no life inhabiting it; it never felt empty to me.
The Lanscape wich was inspired by the Icelandic region gives the player a sense of peacefulness and tranquility much like the feeling I get when playing the Shenmue series and its music is also a great complement to this feature.
A lot of people categorized Death Stranding has a walking simulator and to some extent that is true but it is also an evolution of that gaming genre and that was One of the features that I loved the most in this game.
For me it is the best virtual representation of traveling alone in a natural environment; like Shenmue it was a lot of times like a therapeutic experience wich marked my experience with the game.
The way you also have to plan your Journey's with "Sam" was also One of the things I really enjoyed about the gameplay; and altough you are basically doing the same thing; just the fact of having to Carry different tipes of cargo made each Journey a different experience; not to mention the gear you have to take with you to help you pass the most dificult obstacles in your Journey like rivers, cliffs and ravines, etc...
I also enjoyed using the vehicules in the game; being my favorite the motorcicle; but I always enjoyed much more my Journey's on foot.
Another thing that also left a mark in my playthrough was when I encountered objects from other players that helped me in my Journey specially when I really needed them to help me; this feature really made me feel that the world was connecting and also made me feel connected with other players.
Kojima really nailed this new feature and made it unforgetable.
Like Shenmue the music and sfx in this game are also One of its best features; they really create the perfect atmosphere when you are playing the game and the songs from Low Roar always Kick in at the right time, creating perfect moments in the game.
My least favourite thing in the game is the combat; it is well done but the AI ends up running the entire experience in my opinion.
It makes the game super easy; even the boss Battles felt underwhelming to say the least. The only ones that made keep on Edge were the BT's and the Terrorist Group.
The games story is actually very good and the Cast of characters is also great; but sometimes it felt a little overwhelming; even for a Shenmue fan like myself.
It is not the best feature in the game for me; but it is actually a very good story and it has some deep and emotional moments that definitely brought tears to my eyes.

Overhaul I had a wonderfull and unforgetable experience playing Death Stranding and I Will certainly Replay it in the Directors Cut version.
My most unforgetable moments were my Journey's on foot; apreciating its beautiful world and atmosphere while listening to its great and relaxing soundtrack and altough I was playing it Alone there many Times were i felt much more connected with other players in this game world than in the presence of other people in real life.
This may sound absurd but is actually true and I dont mean this in a sad way.

I would really like hear if any of you also played Death Stranding and how was your experience with the game; but if you havent played it yet I think you should give it a try; because I believe there is a lot in this game that Shenmue fans can appreciate and also relate to.

 

[Tomato Convenience Store]

I had a pretty throughout playthrough of close to 80 hours. It took a very long time for the game to get in a rhythm, perhaps close to the 15-20 hour mark, which isn't a point in its favor but ultimately I was fully engaged in the game and enjoyed my playthrough. I agree with the music/sfx/atmosphere being top notch, especially when you're near the BTs.

I really got into rebuilding the roads, contributing resources to buildings, and finding the best routes to put my ziplines. Traversal combining skill and strategy was pretty unique and rewarding, even if it did feel tedious at times.

I also felt the combat was the weakest part of the game and actually diminished the experience a bit. Once you started to get a full armament of weapons I felt it undercut the deliberate pacing of the game that required you to plan your routes, disable enemies, and sneak into camps.

I liked the story but wished it was sprinkled into the game more evenly. There's a lot of exposition and cutscenes dumped on you at the very end of the game, and you can go a long period of time without any new story elements in the middle section.

I'll probably check out the Director's Cut. I think a lot of it will depend on if I can bring over my PS4 save, or at least some sort of progress (I haven't followed this at all).

 

[red]

death stranding was one of the last games i played on my ps4. i would give it 7/10 but i have no interest in a ps5 / directors cut of the game.

after reading all the reviews i went into the game with low expectations. i enjoyed the graphics, music and gameplay but i found the story pretty bad. it just made little sense to me. from what i've read, the plot is very similar to an existing Japanese anime(?)
- ive said it before but i think mgs5 also suffered from the same problem.. great gameplay and graphics but a terrible story.. and i am a big kojima fan. the mgs games are the only reason i kept my ps3 console.

i didn't really know what's going on with hideo kojima but i get the impression he is creating games for himself now. don't get me wrong i think he's a one of the best games creators around but i wish that he would collaborate with another game creator.. because he seems to go off the deep end. i don't want to sound rude but i think he would be better off making experimental movies if he keeps going down this route.

[my playstation account says i played death stranding for 46hours and mgs5 for 353 hours.]

 

[hyo_razuki]

Kind of the same topic as this https://www.shenmuedojo.com/forum/index.php?threads/death-stranding.1211/ and this https://www.shenmuedojo.com/forum/index.php?threads/death-stranding-unofficial-gameplay-thread.1881/?

 

[Sergeynest]

This is by the best video I've watched about Death Stranding that explains exactly what was my experience with the game.

 

[~ ひかり ~]

Before I begin to describe my experience with Death Stranding I want to say that I'm not a Kojima fan boy; and I've only played a little bit of one or two of his Metal Gear games; but they never managed to spark my interest in completing them; in fact by the time Kojima left Konami and Death Stranding was announced I couldn't stand to hear all the praising he was getting, specially from Geoff Keighley; the man praised him so much it almost felt like he saw Kojima has God or something.

But then the Covid - 19 pandemic arrived to Change the world in almost every aspect of our daily lives.
It was during this period that my interest for Death Stranding Started to sparkle; the game had already came out and it had received like Shenmue 3 a lot of polarizing reviews; I had already beaten Shenmue 3 twice and I wanted to play something totally different; I wanted to have a new experience and my interest headed towards something futuristic and somehow Death Stranding Started appealing to me.
After listening to the soundtrack and watching some reviews I decided to give this game a chance.
I bought a copy and Started to play the game and right away like with Shenmue I felt that this was going to be something special.
Immediately I was drawn in by the beauty of the setting; the music; the soundfx and the cinematic cutscenes; but what surprise me the most was how we controlled the main protagonist "Sam" through the terrain; it is by far the best virtual recreation of traveling on foot ever made in a vídeo game. It is something that is hard to explain and something that must be experienced playing the game.
"I'm also very interested in how this feature Will evolve in the directors cut edition on Ps5 with the haptic feedback. It Will be most certainly worth replaying the game just for this feature Alone."

Another thing that I also absolutely loved was the overhaul atmosphere of the game.
Altough it is suposed to represent a sort of post apocalyptic América; the game world in Death Stranding is absolutely gorgeous and even with almost no life inhabiting it; it never felt empty to me.
The Lanscape wich was inspired by the Icelandic region gives the player a sense of peacefulness and tranquility much like the feeling I get when playing the Shenmue series and its music is also a great complement to this feature.
A lot of people categorized Death Stranding has a walking simulator and to some extent that is true but it is also an evolution of that gaming genre and that was One of the features that I loved the most in this game.
For me it is the best virtual representation of traveling alone in a natural environment; like Shenmue it was a lot of times like a therapeutic experience wich marked my experience with the game.
The way you also have to plan your Journey's with "Sam" was also One of the things I really enjoyed about the gameplay; and altough you are basically doing the same thing; just the fact of having to Carry different tipes of cargo made each Journey a different experience; not to mention the gear you have to take with you to help you pass the most dificult obstacles in your Journey like rivers, cliffs and ravines, etc...
I also enjoyed using the vehicules in the game; being my favorite the motorcicle; but I always enjoyed much more my Journey's on foot.
Another thing that also left a mark in my playthrough was when I encountered objects from other players that helped me in my Journey specially when I really needed them to help me; this feature really made me feel that the world was connecting and also made me feel connected with other players.
Kojima really nailed this new feature and made it unforgetable.
Like Shenmue the music and sfx in this game are also One of its best features; they really create the perfect atmosphere when you are playing the game and the songs from Low Roar always Kick in at the right time, creating perfect moments in the game.
My least favourite thing in the game is the combat; it is well done but the AI ends up running the entire experience in my opinion.
It makes the game super easy; even the boss Battles felt underwhelming to say the least. The only ones that made keep on Edge were the BT's and the Terrorist Group.
The games story is actually very good and the Cast of characters is also great; but sometimes it felt a little overwhelming; even for a Shenmue fan like myself.
It is not the best feature in the game for me; but it is actually a very good story and it has some deep and emotional moments that definitely brought tears to my eyes.

Overhaul I had a wonderfull and unforgetable experience playing Death Stranding and I Will certainly Replay it in the Directors Cut version.
My most unforgetable moments were my Journey's on foot; apreciating its beautiful world and atmosphere while listening to its great and relaxing soundtrack and altough I was playing it Alone there many Times were i felt much more connected with other players in this game world than in the presence of other people in real life.
This may sound absurd but is actually true and I dont mean this in a sad way.

I would really like hear if any of you also played Death Stranding and how was your experience with the game; but if you havent played it yet I think you should give it a try; because I believe there is a lot in this game that Shenmue fans can appreciate and also relate to.

I didn't played Death Stranding yet but i have plans to play. I only saw images and trailers of the game and it really feels like Death Stranding have unique and different things like Shenmue have unique things.

I dont know if i will like Death Stranding but it is interesting to see a game with a different vibe, i have a lot of unpopular opinions so i will probably like this game. All games have to be in the same way? in my opinion of course not, as i said in other thread different gameplay styles and stories are good for the game industry, there is nothing wrong with making a game with a different gameplay style.

I have plans to buy Death Stranding, when i play i will come back in this thread to share my thoughts about the game.

 

[Sergeynest]

I didn't played Death Stranding yet but i have plans to play. I only saw images and trailers of the game and it really feels like Death Stranding have unique and different things like Shenmue have unique things.

I dont know if i will like Death Stranding but it is interesting to see a game with a different vibe, i have a lot of unpopular opinions so i will probably like this game. All games have to be in the same way? in my opinion of course not, as i said in other thread different gameplay styles and stories are good for the game industry, there is nothing wrong with making a game with a different gameplay style.

I have plans to buy Death Stranding, when i play i will come back in this thread to share my thoughts about the game.

From what I usually read on your posts about Shenmue and other games in general; I believe that you will enjoy the relaxing nature within Death Stranding; specially the journeys on foot.
Like I have said in my original post; the overhaul atmosphere in this game is amazing and in that aspect in my opinion it even rivals with that of Shenmue. The nature; the sfx; the lighting; the music, etc... makes you really feel completely immersed.
Like in Shenmue; for the most part Death Stranding is a very relaxing game; and in the exact same way it has also moments with more action wich tend to build up more towards the end.
I played it on my base PS4 and I absolutely guarentee that this one of the best looking games in this system.
If you can buy it on a sale; it is totally worth it jumping in and I believe that with the release of the director's cut edition that it will most likely happen.

Another thing that I didnt mention in my original post is that the journeys I had in Death Stranding gave me the same vibe that I got when watching one of my favourite movies called "INTO TO THE WILD"; the feeling of being at one with nature when traveling on your own and of being more connected with everything around than when in a crowded place full of people.


Even the soundtrack from both the movie and the game gave me the same relaxing vibe.

 

[otbr87]

From what I usually read on your posts about Shenmue and other games in general; I believe that you will enjoy the relaxing nature within Death Stranding; specially the journeys on foot.
Like I have said in my original post; the overhaul atmosphere in this game is amazing and in that aspect in my opinion it even rivals with that of Shenmue. The nature; the sfx; the lighting; the music, etc... makes you really feel completely immersed.
Like in Shenmue; for the most part Death Stranding is a very relaxing game; and in the exact same way it has also moments with more action wich tend to build up more towards the end.
I played it on my base PS4 and I absolutely guarentee that this one of the best looking games in this system.
If you can buy it on a sale; it is totally worth it jumping in and I believe that with the release of the director's cut edition that it will most likely happen.

Another thing that I didnt mention in my original post is that the journeys I had in Death Stranding gave me the same vibe that I got when watching one of my favourite movies called "INTO TO THE WILD"; the feeling of being at one with nature when traveling on your own and of being more connected with everything around than when in a crowded place full of people.


Even the soundtrack from both the movie and the game gave me the same relaxing vibe.

Into the Wild is cinema gold. One of the best movies I've ever experienced. I've also lived in a similar capacity to this at the same age as Chris McCandless so it's personally relatable in many ways. The soundtrack is incredible and it shows the talent and natural evolution of maturity of Eddie Vedders lyrical delivery.

 

[Nathanial Essex]

I have to give props to Hideo for creating such a unique and great looking game. It has it's typical Kojimaisms which means a story that is over-complicated in parts and over-unnecessary in a lot of areas, but the basic premise is an interesting one and I've never played a game like it before.

He really nailed down that sparse, nordic landscape feeling.

 

[BloodyHeartland]

My feelings on it were pretty meh…story was better than mgsv at least but still had a ton of problems Kojima has had since 4 onward. Combat was bad, stealth was bad, only boss I enjoyed much at all was Higgs and that’s because it felt far more similar to a boss fight in the MGS games than many of the others do.

The main gameplay, well…that left a lot to be desired. I think I was able to get the most out of it up in the mountains nearing the end of the game, but it was still so simplistic and many upgrades were only about skipping the boring stuff rather than adding any depth to the gameplay. Any of the online features, they are kinda neat but unlike stuff like the Souls games, I feel that the base game will be really lacking when servers inevitably go down. Beyond all that, there just isn’t a ton of replayability once you’ve seen what all there is to traverse.