Topic: Death Stranding OT

@Th3solution yeah it took me somewhere between 100-150 hours... I found it worth the time investment though. Still I find that taking on games of that size has become a 3 or 4 times a year thing maximum.

@colonelkilgore @Th3solution It's a great shame that Kojima didn't receive the recognition he deserved for this masterpiece. I'm on order no.5 now and have just successfully evaded the BTs during my second encounter with them.

@TheBrandedSwordsman I agree. I do think the game got a fair amount of praise, but it was divided amongst fans and critics. I think it’s unfortunate that the sales figures weren’t better. Kojima said the game made money for the studio, but just. I don’t think it was the success that Sony and K Productions had hoped.

Glad you’re enjoying this time around. The order deliveries do get addicting, imo. There is a very engaging strategy to the whole process. “Shall I pick this item up and deliver it on the way and take my chances of slowing me down from my main objective?... 🤔” I tended to try to max out my carrying capacity and pick up items along the way. It’s also a real interesting puzzle to try to think about what tools to take with you when you embark. “If I take some extra ladders then I’ll be weighed down and can carry less orders... but if I don’t have a ladder when I need one then the whole trip is screwed... 🤔”
It’s a loop I just loved. The analytical part is something that I hadn’t encountered anything quite like before.

@TheBrandedSwordsman really glad you’re enjoying it bud, it is a shame but as I was saying to @Th3solution previously, I think time will be kind to Death Stranding and it will eventually be considered a classic.

Both it and Days Gone were treated very unfairly in 2019, both are great yet both had straight, white, male protagonists... something it seems that is anathema to games journalists at the moment... it’s almost as if games journalism is ‘openly’ heterophobic, rascist and sexist all at the same time... almost.

@colonelkilgore I think part of Death Stranding’s setback was this portrayal (mostly by gamers who never played the game) that it was a “walking sim” and a game exclusively of “fetch quests”, both terms that have derogatory connotations to the gaming crowd. Sure, it’s a sophisticated walking/hiking sim and deliveries are akin to fetch quests, but the game is so much more than that. It really undersells the whole strategy, beauty, fantastic storyline, immersive world, stealth, combat, and online world building.

Anyways, I think the description of the gameplay is hard to fathom and was a put-off for many gamers.

@Th3solution you're probably spot-on on that I was just having a giggle there... though there were some 'iffy' reasoning by some journo's when reviewing Days Gone in particular.

Back to Death Stranding though, yes fetch quests (and delivery quests for that matter) have rightly got a bad name for they're over abundance in open-world gaming since... ooh GTA3 probably... but as you say, there is so much more to the simple fetch/delivery quest when playing DS. But DS got the brunt of fetch quest hatred when literally every other open-world game is stuffed full of them. It just riles me up that even to this day a few of my mates who I consider legit gamers still sneer and actively avoid listening when I explain why they should give it a go.

@colonelkilgore oh yeah, I realize you were posting with tongue firmly in cheek there. But you gotta wonder... 😜

@Th3solution @colonelkilgore I just constructed my first post-box after a lengthy break from the game and gaming in general (Elden Ring is hollowing me for gaming in general, just get the feeling it's going to blow everything else out of the water!) great feeling of satisfaction and achievement because I got lost a few times on the way to the postbox construction site, and had BTs to deal with (I survived - no craters) on to order no.7 now!

@TheBrandedSwordsman hey buddy, glad you’re back at it! Yeah as much as I’m looking forward to Elden Ring (it’s the game I am most excited for... even more than God of War: Ragnarok) I’m just getting on with whittling down the backlog (well I say that but it’s actually still growing far faster than it’s being whittled).

Not sure if you’ve tried any of the other Soulslikes out there but there are some good ones. Maybe they could tide you over?

@colonelkilgore I tried Mortal Shell and as much as it impressed me - I sucked at the game, couldn't get the hang of the 'harden' mechanic and that put me off other Souls-likes. I also tried Nioh, I was good at that but the lack of PvE variety in that game put me off, so I never went back to it. As for Remnant: From the Ashes - I don't believe that guns belong in a Souls or Souls-like game, Hunter's pistol etc. excepted. (As you can just quite easily not use them).

@TheBrandedSwordsman fair enough, well hopefully Elden Ring won’t be too far off.

@TheBrandedSwordsman Glad you’re back in the Death Stranding journey. The construction aspects will only get better and better. I didn’t really use postboxes much. I’d check in on other online players’ postboxes every now and then, but I found them relatively supplemental in my travels. There are some much more substantial creations coming up that you’ll be able to build and, more importantly, start seeing pop up in the online world to help you out.

By the way, I’m not sure if you saw and I forgot to tag you, but I completed God of War the other day and got the platinum! I know you were interested to see how I liked it and i absolutely loved it! Obviously if I stuck with it through to the platinum then that is telling in and of itself. 😄
Anyways, it really scratches a lot of gaming itches, with engaging combat, addictive puzzle solving, beautiful environments, a rock solid story, and deep exploration options. The game kind of has it all. I’m sad that it’s over.
And back on topic — Death Stranding is one of the other titles I’ve played in the last year that I didn’t want to see end.

@Th3solution Congratulations on beating God Of War, I've done it twice, but with no Plat to my name. So, well done. Death Stranding is a great game, yeah, and, hey ,when you put it that way, I'm glad I've got a long way to go before I see the end.Also, I never see you in The Music Thread, care to tag me in there sometime to let me know what your tastes are? It'd be great to rap with you about tunes in there sometime.

@TheBrandedSwordsman Sure thing buddy, keep me up to date with how your Death Stranding experience goes and I’ll drop a post soon about any new thoughts I have on the music subject. (Which Death Stranding’s music is great by the way. A real highlight)

@Th3solution It's a deal then, I'll keep you posted about Death Stranding and you can drop me a line in The Music Thread sometime.

@Th3solution I just completed order no.7 ,it was harder than the previous orders, even though I'd done it on my previous attempt at the game, infiltrating MULE territory and recovering the stolen goods, I'm on to order no. 8 now. It's quite a relaxed and meditative game, with large portions of it consisting of strolling acorss weather-beaten post-apocalyptic greenery, but yeah, when the BTs and MULES get involved it's a whole 'nother kettle of fish!

@TheBrandedSwordsman Oh yeah, very true. I guess that’s what I like about it. I like the slower moments with the nice soundtrack playing and the beautiful scenery with just enough tactical strategy to keep you on your toes; then intermixed with moment of tension when the alarms go off that you’re about to be in danger. Many players have been critical of the combat, but I think it’s pretty good. Nothing spectacular, but not bad either. As you progress you’ll get access to more varied weapons and ammo. The MULEs are not as visually interesting as the BT enemies and bosses, which I think are fantastic, design-wise.

@Th3solution Do you know which order no. enables you to access the motorbike? 'Cause I think I missed that the first time around And very much looking forward to the BT-related enemies and bosses. The stealth sections are managable thus far, but the last mission from my first playthrough invoived a trek to Port Knot City and I am sure they would have given you a motorcycle at least for that. With regard to the combat, I don't think I've seen enough of it yet to make a fair judgement, but the variety in weapons and ammo sounds excellent.

@TheBrandedSwordsman Yeah, I don’t remember when the motorbike access gets granted, but it’s probably not too far off. It does add a different layer of travel when you get those. Strategy changes a little. Trying to out run MULEs or BT’s can be tempting. It can be successful but can also end in disaster. 😅

Yeah, without spoiling, you’ll have some strategy involved with weapon and ammo choice, so look forward to that. However, depending on the situation, you can get by with more than one option as far as how you approach the combat. Probably the weakest part of the combat is the melee part. It has some nice ideas, but I ended up button mashing if it came to hand-to-hand and I usually could survive that way.

@Th3solution I struggled with order no.9, but just completed it. I approached it first when I had had a few beers and wasn't trying as hard as I should have been o out manouvre the BTs, so I got caught, killed and after I repatriated my cargo was too severely damaged to be delivered, so I rage quit. And then, today, I tried again and took my time manouevring around the BTs and succeeded at delivering my cargo. Got the plans for the generator now as well, so the ability to motorcycle should soon be mine!