To Hideo or not to Hideo? That is the Kojima. [Death Stranding disscussion]

[KBG29]

John2290 said:

KBG29 said:

Sorry for the delay. I was pulled to the Beach, and I could not return until I completed the experience.

So I had planned for 15 hours a day starting the Friday I requested off. This is something I have done for countless other titles in the past. Sometimes I end up playing,  sometimes I don't get hooked, and I end up doing something else with my extended weekend. Death Stranding hooked me on par with the most hooked I have ever been. 

I ended up at 47 hours by the end of the day Sunday, and I was not even close to finishing, and even further from loosing enjoyment with the experience before me. I debated in my head what to do next, and after much thought, I did something I have never done for a game, I called in sick, because the experience had to continue. At the end of the day I was sitting at 61 hours, and still far from the finsh, and just as far from loosing excitement for every moment played.

Since the decision to commit was already made, I  decided to call in again Tuesday, at this point I had to push to the end. We are only allowed 2 sick days in a row without a doctors notice where I work, so this was the day, I had to finish. I work a late shift, so I played Monday until 20:00. I knew I had to call in at 22:00, so the alarm was set for then. Just over an hour after heading to bed I woke up. The clock was just past 21:30, there are explosions happening all around my house. It is Veterans Day, and the Local Football team just won, pushing the community into a fireworks frenzy. Well, I'm up, I think damn, an hour and a half is not enough sleep, but I had to push on. I called in, and returned to the journey.

Finally, at 19:30, Tuesday, November 11th 2019, I finished an adventure that has already claimed a spot in my top 3 favorite games of all time list. Where it lands in that list over time is still yet to be determined, but I am already certain that I will be doing a fresh start come this holiday season, to get a better idea of just where it ends up.

My previous top three where:

1. The Last of Us 

2. Horizon Zero Dawn

3. God of War (2019)

Death Stranding will now be knocking last years God of War down a notch. Still a great game, but not in the elite category of the other three. 

Keys to why I feel this way:

-Incredible Conrtols across all forms of traversal. 

-Rewarding loop of collecting and delivering, backed by a desire to reconnect the Map, and build relationships with every character encountered.

-Even more rewarding network of interacting with other players, all working together to build a better world, and seeing it all unfold.

-Boss battles, that deliver on scale, combat, and story.

-Top notch characters at all levels, that actually make you care, and deliver emotional impact. 

-The relationship between Sam and his BB.

Those things, amoung others, wrapped in the best Graphics, Animation, and Voice work of any game to date (and by a long ways), all add up to a Masterful experience. 

The thing that really shocks me, is this is the only game out of TLOU, HZD, GOW(2019), and itself, that I went into feeling very disinterested. I went back and forth over whether I was even going to take Friday off in the weeks leading to release. My full expectation going in, was that this would probably be a game I would end up walking away from after 15 or 20 hours, similar to stuff like Witcher 3 or Red Dead Redemption 2 (which are actually two titles I was extremely hype about). Instead Death Stranding grabbed me, and didn't let go until I completed the experience it presented me.

For me, Death Stranding is truly a Masterpiece. 

I dunno how you managed 15 hour days but props, that is impressive, I thought I was being MLG at 8 hours this week and I feel the same and it has mqde it's way into my top 10 hovering and ready to climb the ladder still, no pun. 

In fact I'm getting more hooked as I go and at a little over 50 hours or so now I think I'm over half way but with how I'm playing It'll be another 40 at least, maybe 50. I just keep getting sidetracked. I'm having a god awfully difficult time pulling myself away from it, I went on a 6 hour stretch there on evening and had only intended to play for one delivery, I'm going back in with my alarm clock timed for five hours just incase I get carried away which i most likely will. 

jUST ONE MORE TASK, ONE MORE ZIPLINE PLACMENT, ONE MORE DELIVERY, ONE MORE TRIP TO FILL THAT ROAD NODE, ONE MORE STORY BEAT. and fuck, caps lock but I can't be arsed writing that again, I guess it is fitting though. 

Will you bother with the platinum?

Your cap locks comment couldn't be more accurate. That was the case for me for 5 days in a row. There is always something you can do real quick, that leads to an E-Mail with something important, that sends you off to find something new, and the next thing you know, three hours have passed in the real world. 

I also just became more and more hooked as time went on. Usually with games I start getting to a point where I have done this and that, and I am ready for things to wrap up, but this was the opposite. I started to see the end in site, and the clock winding down on my available play time, and I didn't want it to end. Honestly, if I did not have to go to work today, I would have very likely spent anoth 15 - 20 hours with the game today. 

I am planning to go for the Platinum. Only a few trophies left to go, but I will take my time and savor it. Then like I said, I plan to replay it soon. With the Social Stranding, and everything I learned in this play through, I think I can have a completely unique experience in a 2nd playthrough. That is something that it has over Horizon, which is why I can see it topping that game in the end. 

One thing I can not hold back is a shout out to the Decima Engine. It has delivered my two favorite traditional games of this generation, and two worlds I absolutely love spending time in. Horizon and Death Stranding are absolutely beautiful, and the HDR is incredible. There were times in Death Stranding cutscence where my Pro was screaming, and the Image and Animation on the screen was damn near tricking my mind into thinking I was watching a live action film. 

If PS4 Pro can showcase this, what are we in store for on PS5?