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[-Arcadia-]

Kojima is just a Japanese dude making games about the things he cares about. This one is about bringing people together. He probably has a fairly surface level understanding of the US-Mexico border situation and Brexit. I would be surprised if he is familiar with the nuance of everything. He likely just sees them as contemporary issues that exemplify some of the themes he wants to touch on in Death Stranding, which focuses on how we mustn't build walls and shut each other out, but build bridges and reconnect.

The problem is that prior Kojima games, and as far as I know, this one in general, have been so well researched, even teaching me a few things through a game, that this stands out as sloppy.

(Plus, my earlier comment about making false (intentional or no) political statements in influential entertainment, where nobody can correct this stuff)

Had Kojima (or whoever wrote this, but the buck stops with him) taken an honest look at the implications of a border wall, I would respond to it a lot better as an artistic opinion. For example, there’s an interesting debate to be had about security versus connection. (In general, I think pushing back a little on connection, would have been interesting, but that’s another subject)

He decided to set up a giant strawman to knock down instead.

Likewise, I think it just stands out in a bad way. The game rarely, if ever, directly touches on issues from modern times like this, without metaphor. It reads more TDS, especially with the falsehoods, than a natural extension of the game’s themes.

 

[abstract alien]

Question I'm slightly confused on.

Spoiler: end game spoilers

Who exactly is the BB Lou/Louise? Where did they come from? Was Sam carrying some version of "himself" around?

 

[Terenty]

I'm at chapter 12 now and

Spoiler

i must say there needed to be another patch of land to explore and conquer. I understand budget limits and so on obviously, but chapter 10 is basically backtracking, chapter 12 seems to be the same.

And i'm still salty the creepy giant creature with hands instead of its head was reduced to such a shitty banal boss fight. How Kojima thought its a good idea is beyond me

 

[rsouzadk]

Question I'm slightly confused on.

Spoiler: end game spoilers

Who exactly is the BB Lou/Louise? Where did they come from? Was Sam carrying some version of "himself" around?

Spoiler: Endgame

BBs are an experiment from Bridges to try to understand and works on DS events. They come from braindead mothers. Lou/Louise is just one of them. As Sam connects with Lou, he justs remember some of his own memories.

 

[abstract alien]

Spoiler: Endgame

BBs are an experiment from Bridges to try to understand and works on DS events. They come from braindead mothers. Lou/Louise is just one of them. As Sam connects with Lou, he justs remember some of his own memories.

I get that, but...

Spoiler

Who is the baby and where did it come from? I'm confused because Sam turned out to be the son. Is Lou just a random BB?

 

[Roni]

I get that, but...

Spoiler

Who is the baby and where did it come from? I'm confused because Sam turned out to be the son. Is Lou just a random BB?

Yeah!

 

[rsouzadk]

I get that, but...

Spoiler

Who is the baby and where did it come from? I'm confused because Sam turned out to be the son. Is Lou just a random BB?

Exactly.

 

[abstract alien]

Yeah!

Exactly.

Thanks! That clears things up.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

figured out you can actually move and swim around after you die. LOL 100 hours in and i never noticed this. i was swimming and saw some other players in the seam. hello there!

 

[Sakura]

Finally finished it. Overall an OK game I think, but lots of things I think could be improved.
The reviews/analyses/videos etc where people talk about the difficulty controlling Sam and losing their cargo, I just cannot understand. I apparently took 2 tumbles the whole game, and I swear they weren't my fault, as some asshole had parked his bike in a stupid location. How can controlling Sam be this difficult?

 

[kurisu_1974]

Im actually going to venture back to that first area today to five star everyone there! Should be much more doable now with a truck and an arsenal!

Edit: Does anyone have any idea where the final missions are to max out the Cosplayer? I have a smidgeon of that final star to fill in

What I've been doing to top off the star rating is scan around for lost cargo, there's a spot between the Doctor and Mountain Knot City where a lot of the difficult prepper's shit is lying around! Also rest and read their emails if the rating seems stuck.

 

[Terenty]

Finished the main story and

Spoiler

have two regions in the mountains greyed out. Are there preppers there?

 

[SlimySnake]

Finished the main story and

Spoiler

have two regions in the mountains greyed out. Are there preppers there?

yes. location spoilers in case you want to know where they are.

Spoiler

one is by the spiritualist and the other between timefall farm and geologist.

 

[Terenty]

yes. location spoilers in case you want to know where they are.

Spoiler

one is by the spiritualist and the other between timefall farm and geologist.

Thanks, didnt read the spoiler, but

Spoiler

do i have to find them on my own or receive a delivery to their place from someone else?

 

[molasar]

Finished the main story and

Spoiler

have two regions in the mountains greyed out. Are there preppers there?

Yes, there are.

 

[HotPocket69]

What I've been doing to top off the star rating is scan around for lost cargo, there's a spot between the Doctor and Mountain Knot City where a lot of the difficult prepper's shit is lying around! Also rest and read their emails if the rating seems stuck.

Thanks brother. Exactly what I did to top off her and The Collector. Returning lost cargo of theirs to each of them directly is exactly what did it.

I have almost everyone maxed out in that first zone. Just need to do a couple more runs for the dudes at Windfall Farm and Port Knot. I feel like that whole area has THE most instances of rain and BT encounters. Just been rippin right through them with my truck and the hematic grenades.

For Death Stranding 2 I want to be able to install a fully automatic turret on top of my truck that can auto aim and alternate between regular and blood bullets.

 

[SlimySnake]

Thanks, didnt read the spoiler, but

Spoiler

do i have to find them on my own or receive a delivery to their place from someone else?

you should be able to just get an order from them. one of them should have a package sitting in front of its base you can turn in.

 

[kurisu_1974]

It could just be psychological or random luck but I feel the Weather Talisman really helps keep the bad weather away.

 

[HotPocket69]

It could just be psychological or random luck but I feel the Weather Talisman really helps keep the bad weather away.

I popped that on my bag immediately hoping/thinking the same thing! Lol

 

[imsosleepy]

Finally finished it. Overall an OK game I think, but lots of things I think could be improved.
The reviews/analyses/videos etc where people talk about the difficulty controlling Sam and losing their cargo, I just cannot understand. I apparently took 2 tumbles the whole game, and I swear they weren't my fault, as some asshole had parked his bike in a stupid location. How can controlling Sam be this difficult?

Wanne bet none of them got to the power skeletons or just never used them?
Because lol its utter bullshit. I only had a few falls as well in the whole game. Its only in the first 2 chapters that its hard and then carrying stuff becomes alot more easier. And u just have to manage. Sometimes u gotta put all your other stuff in the private locker and only carry what you need to carry for the mission to stay balanced.

 

[-Arcadia-]

Person who likes the game here:

I trip and fall all the time.

Because I’m a moron with an Empire State Building strapped to her back that doesn’t know when to say no to Death Stranding missions, or real life grocery bags.

So many play sessions ended in utter, ruinous defeat and self-hatred.

 

[HotPocket69]

72 hours. Chapter 5.

I’ve only fallen over and eaten shit 13 times according my stats in the Bridge Link section.

The balance game really eventually becomes a non issue. I mean it’s there, but later on after you upgrade enough, you really gotta be deliberately looking for fucked up surfaces or carelessly sprinting down a jaggy mountainside to even have a chance of it occurring.

You can tell most “reviewers” put the controller down before Chapter 3.

 

[-Arcadia-]

72 hours. Chapter 5.

I’ve only fallen over and eaten shit 13 times according my stats in the Bridge Link section.

The balance game really eventually becomes a non issue. I mean it’s there, but later on after you upgrade enough, you really gotta be deliberately looking for fucked up surfaces or carelessly sprinting down a jaggy mountainside to even have a chance of it occurring.

You can tell most “reviewers” put the controller down before Chapter 3.

I wouldn’t even doubt it.

It is, but if you play the game with a poor loadout, as your stamina wears down late into the journey, it becomes almost impossible to stay upright. Every single movement is a struggle, with the weight shift buttons constantly in play.

That said, this is either arrogance, or stupidity to do this in the first place. Certainly not how you would review a game, and impart your experience to people who are curious.

 

[Atrus]

Question I'm slightly confused on.

Spoiler: end game spoilers

Who exactly is the BB Lou/Louise? Where did they come from? Was Sam carrying some version of "himself" around?

Spoiler

Up until she is repatriated in the last chapter, she is no different from any other BB.

Bridges created Bridge Babies after discovering that premature babies can bridge between both worlds and allow people to view BT’s.

Sam was the first but couldn’t ever be a bridge baby due to the events with Cliff.

They continued the experiments in the subsequent decades by placing Still Mothers into a suspended coma while their unborn children are turned into BB’s.

BB’s were then used as sacrifices to establish Chiral Nodes and for Bridges employees out in open. Igor as a Bridges corpse disposal member was given a BB to complete his duties and he passed BB-28 on to Sam before he died.

Sam, having never connected to BB’s before, triggers a flashback to his own childhood when he connects to Lou but think’s its Lou’s memories rather than his own.

 

[-Arcadia-]

Just out of curiosity, from the other thread...

When I'm fighting BTs others players drops grenades and blood bags all the time.

I noticed that too, but is it players actively helping or supplies from shared lockers automatically being dropped?

How does this work? Obviously another player isn’t literally throwing you grenades and blood bags during your fight with a BT creature, as no such mechanic seems to exist, but the game seems to identify them as real players anyway.

I would love to be able to help other players in their BT fights, if anyone has any insight. Is it Shared Lockers?

 

[HotPocket69]

Jeez I never see any of that stuff when I’m passing through BT territory. Even when I decide to take a couple out there’s never been any sort of ammo or weapon supplies marked and nearby.

Damn.

 

[-Arcadia-]

I’m talking about what happens when one grabs you, and everything changes. There’s players in that, tossing helpful supplies.

 

[Roni]

Just out of curiosity, from the other thread...




How does this work? Obviously another player isn’t literally throwing you grenades and blood bags during your fight with a BT creature, as no such mechanic seems to exist, but the game seems to identify them as real players anyway.

I would love to be able to help other players in their BT fights, if anyone has any insight. Is it Shared Lockers?

I've fought a bunch of BT's, so I've seen this happen quite a few times. Unfortunately, I've never taken notice of the names of the people helping me to determine if Strand Contracts, chance or something else determines who helps you. If I had to guess, I'd say it's either people who have given you lots of likes or people you're in a Strand Contract with.

 

[nowhat]

Jeez I never see any of that stuff when I’m passing through BT territory. Even when I decide to take a couple out there’s never been any sort of ammo or weapon supplies marked and nearby.

Damn.

I've only seen the supplies drop when fighting the miniboss (if you get "caught"), not during just trying to get through BT territories. But yes, it has happened multiple times. How it happens, I have no idea.

But didn't you complain that you haven't got any likes (and thus uses) from a conveniently placed rope before? That makes me think... what if the game hooks you up with a certain group of players when you start the game. And if the people you are playing with are just lazy or bored, you don't get to interact with anyone else? A frightening prospect, hopefully this is not the case.

 

[abstract alien]

Spoiler

Up until she is repatriated in the last chapter, she is no different from any other BB.

Bridges created Bridge Babies after discovering that premature babies can bridge between both worlds and allow people to view BT’s.

Sam was the first but couldn’t ever be a bridge baby due to the events with Cliff.

They continued the experiments in the subsequent decades by placing Still Mothers into a suspended coma while their unborn children are turned into BB’s.

BB’s were then used as sacrifices to establish Chiral Nodes and for Bridges employees out in open. Igor as a Bridges corpse disposal member was given a BB to complete his duties and he passed BB-28 on to Sam before he died.

Sam, having never connected to BB’s before, triggers a flashback to his own childhood when he connects to Lou but think’s its Lou’s memories rather than his own.

Thanks for this!

 

[Fake]

I’m talking about what happens when one grabs you, and everything changes. There’s players in that, tossing helpful supplies.

Only way to fight those BT. Because boss fight you can run like normal BT encounters, so you don't get stuck by forgeting equip weapons.

Even for me with weapons on my backpack is still not enough because BT fights are god damn dynamics.

 

[HotPocket69]

I’m talking about what happens when one grabs you, and everything changes. There’s players in that, tossing helpful supplies.

Oh wow

 

[ethomaz]

I've only seen the supplies drop when fighting the miniboss (if you get "caught"), not during just trying to get through BT territories. But yes, it has happened multiple times. How it happens, I have no idea.

But didn't you complain that you haven't got any likes (and thus uses) from a conveniently placed rope before? That makes me think... what if the game hooks you up with a certain group of players when you start the game. And if the people you are playing with are just lazy or bored, you don't get to interact with anyone else? A frightening prospect, hopefully this is not the case.

It can have that kind of intelligence but you can choose your group too in links.... the game tutorial tells you that you have bigger changes to see constructions from the people you are linked (actually I can link with 30 players).

 

[-Arcadia-]

Oh wow

Have you not been grabbed yet? Lmao. Congratulations, that’s some skilled play.

 

[ethomaz]

Oh wow

If that helps every forced BT boss has it too... the first one when you get near lake city at the end of Chapter 2 you will see that happening... it shows others players throwing supply to you.

Maybe it just shows when you are near out of supply? But I remember getting grenades while I had 3 grenades yet.

Have you not been grabbed yet? Lmao. Congratulations, that’s some skilled play.

But there is unavoidable BT bosses lol
The first one at the end of Chapter 2.

Even if you was never grabbed you will fight BTs early in the game.

 

[HotPocket69]

Have you not been grabbed yet? Lmao. Congratulations, that’s some skilled play.

I’ve been grabbed by the tar people plenty but I’ve always managed to escape

 

[ethomaz]

I’ve been grabbed by the tar people plenty but I’ve always managed to escape

Like I said there is unavoidable BT bosses pretty early in the game without be grabbed.
Unless you are in Chapter 1 or middle of Chapter 2 yet there is no way you never fought a BT.

 

[-Arcadia-]

Oh wow. Definite congrats HotPocket69

If you’re wondering what it’s like, it’s exactly like the mandatory bosses.

 

[abstract alien]

Are the cryptobiotes supposed to be a reference to tardigrades? That was the first thing I thought about, but I thought I may be trying to make a false connection.

 

[-Arcadia-]

Are the cryptobiotes supposed to be a reference to tardigrades? That was the first thing I thought about, but I thought I may be trying to make a false connection.

Yeah, if you go into their details on the interviews, they’re extremely similar, right down to the same near-indestructible properties, and ability to indefinitely hibernate.

 

[Fake]

Have you not been grabbed yet? Lmao. Congratulations, that’s some skilled play.

I avoid every BT until I beat the game. Only the forced BT boss fight, but I played very careful. I very afraid of fuck my delivery.
Amazon should do the same.

 

[HotPocket69]

Like I said there is unavoidable BT bosses pretty early in the game without be grabbed.
Unless you are in Chapter 1 or middle of Chapter 2 yet there is no way you never fought a BT.

I did fight the one in Chapter 2

Otherwise I haven’t taken out any others besides the occasional “normal” BTs hanging around. If anything just to test out the weapons.

 

[nowhat]

Amazon should do the same.

You know nowadays airplane pilots are very much trained by simulators, astronauts definitely too, along those lines there are tons of other professions where a significant part of the training is not actually doing the thing IRL but doing so in an simulated environment.

Perhaps a decade or few from now prospective package deliverers will be trained on Death Stranding, or a variant of it anyway. Maybe they'll replace BTs with pedestrians that bump into you and unintentionally try to knock you over.

 

[molasar]

You know nowadays airplane pilots are very much trained by simulators, astronauts definitely too, along those lines there are tons of other professions where a significant part of the training is not actually doing the thing IRL but doing so in an simulated environment.

Perhaps a decade or few from now prospective package deliverers will be trained on Death Stranding, or a variant of it anyway. Maybe they'll replace BTs with pedestrians that bump into you and unintentionally try to knock you over.

 

[ethomaz]

I did fight the one in Chapter 2

Otherwise I haven’t taken out any others besides the occasional “normal” BTs hanging around. If anything just to test out the weapons.

Understood... maybe that can help you remember.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

love fighting me some BTs. someone threw me a grenade launcher last night as i fought this giant lion looking tar monster. i have so much fun finding the high ground, shouting for help, gathering up weapons and items to use during the fight, and going to town. a whole lot of fun!

 

[HotPocket69]

There’s a grenade launcher?!

 

[molasar]

There’s a grenade launcher?!

Spoiler

It is nothing if you have to deal with Kaiju BTs.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

ah..... i hope that isnt considered a spoiler. that isn't even the start of it tho. you get all kinds of stuff to play with.

 

[Tesseract]

Are the cryptobiotes supposed to be a reference to tardigrades? That was the first thing I thought about, but I thought I may be trying to make a false connection.

and some other somewhat nefarious things, if your mind chooses to wander there

lovely stuff either way