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Death Stranding 2 is a total mess

You should have played on To the Wilder difficulty, it posses a decent challenge, enemies are much stronger and quicker to react, can spot you a mile away and immedeately go to investigate and bosses can one shot you, so you really have to learn their patterns. Batteries drain very quickly on vehicles too

And I don't know how anyone can say the first game is better, DS2 has so much more variety in the map, missions etc. Basically a much more realised game

And no, the first DS wasn't difficult and didn't need any planning before starting a mission even on hardest difficulty, stop with the lies pls.
 
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The main theme is about accepting loss & grief, I enjoyed both DS1&2.

1st one is definitely something special, 2nd one a lot more actions
 
Kojima hasn't been able to write a legit good story since MGS2, which at this point we must consider a fluke because the large majority of his games have questionable to downright terrible writing.

Dude desperately needs someone to keep him in check with all his pseudo-intellectual/psychological nonsense.

"What if we erased the English language using parasites that learn English through Walkmans stuffed into someone's throat blasting English media 24/7 in some slaughterhouse in the Congo" dude what
 
Sure it has some good moments here and there, but no great game ever made me wonder and constantly question why am I playing it... lol wtf :D Yet still it has that pull to finish it anyway..
These 2 DS games must be some of the weirdest thing I've ever touched in gaming
 
It's more accessible than first Death Stranding, sometimes even explaining too much. But yes, it's a mess, beautiful mess.
 
I thought it had way better mechanics than the first one. The story is equally nonsensical (both games start strong, story-wise, but get messy fast), but with the addition of so much cringe stuff, like cute quirky young girls with weird names singing songs. DS1 redeemed itself for me, with the touching ending.

A lot of the weirdness comes from Kojima being extremely Japanese in his vision, making a game that looks and feels 90% western.

I basically skip most of the dialogues, but enjoy the game loop.
 
Exactly my finding. Piss easy, objectives take seconds to get to, combat lets you fail over and over again with no punishment.

It only got "hard" once fragile deliveries were introduced and it would damage by 60% if you hit a pebble.

It was my biggest letdown in a decade.
 
I've never played it. I played DS1 and I hated it. The gameplay is just not for me. I was bored to tears. One of my most hated games in a while. Even the Kojima-isms annoyed me in that game. Not sure I'll ever pick this one up to try it. Maybe if it ever gets under $20 on a sale.
 
bender said:
I restarted DS1 a half dozen times or so before finally making it past the few hour mark and putting in a sizeable amount of time. I really disliked the characters and story. And while I really respect the game design, it just wasn't my cup of tea. That's a long winded reason for why I skipped DS2 all together.
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Same. I tried so hard to get through DS1, but I just couldn't do it. I didn't even try with 2.
 
Gameplay didnt get the evolution it deserved, Story is bonkers but DS as a whole is probably the most coherent and internally consistent project(s) that Koji & Co. has ever made.
 
Wife was watching me play DS1 and connecting the dudes in-game made us ponder about how we're connecting with people in real life, and it was refreshing to play a AAA game that's not so combat focused, and I really enjoyed the story overall, but somehow I have been reluctant to give DS2 a shot because of people saying how easy it is
 
Played at launch for 10 - 20 hours and loved everything. Really loved the first one too. Maybe I didn't get too affected or distracted by the story? Unsure. But I never ever had an issue with the gameplay.

I plan to buy on PC and actually play it to completion sometime soon.
 
I've tried to play it a couple times and I get bored every time just like the original.

As a huge fan of MGS/Kojima I feel like I have to play it.
 
Sounds like they dumbed it down for the modern audience.

I will likely grab it at some point on sale for PC.
 
JayK47 said:
Sounds like they dumbed it down for the modern audience.

I will likely grab it at some point on sale for PC.
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Yes this feels like the exact goal of this game

Make it piss easy so everyone can complete it - make it the "walking sim" everyone thought the first game was (which it really was not)
 
I skipped both DS games because I don't like having Hollywood actors in my video game.

This might be none issue for some even selling point for others but I have zero interest in that stuff.
 
I like the gameplay of DS enough, it's chill and different. But I can't stomach a Kojima story and even though I skip every cutscene there's so many of them and I have to skip them all individually, it's not worth it to me. Too much downtime. In my opinion Kojima's strengths as a game designer have fallen off a cliff beginning with MGS4 and people have just been slow to notice. I think there's a clear divide in the quality of his designs before and after MGS3
 
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The Devil's Grocers said:
I like the gameplay of DS enough, it's chill and different. But I can't stomach a Kojima story and even though I skip every cutscene there's so many of them and I have to skip them all individually, it's not worth it to me. Too much downtime. In my opinion Kojima's strengths as a game designer have fallen off a cliff beginning with MGS4 and people have just been slow to notice. I think there's a clear divide in the quality of his designs before and after MGS3
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His gameplay got better MGS4 onwards. You liked the story and presentation, that's definitely changed. By popular demand, no less...
 
SpokkX said:
I have played every single Kojima game, yes even the 8/16 bit games.
I have loved them all to some degree, even if some were quite flawed (MGS4 comes to mind)

I also loved Death Stranding 1 with the world building and innovative as well as exciting gameplay (you actually had to be careful)

I didn't watch any trailers or reviews and played it on Steam at release - I was sure I would love the game

And well.. the first 2 hours start out well enough

But then it just falls of a cliff in every single way - except techincally (it looks amazing)

The story is a total mess and tries to be serious but at the same time is not - and barely anything happens in the game. And every single character of note is just from the first game as some sort of weird cameo ("surprise motherfucker"). And there are so many cutscenes.... and with a story this uneventful it becomes painful to watch them all. Kojimas worst story - by FAR

The gameplay is where it fails even more. There is NO challenge. The traversal is simpler than the first game - since you can basically use a motorcycle to get everywhere - yes even mountains. There is WAY more combat - problem is that it not improved at all. It is basically one of the worst combat systems in a third person shooter - braindead enemies that you just unload on (regardless of armor or boss etc). The game is so simple so there is really nothing that can even hurt you - not even the BT:s or even bosses. On top of it all the game is LONG - so you have to repeat the same stuff over and over - basically run around with your invincible truck that can go anywhere. There were 3 or 4 trips where walking was actually a better choice

Overall a total mess of design and story - even more confused than MGS4, at least that game did not overstay its welcome

Did people actually enjoy on PS5 at release?
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Good thing you are saying that now, if you said last year around July the cult would have crucified you.
 
Honestly, I really do not get how people are saying the story is worse than the first game.

I really appreciated Kojima dialling back on his usual histrionics and speechifying which has ALWAYS been the weak-point of his narratives and instead opting for a much more direct and mostly restrained approach.

It doesn't re-hash all the metaphysical mumbo-jumbo and instead focusses on basic character motivations. The dialogue is less stilted and overwrought than usual with him smartly showing rather than telling in the major cut-scenes.

The standard of performance and voice-acting is top-notch across the board too, unsurprising really as if you judge the game by craft standards its inarguably a straight-up masterpiece. You will not find a better made game anywhere
 
Don't get the whole traversal discussion that seems to be brought up regularly.

There is definitely more roads in DS2 and flatter terrain (naturally also due to the bigger size), but unlike DS1 you can't just zip everywhere anymore. First area in DS1, you can literally have one zipline system, and same in the second area, you can basically just have one, then a fork at the rocky area near The Weather Station. You can't do that in DS2. Pound for pound also moving around on foot, DS2 has a WAY more annoying ("challenging") snowy mountain area also.

Judging by your complaints too, going to take it you played on Hard and did the Mr Impossible challenge order first try with 20 minutes to spare since the traversal is so easy and you can just spray brain-dead AI.
 
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I just can't bring myself to care, it sounds too long and there's too many other things to play.

I never could have imagined skipping a Kojima game entirely once upon a time, but unless I get a "rainy day" period where I feel like I have plenty of extra time, I'm just going to hope Physint and OD turn out to be something special.
 
Reading this thread is hilarious, playing on To the Wilder difficulty taking over enemy camps is more fun than even MGS 5 was, because unlike DS 1 and MGS enemies are fucking deadly and see you a mile away and swarm, throwing spears, grenades, shooting rifles etc. Even driving on a truck with two machine guns and shooting rifle they still manage to overpower you

Kojima really did fuck up with vanilla difficulty it seems
 
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John Bilbo said:
Can you start the game with the highest difficulty from the get go?
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Yes!

I did it. Actually, I forgot about it for a while because you pick up the tools to handle everything pretty quickly

Unfortunately, you can't switch to a lower difficulty once you've started. With the other difficulties, you can go down
 
Terenty said:
Kojima really did fuck up with vanilla difficulty it seems
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Not really. Most people don't want to play long, gruelling, survival experiences. Not to mention it really doesn't fit with the overall tone of the game, which is way warmer and less grim than the first game.

I think this is where the crucial disconnect actually lies. DS2 is Kojima trying to cheer himself up after the first game weirdly foreshadowed Covid and the global lockdown.

If you look at most of his past works, they consistently have subtexts warning of dark futures. This game uniquely steps away from that to reach for a much more positive vision. This, combined with comments Kojima has made relating to his age and an apparent serious illness making him rethink the content of his work is what leads me to the belief that this is probably the most personal work of his career.
 
HRK69 said:
Yes!

I did it. Actually, I forgot about it for a while because you pick up the tools to handle everything pretty quickly

Unfortunately, you can't switch to a lower difficulty once you've started. With the other difficulties, you can go down
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The first Death Stranding was an entirely different game with the highest difficulty! A tense time ticking survival experience. In the beginning there was no chance of getting perfect scores as the packages would melt in the rain.

Is the second one as difficult on the highest difficulty?
 
Roni said:
His gameplay got better MGS4 onwards. You liked the story and presentation, that's definitely changed. By popular demand, no less...
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No, I don't like his stories, that's why I said I can't stomach them. I'm really talking more about the design, not the moment to moment gameplay. MGS1 was very well designed to me, even though there was a lot of story and cutscene stuff it felt less intrusive and struck a better balance between watching & playing a game. You could stay in the codec and listen to canned dialogues for a long time if you were wanting a more passive experience of playing, but if not you could plow ahead and play a videogame. In his modern games I have much less agency, it feels like all the gameplay segments are just bridges between cutscenes, the story is now the meat of the game. I think he's regressed as a game designer. Cheers
 
Just finished Mexico and can't wait to play more. Ordered the Deluxe Hot Toys Sam Porter figure as well. In a world full of generic copy paste sheit, I rather play this.
 
SpokkX said:
I have played every single Kojima game, yes even the 8/16 bit games.
I have loved them all to some degree, even if some were quite flawed (MGS4 comes to mind)

I also loved Death Stranding 1 with the world building and innovative as well as exciting gameplay (you actually had to be careful)

I didn't watch any trailers or reviews and played it on Steam at release - I was sure I would love the game

And well.. the first 2 hours start out well enough

But then it just falls of a cliff in every single way - except techincally (it looks amazing)

The story is a total mess and tries to be serious but at the same time is not - and barely anything happens in the game. And every single character of note is just from the first game as some sort of weird cameo ("surprise motherfucker"). And there are so many cutscenes.... and with a story this uneventful it becomes painful to watch them all. Kojimas worst story - by FAR

The gameplay is where it fails even more. There is NO challenge. The traversal is simpler than the first game - since you can basically use a motorcycle to get everywhere - yes even mountains. There is WAY more combat - problem is that it not improved at all. It is basically one of the worst combat systems in a third person shooter - braindead enemies that you just unload on (regardless of armor or boss etc). The game is so simple so there is really nothing that can even hurt you - not even the BT:s or even bosses. On top of it all the game is LONG - so you have to repeat the same stuff over and over - basically run around with your invincible truck that can go anywhere. There were 3 or 4 trips where walking was actually a better choice

Overall a total mess of design and story - even more confused than MGS4, at least that game did not overstay its welcome

Did people actually enjoy on PS5 at release?
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Maybe I will like it then . ds1 boring gameplay of being a courier stopped me from making any real progress.

I've cosigned to watch the cut scenes on YouTube instead
 
Describing Death Stranding 2 as a mess is exactly what Hideo Kojima wants.
You must be his favorite.
 
Liopleurodon said:
Kojima's games are experience.

I never played them because of gameplay alone.
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True

Every other Kojima games has hooked me as a whole and were fascinating

DS2 is overall well… a bit boring. It starts well and ends fine. But most of it feels very uninspired and almost ubi soft style filler. I have never skipped cutscenes in a kojima game - here I wanted to skip stuff all the time (i didnt though)
 
MrRibeye said:
Wife was watching me play DS1 and connecting the dudes in-game made us ponder about how we're connecting with people in real life, and it was refreshing to play a AAA game that's not so combat focused, and I really enjoyed the story overall, but somehow I have been reluctant to give DS2 a shot because of people saying how easy it is
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It's more similar to the first in terms of challenge than it is different. Not a good reason not tp get it if u liked the first imo
 
Kojima has always been a terrible writer and an overrated hack, stuck clean up his own ass.

He is extremely talented at recruiting and gathering world class talent though, which tells us what his true power is: He's charismatic and enigmatic. That's not nothing; it's more than enough to make someone an effective figurehead for any entity, regardless of other leadership qualities, so it's easy to see why Kojima games always feel immensely well made, in terms of general graphics, controls, stability, etc., even if the actual writing is anime level piles of shit.
 
The Devil's Grocers said:
No, I don't like his stories, that's why I said I can't stomach them. I'm really talking more about the design, not the moment to moment gameplay. MGS1 was very well designed to me, even though there was a lot of story and cutscene stuff it felt less intrusive and struck a better balance between watching & playing a game. You could stay in the codec and listen to canned dialogues for a long time if you were wanting a more passive experience of playing, but if not you could plow ahead and play a videogame. In his modern games I have much less agency, it feels like all the gameplay segments are just bridges between cutscenes, the story is now the meat of the game. I think he's regressed as a game designer. Cheers
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That's an insane take. Death Stranding is pretty much the only AAA offering that at least attempts to gamefy something other than the cookie cutter combat, platforming, stealth or racing.

The guy who actually cares enough to try something new has regressed?

Yikes...
 
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Im playing DS2 right now after replaying 1 and why the fuck have the buttons changed what they did in DS1 i click the wrong one a shit ton now in 2
 
I love ds1 and ds2, but it may sound strange, I dont want another sequel. I hope Kojima is back to tactical espionage action game. I hope Physint on ps6 will be it.
 
Can't be arsed to try two since it's a direct sequel and I just can't get into 1. I really liked the vibes of walking through the mountains but I hated the shitty stealth BT sections so much. Just bleh.
 
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