24.11.2019

No Spoilers Review: Death Stranding is a highly unusual game. It’s premise is extremely simple, you deliver packages from one desolate place to another through difficult terrain consisting of mountains, valleys, forests, rivers and estuaries. When doing so you connect human outposts to the ‘internet’ to bring the human race back together after the world has gone to pot (seems realistic enough). You have to do all of that whilst avoiding haunting creatures that manifest themselves in certain areas along your route who attempt to hunt you down, dragging you by the ankles into pools of darkness. There are also more human-like inhabitants in the landscape who will hunt you down for your loot and kill you for it.Delivering parcels sounds simple and perhaps even very boring,but there is something about this game that gripped me like few other titles have done.I am not a Hideo Kojima fan boy, far from it, so my views are very much derived from a neutral starting point. The game gets you thinking about humanity, what went wrong, have any lessons actually been learned? The game has soul, it oozes atmosphere and it stays with me even when I switch off after a gaming session.Your main character is Sam Bridges, (a rather famous dude from The Walking Dead tv show - Darrel) who has genetic differences that allow him to tackle the challenges in the outside world. He is assisted by BB, a premature infant which is carried in an artificial womb attached to his suit. BB can detect the presence of the Stranding (haunting creatures) and together with a scanner device and a good topographic map, you can plan your journey ahead.There is an underlying complexity to the game that takes time to unveil itself, but when it does, things become even more interesting. Some packages that you’ll deliver may not be submerged in water, some require to be delivered within specific windows of time and others are easily damaged by the elements. Sam can collect materials to build structures including simple ladders and abseiling ropes to bridges, post boxes and generators. Weapons do feature in the game but there is as much need to avoid enemies as there is to engage in combat. Vehicles can be acquired, mended and stolen, but progressing on foot is often just as effective and often more satisfying (unless time is of the essence on some missions).You will need to consider your journey carefully. Will you take the long way round, or climb higher and negotiate mountain passes to shorten the distance? Will you travel further to cross rivers at the narrowest points or build ladders to cross using a shorter route. Will you avoid enemy hotspots if you can, or sneak through? The decisions are simple enough but the game captures something that very few manage achieve and I can’t quite put my finger on it. Yes the game is slow, it’s a thinking person’s game, it’s emotionally intelligent and is a welcome change from many of the rinse and repeat titles we are fed these days. Hideo Kojima claimed he’d created a new game genre, well I’m not so sure about that but he has created something special. It’s described as an action game, but it isn’t, it’s more of a immersive survival back-packing simulator.When online Sam can see items, structures, dropped packages and messages that other players have left behind. Sam can use those things to his advantage and can leave ‘likes’ for those players who’ve helped out and hopefully you will receive some ‘likes’ in return from other players who traverse through the massive landscapes. You don’t see other players’ characters, but you have a sense that others are on the same journey as you and there is a strange comfort to be had from that in an otherwise desolate place. If you don’t play online, you can still do everything the game has to offer but you won’t have the advantage (or disadvantage depending on your point of view) of using other peoples’ left-behinds.Graphically the game is stunning. It’s like walking through the Lake District in the UK mixed with the mountains and valleys of Canada. Sound is also fantastic with brilliant effects and simply beautiful backing tracks from known artists that occasionally merge in when you are on longer journies. Controls are robust. The menus are deliberately futuristic but a bit overly complex and confusing until you get used to them. It’s an adult game but one which avoids unnecessary sexual or foul-mouthed content that is often seen as ‘cool’ in games these days. That said, Sam does grunt the occasional expletive in keeping with his character, but hey don’t we all.In summary if you fancy something slower paced, truly thought provoking and immersive, give this a go and give yourself time to absorb the complex simplicity and beauty contained within. With over 30 years gaming experience under my belt, this is one that will stay in my head alongside a small number of gaming greats. Those who want run ’n’ gun action need not apply.

7.2.2021

I haven't played it for about 6 months... but my mind keeps going back to it over and over. Sure there are games which are immensely fun on the face of it, but this game offers something deep and more meaningful. Its seems a bit ridiculous that a game can bring more meaning and fulfillment to someone's life as after all it's just a game. But for me it did just that.The game is based on making deliveries to different stations to spread the network which is needed to help rebuild the world after the 'event'.While you explore and expand the network you have 2 types of enemies to deal with. The first are Mules who aren't too difficult to deal woth but you can chose to kill or knock them unconscious.What I really liked was the punishment for killing, because if you do kill them you have to transport them to the incinerator or you risk blowing up a large crater into your game which will remain their for the rest of game. Which is time consuming and a pain in the ass. So the idea of non-lethal combat is really pushed which is the one aspect that really stood out for me. The second enemy are BTs 'beached things' which you will slowly learn about as the game progresses. Which are meant to be souls stuck in the world. If you are caught by one, they will try and pull you into a fit with a bigger BT. Which early in the game they are worth avoiding until you gain more effective weapons and techniques to deal with them effective. The encounters with BTs early on are eary and creepy which in the constant rain gave the open world a real atmosphere to an otherwise pretty deserted expanse.As I mentioned the base game play is to make deliveries from one station to another with aim of earning you a star grade. You progress this by earning likes and this is mainly done by mapping out your route and planning it to make it as quick as possible and inflicting as little damage as possible to your cargo. The easy route often takes you to encounter mules or BTs. Taking the difficult route has less risk but it time consuming tackling difficult terrain. However you have the option of taking ladders and ropes with you to aid in your delivery. When you lay down and ladders and ropes they are left there and other players using game connected to the network will then be able to use. This also benefits you as you will find other peoples ropes and ladders lying around left their to help you. As you approach these structure you will get and opportunity to 'like' them as they will have 'liked' yours.As you progress you will be able loot and collect resources from stations to help build travel networks in the form of roads, bridges, zip wires to help make deliveries easier and avoid enemies. It sounds boring but it really is in your interest to do this early on. Again this will help other players and regularly you will find bits pop up which help you which you have the opportunity to like.I enjoyed the like system and you really felt like you were helping other people and were in it together and it made me want to build more thing to help others out.As you reach new stations you get to meet new peoples mainly in the form of a hologram. While the first couple you meet are pretty standard, the latter ones are more interesting with good back stories to their lives which you will want to try and help in your quest.The overall story is wonderful but it takes a long while to really develop. The final cut scenes go on for hours but I was expecting that from a tremendous game visionary. I would say they are worth being patient for and going through the whole game to experience. There are so many aspects to the game but they all relate to the real world we live in and the game tries to teach us some valuable lessons and for me it really did.The final aspect was the use of music in the game. The sound track is very acoustic from a number of different bands. It beautifully reflects the world and the terrain. But unlike other games which generally have it in the background the music gets played to you as specific moments in the game. Mainly during important deliveries in the game. I felt this added a real beauty to the game as you march on with the accompanying music. One of the final journeys with the added music created probably the most unforgettable 5 minutes of gaming for me. It was a beautiful moment, something which I never thought playing a game would create.Overall it is a fabulous game and it will set a president for future games to really challenge themselves to create more than just great game play. There are some that won't like it as it's not what everyone looks for in a game. So I can't promise you will enjoy it as I have. But if you see a review that is off the back of a couples of hours of game play I really would say ignor it and try the game for yourself!

6.1.2020

After completing Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain, Kojima started to work together with Guillermo Del Toro on various projects. After the famous split between Kojima and Konami, one of these projects Death Stranding had been teased for quite a long while. Now it's finally out, the reviews have been streaming in and so far it's got mixed opinions for a variety of reasons. The first thing that might put people off is that at it's heart, it isn't an action game (or at least, it isn't at first). It does appear to share and engine and some control mechanics from the MGSV games but other than that, this is entirely it's own property and focuses more in terms of Sci-Fi and Horror than other genres.You play as Sam Porter Bridges,motion captured and voiced by Norman Reedus (an actor most famous for The Walking Dead and Blade 2)Sam is essentially a courier tasked with travelling the strange and inhospitable landscape caused by a post-apocalyptic event where society is reduced to living mostly in bunkers with very little resources. Key aspects of the game include balancing your cargo load, carrying collapsible ladders and climbing anchors to make yours (and other players') journeys easier. You have to maintain your walking boots, keep your chest-mounted BB unit happy and look after your health and stamina. Crouching makes you slower and makes carrying heavy loads easier. Walking and running will shift the cargo weight onto one side, forcing you to move more slowly or stabilise yourself to avoid falling and damaging the cargo.Throughout the world your presense to other players (if online mode is enabled) will allow for player-made structures and signs to appear in your game. You can award these likes so that other players may reward those who are generous with their time and resources.You'll encounter some rogue forces too. There are the MULEs which are a hostile entity that will steal your supplies and will enter combat with you if you stray into their territory. There are the BTs that appear during periods of heavy rain. These semi-invisible forces are hostile and will attempt to pull you into the underworld which will force you to respawn and make you lose your progress.There are a large number of cutscenes in the game, some are from colleagues giving you information but others are fully rendered video sequences which set the story and fill in the world. There is an extensive backstory and text notes which fill in the game's lore and give you a better idea of the world.Later on you are able to fabricate objects based on blueprints and can upgrade your equipment. The map will open up to you allowing you to travel further and take on riskier jobs.The visuals in the game are stunning and definitely push the Playstation 4 to new heights in terms of technical achievements. The music and sound in the game is exceptionally well done, some of the named bands contributing songs have done a great job and these always play at the right time. The voice acting is excellent and definitely some of the best VA work I've heard in recent years. Gameplay is understandably a bit of a mixed bag for some, your character is meant to be quite normal so you do have to keep your footing and watch your stamina gauge to avoid tiring yourself.Take a look at some videos and other reviews and see if this is the right game for you. In my opinion it's great and one of my favourite videogames.

17.11.2019

The first thing I want to say is this game is excellent. The production values are off the charts with amazing graphics, sound design and motion capture technology. I thought having major actors like Mads Mikkelsen in the game would be a gimmick but they really do put in incredible performances. Even when the dialogue itself is a bit weak the way the actors deliver the lines makes you believe it. I also really appreciate that the game WORKS at launch and doesn't have any major bugs or framerate issues. Too many games these days seem to have a "release it now, fix it later" mentality and its refreshing to see a game actually release as a finished product and not a buggy mess.The game also has NO microtransactions or loot boxes or anything like that.There is a lot of misinformation about this game online at the moment with people saying its a "walking simulator" or a "movie game". Neither of these statements are completely true. I will admit that the opening couple of hours are very story focused but once you get to chapter 3 the game just lets you loose in the world and that's when it really shines. Sure, you start out walking with nothing but some rope and a ladder to help you. The terrain is harsh and every river you have to cross or mountain you have to climb provides a challenge. However, as the game progresses you can build structures and transform the world around you. Not only that but if you are connected to the internet you will see other players changing the world as well. The "multiplayer" is similar to leaving messages on the ground in Dark Souls but instead of just leaving messages you are leaving structures you have built. What begins as a baron harsh land slowly becomes full of roads and zip lines and safe houses. You go from struggling with every step to zooming across the world in your vehicle of choice on a road that you and other players built together.However, the harsh terrain isn't the only obstacle you have to deal with. There is also plenty of enemies such as Mule's who are obsessed with stealing your items, terrorists who want to destroy the world you are building and the otherworldly entities known as BTs (or beached things) that are best avoided but if they catch you you're thrown into a crazy boss battle. Just like with getting over the terrain you will get many more creative tools to deal with these threats as the game goes on. I will say the second half of the game has much more combat than the first half so if you're looking for action be prepared for a slower start.This isn't a standard action game like God of War or Horizon Zero Dawn. It's a slower game with more focus on emotion and atmosphere. I would recommend it to people that enjoy games like Shadow of the Colossus, The Last Guardian, Nier Automata, Journey etc. As far as how the gameplay feels I think the closest comparison is probably Metal Gear Solid 5 which was made by the same guy.In conclusion Death Stranding may not be for everybody but personally I love it and if you are at all intrigued by the game then I recommend you try it for yourself because this is truly a game where watching videos doesn't do it justice. It only really clicks once you have it in your hands and can play it yourself.

30.12.2019

Death Stranding is different. Its unique, its ambitions and oh, is it fulfilling.Here's my experience with Death Stranding so far. After almost a week of going through reviews, articles and videos of the game, I still could not frame an opinion of the game. Playstation games are expensive, and I had to make a decision. Eventually, I sold Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order since I was done with it's campaign, and picked up Death Stranding. I am around 18 hours into the game and... I can't wrap my head around the fact that people could actually admit to having a negative experience with this game.The beginning of the game caught my attention purely with the cinematics, until the gameplay kicked in which felt quite 'lonely'

21.7.2020

If you are looking for a fast paced shooter or have a short attention span this is not for you.Yes, the main game is to deliver items from one place to another and it is frustrating at the beginning when you fall over from carrying an unhumane amount of rubbish on your back. Yes, the first 3-4 hours is full of cutscenes with weird black gloop and floaty dead people, an 'unusual' dystopian plot line and convoluted very badly explained controls. Yes, it will take hours and hours of your life to complete it and you will wish you understood the concepts at the beginning of the game.....However, the cinematography is fabulous, the 'weird' bits are cool and I quite frankly think it is great.In my opinion,

23.12.2019

I'll preface this review by saying I play on a PS4 pro system.This is a hard game to rate. It is very niche game and it definitely won't appeal to most people.The story is convoluted, when my significant other asked me what I was doing, I sounded like a lunatic trying to explain some of the core concept of the game.It takes a long time to unveil itself and it takes itself very seriously.I personally enjoyed the game. Even-though it is a glorified 'Post Apocalyptic Amazon Prime Delivery man' game.Go from point A to point B,C,D,E,F to deliver precious cargo.Sometimes you can have vehicles, often you can't.Sometimes it will be peaceful journey,

20.6.2020

I’m writing this having finished the game, drinking a glass of wine and listening to Low Roar who provided most of the tracks. Beautiful, evocative music that fits the game utterly perfectly.But let’s talk about the game. I’ve been playing games for as long as games can be played, and this is like no game I’ve ever played before. It is extraordinary. It is immersive. When finished, there’s a sense of loss that stays with you for days. There aren’t many games that do that.The story, and this is a story through which you play, is complex, clever and beautiful. There are hours of cut scenes which do not bore, because this game is like playing in a film as it develops. And you don’t want it to end (no spoilers,

8.11.2019

There is nothing to say that hasn't already been said about this game, it is a landmark title of this generation of consoles, Kojima rarely disappoints, having played Kojima titles since MGS1 in 98 I can assure you this is probably if not his greatest game. Having said that it may not be for everyone, this is a slow burn game but that is because it takes appropriate time to get you immersed in the atmosphere and the story, there are plenty of new deep mechanics to delve into and lots of variation, no 2 playthroughs are quite the same. It also runs fantastic on both base PS4 and on Pro the only noticeable difference being resolution effects work and environments are practically identical.

8.3.2021

Honestly ask anyone I struggle to finish games and I get bored or frustrated easily but this was one of if not the best game I've ever played.I've seen people say it's slow or boring or a hiking simulation and this is true on the surface but if you give in you've totally missed the point of the game and the pay off.This is a story and a journey.its about struggle and the need to reach out and co operate. It's about isolation and how we can break it. The game is long but if you allow yourself to immerse yourself in it you get sucked into it. The delivery and hiking becomes a memory when you find your purpose and you help and are helped by others.It gets easier when you have access to bikes and trucks or the fun zip lines.

11.11.2019

Hideo Kojima really outdid himself with his first solo career game after parting ways with Konami in 2015.The actors, graphics, cinematic scenes, gameplay, mysterious story, intrigue, everything rounds up to make a wonderful and unique gaming experience.Watching someone else play it is indeed boring as hell but playing it yourself is an immersive and emotional rollercoaster.Yes, Sam is the go-to delivery guy in the game. Yes, you'll be trekking miles on foot to deliver some of these packages. But you get to experience the scenery and terrain in a way that you wouldn't normally do when using a vehicle, so this makes for a much more interactive and challenging experience.There are moments where you will have to be stealthy and avoid the BTS (those inky black entities)

13.2.2021

The premise of being a courier in a post-apocalyptic world didn’t get me particularly excited but I thought I’d give it ago anyway; and I’m so glad that I did.The first couple of hours are bit cut scene heavy, the inventory menu does look overwhelmingly complex at first, and the on screen text is quite difficult to read as it is so small, however I couldn’t stop playing.There game develops are a reasonable pace and you get upgrades that have a noticeable effect as you make deliveries and climb the ranks. The haptic feedback through the PS4 controller gives you a real sense of the struggle Sam is having with carrying any given load over the terrain you are on,

15.3.2021

Never usually feel like writing reviews but was compelled to do so for this game.I didn’t buy it for over a year as I had heard some bad reviews, that it was just a walking simulator, a glorified postman if you will.But I’m so glad I bought it.First I’ll get the negative out of the way, a lot of the game is simply making your way across terrain and delivering cargo. Personally I found it therapeutic and so satisfying when the facility was in sight and then I got graded on how well I did.The positives are that the story and characters are simply amazing (Kojima never disappoints on this aspect), the action is fantastic when it does arrive (some of the best action sequences in gaming)

22.4.2021

I really liked this game. I'd have given it 5 stars but it's very repetitive. Before you even think about buying this game though. Ask yourself do you like reeeally sloooow games. Most of this game you spend your time walking slowly across quite barren landscapes to conserve energy. The game is a one trick pony, but it does that trick very well (It's a carrying stuff "simulator"). The combat isn't great in my opinion and the story is typical Hideo Kojima fare. (Think Metal Gear Solid but with less plot twists. Characters with silly names and commentaries on all sorts of randomness.) Personally I didn't like the story that much, it was just OK.

14.11.2019

From the opening credits this masterpiece of gaming grabs you and doesn’t let go! I was unsure if it was worth getting, but I have no doubt that this is genius. The game introduces you to the various mechanisms and play loop gradually. It rewards time spent with more gadgets, systems and play options as you progress. Delivering packages may initially sound boring but believe me it’s not. I just completed one delivery that due to bad judgement on my part resulted in a series of events that quite honestly would have made a great sci-fi movie script in itself. Everything went wrong with the delivery that could have,

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