More balanced does not necessarily equal more accurate. My balanced review of Super Mario Odyssey is that while nearly every aspect of the game is perfect it doesn't actually feature Donkey Kong: 5/10.
Apparently kojima didn't want to call it "director's cut" because the original Game already was. But he was forced to by Sony under their new branding for PS4 to PS5 upgrades. That's why Ghost of Tsushima also got a "director's cut"
@@TH-camPizzer You can look up "kojima director's cut" you should be able to find his tweets saying he doesn't like the name, but you are right they chose that name because of kojima status as a famous director
It was like Kojima created the COVID-19 as a complimentary feature to Death Stranding, as it help player feel more immersed into the world building, where desolation is persistent but you're always reminded of company.
Yah, the shooting truly was secondary. It’s there if you want it, and you can have some fun with combat scenarios too with experimentation, but it’s treated as a side-thing. Not even complaining about it because I actually did found myself enjoying the primary gameplay. If I were to explain it, it would sound boring, but it just….works.
I loved playing as a pacifist Sam really is lol. Didn't kill anyone (aside from those ghosts or whatever they were). For one I didn't wanna shoot anything in a game lol.
For me the best part of death stranding was finishing a zip line or a piece of road and booting the game back up and seeing it have dozens or hundreds of likes from other players. Or starting a structure and finding it finished by another player. Those elements I think were probably better when the game launched and it was more active but it gave a very satisfying feeling to the building mechanics that I haven’t had from other primarily single player story driven games.
I’ve been playing the game lately and this still happens. I put in a ton of time + resources to building a road one day, then come back online to hundreds of likes from people using my road. Maybe the player count increased because of the sequel announcement, but still it’s a satisfying feeling.
Hey! Its me! I'm from a year in the future and I'm here to tell you how there are plenty of other games that do that same thing, like, Dark Souls, and the crazy part is, Dark Souls is actually...Fun?? unlike Death Stranding??! Crazy, some games have a cool feature and are still bad, but don't worry Dark Souls has your back. It may not have building...But wouldn't you rather have a good game without building, rather than a shit game with building?
Death Stranding is so immersive because mostly it feels like what I imagine a real life in a post apocalyptic world would be like. Not all exciting gunfights and heroes battling the forces of evil, but a gruelling, tedious life of mostly mundane work and constant hardship. On that level it connects with me in a way that other games don’t.
Except for the parts where you're in gunfights and battling the forces of evil as they ooze out of the ground, and tower over you as the literal embodiment of evil.
Not to be argumentative, but why is that a good thing for you? Is it comforting? Most people play video games as escapism, not to mimic the hardships of life.
I spent 66 hours of my life on this game. I would finish work every day and just come home and focus on building roads for my fellow players for 2 hours. I managed to build a road for the entire of the main map. Was weirdly addictive knowing that I was helping my fellow gamers.
@Urn Turn But it isn't? It is only visible when there is chiral connection. So your first visits always going to have obstacles that only YOU can over come.
@@akshaydalvi1534 THATS NOT HOW ITS SPELLED YOU BUFFOON THIS IS THE FIRST TIME ANYONE HAS MADE A TYPO BEFORE. There now people dont have to make dumbass comments about you misspelling a word truly I'm too good for this world
My favorite part of the game was going into safe houses, turning on the music playlist, and reading my missed emails. This game made me feel so connected to people that weren’t real. To the point that I found comfort in it.
The nerve last time some people complained when he reviewed this game the first time that he didn't know what he was talking about but watching this video just made me realize he does those people can shove it but in this case this game up their ass
Honestly, I think his reviews are dragged down by some of his content. Not the humor within them generally, but in the "lol random" stuff. I can't fault him, it has built him a huge audience, but the older you get the less funny it is. Especially when the average Dunkey viewer is a teenager spamming memes from previous videos in the comments. But damn are his reviews and all times where he is serious in addition to humorous still good. Even when I don't agree with him (I love JRPGs) I respect his opinions because he is upfront about his tastes and preferences, so you can easily compensate for your own tastes and preferences. And he almost always has some nice insights I wouldn't have thought about.
@@camelat7228 I was thinking the same thing most of the video but then Dunkey said he's about to beat the game for a third time, there has to be some love in there
@@Forever_Zero Yea, I would say I loved Death Stranding a lot and I've only played through once and only plan to play it one more time on the PS5 version.
@@Zargabaath Been reading kojima's book from a a couple years ago The Creative Gene, and he explains his lifestyle choices that influence his thinking patterns to come up with his one-of-a-kind stuff. Interesting hearing him talk about how "The Boss" in 3 was pretty much inspired by a talking cat that teaches another cat how to be a cat.
This review feels far more measured and in depth without sacrificing humor or critique. Nails all my problems with the game but also finds what's buried beneath that.
@@LeoTakuVT Nah I like death stranding and I think this is definitely a much better review than his last one which was largely "Dunkey break game so game is bad." It's kind of sad because the type of content that intentionally misses the point drives a lot more engagement than something that is rational and logical, and it's good that Dunkey doesn't exclusively cater to that audience.
Nah, his initial review was fine. He just had nothing but criticisms about it. The game requires that you work hard to enjoy it. That's the antithesis of 'good' in my opinion.
Despite all the downfalls, death strandings overall atmosphere is one of the most unique I’ve ever seen. You just have this brooding, melancholy feel the entire game and the soundtrack is honestly very fitting for the game. Just my take though.
I think that's what makes the core gameplay so good. You've got these terrifying otherworldly forces that have all but wiped out all life on the planet, you've got terrorists and basically meta-humans, and the remnants of horrific catastrophes all around you... and you're basically working at Amazon Fulfillment. There's something uncomfortable about the contrast.
@@willh2739 real talk though, there's nothing wrong with loving games just because they're cool looking. That's what drew me to Hades and Brigador and I've found those games to be super rewarding.
@@willh2739 look man, I ain't tryna beef rn. I just want spread my take on this. gameplay loops are as good as we, the human, make them. games are but extensions in our lives and their enjoyment is all interpretation. the aesthetic of a game creates certain patterns and ideas into the mind, it allows for a comfort and familiarity to develop. we take these aesthetics into our lives which then enhances and refines those only for the game to change them again. that is the ever-developing cycle, which is affected by the aesthetics you consume. if the world of death stranding, a world of flowing beauty, the cold display and warm direction create the most pleasing god damn contrast. the inclusions of Low Roar within the world are beyond words. i took those songs into my life, which effected my life. the gameplay is the game. the game is what is created by us. the aesthetics are a great factor in what we think of a game. therefore, aesthetics affect core gameplay loops.
Dunkey’s entire youtube career has been implanting the phrase ‘Joker’s Trick’ in our heads by repeatedly referencing it, so he can make me laugh by saying ‘Joker’s Truck’.
Sounds like a very provocative art house film that you essentially hate on the first viewing, but for some reason you're compelled to return, again and again... and by the fifth viewing it's one of your all-time favourites.
Holy shit that is the perfect way to describe this. There are so many indie movies that are either very boring or just painful to watch but I still like it for some reason, and kinda like what dunkey said, this game makes me so mad and frustrated with the choices it makes but I keep playing for some reason
@@elliottheredd First of all I said "one of", secondly I never made that claim about this game specifically but rather the mental process that surrounds unexpected appreciation, and thirdly... I don't play games, at all, so I'm not an epic gamer that knows what goes on in this community. I just enjoy some game-related content.
@@elliottheredd this game is better than most of the bloated and shriveled piles of dog shit games most people play these days, it just doesn't cater to the limited attention spans millennials severely lack these days. They need to be guided and told pew pew this guy and you get cool skins!!!
Honestly it's really refreshing when you go ahead and decide to take a serious approach on a video, I really enjoy the insight you bring into what you're analyzing
I agree with a majority of Dunkey's points, and to add this game feels like it started out as something much simpler but Kojima kept walking in and said, "hey, what if we add this?" And no one told him no, while Sony kept sending him blank checks.
I honestly doubt that, as unlike behind the scenes footage of George Lucas making the Star Wars prequels, it seemed all of the team were having a good time making the game and weren’t just terrified of the director, at least in the mini-documentary that came with the game. That and the most expensive aspect of this game seems like it would have been the acting/voice over/motion capture, which I don’t think would require many blank checks.
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No. As pretentious as you may think it is, Kojima has always baked the philosophy of the vicarious weirdness of playing video games into his stories. MGS is packed with this, especially 2 and V. DS is Kojima's ultimate philosophical piece on gaming. Pointless tasks that you love to complete for seemingly no reason other than a fleeting connection you may get with others afterward. It's a snobby art piece. It's absolutely amazing.
kojima's storytelling is kinda bad, dude. like, people idolize this guy, but everything he puts out is just word vomit. that's really fun a lot of the time and that's great, but sometimes it just doesn't work lol
@Lee Griffiths I can put up with his exposition, but it's still not good storytelling. The worst part is, though, is that it's not a Kojima thing. Some people shrug it off as just being the way he writes stories. But there's nothing in the least original about this style. It's just the normal way a lot of Japanese video games and anime are written. Mindless, relentless exposition because they're terrified you might miss a tiny and super-important part of their "masterpiece". There's no sense of subtly or priority. Every last minor insignificant detail is vitally important, and you as the player NEED to be told this or their story would be ruined, because apparently there's no chance you could figure it out on your own. In stark contrast to this are Souls games and Bloodborne, the stories and lore of which I find much more compelling because you don't have someone taking you aside and drilling it into you.
@Lee Griffiths I don't think one approach or another makes the lore itself any better or worse, but I find such heavy-handed exposition extremely grating. I let Death Stranding get away with it more mainly because the exposition is well voice acted, but I've always found lore more appealing when it's not pushed in your face. To me, it just seems paranoid or something. Like they're worried that you won't notice or pick up on something, so they feel the need to explicitly tell you in detail. The problem is that now it's automatically less interesting. There's nothing left to work out, no connections to make, no room for uncertainty or interpretation. It's all been explained to me in a robotic fashion and there's nothing left for me to do. A lot of these writers seem to be uninterested in "Show, don't tell".
I remember watching the first trailer and thinking “wow, the plot of this game is gonna go completely over my head.” then actually experiencing the plot, and thinking “no, not like that”
For some reason, when watching the trailers I thought it was gonna be much more of a cosmic horror-type game. The trailers seem to build a creepiness factor that I just don't see as much once the game came out. I was hoping for something in between Junji Ito & Lovecraft.
I feel like death stranding is written like you’re trying to interpret Norse history by looking at futhark runes but you don’t know how to read futhark runes so it just never has any footing in something like rules or even physics
I kinda just appreciate the fact that Death Stranding was weird and not for everyone. Kojima made something he wanted to make, knowing not everyone would be into it, and I can respect that.
Yeah man, and he got so much hate for it. I'm not a Kojima fan or anything, never played A MGS, but come on, the people were so harsh on this. The trailers and gameplay literally showed you what the game was about and people still complain about it. But talking about the game, I really respect the fact that he made this type of game on nowadays gaming industry. While nowadays it is believed that open world games must be alive, full of side missions, events and stuff, instead Death Stranding was the complete opposite, giving a really unique experience in my opinion. But you really need to be open minded to try it.
@@bautibonzini2835 i picked death stranding up for 10$ and despite all the hate, i played it... andddd its now one of my favorite games ever made and the other day I picked up the directors cut for ps5 and pretty exited to replay it tomorrow
For me, the connecting with other players was what made me love the game. So many games that try to integrate multiplayer aspects into single player games does so as adversaries. Dark Souls and the like, where players invade you to impede your progress. This was different though, even though I never saw them I felt like I was helping other players with their journeys while they helped me with mine. Coming back to a bridge or ladder I built and finding it with hundreds of likes, knowing people used it to make their journey easier made that game that much better for me.
Yeah those invasions can get annoying they just get in the way of the single player its like wtf why.. even watch dogs legion has something like that now and the single player game just feels like it has gone broken and retarded since it was implemented, even playing alone solo i just see npcs warping all over the place as i move across the map in a vehicle its so fucked up
See that's what Kojima was talking about when he coined "strand-like". It's pure positive sum multiplayer cooperation, with none of the usual zero sum competitive elements. I wish the phrase hadn't been memed to shit because I actually *love* Kojima's approach here and wish more games would try it.
It does kind of boggle my mind that this came out pre-covid. The core premise of humanity being so isolated and alone that Oxytocin is literally an essential supply (as in food, water, and oxytocin) is such a post pandemic concept. That he came up with that beforehand is kind of amazing. I'd love to have his knack for ideas.
Check out Policenauts by Kojima. His first game and even there he got crazy deep into how terraforming and life on other planets could work. Is it relevant to the plot? Not really. But can you check the library for the whole in universe lore and how they do it? For some reason yes.
I did not expect this from you. But that’s actually a compliment. I did the performance capture for Deadman and some of Higgs, by the way. Also provided facial data for BB. Sam hugging Deadman was my idea. 😊
@@Outplayedqt Do not believe this man, I could find no proof on their channel. This is literally what mgs2 warned about. What the fuck. *ignore this please, I was high as fuck and paranoid out of my mind.
I love that you continue to re-examine games even when you didn't have a good experience of them the first time. Breaking down pieces of art takes time and you still may come out hating it. What sets you apart from most reviewers. Big respect dunk. You keep dunking
@@DaWalrusSavior I don't think there is any irony there. Everyone considers different things as art; so nobody can tell you x can't be art just because they believe it. That's why losers who want to gatekeep art get annoyed at the fact people consider more things as art, they can't stop them. So yeah, if this guy sees the game as art, but the creator doesn't, there isn't any irony there.
First time i played Stardew Valley i thought it was the worst game I've ever played, the time i gave it a second chance I've become hooked to the point where i love the game from the bottom of my heart
I bought this game to prove how stupid it was and I ended up loving it and beating it and now I am so close to getting platinum lmao WTF. I hated watching people play it, but then playing it myself I'm fucking addicted
I feel like Death Stranding has the same problem a lot of Apocalypse/Dystopia stories have; where there is this need to force a opponent so the protagonist can beat him and “win”, when most of the time just the general odds the protagonist faces are enough to create tension.
@no info I think what they mean is, sure, there can be a villain but in DS it was clear that the villain wasn't taken seriously and just didn't need to be there. An unnecessary character. Of course he could be there but it wasn't needed so he wasn't compelling or threatening
@no info Yeah, but for some stories having no villain can be beneficial, even if it's just to be something different, i won't argue if it's the case with Death Stranding, haven't played it. For example, i want to write a fanfic about Fallout, i can include the Brotherhood of Steel if i want, but i can also just use the mutants and radiation to create tension and challenges. If you want you can transform hazards in a character too, some entity that can manipulate some of the things that happen within his universe, and it doesn't need to be a villain or antagonist
I’m not defending the corny dialogue, but Kojima always uses corny dialogue in his games. Idk if he realizes how corny it is sometimes, but it’s sort of charming. Especially when it’s obviously intentional.
@@gandhithewise8250 because how tf do you like this game bro. This is literally the worst game even directors cut was boring. Boss fights are horrible. They only like it because he developed it
I had this game sitting in my steam backlog for months, finally decided to just give it a try. It's such a bizarre game and janky at times but I'm really enjoying it somehow lol
See, despite how he may come across as a player, Dunkey really excels as a critic because he can actually take a second or third look and re-evaluate whether he was right or wrong about something. He's done it with The Last of Us, he's done it with Red Dead Redemption 2, he's done it with League of Legends, and now he's doing it with Death Stranding.
The value he brings as an experienced entretainer also cannot be overstated. It means he will cleanly present his ideas to you in a way that's clear, consise and engaging. Whether you agree or disagree with Dunkey, you WILL have a more clear idea about the game and whether it is something you're interested in or not after watching his videos, and I think that's the end result that all critics strive for in the end.
I dunno, you might wanna go back and look at his Yooka-Laylee review again. It was pretty garbage. Maybe he just needed more time with the game? Mauler covered it pretty well, and mentioned Dunkey in his video too.
And he isn't as biased as people think he is. He loved MGS but didn't like Death Stranding. He hates most JRPGs but loves Persona (still waiting on P5 video).
Why would anyone do that ? I abandoned this piece of shit on the third hour of it. And never coming back, unless I’ll be in serious need for a tranquilizer that would force me to want to sleep. You people are seriously strange.
Death stranding might be the most surprising game I have ever played. Because I did zero research before buying it aside watching some clips on gpu benchmark videos. I thought it was going to be a fun sci fi / climate change themed parcel delivery RPG. Then there was like an invisible predator dog and superpower babies in vials and all sorts of scary stuff and I was very much "WTF".
@@wuwei473 kind of... Very interesting and dramatic, but I haven't finished it yet as I wanted a break from it. Will go back to it at some point though.
I wish he did one about Star Wars Battlefront 2. Not a perfect game by any means, but I played it this year and a lot of the things Dunkey hated about it were actually updated to make the game in a pretty playable state (minus the single player I think).
I like the game i build zip lanes so they are in the best possible places to connect everything....and i try to upgrade them all to level 3. I like how i have to first get there on foot where i want the next zip lane structure to be and once i'm there i put it up and now i can move fast boom...so cool. The challenge is to place them in the most strategic efficient place possible... i try to avoid BTs and MULEs but at the same time i try to make the zip line as straight as possible. because if you place them in MULE and BT areas then maintaining them become harder and with timefall they also decay faster... of course in same areas you can't avoid timefall.... the key is to not place them in the heavy rain area where the BTs come out, but if you have to place them close to a timefall area then try to find the outer circle where the rain is not so heavy and place it there.... man i love this min maxing stuff.
@@Turbulence911 nah Blacklist is smooth af. Absolute John wick + stealth vibes. Gameplay is good and free flowing while the story unravels as you're making moves in the game instead of exposition. It's a good game.
My brother swears by the fact that nobody could understand the game until after the pandemic. If you look at the reviews by days before and after the ratings are completely different
Another game experience affected by the pandemic was the Hitman 1 DLC Patient Zero. The final mission (spoiler) was incredibly surreal, containing a virus outbreak in an Asian hospital’s isolation wing
@@adibahmed10 the game is boring as shit without the zip lines. The game is boring as shit using the zip lines. I don't know why anyone would torture themselves playing a walking simulator. If you want a good simulation, play Flight Simulator, train simulator, bus simulator.
Was the same for me. Planning and building the zip lines was extremely rewarding because once you were finished you essentially didn't have to play anymore.
Is Death Stranding one of the greatest games of all time? I couldn’t decide for you. It sucks major ass, but it has been 4 years and I keep playing it and I always cry when I see Port Knot City on the horizon. This game is everything I hate about video games and yet the application in this singular video game keeps me playing. And I’ll keep playing this game forever. Is it good? I still don’t know. But I do know that it’s poignant, it’s beautiful, and it’s unforgettable
Replaying the Director’s Cut I realized that if you skip every dialogue when you connect to a distro center and play the Benny Hill theme whenever Amelie shows up, the plot becomes like 27 times better
I never got far into it, but they 100% repeat the same shit a lot and don't shut the fuck up about bridges, then they spam email you with pointless bullshit. It definitely has way more dialogue than needed.
Yeah this was super refreshing. And it's not like he totally 180'd from his first DS video, he expanded on why he disliked it while admitting that he sees the value in it, even with its faults
@@KJ-pr1hq ya hes first video was one of his most dislike. Whan i checked the steam reviews i anderstud why. Its just not dunkey tip of game(+most people agree that the story isnt good)
@@yuvalgabay1023 i really liked death stranding and even i can agree that the story really loses momentum when it reaches the snowy mountains part, the gameplay was also fun (TO ME) until that area.
The things I found really smart and creative in DS , I the communication between players , I played the game Day one and take a break for a month when I came back, other players builds Highways, Bridges , the game was evolving thanks to players helping each others to make delivery easier for everyone, I think that is the true meaning of "strand type" games , really good video as always
Thank you for reminding me how fun it was in the early days. I was one of the day one players that grinded the shit out of the highways especially and I actually felt compelled liking people's comments on the floor and receiving a ton of likes for my contributions to the built things that they used. It actually felt useful.
Damn I really wish I picked it back up after day one. I haven’t seen a lot of game companies do stuff like that and it’s cool that it makes everyone’s lives easier
I love this review . I love how even though Death Standing isn’t a perfect game you hit all of it flaws but also hit all of its perks. It’s an acquired taste like I commented in your other review and I can definitely see how people can see how it’s not fun but I think everyone should try it once to see if they like it. Great re review
as a former bike messenger i honestly feel this game captures the difficulty monotony and tedium of the job perfectly i think kojima researched bike couriers while making it
What i like most of the gameplay is the building by other players, theres a heartwarming yet lonely feeling of freezing through the snow and just ahead you see a timefall shelter playing the most soothing tune
I love this far more than the og death stranding video , it feels less harsh and more like a brilliant and engaging criticism , I feel like I really understand Dunkey’s thoughts on the game
My favorite thing about it is that he only makes them when he has something to say. He doesn’t do them because they perform well, or get positive reception. He does them when their format suits what he has to say. And that’s why they’re always good.
as someone who likes hiking, nature, cycling, dystopian sci-fi, techwear/fictional technology, low roar (rip), and being alone, i will probably be playing this game until i die. i realize a lot of people hated it because they wanted it to be something else... but i absolutely love it
You are… like… not just weird… Damaged in the head kind of weird. Why would anyone play something they hate is just beyond logic and reason. This game is boredom personified. Go play The Wonderful 101 or something.
@@pitchen As in you are able to comprehend them less and less ?) My condolences, unicellular one. Don't give up, you can still evolve enough to understand the meaning of them in the future. ;)
I get why Death Stranding didn't connect with a fair few people but I honestly think it is an amazing game the landscapes are stunning the music is amazing a lot of the actually mechanics I really really enjoyed using and the whole idea of connection and being stronger together is a really beautiful message to convey yes Kojimas writing can be goofy and less than stellar at times but he makes up for it in terms of his ideas and how unique his stories feel I also think in terms of visuals and design him and Yoji Shinkawa are a legendary duo I platinumed it on release played about 125 hours and I still go back to it now to wonder around and soak in its incredible atmosphere its not a perfect game but let's be honest no game is.
If you look more deeply, you can see the story of Kojima since when Konami kicked him. He cannot trust anymore and wanted to stay alone but one of his closest friend, Guillermo del Toro never let him down and help him to reach new people, build connection to make his NEW studio. BB represents his passion, Video games.
I tried to play it twice, couldn't go through with it. The baby crying mechanic was such a huge turnoff for one thing. Makes me wonder what this game could be like with mods though.
@@GleepGlop2 If you're playing on PS, you can set the baby sounds to come out of the controller speaker and then mute the controller. I do agree the whole taking care of BB aspect is pointless because it basically acts as a lose more feature rather than something dynamic or interesting. You can basically ignore taking care of BB the whole game though.
@@michaelwesten4624 Sometimes simplicity is equally as good as something complex. Shadow of the Colossus proved pretty well a long time ago that a simplistic gameplay and artstyle can make a really good game.
"I've played through this game nineteen times. The meadows, the traversal, the wonderful character moments of bonding... Worst game I ever played. 7/10".
Absolutely nothing about this game should have me hooked. Played it and I couldn't put it down until it was beat. Never has a game ever gotten me so hooked on the absolute simplistic mechanics. Like, walking was engaging and fun? I couldn't recommend it enough. Whether you like it or not, you definitely haven't played a game like this before.
This might be in my top 20 Dunkey videos. I don't often associate this channel with humility but having the capacity to give something a second chance and ability to judge with a fairer perspective makes me respect you a lot as a reviewer and a content creator
I watched Dunkey's first video as Death Stranding was downloading a day or two after the game came out and I think that really helped me enjoy the game. I went into it with super low expectations, like "alright fuck, a lot of people *hate* this game", and I really think that helped me come out the other side of it with a satisfied smile
Razbuten recently released a video about "the greatest games", and why so many old games are considered masterpieces and all-time greats, while most newer games, even the ones that are better in every way, aren't thought of that way. I HIGHLY recommend watching it! As part of that essay, he talked about how hype and build-up often leads to a situation where no game could really meet the ridiculous standards we dream up for them. Therefore, the games that were trailblazers, and let us dream up how amazing games like it could be, are thought of more highly than similar games years later that are better experiences. Razbuten talked about how often, the first game he played in a genre stuck with him the most, and games that came out later had to live up to his rose-colored memories of their predecessors. He then went on to say that nowadays, some of his best experiences with games come when he has low expectations (either because the game was in development hell and he lost interest, or because he hears mixed things), and is pleasantly surprised.
thats exactly why i hate that review so much imo, it gave so many people straight up hivemind mentality towards DS. instead of playing the game they just watched the funny man online say he hates it so they hate it too
Now that I'm playing it again Death Stranding it's a hard game to explain. In some ways it feels like it was very rushed, and that's even ignoring the stuff about vehicle collision. The balance system really is very weird, I just walk around the entire game holding R2+L2 and I can go pretty much anywhere with no risk of falling over because I am 'balancing'. I get the impression that you are supposed to feel like you are engaged with the process by having to pay attention to your balance, but I can carry huge, huge stacks of cargo on my back which are more than 1 storey tall, but as soon as I try to carry something in one hand, my balance is completely ruined. Some people say it's just a boring game about making deliveries, but delivering stuff isn't actually the goal of the game, it's just a means to an end, which is to reconnect the country (as is explained through the story). If you don't care about the story then the game is simply not for you. I think that the story has a lot of interesting ideas, but like Dunkey says, Kojima spends a lot of time OVER explaining these ideas. He has always been inspired by movies and cinema, and it seems like he really wants to take as much advantage of the actors he has hired as possible, and use the mo-cap technology he has access to. At least the stuff like emails and discussions are mostly optional for people who really want to understand the plot better. In terms of actual game design, the idea of a solo-multiplayer world where players are connected to each other, but never actually see each other, isn't totally new (this indirect connection is what 'strand type gameplay' basically is). The concept existed with games like Dragon's Dogma, where you could send your 'Pawn' (computer controlled counterpart) to be hired by other players, and they would learn about things they see in other game worlds, and bring that knowledge back with them the next time you log in (how to fight new enemies, use new items, attack combos, etc). That game allowed you to rate the pawn out of 5 stars for things like appearance, usefulness, etc. The pawns made by other players would also inhabit your game world even if you never used them, and walk around towns and the environment - other people made the generic NPCs in your game. In Death Stranding, there aren't really many ways to actually engage with other people except for giving likes, leaving shared items, buildings, signs, or choosing to deliver packages left behind by other people. It was written to be thematically relevant, because the game was all about how people seek likes and validation to give their life purpose - without other people to engage with, there isn't as much to do in the game, and there isn't much to do in life. Sometimes you might log in after a while of not playing and discover that a bridge you built has a few thousand likes, and the whole concept is that you did a good thing, and people like you for it. Human connections are a big part of the plot, but we are supposed to appreciate that more by having to rebuild that connection. The emails and discussions talk about the concepts like 'the multiverse' and everyone always asks Sam 'How do you manage to get so many deliveries done so fast?' and the hint is that all of the people playing at the same time are collectively working as the same 'Sam' - everyone is working together to help each other complete the same game, and that is a very Kojima thing to have this big concept which is a bit let down a bit by the mechanics (on that note, this is probably why Dunkey couldn't drive a truck over 5 ladders, because they wanted someone to build one bridge that everyone could use - a single tool which requires less maintenance, that everyone can contribute resources to, whereas ladders are temporary and will degrade no matter what. Some bridges built by other people in my game have nearly 1 million likes in 2023). The other big, optional project in the game is rebuilding the powered highway in every section. If you take time to work on this it can let you bypass nearly every frustrating obstacle, and keeps your vehicles and equipment battery charged. The same thing applies to creating a zipline network. But like Dunkey pointed out in his original video, you essentially by-pass all of the 'gameplay' (balancing, navigating, fighting/avoiding enemies) to create a super fast network, but this is actually what people do in real life - they try to create the most efficient delivery networks possible to get the best rating. No one is interested in if their delivery person had to walk through wind and rain to make a same day delivery, they're wondering why they didn't send a truck.
Do you really wanna hold down the bumpers for 20 minutes in-between walks tho? Handling the controller is a endurance test in itself that adds to the emersion. Especially with the ps5 controller, gets tiring.
@@olafhenson3626 You can get stuff like hovering cargo trays in the first 3-5 hours of the game, depending on how fast you are. These let you take stuff off your back and spread out the load. You can even use these trays like hovering skateboards to go down slopes or across flat land much faster than usual without wasting stamina (but there is a risk of crashing into things and falling off, which makes BB cry and can damage anything you carry). There are also different exo-skeleton devices like sprint legs, power suits, and all terrain suits. They let you use battery power instead instead of stamina to move faster, carry more without slowing down, and walk up steep slopes and through rough terrain like water and snow without needing to balance.
When Kojima is talking about “Strand type” I think he meant about the asynchronous multiple player aspect. When I’m dry during a boss battle and some player I never knew before threw me some grenades gave me chills for the first time
@@Xhawk777 yes! And vehicles left by other players at the most random places, a life saving charging station built by others, some bridges and ladders that can cut distance and made things much easier…it’s the moments like these made me appreciate this game, that’s the “strand” between us players Kojima was talking about.
@@PakuTheMagnificent I guess the difference is that in Dark Souls you have to actively search for help or helping people requires you to put a stop to your own game. But in Death Stranding you can just unknowingly help or receives help, makes the world actually feels connected and feel that you're not alone on your journey
I agree with most of this. It's a more balanced review than the previous one, so I can only assume he held down the triggers while making it.
More balanced does not necessarily equal more accurate. My balanced review of Super Mario Odyssey is that while nearly every aspect of the game is perfect it doesn't actually feature Donkey Kong: 5/10.
@@PlatinumAltaria lol. Way to miss the joke
Lol best comment in this video
I agree. Once I got a handle on the Ride type Bike, I was climbing mountains with that baby and leaving them ghosts in the dust
@@PlatinumAltaria you missed the joke and you should feel really bad about it
Dunkey finally discovered the truth: he keeps playing the same strand-type game because he, by nature, is a strand-type gamer.
@@AxxLAfriku Sorry to hear that bro.
I honestly hate that his commemts seem normal at first if you don't look at his name.
@@AxxLAfriku I don’t blame them..
And he just cant Strand it
@@OfKingsXI *Seinfeld theme plays*
Can't believe Dunkey decided to make another Strand-Type video
Death stranding is the best platforming game ever made clearly
Can't believe you decided to make a strand-type comment
Act 1
ACT MANNNN
Your review is the right review, Act male
I love how they’re doing a director’s cut even though clearly nobody ever said no to any of kojima’s ideas
Konami did.
Apparently kojima didn't want to call it "director's cut" because the original Game already was. But he was forced to by Sony under their new branding for PS4 to PS5 upgrades. That's why Ghost of Tsushima also got a "director's cut"
@@seriatim2205 He’s just coping
I think it’s just to draw more attention to the name kojima
@@TH-camPizzer You can look up "kojima director's cut" you should be able to find his tweets saying he doesn't like the name, but you are right they chose that name because of kojima status as a famous director
4th 5th and 6th playthroughs will be wayyyy different
Don’t get me started on the 7th
or the 8th
@@judahpike2973 or the 9th
nier automata moment
How do you even got the balls to replay it that much
It was like Kojima created the COVID-19 as a complimentary feature to Death Stranding, as it help player feel more immersed into the world building, where desolation is persistent but you're always reminded of company.
I was living that way before Covid made it cool.
@@mkultra2456 why are you spouting conspiracies under a video game review
@@davidj.9580 not really a conspiracy. Data is fact. It's not that dangerous
It was a pre order bonus
@@mkultra2456 "So do yourself a favor and relax"
You might wanna take your own advice bro.
I can’t believe Dunkey gave us the second strand-type video, truly generous of him
And it didn’t even take five years to develop, what a guy.
This is what you would expect from the person who holds the world record on bowser’s big bean burrito
Haha generic comment getting likes. That's what we like to see
@@DCBiscuit just two
We call this a revolution
I love how this game made me prioritize two extra pairs of boots over ammo.
Yah, the shooting truly was secondary. It’s there if you want it, and you can have some fun with combat scenarios too with experimentation, but it’s treated as a side-thing. Not even complaining about it because I actually did found myself enjoying the primary gameplay. If I were to explain it, it would sound boring, but it just….works.
I loved playing as a pacifist Sam really is lol. Didn't kill anyone (aside from those ghosts or whatever they were). For one I didn't wanna shoot anything in a game lol.
Why shoot when you can run fast through murder MULES with speed skeleton!
@@Poetax drive thru on a boosted truck
Chiral Boots for the win 🥇
He made this whole video entirely because he saw that line about a mule in the game. Fucking legend.
inspiration hits in mysterious ways: its best we not question it.
Which is unfortunate, cos donkeys are not mules.
@@joinsideke all mules are half donkey but not all donkeys are mules 🤔 is dunkey trying to say something about his heritage?
@@tinseltina I mean I GUESS
@@tinseltina Something about being Puerto Rican?
Can't wait for the re-revisit 2 years from now when Dunkey's played through the game 5 more times
Even though it still sucks ass.
and he still won't know why
@@jamesbrooks9321 it's because he's a mule.
@@01100101011100100111 Dunkey’s review sucks? That’s not very nice
@@01100101011100100111 nope, still a 9/10
Babe wake up, a new strand type video dropped
Babe wake up, new strand type comment just dropped
@@smallestcharles Babe wake up, a new strand type reply dropped
You really waking up your right hand for this?
Yes dear
Finally, another jon type comment
For me the best part of death stranding was finishing a zip line or a piece of road and booting the game back up and seeing it have dozens or hundreds of likes from other players. Or starting a structure and finding it finished by another player. Those elements I think were probably better when the game launched and it was more active but it gave a very satisfying feeling to the building mechanics that I haven’t had from other primarily single player story driven games.
Imao ,great gameplay dude!
@@teur7078 this but unironically
This part is actually what kojima meant by a strand-type game
I’ve been playing the game lately and this still happens. I put in a ton of time + resources to building a road one day, then come back online to hundreds of likes from people using my road. Maybe the player count increased because of the sequel announcement, but still it’s a satisfying feeling.
Hey! Its me! I'm from a year in the future and I'm here to tell you how there are plenty of other games that do that same thing, like, Dark Souls, and the crazy part is, Dark Souls is actually...Fun?? unlike Death Stranding??! Crazy, some games have a cool feature and are still bad, but don't worry Dark Souls has your back. It may not have building...But wouldn't you rather have a good game without building, rather than a shit game with building?
This is the one of the greatest plot twists in the Dunkey cinematic universe since Leah destroyed Dunkey's Jake Paul poster.
It's almost as shocking as the plot twist that dunkey was actually Reggie the whole time
WHAT
NO
WHAT
LEAH DESTROYED THE POSTER!?
SHE DID!? man put some spoiler alert next time smh
Man, whenever Dunkey gets semi-serious and makes a genuine review like this I'm taken aback by how good he is at it
Yes, he puts on his Ratatouille critic voice, and then you know shit got serious. He even made the callback to the TLOU 2 review here.
It's because he knows what he's doing. People think he's just a troll
This. I'm tired of the joke reviews. Got old after the third time. I'd much rather have him keep with the semi-serious videos
@@varp4557 what joke reviews? My man is always 100 % serious
@@varp4557 he has never made a joke review?
love how dunkey has conditioned me to say "psycho-mantis" whenever he says psycho-mantis.
Psycho-mantis?
@@arghyaneedsleep you're that ninja...
Damn you Pavlov
@@fleivor5359 Is that a DBZA reference?! If not, you should watch it to make it one!
@@Omnilatent yes it is
Death Stranding is so immersive because mostly it feels like what I imagine a real life in a post apocalyptic world would be like. Not all exciting gunfights and heroes battling the forces of evil, but a gruelling, tedious life of mostly mundane work and constant hardship. On that level it connects with me in a way that other games don’t.
Except for the parts where you're in gunfights and battling the forces of evil as they ooze out of the ground, and tower over you as the literal embodiment of evil.
Well said
@@TheGrades90except there is no absolute evil in the game. Just extinction and the fight against it
Not to be argumentative, but why is that a good thing for you? Is it comforting? Most people play video games as escapism, not to mimic the hardships of life.
@@shanesonksen1515 I like the immersion factor, and maybe I don’t feel so guilty about playing it for hours because it kinda feels like work lol
Like Garfield, death stranding is a movie about layers.
Death Stranding is like onion - it has layers. I guess the discussion is all ogre now.
this is a pretty great joke
@@ruskiszpiegpl Why? Is it because the BT's stink, or because they make you cry? Personally, I like Parfait.
Mmmmm lasagna 😋
Do you mean Smash Mouth?
I spent 66 hours of my life on this game. I would finish work every day and just come home and focus on building roads for my fellow players for 2 hours. I managed to build a road for the entire of the main map. Was weirdly addictive knowing that I was helping my fellow gamers.
You were not helping them, you made them skip the game itself.
It has multiplayer?
@@Zodroo_Tint Yeah. That's helping them.
@@Pllayer064
sorta. you can’t join other players, but the buildings you put down - can be used by other players. which I think is a neat idea
@Urn Turn But it isn't? It is only visible when there is chiral connection. So your first visits always going to have obstacles that only YOU can over come.
Me: "Death Stranding is amazing, Kojima's best work." **Plays it once**
Dunkey: "Death Stranding sucks ass. I'm on my third playthrough."
He's such a fuckin Tsudere 😂😂
@@akshaydalvi1534 THATS NOT HOW ITS SPELLED YOU BUFFOON THIS IS THE FIRST TIME ANYONE HAS MADE A TYPO BEFORE. There now people dont have to make dumbass comments about you misspelling a word truly I'm too good for this world
Hey stop stealing my name
The game is addictive and not in a good way
@@JohnStewart223 like skyrim
My favorite part of the game was going into safe houses, turning on the music playlist, and reading my missed emails. This game made me feel so connected to people that weren’t real. To the point that I found comfort in it.
Bro I don't even read my emails at work, let alone in a game lmao
That's the most covid comment I've ever read
@@antgrantrant I may have been heavily coping with the loneliness lmao
@@gambitvibes421 I believe it, man. Stay good.
my favorite part is sniping the jellyfish and collecting all the crystals and loot they leave behind
Dunkey has a really good way of talking about games in a way that shows he takes them seriously while still making it funny and fun to listen to.
his new reviews are very professional and clear. I love it.
The nerve last time some people complained when he reviewed this game the first time that he didn't know what he was talking about but watching this video just made me realize he does those people can shove it but in this case this game up their ass
Except JRPGs....he roast those shit.
@@pauljohnong5924 I mean let's be honest those shit need to be roasted
Honestly, I think his reviews are dragged down by some of his content. Not the humor within them generally, but in the "lol random" stuff. I can't fault him, it has built him a huge audience, but the older you get the less funny it is. Especially when the average Dunkey viewer is a teenager spamming memes from previous videos in the comments.
But damn are his reviews and all times where he is serious in addition to humorous still good. Even when I don't agree with him (I love JRPGs) I respect his opinions because he is upfront about his tastes and preferences, so you can easily compensate for your own tastes and preferences. And he almost always has some nice insights I wouldn't have thought about.
The Love-Hate relationship Dunkey has with this game is always fun to watch
yep, agree
@@camelat7228 I fucking loved it, but I also fucking hated it.
It was ok.
@@camelat7228 I was thinking the same thing most of the video but then Dunkey said he's about to beat the game for a third time, there has to be some love in there
@@Forever_Zero Yea, I would say I loved Death Stranding a lot and I've only played through once and only plan to play it one more time on the PS5 version.
@@Zargabaath Been reading kojima's book from a a couple years ago The Creative Gene, and he explains his lifestyle choices that influence his thinking patterns to come up with his one-of-a-kind stuff. Interesting hearing him talk about how "The Boss" in 3 was pretty much inspired by a talking cat that teaches another cat how to be a cat.
This review feels far more measured and in depth without sacrificing humor or critique. Nails all my problems with the game but also finds what's buried beneath that.
yep this vid felt more fleshed out
There’s a little something for everyone!
Its a shame spergs will still freak the fuck out over it cause they love Death Stranding
@@LeoTakuVT Nah I like death stranding and I think this is definitely a much better review than his last one which was largely "Dunkey break game so game is bad." It's kind of sad because the type of content that intentionally misses the point drives a lot more engagement than something that is rational and logical, and it's good that Dunkey doesn't exclusively cater to that audience.
Nah, his initial review was fine. He just had nothing but criticisms about it. The game requires that you work hard to enjoy it. That's the antithesis of 'good' in my opinion.
Despite all the downfalls, death strandings overall atmosphere is one of the most unique I’ve ever seen. You just have this brooding, melancholy feel the entire game and the soundtrack is honestly very fitting for the game. Just my take though.
I think that's what makes the core gameplay so good. You've got these terrifying otherworldly forces that have all but wiped out all life on the planet, you've got terrorists and basically meta-humans, and the remnants of horrific catastrophes all around you... and you're basically working at Amazon Fulfillment. There's something uncomfortable about the contrast.
@@theautisticguitarist7560 NO. AESTHETICS DO NOT AFFECT CORE GAMEPLAY LOOPS.
@@willh2739 HOW DARE I LIKE THE THING YOU DONT
@@willh2739 real talk though, there's nothing wrong with loving games just because they're cool looking. That's what drew me to Hades and Brigador and I've found those games to be super rewarding.
@@willh2739
look man, I ain't tryna beef rn.
I just want spread my take on this.
gameplay loops are as good as we, the human, make them.
games are but extensions in our lives and their enjoyment is all interpretation.
the aesthetic of a game creates certain patterns and ideas into the mind, it allows for a comfort and familiarity to develop.
we take these aesthetics into our lives which then enhances and refines those only for the game to change them again.
that is the ever-developing cycle, which is affected by the aesthetics you consume.
if the world of death stranding, a world of flowing beauty, the cold display and warm direction create the most pleasing god damn contrast.
the inclusions of Low Roar within the world are beyond words.
i took those songs into my life, which effected my life.
the gameplay is the game.
the game is what is created by us.
the aesthetics are a great factor in what we think of a game.
therefore, aesthetics affect core gameplay loops.
Dunkey’s entire youtube career has been implanting the phrase ‘Joker’s Trick’ in our heads by repeatedly referencing it, so he can make me laugh by saying ‘Joker’s Truck’.
This channel has a strange liking to trucks.
Joker's Joke Batman!
Playing the long game.
"The only music he listens to is Radiohead." And my boyfriend took that personally.
Lol
Hello, Boyfriend Critiques
Well what do we have here? Is that the cutest couple on the internet watching the biggest troll on the internet?
that is the sharpest personal attack I have ever heard and I will now proceed to jump off a bridge
Oh no, Matt, who hurt you that much?
Ah yes, the game about how our parents got to school back in the day.
This is why dad never came back home after going to buy a pack of cigarettes
@@randomenvelope What an original joke im laughing so hard rn
@@gaelgalvez7762 if your being sarcastic, op and kabegami's joke are about as old as the sun.
@@DankBuddhaStank yeh but this comment is on every death stranding video on the internet.
Ah yes, the comment that always appears when theres so much as a few pebbles on the sidewalk to walk around
Sounds like a very provocative art house film that you essentially hate on the first viewing, but for some reason you're compelled to return, again and again... and by the fifth viewing it's one of your all-time favourites.
Holy shit that is the perfect way to describe this. There are so many indie movies that are either very boring or just painful to watch but I still like it for some reason, and kinda like what dunkey said, this game makes me so mad and frustrated with the choices it makes but I keep playing for some reason
This is how I feel about Madoka Magica Rebellion LOL
How is this anyone’s favorite game of all time?
@@elliottheredd First of all I said "one of", secondly I never made that claim about this game specifically but rather the mental process that surrounds unexpected appreciation, and thirdly... I don't play games, at all, so I'm not an epic gamer that knows what goes on in this community. I just enjoy some game-related content.
@@elliottheredd this game is better than most of the bloated and shriveled piles of dog shit games most people play these days, it just doesn't cater to the limited attention spans millennials severely lack these days. They need to be guided and told pew pew this guy and you get cool skins!!!
Honestly it's really refreshing when you go ahead and decide to take a serious approach on a video, I really enjoy the insight you bring into what you're analyzing
He's my favorite TH-camr for talking about video games even though 90% of the time he's just dicking around.
He made Elden Ring and HFW videos not that long ago.
You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself fall in love with Strand type games.
I agree with a majority of Dunkey's points, and to add this game feels like it started out as something much simpler but Kojima kept walking in and said, "hey, what if we add this?" And no one told him no, while Sony kept sending him blank checks.
I honestly doubt that, as unlike behind the scenes footage of George Lucas making the Star Wars prequels, it seemed all of the team were having a good time making the game and weren’t just terrified of the director, at least in the mini-documentary that came with the game.
That and the most expensive aspect of this game seems like it would have been the acting/voice over/motion capture, which I don’t think would require many blank checks.
No. As pretentious as you may think it is, Kojima has always baked the philosophy of the vicarious weirdness of playing video games into his stories. MGS is packed with this, especially 2 and V. DS is Kojima's ultimate philosophical piece on gaming. Pointless tasks that you love to complete for seemingly no reason other than a fleeting connection you may get with others afterward. It's a snobby art piece. It's absolutely amazing.
kojima's storytelling is kinda bad, dude. like, people idolize this guy, but everything he puts out is just word vomit. that's really fun a lot of the time and that's great, but sometimes it just doesn't work lol
@Lee Griffiths I can put up with his exposition, but it's still not good storytelling. The worst part is, though, is that it's not a Kojima thing. Some people shrug it off as just being the way he writes stories. But there's nothing in the least original about this style. It's just the normal way a lot of Japanese video games and anime are written. Mindless, relentless exposition because they're terrified you might miss a tiny and super-important part of their "masterpiece". There's no sense of subtly or priority. Every last minor insignificant detail is vitally important, and you as the player NEED to be told this or their story would be ruined, because apparently there's no chance you could figure it out on your own. In stark contrast to this are Souls games and Bloodborne, the stories and lore of which I find much more compelling because you don't have someone taking you aside and drilling it into you.
@Lee Griffiths I don't think one approach or another makes the lore itself any better or worse, but I find such heavy-handed exposition extremely grating. I let Death Stranding get away with it more mainly because the exposition is well voice acted, but I've always found lore more appealing when it's not pushed in your face. To me, it just seems paranoid or something. Like they're worried that you won't notice or pick up on something, so they feel the need to explicitly tell you in detail. The problem is that now it's automatically less interesting. There's nothing left to work out, no connections to make, no room for uncertainty or interpretation. It's all been explained to me in a robotic fashion and there's nothing left for me to do. A lot of these writers seem to be uninterested in "Show, don't tell".
5:17 "What the hell does this even mean?" I think this is Norman Reedus actually asking this when reading the script and they just left it in because.
I remember watching the first trailer and thinking “wow, the plot of this game is gonna go completely over my head.” then actually experiencing the plot, and thinking “no, not like that”
@@colbyboucher6391 there is a man on this site eating himself to death for likes.
For some reason, when watching the trailers I thought it was gonna be much more of a cosmic horror-type game. The trailers seem to build a creepiness factor that I just don't see as much once the game came out. I was hoping for something in between Junji Ito & Lovecraft.
I feel like death stranding is written like you’re trying to interpret Norse history by looking at futhark runes but you don’t know how to read futhark runes so it just never has any footing in something like rules or even physics
This game makes you really feel like an Amazon driver.
1st reply
Being an amazon driver is more rewarding
lol meme
more like an amazon worker....forced to piss in water bottles
Ctrl+C Ctrl+V
I kinda just appreciate the fact that Death Stranding was weird and not for everyone. Kojima made something he wanted to make, knowing not everyone would be into it, and I can respect that.
Yeah man, and he got so much hate for it. I'm not a Kojima fan or anything, never played A MGS, but come on, the people were so harsh on this. The trailers and gameplay literally showed you what the game was about and people still complain about it.
But talking about the game, I really respect the fact that he made this type of game on nowadays gaming industry. While nowadays it is believed that open world games must be alive, full of side missions, events and stuff, instead Death Stranding was the complete opposite, giving a really unique experience in my opinion. But you really need to be open minded to try it.
Yes not for American they like boom shoot
@@bautibonzini2835 this comment can almost rival that infamous Rick and Morty theoretical physics comment
@@blicleak1101 as an American I love death stranding
@@bautibonzini2835 i picked death stranding up for 10$ and despite all the hate, i played it...
andddd its now one of my favorite games ever made and the other day I picked up the directors cut for ps5 and pretty exited to replay it tomorrow
Death standing was my everything when I was pregnant. I almost completed it and went back to it after having my son. It's terrifying.
That's a dedicated mother and gamer right there! Lol. 😎
@@Remedy462 he broke my PS4. :( how do I return child to GameStop for credits
The first strand type birth
@@Immadeus Kojimer Did It AGAIN!
@@fabioenchilladas kojima after turning childbirth into a 90 minute long cutscene:
For me, the connecting with other players was what made me love the game. So many games that try to integrate multiplayer aspects into single player games does so as adversaries. Dark Souls and the like, where players invade you to impede your progress. This was different though, even though I never saw them I felt like I was helping other players with their journeys while they helped me with mine. Coming back to a bridge or ladder I built and finding it with hundreds of likes, knowing people used it to make their journey easier made that game that much better for me.
Yeah those invasions can get annoying they just get in the way of the single player its like wtf why.. even watch dogs legion has something like that now and the single player game just feels like it has gone broken and retarded since it was implemented, even playing alone solo i just see npcs warping all over the place as i move across the map in a vehicle its so fucked up
See that's what Kojima was talking about when he coined "strand-like". It's pure positive sum multiplayer cooperation, with none of the usual zero sum competitive elements. I wish the phrase hadn't been memed to shit because I actually *love* Kojima's approach here and wish more games would try it.
Very similar to journey, I still get goosebumps when I think about the first multiplayer experience I had in that game.
Player-made messages used to be a big part of Souls games. It was similar to how I imagine the sharing ladder thing in this game feels.
@@CodeineKakashi ladders is one thing, "holy shit, someone finished this road for me" is a completely different level
Dunkey: “I was actually having fun while playing Death Stranding”
Well that’s something I never thought I would hear
That’s why this is the first strand type review, because he didn’t understand the strand part of the game before this review
@@IcyDiamond that explains why he made another video about it
watch till the end king
I pray every day for knack 3 release date
@@Kakiya This is the first strand type lying man
It does kind of boggle my mind that this came out pre-covid. The core premise of humanity being so isolated and alone that Oxytocin is literally an essential supply (as in food, water, and oxytocin) is such a post pandemic concept. That he came up with that beforehand is kind of amazing. I'd love to have his knack for ideas.
What? Where did you live during the pandemic lol
@@mr.doctorcaptain1124 a pharmacy.
Kojima is big brain but he is also very small brain. That's where his magic comes from
Check out Policenauts by Kojima. His first game and even there he got crazy deep into how terraforming and life on other planets could work. Is it relevant to the plot? Not really. But can you check the library for the whole in universe lore and how they do it? For some reason yes.
knack?
I did not expect this from you. But that’s actually a compliment.
I did the performance capture for Deadman and some of Higgs, by the way. Also provided facial data for BB.
Sam hugging Deadman was my idea. 😊
Did you work with Kojima?
@@zeallexandre Yes. He was great.
@@JustinLeeperactual pog, you made it dude congrats! DS is one of my favorite games of all time.
@@Outplayedqt Do not believe this man, I could find no proof on their channel. This is literally what mgs2 warned about. What the fuck.
*ignore this please, I was high as fuck and paranoid out of my mind.
@@StiffMeat Do 3 seconds of research, and you will see I’m credited with performance capture for Higgs and Deadman.
Gotta appreciate Dunkey's quality and perspective of gaming as a media.
He is genius in that regard
*as a medium, but ye I completely agree
True, but not as art. There will never be a perfect game, and gaming has become more of a sorta meta expression than fun-focused
@@Cbawls Of course there won't be a perfect game, and that goes for books, movies and etc.
Compare everything to Zelda and/or Mario
I love that you continue to re-examine games even when you didn't have a good experience of them the first time. Breaking down pieces of art takes time and you still may come out hating it. What sets you apart from most reviewers. Big respect dunk. You keep dunking
There's a bit of irony in calling a Kojima game a piece of art when Kojima has said he does not think video games are art lol
@@DaWalrusSavior I don't think there is any irony there. Everyone considers different things as art; so nobody can tell you x can't be art just because they believe it.
That's why losers who want to gatekeep art get annoyed at the fact people consider more things as art, they can't stop them.
So yeah, if this guy sees the game as art, but the creator doesn't, there isn't any irony there.
I thought dunkey wasn’t considered a reviewer by gamers, oh wait he has popular opinion on a game never mind
First time i played Stardew Valley i thought it was the worst game I've ever played, the time i gave it a second chance I've become hooked to the point where i love the game from the bottom of my heart
@@surferOS101 Lol, I don't quite get it. You think my use of the term "reviewer" is based on Dunkey giving a positive opinion on this game?
I bought this game to prove how stupid it was and I ended up loving it and beating it and now I am so close to getting platinum lmao WTF. I hated watching people play it, but then playing it myself I'm fucking addicted
thank you for recognizing that, half of the fucking internet hates the game but they haven't tried it
damn, that's cool that you actually recognize that. a lot of people are weirdly scared of changing their view on something
@@leandrodiaz5433 haven't played it but ngl, it looks like an absolute nightmare, especially the story lmao
@@MrKosobi maybe it's not for you then
@@MrKosobi that's why you can only leave an review after you bought the game on steam
Can’t believe Kojima created Covid so that dunkey could start relating to this game. What a thoughtful guy
I feel like Death Stranding has the same problem a lot of Apocalypse/Dystopia stories have; where there is this need to force a opponent so the protagonist can beat him and “win”, when most of the time just the general odds the protagonist faces are enough to create tension.
@no info It doesn't matter, you don't need a villain in a apocalypse story, you can have a goal and "hazards", but an antagonist is unnecessary
yea you completely missed the point higgs is literally that critique you just said put into the game good job
Don't you guys remember 7th grade literature? An antagonist doesn't have to be another person. It can be inanimate forces such as the environment.
@no info I think what they mean is, sure, there can be a villain but in DS it was clear that the villain wasn't taken seriously and just didn't need to be there. An unnecessary character. Of course he could be there but it wasn't needed so he wasn't compelling or threatening
@no info Yeah, but for some stories having no villain can be beneficial, even if it's just to be something different, i won't argue if it's the case with Death Stranding, haven't played it.
For example, i want to write a fanfic about Fallout, i can include the Brotherhood of Steel if i want, but i can also just use the mutants and radiation to create tension and challenges. If you want you can transform hazards in a character too, some entity that can manipulate some of the things that happen within his universe, and it doesn't need to be a villain or antagonist
Having never played this game, that "I am the Beach" line had me in stitches lol
At some point she refers Norman Reedus as Mario and herself as Princess Beach.
I’m not defending the corny dialogue, but Kojima always uses corny dialogue in his games. Idk if he realizes how corny it is sometimes, but it’s sort of charming. Especially when it’s obviously intentional.
@@kushstein "it even rained on my birthday" - classic MGS line lol
@@kushstein That's part of the charm.
Heisenberg in an alternate timeline
Honestly the soundtrack alone in those moments when you enter certain areas are fucking beautiful and made the game for me.
That’s just sad. Whole game felt like a chore. Shit game your blinded by nostalgia from hideo Kojima
@@Adeply11 how is he blinded by nostalgia lol he never even mentioned it
@@gandhithewise8250 because how tf do you like this game bro. This is literally the worst game even directors cut was boring. Boss fights are horrible. They only like it because he developed it
@@Adeply11 assumptions and your own opinion
The game keeps playing Low Roar when I'm done trudging through some bullshit for 30 minutes and I'm 100% feeling it every time.
I can't tell you how many times I've watched this video and the bark at 6:04 still catches me off guard!
I had this game sitting in my steam backlog for months, finally decided to just give it a try. It's such a bizarre game and janky at times but I'm really enjoying it somehow lol
It’s maybe the least recommendable good game ever.
Same. Its such a unique game. Not perfect, but definitely worth a try
It's just so chill
It's different. I liked it much better in 60fps and with a m/kb tho
Don't listen to Dunkey, it's actually a good game
See, despite how he may come across as a player, Dunkey really excels as a critic because he can actually take a second or third look and re-evaluate whether he was right or wrong about something. He's done it with The Last of Us, he's done it with Red Dead Redemption 2, he's done it with League of Legends, and now he's doing it with Death Stranding.
The value he brings as an experienced entretainer also cannot be overstated. It means he will cleanly present his ideas to you in a way that's clear, consise and engaging. Whether you agree or disagree with Dunkey, you WILL have a more clear idea about the game and whether it is something you're interested in or not after watching his videos, and I think that's the end result that all critics strive for in the end.
Also his re-appraisal of Uncharted 4!
I dunno, you might wanna go back and look at his Yooka-Laylee review again. It was pretty garbage. Maybe he just needed more time with the game? Mauler covered it pretty well, and mentioned Dunkey in his video too.
And he isn't as biased as people think he is. He loved MGS but didn't like Death Stranding. He hates most JRPGs but loves Persona (still waiting on P5 video).
@@Gakusangi There's this thing that exists, It's called an opinion.
Trust me, once you play Death Stranding for the 87th time, that's when it really starts to get good.
I was really hoping there would be a new game++
Why would anyone do that ? I abandoned this piece of shit on the third hour of it. And never coming back, unless I’ll be in serious need for a tranquilizer that would force me to want to sleep.
You people are seriously strange.
I had a good laugh thankyou for commenting this Nathan.
@@viewtiful1doubleokamihand253 its not for you , just play what you want instead of clowning something YOU don't like
Xenoblade 2 gets better after 3,457 hours.
Death stranding might be the most surprising game I have ever played. Because I did zero research before buying it aside watching some clips on gpu benchmark videos. I thought it was going to be a fun sci fi / climate change themed parcel delivery RPG. Then there was like an invisible predator dog and superpower babies in vials and all sorts of scary stuff and I was very much "WTF".
Did you like it?
@@wuwei473 kind of... Very interesting and dramatic, but I haven't finished it yet as I wanted a break from it. Will go back to it at some point though.
Welcome to kojima games
& then you fight madds mikkelson and his skeleton soldiers during world war 1
@@wuwei473 !
Wow Dunkey was really patient enough to make another strand game vid. Respect
I tell ya wHat
I wish he did one about Star Wars Battlefront 2. Not a perfect game by any means, but I played it this year and a lot of the things Dunkey hated about it were actually updated to make the game in a pretty playable state (minus the single player I think).
I like the game i build zip lanes so they are in the best possible places to connect everything....and i try to upgrade them all to level 3.
I like how i have to first get there on foot where i want the next zip lane structure to be and once i'm there i put it up and now i can move fast boom...so cool.
The challenge is to place them in the most strategic efficient place possible... i try to avoid BTs and MULEs but at the same time i try to make the zip line as straight as possible.
because if you place them in MULE and BT areas then maintaining them become harder and with timefall they also decay faster... of course in same areas you can't avoid timefall....
the key is to not place them in the heavy rain area where the BTs come out, but if you have to place them close to a timefall area then try to find the outer circle where the rain is not so heavy and place it there.... man i love this min maxing stuff.
@Go To My Playlist ( Not Rickroll) stop please
@@tanelviil9149 cool
Given how huge of a Mario fan dunkey is, it only makes sense he'd come around to the more modern Strand-type games.
@Go To My Playlist ( Not Rickroll) peepee poopoo
mario is the first game where you walk, making it the first strand type game
@@MrcreeperDXD777 yes. That is the joke.
Just want to chime in and say Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is still excellent all these years later
Yo have you seen the rumors that they might be making a new one
@@Carabastin really? I sure hope so. The first 3 were absolutely amazing, I'm replaying them rn.
i just want coop servers to go back online that was the most fun coop of all time
That's the only good splinter cell game
@@Turbulence911 nah Blacklist is smooth af. Absolute John wick + stealth vibes. Gameplay is good and free flowing while the story unravels as you're making moves in the game instead of exposition. It's a good game.
When I played this game I really felt like a real death strander
It really does make you feel like you’re Ride with Norman Reedus!
I loved the part when sam delivers that one package and says "I am Death Stranding." And then reedussed all over the place.
i absolutely loved when sam said "its strandin' time!" and stranded all over the place
fr
"The only music he listens to is Radiohead"
You fucking killed me 😂
Yo it’s Pix
it caught me off guard lmao
I mean, you can't go wrong with OK Computer or Kid A.
@@SageReiger you can totally go wrong with those but In Rainbows is always the mood ;)
@@SageReiger or in rainbows and amsp don't forget those
My brother swears by the fact that nobody could understand the game until after the pandemic. If you look at the reviews by days before and after the ratings are completely different
Actually cool that people gave it another shot.
Another game experience affected by the pandemic was the Hitman 1 DLC Patient Zero. The final mission (spoiler) was incredibly surreal, containing a virus outbreak in an Asian hospital’s isolation wing
Logically, there will one day be a real-life event based on the game of Knack
Also it was substantially more well-received by the PC community than the PS community.
Kojima did COVID, this is strand-type marketing
Putting up a zipline network across the entire country was my favorite part.
I really enjoyed that too. Even made a montage of my ziplines because I thought I had clever placement.
Damn you a chad fr
That part ruined the game for me. Too easy, lost interest.
I had to force myself not to use the zip lines.
@@adibahmed10 the game is boring as shit without the zip lines. The game is boring as shit using the zip lines. I don't know why anyone would torture themselves playing a walking simulator. If you want a good simulation, play Flight Simulator, train simulator, bus simulator.
Was the same for me. Planning and building the zip lines was extremely rewarding because once you were finished you essentially didn't have to play anymore.
Is Death Stranding one of the greatest games of all time? I couldn’t decide for you. It sucks major ass, but it has been 4 years and I keep playing it and I always cry when I see Port Knot City on the horizon. This game is everything I hate about video games and yet the application in this singular video game keeps me playing. And I’ll keep playing this game forever. Is it good? I still don’t know. But I do know that it’s poignant, it’s beautiful, and it’s unforgettable
You gotta be honest with yourself.
"It sucks major ass"
If you actually played through it blind and think it sucks, I feel sorry for you.
What the fuck are you talking about
Replaying the Director’s Cut I realized that if you skip every dialogue when you connect to a distro center and play the Benny Hill theme whenever Amelie shows up, the plot becomes like 27 times better
I never got far into it, but they 100% repeat the same shit a lot and don't shut the fuck up about bridges, then they spam email you with pointless bullshit. It definitely has way more dialogue than needed.
Cliff’s story was really the only good one tbh
There needs to be a cut with no dialogue. "Princess Beach" made sure I will never be able to take walk simming seriously.
@@blankpage9277 On the other hand, you get to hear her say "I am the BITCH"
I like seeing you go back and reevaluate games in your catalog in a new light
Yeah this was super refreshing. And it's not like he totally 180'd from his first DS video, he expanded on why he disliked it while admitting that he sees the value in it, even with its faults
@@KJ-pr1hq ya hes first video was one of his most dislike. Whan i checked the steam reviews i anderstud why. Its just not dunkey tip of game(+most people agree that the story isnt good)
@@yuvalgabay1023 i really liked death stranding and even i can agree that the story really loses momentum when it reaches the snowy mountains part, the gameplay was also fun (TO ME) until that area.
@@Jawny00 man thanks you on not laughing on my shity grammer
Sam: What is that?
Everyone: Gives him a 1000 slide Powerpoint presentation on what he’s asking about.
Only for him to forget the next day and ask the same question
@@bobsteven2363 Turns out 1000 slide Powerpoint presentations aren't a good way to help the audience remember the information.
Yeh, I wish someone could mod all that stuff out, I'm wearing out the skip button.
5:52 I was not prepared man, nice once Donsley
The things I found really smart and creative in DS , I the communication between players , I played the game Day one and take a break for a month when I came back, other players builds Highways, Bridges , the game was evolving thanks to players helping each others to make delivery easier for everyone, I think that is the true meaning of "strand type" games , really good video as always
Thank you for reminding me how fun it was in the early days. I was one of the day one players that grinded the shit out of the highways especially and I actually felt compelled liking people's comments on the floor and receiving a ton of likes for my contributions to the built things that they used. It actually felt useful.
Damn I really wish I picked it back up after day one. I haven’t seen a lot of game companies do stuff like that and it’s cool that it makes everyone’s lives easier
Yeah you unstrand these games
@Innocent Jogger But Dark Souls multiplayer is MOSTLY help, summons are far more common than invasions.
@Innocent Jogger yes only dark souls has asymmetrical multiplayer and don't get me started about all those doom clones.
I love this review . I love how even though Death Standing isn’t a perfect game you hit all of it flaws but also hit all of its perks. It’s an acquired taste like I commented in your other review and I can definitely see how people can see how it’s not fun but I think everyone should try it once to see if they like it. Great re review
I loved it
@@gurentgc3546 yea me to big time mgs fan so I like the crazy over explanation of the story
The game is trash
I’m going to be honest I don’t know how you could see this as a positive review. Nothing about this gave me any desire whatsoever to play this game.
@@who3514 no u
as a former bike messenger i honestly feel this game captures the difficulty monotony and tedium of the job perfectly
i think kojima researched bike couriers while making it
this shouldn't have made me laugh as much as it did. i also think biking is more prevalent in japan than usa.
What i like most of the gameplay is the building by other players, theres a heartwarming yet lonely feeling of freezing through the snow and just ahead you see a timefall shelter playing the most soothing tune
I love this far more than the og death stranding video , it feels less harsh and more like a brilliant and engaging criticism , I feel like I really understand Dunkey’s thoughts on the game
@@Yesmamaserve And yet it felt justified bcos I understood why he felt that way
It made me FEEEEL like Dunkey
@@YouDaMANRAJ Nah but fr 😭
@@YouDaMANRAJ It was like Dunkey night at James Earl Jones house
@@mightycawl2745 yeah same like I played the game and I didn’t think it was as bad as dunkey said it was but it was definitely overhyped
I always love these more in-depth videos. They’re probably my fav dunky content
Yeah I’ve been missing them a lot lately
My favorite thing about it is that he only makes them when he has something to say. He doesn’t do them because they perform well, or get positive reception. He does them when their format suits what he has to say. And that’s why they’re always good.
This is like when Anthony Fantano doing his redux review for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and still gave it a 6/10.
Fantan been real quiet after the diss track from Christ and Sam
Will he give notorious DUNK a seven again in his redux review?
No, this is more like taco night at James Earl Jones' house.
That's literally ye's best album. Fantano is trash fr.
@@jcs27 "...Right hand on the bible"
as someone who likes hiking, nature, cycling, dystopian sci-fi, techwear/fictional technology, low roar (rip), and being alone, i will probably be playing this game until i die.
i realize a lot of people hated it because they wanted it to be something else... but i absolutely love it
Same. I am not sure I’ve enjoyed a game since
Dunkey doesn't hate Death Stranding, he's just mad that he likes it
The bark when the girl said “Sam” had my sides on orbit.
im fuckin died xD
Im dead to hahahaha😂😂
It's like a Mamoru Oshii basset hound out of nowhere
go to 06:04 to see it :)
@@Raffo78910 thank you
Death Stranding is my most favorite game I hate. This review nailed exactly how it made me feel.
You are… like… not just weird… Damaged in the head kind of weird. Why would anyone play something they hate is just beyond logic and reason. This game is boredom personified. Go play The Wonderful 101 or something.
@@viewtiful1doubleokamihand253 Here's some logic to reason over.. hate is but one variable.
@@viewtiful1doubleokamihand253 LOL your comments get worse and worse
@@pitchen As in you are able to comprehend them less and less ?) My condolences, unicellular one. Don't give up, you can still evolve enough to understand the meaning of them in the future. ;)
I get why Death Stranding didn't connect with a fair few people but I honestly think it is an amazing game the landscapes are stunning the music is amazing a lot of the actually mechanics I really really enjoyed using and the whole idea of connection and being stronger together is a really beautiful message to convey yes Kojimas writing can be goofy and less than stellar at times but he makes up for it in terms of his ideas and how unique his stories feel I also think in terms of visuals and design him and Yoji Shinkawa are a legendary duo I platinumed it on release played about 125 hours and I still go back to it now to wonder around and soak in its incredible atmosphere its not a perfect game but let's be honest no game is.
If you look more deeply, you can see the story of Kojima since when Konami kicked him.
He cannot trust anymore and wanted to stay alone but one of his closest friend, Guillermo del Toro never let him down and help him to reach new people, build connection to make his NEW studio.
BB represents his passion, Video games.
I hope death stranding didn't bury kojima as a game director. I hope his next game does well
Of _course..._ BB:
🅱ideo
🅱ames
How didn't I see it before?
@@nbtwall7287 😂😂😂 You Genius !!!
I feel the same about mgsv. Diamond dogs is Kojima productions. Skull face and xof is konami.
I can't tell if this is satire or not
Man, I'll never forget the connection we formed with Guts Man.
he picked me up when no one else would ;(
@@thepopo592 i miss him every day :(
This is legit one of your best reviews yet. Amazing
Now dunkey gonna snap on death stranding 2
God damn that Fragile bark caught me so off guard, I weezed heavily
"Here I am playing Death Stranding for the 3rd time, even though it sucks ass" basically sums up this game 😂🤣
I tried to play it twice, couldn't go through with it. The baby crying mechanic was such a huge turnoff for one thing. Makes me wonder what this game could be like with mods though.
@@GleepGlop2 If you're playing on PS, you can set the baby sounds to come out of the controller speaker and then mute the controller. I do agree the whole taking care of BB aspect is pointless because it basically acts as a lose more feature rather than something dynamic or interesting. You can basically ignore taking care of BB the whole game though.
@@GleepGlop2 Yoshi's Island was the first strand-type game
@@Duoprism But that makes it harder to spot BTs
He didn't mean 3rd playthrough, he meant the 3rd time booting up the game
The only thing people can agree on about this game is that it looks phenomenal
Yup, looks like the budget went to the visuals and the hollywood actors.
@@michaelwesten4624 Sometimes simplicity is equally as good as something complex. Shadow of the Colossus proved pretty well a long time ago that a simplistic gameplay and artstyle can make a really good game.
Eh
for real, I never realized America looked so much like Iceland
i loved the game it was actually really good
Dunkey put in the hobbit at 3:47 for us true fans, thanks Dunk.
I searched desperately for this comment
2 years later and i just saw it for the first time lmaoo
same lol@@johnnyverzace2362
@@johnnyverzace2362 I cant see it??
Edit: I see it just needed to up the brightness a bit. LMAOOO
"I've played through this game nineteen times. The meadows, the traversal, the wonderful character moments of bonding... Worst game I ever played. 7/10".
That's the most accurate description of traveling I've ever seen.
I love that in metal gear 2 it has a lot of weird specific functions like giving a guy food poisoning instead of just shooting him
And in MGS3. And it's actually a valid strat for a boss fight.
@@EGRJ EXACTLY its something so stupid you wouldn't think of it then it becomes a great strategy
Metal Gear was awesome.
I'd like to take a minute to point out that not only is Dunkey hilarious, he can WRITE. Some serious work went into the script for this one!
Strand-type script
He wrote it using a blindfold
@@davidhong1934 and typed it all in using a steering wheel instead of a keyboard.
Absolutely nothing about this game should have me hooked. Played it and I couldn't put it down until it was beat. Never has a game ever gotten me so hooked on the absolute simplistic mechanics. Like, walking was engaging and fun? I couldn't recommend it enough. Whether you like it or not, you definitely haven't played a game like this before.
S tier dunkey video. Enjoying seeing your real perspective on these games, while still keeping that humor aspect
Agreed, S tier dunkey, haven't seen this from him in ages it seems.
The core of Death Stranding - a game based on traversal and trail creation - would be great for a new Oregon Trail.
Shit, actually that would be amazing.
thank you for calling what it really is I mean it doesn't seem like it or looks like would be called that but based on how it plays could of fooled me
I’d play a new Oregon Trail. It has to be hard af and a roguelike though
6:04 It's unbelievable that i've already replayed this scene like a thousand times and even so i still laugh at all of them.
🐕
Every good game has a heartbreaking scene with the player's dog.
@@nefariosgliscor Bro LOL :sku
I still think the first time you meet Hartman in person is one of the coolest cutscenes ever.
totally agree. that sequence is one of my favorite moments in the game
die hardmans performance at the end, give that man an oscar.
Kojima is a genius, he can make you play his game 3 times even if it suck
This might be in my top 20 Dunkey videos. I don't often associate this channel with humility but having the capacity to give something a second chance and ability to judge with a fairer perspective makes me respect you a lot as a reviewer and a content creator
He still hates the game, just that it wasn't a total borefest and had too many wasted potential.
@@Stevey2578 Ummm....
I like that this time around he actually made some decent points.
@@hotpawsmathsandscience3124 Yeah. I don't plan on playing Death Stranding so it's nice to gain some clarity on the messy story
I watched Dunkey's first video as Death Stranding was downloading a day or two after the game came out and I think that really helped me enjoy the game. I went into it with super low expectations, like "alright fuck, a lot of people *hate* this game", and I really think that helped me come out the other side of it with a satisfied smile
if you want to understand any kojima story, you have to treat the entire game's story like a metaphor/microcosm.
and thats why big rigs is the greatest game ever made
Razbuten recently released a video about "the greatest games", and why so many old games are considered masterpieces and all-time greats, while most newer games, even the ones that are better in every way, aren't thought of that way. I HIGHLY recommend watching it!
As part of that essay, he talked about how hype and build-up often leads to a situation where no game could really meet the ridiculous standards we dream up for them. Therefore, the games that were trailblazers, and let us dream up how amazing games like it could be, are thought of more highly than similar games years later that are better experiences.
Razbuten talked about how often, the first game he played in a genre stuck with him the most, and games that came out later had to live up to his rose-colored memories of their predecessors. He then went on to say that nowadays, some of his best experiences with games come when he has low expectations (either because the game was in development hell and he lost interest, or because he hears mixed things), and is pleasantly surprised.
thats exactly why i hate that review so much imo, it gave so many people straight up hivemind mentality towards DS.
instead of playing the game they just watched the funny man online say he hates it so they hate it too
@@theX24968Z not really lol
just playing lile an anime game is already enough to understand it.
Now that I'm playing it again Death Stranding it's a hard game to explain. In some ways it feels like it was very rushed, and that's even ignoring the stuff about vehicle collision. The balance system really is very weird, I just walk around the entire game holding R2+L2 and I can go pretty much anywhere with no risk of falling over because I am 'balancing'. I get the impression that you are supposed to feel like you are engaged with the process by having to pay attention to your balance, but I can carry huge, huge stacks of cargo on my back which are more than 1 storey tall, but as soon as I try to carry something in one hand, my balance is completely ruined.
Some people say it's just a boring game about making deliveries, but delivering stuff isn't actually the goal of the game, it's just a means to an end, which is to reconnect the country (as is explained through the story). If you don't care about the story then the game is simply not for you. I think that the story has a lot of interesting ideas, but like Dunkey says, Kojima spends a lot of time OVER explaining these ideas. He has always been inspired by movies and cinema, and it seems like he really wants to take as much advantage of the actors he has hired as possible, and use the mo-cap technology he has access to. At least the stuff like emails and discussions are mostly optional for people who really want to understand the plot better.
In terms of actual game design, the idea of a solo-multiplayer world where players are connected to each other, but never actually see each other, isn't totally new (this indirect connection is what 'strand type gameplay' basically is). The concept existed with games like Dragon's Dogma, where you could send your 'Pawn' (computer controlled counterpart) to be hired by other players, and they would learn about things they see in other game worlds, and bring that knowledge back with them the next time you log in (how to fight new enemies, use new items, attack combos, etc). That game allowed you to rate the pawn out of 5 stars for things like appearance, usefulness, etc. The pawns made by other players would also inhabit your game world even if you never used them, and walk around towns and the environment - other people made the generic NPCs in your game.
In Death Stranding, there aren't really many ways to actually engage with other people except for giving likes, leaving shared items, buildings, signs, or choosing to deliver packages left behind by other people. It was written to be thematically relevant, because the game was all about how people seek likes and validation to give their life purpose - without other people to engage with, there isn't as much to do in the game, and there isn't much to do in life. Sometimes you might log in after a while of not playing and discover that a bridge you built has a few thousand likes, and the whole concept is that you did a good thing, and people like you for it. Human connections are a big part of the plot, but we are supposed to appreciate that more by having to rebuild that connection.
The emails and discussions talk about the concepts like 'the multiverse' and everyone always asks Sam 'How do you manage to get so many deliveries done so fast?' and the hint is that all of the people playing at the same time are collectively working as the same 'Sam' - everyone is working together to help each other complete the same game, and that is a very Kojima thing to have this big concept which is a bit let down a bit by the mechanics (on that note, this is probably why Dunkey couldn't drive a truck over 5 ladders, because they wanted someone to build one bridge that everyone could use - a single tool which requires less maintenance, that everyone can contribute resources to, whereas ladders are temporary and will degrade no matter what. Some bridges built by other people in my game have nearly 1 million likes in 2023).
The other big, optional project in the game is rebuilding the powered highway in every section. If you take time to work on this it can let you bypass nearly every frustrating obstacle, and keeps your vehicles and equipment battery charged. The same thing applies to creating a zipline network. But like Dunkey pointed out in his original video, you essentially by-pass all of the 'gameplay' (balancing, navigating, fighting/avoiding enemies) to create a super fast network, but this is actually what people do in real life - they try to create the most efficient delivery networks possible to get the best rating. No one is interested in if their delivery person had to walk through wind and rain to make a same day delivery, they're wondering why they didn't send a truck.
Do you really wanna hold down the bumpers for 20 minutes in-between walks tho? Handling the controller is a endurance test in itself that adds to the emersion. Especially with the ps5 controller, gets tiring.
you walk faster if you dont hold R2+L2. thats the point
@@olafhenson3626 You can get stuff like hovering cargo trays in the first 3-5 hours of the game, depending on how fast you are. These let you take stuff off your back and spread out the load. You can even use these trays like hovering skateboards to go down slopes or across flat land much faster than usual without wasting stamina (but there is a risk of crashing into things and falling off, which makes BB cry and can damage anything you carry). There are also different exo-skeleton devices like sprint legs, power suits, and all terrain suits. They let you use battery power instead instead of stamina to move faster, carry more without slowing down, and walk up steep slopes and through rough terrain like water and snow without needing to balance.
Now that's a real character progression.
Strand-type character progression from Dunkey.
Somehow Dunkey can make a 10 minute video that has more depth than 40 minute analysis videos
Brevity is the soul of wit
Whitelight > dunkey > Luke stephens
because those 40 minutes analysis videos are filled with bad analysis lol wringing lots of words out of something =\= quality
NakeyJakey tho
When Kojima is talking about “Strand type” I think he meant about the asynchronous multiple player aspect. When I’m dry during a boss battle and some player I never knew before threw me some grenades gave me chills for the first time
I watched my friend play and get help from random people too. That shit is cool! That’s an Interesting aspect of the game
@@Xhawk777 yes! And vehicles left by other players at the most random places, a life saving charging station built by others, some bridges and ladders that can cut distance and made things much easier…it’s the moments like these made me appreciate this game, that’s the “strand” between us players Kojima was talking about.
dark souls came out in 2011
@@PakuTheMagnificent I guess the difference is that in Dark Souls you have to actively search for help or helping people requires you to put a stop to your own game. But in Death Stranding you can just unknowingly help or receives help, makes the world actually feels connected and feel that you're not alone on your journey
@@PakuTheMagnificent and dark souls is more traditional co-op and a message system. Nothing like the asynchronous nature of death stranding
"Death Stranding was one of the most exciting and creative games of all time - until it actually came out." 1:20