Topic: Death Stranding OT

@render You hit the nail there — I’m always surprised how people moan about all Sony exclusives are so ‘samey’ and that Sony doesn’t produce diverse content, yet we get people complaining about how different or strange like Death Stranding is. I mean, hey, I get it — the game is not for everyone, but it deserves big respect for doing things no other game has done before. (And yes, I realize DStr isn’t Sony first party but it’s basically completely Sony back with financial backing and given Kojima Productions use of proprietary Decima engine.)

@Keith_Zissou Well said. Agree on all points.

@Keith_Zissou @ColonelKilgore @Th3solution Exactly that, people very rarely seem to want to spend the time to get to know something these days and just want that quick fix. It's a shame as I bet we miss out on so many great experiences.

It's just my personal opinion (not trying to annoy anyone or get blocked etc) but I think this will be exacerbated by the subscription model as it's more likely a game like this would have been dismissed due to people not caring to spend the time required. Not saying that it won't work for other games as I know that's one of the positives they always cite about the subs model, that people are prepared to try different types of games as they haven't paid for them directly - it's more a comment about the nature of a game like this and how it unfolds slowly both story and gameplay wise and has some unusual mechanics etc. I'm hopeful that someone like Kojima can still put out games that challenge our perceptions of what a game can be and provide something for those of us that want something different and are prepared to spend some time getting to know it.

@render Could it not also be argued though that people like Kojima are more likely to be given carte blanche if there’s no expectations of copies sold? Niche and critically acclaimed seems to be exactly what subscription services want, as they’re the sort of things you’d grab new customers with, rather than the evergreen stuff.

@nessisonett Every game will be judged by some form of success criteria, even those that launch on a streaming service. It was easier with sales but what are the metrics they use for streaming services? Is it going to be linked to the number of signups around a games release or how many people play it or how many hours they play for and over what time? Ultimately those things will decide if games of that type get made and put on the service so I don't think it's that clear cut.

The point that I was making was that a game like this was unlikely to do well due to it's nature of being a slow burner. If you don't buy something specifically then you have less investment in it so are more likely just to pass it over and try something else to get your quick fix. It's similar to how albums have fallen out of favour. I can think of many albums that I've thought were just ok on first listen but given further listens I've fallen in love with them.

It's always interesting to hear opposing views though and it's equally likely (at least I hope it is for the future of gaming) that I'm wrong.

@nessisonett @render I think both stances are true — 1) that subscription services will foster new ideas to get some eyes on them where they otherwise wouldn’t, but that 2) big budget AAA projects that push the envelope will be harder to justify.

Kojima is a bit of an anomaly in the industry. He’s built up enough goodwill amongst fans and critics through MGS that he had a lot of creative freedom for Death Stranding. The game is very much like a big budget indie in some ways. Having his own studio has lessened the restrictions on his independent thinking. But most indie studios will have to fight their way for exposure to the mainstream gaming community, so probably will benefit from a subscription service. Effectively this creates a two tiered ecosystem of gaming budgets and so I’m not sure what the long term consequences will be. Like you say, the analogy to music means we miss out on those classic albums that are an acquired taste in favor of one-hit wonders, but we also give independent artists a stage they didn’t previously have. Fortunately, if Sony sticks to their guns, we might be able to have the best of both worlds in gaming.

Edit: Ironically, I was thinking about it and some of the games that I gave up on after a couple hours yet were critically acclaimed are the Bethesda and Obsidian games. 😅 Dishonored and The Outer Worlds come to mind.

@Keith_Zissou Good job, those premium deliveries can be a real challenge.

Have you made use of the cannon yet? It was a new addition for the DC so I hadn’t really used it. I launched some cargo from one the other day and missed the prompt to open the parachute so ended up destroying some materials I was going to add to the roads so I’d probably call that a failed attempt. Not sure how useful it is in general though as it’s got limited range but was wondering if it might be possible to launch cargo into mules 🤣

Another new thing I noticed was that I got a message from Deadman telling me that there was a chiral spike near my location and that I needed to go and get a body to incinerator quick. I looked on the map and it took me ages to find it as it was nowhere near my location. That must be new too as I don’t remember having to do that before thou.

@Keith_Zissou yeah I’d say that’s the toughest challenge done mate… platinum here we come 👍

@Keith_Zissou Ah sorry I just made the assumption that you'd be playing the DC version without checking. The differences are so minimal that you aren't missing out but you have then got the opportunity to get the platinum for the OG version now and then get it again when you do get a PS5 😉

@Keith_Zissou Good work! Collecting the memory chips felt like more of a slog to me though as it involved sitting there with a guide and trying to find these sometimes obscure locations.

Full connection wasn’t too bad if you chipped away at it as you go along but just aim for the biggest deliveries possible to get it up. Obviously, combining it with multiple pick ups for the same location on the way helps, as does good zipline links to the difficult ones (but big truck deliveries are best!)

@render I never bothered with the cannon other than for the trophies to build and upgrade everything. They just sounded like a disaster waiting to happen

@Thrillho I had to build one for that trophy but I didn't actually use it at the time and forgot where I built it. It'll still be out there somewhere. I guess they might make transporting bodies more "interesting" 🤔😆

@Keith_Zissou That's a good point Thrillho made about doing multiple deliveries to the same location as if you've got a big truck then you can start at one location, take a delivery, and then stop at all the other depots on the way to see if they've got anything else for the same location or one near by. Even better if they are premium deliveries.

@Keith_Zissou I’m sure it’s something you’ve already noticed but if you select a distribution centre etc on the map there is also an option to see which other locations have deliveries for that place.

It means you can plan a run to drop off or pick stuff up along the way rather than stopping to check each place as you go.

@Thrillho Cheers for the BT tips. I get how to get past them, it's just they usually strike when I'm enjoying the experience of traversing the terrian (sam as MULES). It's one of those games I'd LOVE a mode where could turn off enemy encounters (and game progress, obv) just so you can wander and take in the environment.

I'm about 65% through Chapter 3 now. This is chapter is taking a lot longer than I thought.

@Keith_Zissou I'd totally forgotten about that even being a thing. Do you have to equip it or is it auto equipped as I wonder if it's just enabled for me now without realising it?

Sorry to bump an old thread but wanted to say I've finally completed the DS story! I took me 4 months but I loved every minute of it. Now I'm on to the Platinum Grind and hopefully I enjoy that too. Need to figure out what I play next. I was going to do a MGS3 replay but I might be a bit Hideo'd out and might just play a few short games before jumping into that or HZW.

@ScarletSpidey Still have really fond memories of this game. So many good moments, some random ones too. I enjoyed grinding for the platinum on the original game and even after I went back to platinum the directors cut I was never bored, I could have happily kept playing way past getting the trinket. Enjoy 😀

@ScarletSpidey Congrats! I hope you enjoyed the payoff for the story

Hopefully the final grind isn't too bad for you. For the deliveries, just focus on doing the heaviest ones possible to get your rankings up. The memory chip one is a faff but decent guides can help you plan routes to collect them as efficiently as possible.

Just started, thanks to premium. I'm very very early...have to deliver my mom? To the incinerator. I was wondering is there free roam times, where not always timed for a delivery. I think it would just be fun to explore. The game looks amazing, best use of my HDR I have seen in a game. I know later on you can build roads and zip lines, but is it always under the pretext of do while your delivering something?

@Elodin The vast majority of the game is focused around deliveries but only a handful have set times. Some optional ones will have bonuses for delivering on time but mostly you can pick and choose what you want to do.

The first main area is pretty big but quite linear… but it looks incredible! The “main” area of the game is massive and there are loads of different ways of getting about. You’ll unlock different ways of getting around steadily as you progress so don’t get too annoyed by trudging around on foot in the early game.

Enjoy though! I only played it at the end of last year and thought it was fantastic.

If you’re thinking of going for the platinum, I’d recommend increasing the difficulty now as you need to do loads of side deliveries at that difficulty. It makes almost no difference to the difficulty of the game other than “combat” so you can drop it down for those sections if you need to.

@Thrillho great! Thanks for the tips. I am enjoying it so far. Quite a unique story. Loving the music as well.