Is Sony the only company still doing physical gaming properly?
Nintendo first-party’s certainly still in the conversation, but the abundance of Switch 2 Game Key Cards has understandably attracted criticism when it comes to third-party releases.
In a world where Microsoft is effectively shipping blank discs on the PS5, though, it’s refreshing to see Death Stranding 2: On the Beach released the right way.
While the game does have a sizeable day one patch, it’s not required to complete the game, and Does It Play has a full analysis confirming that the entirety of Hideo Kojima’s sequel can be enjoyed from the Blu-ray without an Internet connection at all.
Obviously the game does have online elements, including the shared construction of infrastructure, but this isn’t needed to beat the game.
“You can fully play the game offline without this feature but you will have to completely rely on yourself to contribute supplies to build & maintain structures, and the only support requests that will appear will be ones from NPCs. While this can make the game a bit harder, the game still feels very well balanced even when playing offline.”
Two Trophies do require an Internet connection to unlock, but otherwise you’re getting the full experience out of the box here.
Obviously, this is the way things should be, but given the current state of the industry, it’s not a given anymore. Kudos to Sony and Kojima Productions for handling this physical release in the right way.
Did you buy Death Stranding 2 physically or digitally? Make some inroads into the comments section below and let us know.