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Death Stranding

Started by Huw the Poo, November 03, 2019, 05:26:01 AM

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Huw the Poo

So.  Death Stranding, eh?  The review embargo is lifted and revealed the game to be incredibly divisive.  Two of arguably the worst things in gaming - walking simulator and fetch quests - are literally the entire game!  And it's made by Hideo Kojima, a man whose unique style of game direction often seems to leave the gameplay far behind a willingness to tell an odd story in his own particular way.

At first I scoffed at the idea.  I am not a fan of Kojima; playing the Metal Gear games has always made me feel like I was actively trying to like them, and my belief has always been that if your players have to try to enjoy your game, you're doing it wrong.  There's no denying Kojima has a singular vision and refuses to let his critics (or anyone else) tell him what to do, which is entirely admirable.  But that makes for very particular kinds of games that you're either going to love or hate (or be constantly frustrated by).  I compare Kojima to a songwriter who thinks lyrics are the most important thing, with music a distant second.  I disagree.  The gameplay is paramount, and without it you may as well not have a game.

However, yesterday I watched the review by Skill Up, an Aussie gamer whose opinion I usually respect.  He chooses his words quite carefully, and I listened to them carefully as he explained why he thinks Death Stranding is a masterpiece.  It went a long way to changing my mind, not least because - despite being an entirely spoiler-free review - he goes into some elements of the game I wasn't previously aware of.  The social features, in particular, caught my attention.

So now I'm in the ridiculous position of actually considering buying Death Stranding when it comes out, or shortly thereafter.  A walking simulator.  A fetch quest simulator!  Why?  Because I feel like this game really might have the potential to be something kind of special.  I don't want to miss out on potentially a pivotal moment in video game history.  I consider that it's worth - just about - £50 to see for myself.

In the meantime, of course, I will continue to watch the debates rage around the internet!  ;D