Man, you're still at the top of your game. I was completely captivated by this video of a game I haven't gotten around to playing yet. Its passion is rather infectious.
This is the exact same way I felt playing this game as well, and I'm glad to see someone else acknowledge what made this game special to them in relation to their life experiences. While George relates to the slow gradual journey of a bike ride cross America. I relate to the probably near 2000+ miles I've rucked on foot in the military with sometimes ridiculous amounts of weight towering above my head exceeding 130lbs in some cases in the form of many things from ammo, food, water, clothing, and gear, to mortar tubes, stinger missiles, and javelins. Playing through death stranding gave me the same calm feeling as I walked up nearly vertical mountains seeing my destination come closer and closer by the mile. Another great video well done!
@@Jose-se9pu I don't know if 'hated' is the right word here. Just that the story went off the rails stupid in ways most people probably wouldn't notice.
I travel around in a wheelchair every day I feel like hearing this sort of mechanical analysis of Death Stranding from that perspective would be interesting. Primarily because disability tends to make every day movement into a version of this negotiation of the enviroment. Maybe these mechanics would connect with disabled players more than ablebodied ones. If anyone seeing this is disabled and has played Death Stranding I'd be interested to hear your thoughts
Disabled dude here. It's an odd one for me: On one hand, the obstacles put in front of the player via gameplay mechanics (primarily balance and weight distribution) are a weird reflection of how I imagine my disability negatively affects my experience of and capability to walk as compared to a non-disabled person. I was born with my disability, so I have no real basis for comparison. If I tell you that I would fall over when I walk if I didn't use crutches, and that my legs and hip are kind of stiff, more able-bodied readers can maybe make a better comparison than I. On the other hand, these same mechanics afford a much greater degree of control over Sam's walking than I have over my real life legs. This feels very empowering. This odd mix adds up to an experience of walking in Death Stranding that is sort of like the one I'm used to, but with one exception. I have much greater control over my body. It feels kind of great :) Great enough to complete the game.
I was born with fibrous dysplasia I my legs and skull and can’t walk without crutches. I haven’t played DS yet but I’ve always wanted to see a video game where you play as a disabled person on crutches or in a wheelchair or maybe both
In The Surge you get to start off on a wheelchair. Which was pretty interesting, I was surprised to see that. But of course, the game being a souls-like, they must take it away at some point, and they do so very soon.
see, why can't there be a soulslike with a disabled protaganist? Those games pay special attention to movement in a way that I would love to see implemented through the lens of disabillity.
My biggest pet peeve in gaming related to movement, to this day...is how every developer doesn't seem to understand that human beings can in fact...walk up steep hills.
Fallen order does this to a degree. There are some dedicated slide spots that you can't climb up, usually made logical with ice or slick mud, but there are also some spots that you slide going down, and climb on all fours going up.
This game, and I'm serious don't laugh at me, taught me a lot about walking. There is this road going steeply up I occassionally need to travel by foot. During winter it freezes over with ice. I've developed my own style of climbing over it over the years but I've actually managed to apply some stradegy from Death Stranding to fine tune it (lowering your center of weight and climbing it that way).
It also emulates really well the experience of being a deliveryman, from the logistics of planning a route, to checking your map and your surrounding to be sure were you have to turn and things to avoid, to also sometimes forgetting something and only finding out when you arrive to the place you were supposed to go and having to do the whole thing again. The only thing that it does not feel at all like it is how much praise you get when you're done with one.
Sad part on the last one. I always respected delivery guys but not that much, even after Fallout: New Vegas who pride itself on you being just a "courier". But you're just another rootin' tootin' cowboy in that game. The part of being a "courior" felt like a wierd title. A meme This game tho. Gave me way bigger respect. I always greeted delivery guys in a respectful way. But now I smile, way hi, soften my voice to be welcoming, thank them alot of delivering the package, and just be nicer than before. Keep on keeping on out there, delivery men! 👍👍👍👍👍
@@CrystallizedBlackSkull I mean, I always took NV's approach to the courier thing more as a backstory for the player for role playing experience. IIRC it's not stated that you are one as a career. Maybe you just needed some cash and figured delivering stuff would pay decently? I guess for that courier, experience, there's always mods.
Don't know if you'll see this, but I just want to say; this video encouraged me to take my casual bike riding to new levels, which has pushed me to ride well over 350+ miles this year so far (which isn't a lot for many, but to me is huge!). Doing this has helped my social life out so much, from general confidence to having stories to tell and making small talk, which has gained me quite a few friends I wouldn't have otherwise. Because of all of that, I just want to say... thank you for making such encouraging content, even if you don't intend it to be so.
Wow! I hope I'll gain the confidence and skills to do this soon. I always wanted to walk, bike across whatever country. It was always my biggest dream. I hope I can do it.
I agree with the observations of George. When I pick up bundles of rebar with a coworker and traverse a congested construction site I'm constantly scanning where to walk and avoiding loose gravel or small garbage piles and the movement is limited since I'm tethered to my coworker who is holding the same pieces of steel. Travel can be challenging by itself. The difference is, George went on a biking trip and found out how complex the mechanics of traveling is and developed a new appreciation for it while the complex nuance of traveling was forced on me by my work. I hate the game because What George found compelling I found has a chore.
@@liuzhaoqi2003 I don't hate my job Not every job is takes place in a congested site with power lines above. Thee are a lot of sites where there are enough space to shake out and separate the various lengths of steel.
The problem is that's what everyone expects of a big budget game. I like to compare Death stranding to the classic Monster Hunter games. They are for a small audiece that wants a very specific experience that isn't found in big budget AAA games. The problem is that Death Stranding is a big budget AAA game and the mainstream audiences generally don't like that kind of game.
What's brilliant is Kojima taking a massive risk unapologetically and taking all the time he wanted to pitch his own philosophy on Homo Ludens. There's no video game director that emodies "multiple realizability" better or integrates every aspect of the idea of "games" than Kojima.
Being a full time city kid who only sees big post-modern buildings and ugly concrete this game is an escape unlike anything else, seeing all these green fields and snowy mountains and big desert patches was an experience unlike anything else gaming-wise, also the gameplay was fun as heck in my opinion, planning carefully and watching out for the terrain and weather.
I find that an interesting comment, considering I always had a much larger tolerance for industrial and artificial environments in games than wilderness ones. In fact, I prefer them. Perhaps this has to do with the fact that I have seen a lot of wilderness areas growing up.
@@lounowell4171 My real world is just concrete and busy streets, I haven't seen wildlife and greens in years unfortunately, maybe I should get to it before I go crazy.
@@eliaskapravelos7171 I personally find cities to look better than nature ever could, 20th century industrial architecture especially. I know that is not a popular opinion.
Elias Kapravelos just take a train to your nearest small town. Ride a horse or two. Or rent out a boat. And do it with someone. It’s not as fun when you’re alone.
I didnt do any trips across the country but traversal has always been my secret passion in games so this has been...heavenly. People who hate the snow dont know what theyre missing. Great video
I did 4 years in the Marine Corps and hiking up and down hills in Death Stranding took me back to those days of arduous struggle. The whole game just really struck a nerve with me in the right ways and my goodness i cannot express how it feels to know that other people have similar experiences with their relationship of the game. Amazing video man. Keep up the great content!
I haven't played it, but I noticed those parallels. It will be interesting to see if that translates to fun for me. When Sam holds his breath and tries to avoid not being detected, it reminds me of avoiding bored SNCOs. I crack up at the thought of that. I have a suspicion that it will be a chore to me though
@@jodrano9356 haha death stranding is the marine corps. BTs are SNCOs, you walk all the time, you have orders that make no sense. your LCPL is attached to your chest and you have to take care of him. oh and you live on monster, the only thing the are missing is cans of dip.
Stick around the smash community long enough you'll hear someone say it Kidding, don't stick around them, the stereotypes about them smelling bad are true...
@@OjoRojo40 hhahahhahah Dunkey sounds like a dunkey next to this review, like if he does not have brain cells or something. Dunkey is really terrible at most reviews he makes.
I connected with this game in the first river section. I grew up by a beach entirely covered in rocks. Every day after school, I would walk down there and run across the rocks. When this game got me to cross the first river, I looked up and down that thing exactly like I was on the beach again as a kid.
"I really like history, actually." Huh, didn't know that. Cool. "I'm colorblind." Oh uh- I had no idea. "I BICYCLED ACROSS THE UNITED STATES." JESUS CHRIST!!
Wonder what will be revealed next; the stakes must be raised. "I once went on an adventure that started in Delaware and ended in Tingvollvågen with two dogs and a very, very lost raccoon." "I am your father." "I started a non-political revolution by selling lemonade in custom-made cups, that ended only once the minister's left-hand man died. On a tuesday."
Most of your non-review videos tend to seem incredibly personal, but this feels like an even more personal video than usual for you. I found it fascinating to hear your opinion on Death Stranding. The difference in the way you experienced a game that I just can't quite enjoy seemed kind of beautiful to me. A bit humbling, if I'm being honest, and I'm not even that pushy about my opinions on games. Keep up the great work, dude.
In most videogames, traversing is trivial while combat is the challenge. In DS traversing is the challenge while combat is trivial. This turns off a lot of people. But i enjoy having down time walking out in VG world and enjoy the landscape and architecture. In dark souls, botw, HZD, journey, and death stranding. I even made a dedicated insta account to photograph the scenery on botw and death stranding. I find it meditative.
Agreed. My favorite open world game is Morrowind, and my most cherished moments are simply traversing the wonderfully alien landscape of Vvardenfell. There is indeed a meditative quality to it, no doubt related to one of George's earlier videos, "The Importance of Quiet Time."
I bought a switch and BoTW about a month before Death Stranding came out. I put zelda on hold because I was really anticipating DS and I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. In fact after I finished the game and resumed BoTW, I found myself missing the mechanics of the best walking simulator to date. I'd find myself just zoning out during traversal and not really paying any attention to the environment or the very few obstacles present.
I had no idea! Well, at least in regards to the shoulder buttons. I just beat the game a couple of hours ago and watched this video after holding off for three months, and now I kind of wish I had watched it beforehand haha
When I was young we lived by the sea and I loved just running or walking around in the mountains. Exactly that feeling you spoke of about weaving between planning you next step to looking up and planning the path the next 100m ahead. I love that someone put that in a game.
I feel where you're coming from. As a Marine I've had to walk under loads the size and shape as the ones in this game. It really captures the strategy of something so mundane but still challenging, as well as how petty the failures are. Maybe to really appreciate it you have to have been there, at least a little bit.
I really wanted to enjoy this one, I was on board with the idea that the traversal and exploration in an open world game was at the forefront rather than typical combat situations. Metal Gear's mantra was "what if instead of confronting your enemies, you avoided them?" And Death Stranding would be "instead of enemy confrontation, what if traveling was the core mechanic?" But I found that the game erred more on the side of rewarding conservative play, and instead of overcoming challenges it was more of an exercise of reducing tedium. The game teaches you early on how much harder it is when Sam is overloaded. So then you avoid taking on too many orders at a time to avoid the penalty. Then once you get the Floating Carrier and vehicles, you stop worrying about the balancing mechanics entirely. As George mentioned the strategy of zig-zagging along cliffs to reduce the angle of the slope over a longer distance, I found myself being able to force vehicles up the most ridiculous terrain, just to avoid carrying on foot and therefore needing to play with balancing. The boots mechanic is also a funny one. All you need to do is periodically replace them after a couple of trips. If you don't you will be penalized. All you need to do is just remember to replace them. So rather than enjoying the gamified traversal, I actually enjoyed the gamified social help aspect of Death Stranding. Someone has to use or specifically like your structure; ideally confirming that you made someone else's trip more efficient. But that's the fatal flaw to me. Other people help remove the challenge from your own game, and you're left with an easy delivery with no challenge. Yes a game can be an experience more than just it's gameplay mechanics. But I found the other aspects of the game not very compelling either. So I ended up with a 40 hour game with story front and back-loaded, with a very long and bland middle section with insignificant characters and little plot development helping it along. The gameplay either feels tedious or trivial if someone else's structures are in place. And even I say all of that as another Hideo Kojima fan. But I don't think its a controversial opinion to say that his output pre-MGS4 was more impressive than post-MGS4. Books and music can be written by individuals, but games and movies are mostly made by teams. A game isn't great just because Kojima was at the helm. A collective had to work together to ship the game. We should look past simple idolization of a single figure who might be the spearhead but was supported by many others who don't get close to the same credit. I'm a little disappointed in myself that I can't name other major staff besides artist Yoji Shinkawa. I'm glad others were able to enjoy Death Stranding, but I wasn't able to. If you agree with me click the thumbs up to give me an oxytocin boost I guess
Kalvin Clein 😂 I don’t agree with everything you wrote, but loved the ending to your comment. Here’s an oxytocin boost for you 👍 👍 👍 Today’s a good day.
I don't know how to argue except 'I don't agree'. To me the floating carrier didn't ruin the balancing aspect of the game, it just reduced the load. You still had to worry about Sam while he's moving the carrier, also the carrier doesn't apply in every situation, such as if you're scaling a cliff with a rope, and certain terrains may cause it to snap. As for the vehicles, they can be a liability as much as an aide. Usually a load up the bike and drive out to my destination, but within a few minutes I'm ditching the bike and going on foot because I'm tired of smashing into every rock in existence. Also there's cliffs and ravines and other things which the vehicle straight up cannot access. So I invested in the bike under the assumption it would to me to the objective, now I'm stuck with this huge cargo in the middle of nowhere. It's both a deterrent against being reliant on vehicles as well as being part of the gameplay. Suddenly finding yourself in a difficult situation because of either bad planning or something unavoidable, such as weather or environmental obstacles. I hear the argument a couple of times from you and others that you just spam vehicles up ridiculous terrain. I guess this is a gameplay hole if it works, but I've never tried it, because honestly, why would I? It looks ridiculous and it's not how the game is meant to be played. Why would you deliberately want to play the game in a silly way? Every MGS game, no matter how highly rated, allows you to go rambo on the enemy and bypass the sneaking mechanics, but it's a much less elegant and engaging way to play the game. I mean yeah, Kojima should have anticipated players would try to spam terrain and make it impossible, but part of the blame is on you for relying on such a stupid mechanic instead of just playing the game properly. As for "rewarding conservative gameplay instead of overcoming challenges", I found the game does both. The game is constantly giving you orders that seem simple but come with huge catches or roadblocks that will either cause tedium or completely wreck you. For example, you have to ship a huge amount of pesticide to the timefall farm, more supplies than can be carried, so you have to rely on a vehicle or floating carriers. However, the only accessible routes are through a mule camp (they'll sabotage your vehicle and wreck.steal your cargo) or a mountain which exposes you to timefall and is unaccessible by vehicle. So you have to pick your poison and prepare accordingly. I chose the challenge of making it through the mountains quick enough to avoid my cargo being destroyed by timefall instead of the tedium of sneaking through the mule camp and it was a huge sense of overcoming a challenge when I just managed to get the cargo there before it was destroyed. I think the trick to enjoying Death Stranding is to think of it less like a competitive video game (which mechanics can I exploit?) and more like a simulation of real life challenges in which you can use your problem solving skills in a simulated world. For me, that's how I approached the game automatically but I think some people need to change their thinking if they're going to enjoy the game. I know that sounds pretentious as hell but it's just the reality of it. It's not a game for everyone, and I respect that, but when someone says they WANT to enjoy death stranding I say well you can, but you have to rethink how you're going about the game. It's like playing solitaire. Nobody's going to force you to follow certain rules, but you're expected to. I know that's an apology for flaws and holes in the game design, but the game is actually so ambitious in what it's trying to do I'm surprised there aren't more holes than there are. If you want an interesting challenge, play the game where you accept every order the moment you receive it. It becomes a challenge of managing a huge workload and not pissing too many customers off. Is it more fun? I don't know, but it's more challenging
I guess it goes both ways, man. I feel a sense of accomplishment with every single mechanic and tactic the game can and does offer. I love carefully planning my route for long, heavy hauls on foot, going through, MULEs, cliffs, rivers and BTs with nothing but my +200 KG of cargo and a bola gun. I also love how fast and efficiently I can get a bunch of little errands done simultaneously by using all the roads, bridges, tools and MY BIKE, GOD I LOVE IT, just to wrap up the client's 5th star. But then... I also very much love the idea of using other people's bridges roads and such left behind purposely for everyone's use. It builds to this huge map. Giving you more options to traverse this beautiful world. From all the things I've seen built by others, it has never felt like it's robbed me from my gameplay, but enhanced it. Instead of ruining the fun and joy from the challenge of planning every step and crevice, taking that bridge over there (a bit out of the way) will instead TURN that satisfying challenge into a fun quick rush to this finish line. I always have to carefully remember that I'm not playing a difficult game. I'm playing a game all about planning, tactics, adaptability and reflex on delivering this cure for a shit hangover. I love this game. I love this community. I love the amount of freedom the game offers amongst us all. And i love hearing not how, but why it is, and isn't for everybody. Hearing your unique, well spoken opinion gave me a new understanding. Thanks, man. 👍
Death Stranding doesn't look like the type of game I'll end up playing (I've heard it needs a lot of time, which I frankly don't have), but credit where it's due- Massive respect for Sony for funding a game with just traversal as one of the core gameplay mechanics, and also massive props to Kojima Prod for crafting (from what my friends who've played the game tell me) a thoughtful narrative around these mechanics.
Although I understand (and agree to some degree) I don't know about thoughtful narrative, if what you mean the gameplay has some connection to the story than maybe yes, but a bunch of games done that before.
Having hitchhiked across alot of the United States these past two years this video just hits different. There's alot of your experience I can see in my own.
I really empathise with how the bike trip affected you in social situations etc. I spent weeks out in rural france, working at various farms after my first year at university, the many experiences I had while hiking and working at these farms has made me a much more social person with my own stories to tell.
I think you are on to something here. I biked across Canada 9 years ago, and so far I am 82 hours into the PC version of Death Stranding. You completely nailed what is so appealing about it to me. Great work.
What I noticed about the game is how responsive and tight the controls are. Went from this to Jedi Fallen Order and the difference is extremely noticeable.
I grew up in the mountains and the Winters there were like -25°C, you couldn't even ride your bike during that time. I often went off-trail hiking with friends, everybody carrying a 72l backpack and through the forest we go. Death Stranding was a real throwback to those days for me
7:11 funny you should mention this, Final Fantasy XV actually had this exact same mechanic in its sprinting system, wherein timing the pressing of the "sprint" button right before you run out of stamina gives you an extra boost of stamina. It really added some flavor to an otherwise standard traversal system.
You must be fucking kidding. Kojima got fired, Norman reedus only took the role because Guillermo told him to and Lea Seydoux is busy. What the fuck game is going to be made with none of these characters or kojimas guide.
I have a love for hiking and exploring, and I’ve always wanted a game that really encapsulates that feeling. Death Stranding is the first game to ever really scratch that itch for me. It even made me want to go out and hike myself. There were a couple times in my playthrough where I would just put the controller down, put some weights in my backpack, and go hiking through the pasture by my house to simulate sam’s experience.
You and Girlfriend Reviews PERFECTLY put into words my feelings on this game. Not to mention your writing and storytelling are as in point as ever, I was showing my friend your MGS videos before the midnight release of Death Stranding just to give her a taste of Kojima before we plunged into this game. Thanks so much for your content!
Dude. Fucking THANK YOU. I am so overjoyed that someone got the same kind of happiness and enjoyment out of this game as I did. It really felt like I was in a bizarro world with how many reviewers just seemed to not get it and rag on about how boring the game was. This review is a gem. Thank you, George.
I have degenerative joint disease - from a young age had no cartilage in my joints, and am basically always in some kind of pain when moving around, biking, etc. With that said, I am still passionate about making the most of the abilities I do have and getting out to explore and feel the freedom of just existing in the world. In a way I believe that's what I've been loving about this game... the fact that it reflects how at least for me personally, getting where I wanted to go IRL has never been the equivalent of holding the left stick forward. Going where I've needed to go and doing what I've needed to do to not be an outlier from my peers has always been about assessing the struggle ahead of me and deeming it worth it despite pain and limitation. I recently watched and commented on Dunkey's analysis of the game where he basically said that Mario perfected movement 20 years ago (implying that no one should ever do anything differently) and then proceeded to show footage of him bashing his face in the side of a mountain, or driving his motorcycle directly into rocks at full speed and wondering why they didn't disintegrate. It reminded me of situations in real life where people's blind acceptance that things should just be easy and thoughtless to do is their motivation on whether or not they do them.
I hardly ever write TH-cam comments but I just wanted you to know that this video spoke to me on a really personal level and it is by far the favorite of this years-long fan of yours.
@@ChenLadTV I don't get how. English is not my mother language and I have never made that mistake because the difference seems obvious to the ear. How come natives don't see it 🤣
Hey I wanted to drop you a little line to tell you how much I enjoyed this video. I also absolutely loved Death Standing and when I tell my gamer friends this, I always get the impression from them that they think I'm being a contrarian or simply being pretentious. I think it's a sign of the times that everyone, friends included, feel the need to validate their opinions by justifying why yours and theirs don't match up, but I could be wrong. Glad to know that there are other fans out there!
Its a walking, delivery boy simulator but its completely up front about being a walking delivery boy simulator. Every single open world game in the last 5 years has been a walking, delivery boy simulator disguised as a game.
While slightly exaggerated for impact purposes, it's not too far from the truth. If we take a step back, we can finally realise that "side quests" or any type of secondary content is actually the meat of these games. Sadly, it's often nothing more than turning you into a rat pressing a button to get food. So basically, what I'm saying is: well said, man
So you are basically commending it for being up-front about being boring fucking waste of time that is not exciting at all ? My, what else will we commend in the future, then ? A game chock-full of microtransactions that is up-front about "GIVE YOUR MONEEEY" nature of it ? My...
@@zedxcu Yeah, obsessed with keeping gaming clean of boring shit like this, that will unavoidably lead to even further worsening of standards. Yeah, quite obsessed. I mean... this shit has "action" written in it's genre description. "Action". So basically Uncharted, Tomb Raider, Devil May Cry and the like are in the same league as that hiking delivery simulator. Genious. And this is after the awesomness of Metal Gear Solid and Zone of The Enders. Ofcourse I am obsessed. We need less needlessly open world games that waste time on getting from one point to another and instead something actually going on constantly. God, please keep FromSoftware safe... In the face of this shitty calamity we need them more then ever.
Open World games have become so smoothed out that exploration, y'know, the whole point of an open world game, had basically disappeared. What you're left is a glorified time wasting level select menu. I still don't understand why he's giving Breath of the Wild so much shit for it as that's a game that really made exploration and navigation a core part of its gameplay loop, I don't understand that especially considering his love for Witcher 3 which had a horse automatically taking you to your destination.
This is the single best review of this game that exists. Making something so abstract so personal and relatable is a special skill you possess, and it's been said before but you are at the top of your game. It's a refreshing thing to see.
It's funny hearing you talk about how you plan each step and try to think ahead, right after I was watching you Sprint straight into a river like you're blind.
I did a similar thing before graduating from college. I had hardly any money that summer and no one to travel with, but wanted to go to Spain because I had never been there. So I took the train from Vienna to the French/Spanish border and hiked from there to Santiago de Compostella along the Way of St. James. It took me 30 days to walk about 700km. The thing you said about mountains slowly growing in the distance is so true, when you walk it takes even longer. And you are also right about not forcing yourself to get to your destination quickly. I was in my mid twenties and felt really bad at the beginning when grandpas were passing me by, but after some days I did not really care anymore. Some days were really good and I was flying through villages and roads, on other days every step felt like it took me forever. But I did it and I am proud of my accomplishment. Unfortunatelly I can't tell a story about personal growth myself, I felt just like before (and I am still kinda unclear about my place in life more than 10 years later).It's kinda funny that I did not think about this experience when playing death stranding. The Walking part felt kinda familiar though. I took up climbing (and inevitably hiking as well) in the last couple of years so I know my way around the mountains. I even keep on hiking in winter now, to keep my lungs trained in order to battle the symptoms of Asthma. Don't think I could be a porter like Same though (fuck this reads like one of the NPC e-mails. Get out of my head , Kojima!) But tbh I build Ziplines everywhere I can nowadays haha.I was also not disappointed about the experience the game offered and I love that they tried something new. I never preordered a game before and I'm happy I had the right idea about the direction Kojima was going with this (I preordered so that I could play right away but a friend of mine bought the game in store physically and could play hours before me lol). It's a quiet game, there is hardly any music (though I wish I could create my own playlist when travelling like in the safe houses). And it's all about exploration, which I find out to be my main game play hook nowadays (Hollow Knigh GOTY for me this year because it was so late on PS4). I kinda wish there was even more, like some mountains and valleys that you don't have to travel to but where you can find side quests would be nice.
@@tahirpleasant5640 How did I forget about those? I guess I was thinking about when he played through the Call of Duties but skipped over CoD 3 because it wasn't on PC
I may not have biked across a continent, but I did spend a great deal of time in my childhood and later life for that matter, walking in the mountains. I think that, too, gives this experience of "seeing the matrix" ahead of you, planning every step with what seems like superhuman speed - especially when running in rocky steep terrain, like mountain rivers, where the entire landscape is made up of; deadly drops, 90* edges made of pure rock that will end your life with ease, boulders that look secure but have like a 1mm^2 contact area and will slide / tilt / rotate under you instantly, weird algae and moss growth that will send you sliding down a 300-foot rockface and break all your limbs when you inevitably reach the end, and of course, water, ranging from still water puddles to life-ending flows of deep water going down the mountainside. Yet you jog along, eyes darting literally 1 or 2 steps ahead of you at all times, looking at, analyzing, and deciding where and how to put your foot down (the foot that's already in the air on its way down), with the occasional glance upwards to think about the next 10 seconds. Games like Death Stranding bring that same sort of joy to me. It's the same idea of finding challenge and enjoyment in doing something that, on a surface level, seems simple: Navigate from A to B.
Georgie boy you've done it again. Thanks a lot. Great analysis. Also great getting to know you through you getting to know Kojima through Death Stranding.
I was born in Abruzzo, a region in the center of Italy. The mountain landscape there is basically where I've had most of my childhood adventures - when I visited on summer, we'd often go out with friends and have picnics on top of hills that were steep as all hell or sunbathe for a while on inclines. We also created weird stories to play in, in which all our myths and all the things we liked came together and melded with the place we were enacting these shenanigans in - a complete opposite to the factory-made, flat playgrounds I would usually see where I actually lived. Death Stranding is the game eight-year-old me has been waiting for since I first got a PlayStation, and I'm so happy you managed to - indirectly - capture this feeling so well through your own experience. You really are one of the best.
You liked it MORE than MGS 5, 4, and Peace Walker?? I've been debating playing this game, and I'm a big Kojima and MGS fanboy. You've convinced me: I'm playing this game!
Great video, man. I appreciate how clear you show the game's antics being a reflection of Kojima's celebrity, the whole game's existence is predicated on that. And as always with your videos, it's nice to enjoy a nuanced and authentic view on how game mechanics shape the player's internal narrative! I wish this was talked about more often.
My father got me into backpacking. When I first saw the loaded-high packs of Death Stranding and the long sprawling landscapes, it actually made me think, "huh, here's a struggle and game that I think my Dad could actually find interesting." Him and I have spent entire weeks up in the mountains of Colorado and Wyoming, just trekking and talking about the trekking and experiencing the trekking. We didn't cover the same distance that you did in your astounding bike trip, George, but I like to think that we at least kinda know what you're talking about. In addition, it's just so refreshing for game developers to create a fascinating experience out of something besides the well-walked "gun go shoot" situation. To clarify, I love gun go shoot games. Doom Eternal is so far one of my favorites of 2020, but goddamn variety like this is so desperately needed in this industry.
I’ve been anticipating this video for a while, and it’s just as interesting, well-written and original as I hoped! Love your videos, you always bring a fresh and well thought out perspective to the table George!
I feel you my friend. I lived out of a ruck sack and slept under the stars for a few years. The controls of this game, very much, reminded me of rucking over uneven terrain. When Sam would stand up and grunt under his load, it brought back memories and a chuckle from me. I enjoyed the long distance movements in this game and I found myself just making deliveries across the entire world map just to kind of drone out on the journey. The mind kind of fills in the gaps on those long treks.
By far the most touching video I've seen from you so far, George! The comparisons between both of your journeys across the US and formulating all of it through the literal looks you've given to and feels you've gotten from the game really got to me. I'm still waiting just a little longer to pick up the game myself, but these 24 minutes were incredibly touching and reassuring. Thanks a lot!
After watching this video and the dunkview back to back: I have never felt the urge to play a game for myself to find out what I think about a video game this hard in a long time
The Dunkview won't give you an accurate assessment at all of the game sadly. The guy makes some fun videos, but he can't make a proper review for the life of him. (The game ain't perfect, but there's a difference between bad design and forcefully try to make the game look bad in an effort to validate one's opinion of it.) If you enjoy the idea of planning your routes and enjoying the journey it's a great game. If you want an action-packed FPS, then I'd not recommend it. Even with all the talk about its convoluted story, gameplay philosophy, and all that, it's core gameplay loop is quite easy to grasp. What's unique about it is mainly that it places an emphasis on nature as an obstacle rather than humans/monsters.
@@t6v4l968 I legitimately don't know what he was trying to prove there. That ramming a bike into a mountain makes it difficult to move forwards? I mean at least it kinda helps with showcasing the problems with his reviews? (There's also the overuse of headlines to prove his point, rather than using the contents of the articles. But I digress.) What's funny is that he made a video ridiculing the people who criticised his video, but later he took it down since it made him look quite petty.
glad to hear that, hope more people dont just take dunkeys word for it. i like dunkey but that video of his is full of shit. Not because he didnt like it, his stated reasoning for not likin it was full of nonsense.
@@t6v4l968 maybe he did it to demonstrate how bad the vehicle physics are. Just because there were 1 or 2 Minutes of him goofing around to show some bad stuff literally nobody cares to show doesn't mean his entire playtime was like that. He also brought up more than that, which nobody seems to notice. Like having 3 cutscenes for taking a shower or the dumb writing at times.
Every point he makes but driving instead of walking. Compared to the GTAV approach to driving up mount chilliad in a slammed Lamborghini by just pinning the gas up the steepest part, a tiny rock can really fuck up your day by tipping you just enough (or more likely your trailer) and losing a load, then either going back to get another or bringing a crane out.
Great video. I absolutely loved my time with Death Stranding. It’s been a while that I’d put 12-16 hour binge sessions into a game on days off etc. I knew DS wouldn’t appeal to a mass instant gratification gaming culture, but it was 100% a game for me. I definitely believe this will be viewed as a classic down the road.
I mean its literally a walking simulator. So many years of gamers using this phrase as a complaint about overly big, empty space that the player has to traverse on foot and now Kojima actually made the meme reality. But you know, absolutely not in a meme way, but acutally with a very serious tone and in the ususal super polished Kojima way. Like damn, what kind of twist is that. Is this whole game just an extremely elaborate post-post ironic joke thats beyond comprehension for my mortal mind?
The game isn't a walking simulator. The descriptor doesn't do the game justice. Death Stranding do not subvert the walking sim genre. Let's not pretend it is. Walking sim is a whole different genre. Death Stranding is an action game that emphasizes the movement, bases the core loop around it.
I'm glad you enjoyed this one! I thought it was unique. Not great but not bad. I also enjoyed the walking simulator aspect but maybe not as much as you. The story was a mess but it's a story in a video game and a Kojima game at that. I kind of expected the story to be a mess with some beautiful moments. I just didn't expect to feel that way about the gameplay as well. Lots of down time. I like the guitar hero analogy.
You know what, George, I have been really hesitant about this game. MGSV was a really dumb guilty pleasure, and I have barely brought myself to watch this game's hour-long cutscenes; however, after watching your video, I can say confidently enough... I miss hiking, man, I really want to go climb a hill again. Thanks!
Excellent Video. I love the concept, but will probably hate the game - better to delay it until, it's on massive sale (Cultist simulator was similar, liked the concept, but didnt have the patience to invest my time to "really get into it" and stopped after 3 hours...)
If you like Animes than give this Game a Shot. The cutscenes are Kojima-like over the top, cringy, too much Exposition, don’t feel Natural. But I like everything between the cutscenes and how the Progression System Works in this game
Finally somebody who comes close to describing why I love this game. People keep saying there is "no gameplay", but literally every single SECOND is gameplay. You can't stop thinking, can't stop planning for a moment, or you'll fuck up.
Something I wish to mention is that the concept for what is a video game used to be a gamification of an otherwise redundant task. Mowing lawns, delivering newspapers, serving food or running a bar. Video games started as an emulation of things in life from jobs, chores, board games, card games, and sports. Death Stranding is a game I really enjoy because it feels like a throw back to these times and the narrative makes me think of the evolution of video games. But, it also is a game I enjoy because of my experiences through my life. Aside from video games I have always been one for the outdoors and one for traveling. So take these things with a grain of salt.
I love hiking mountains and this is exacly what I feel about this game, planning your routes and equipment, consantly dealing with the terrain and balance, finding out creative ways to traverse landscape, this is perfect for me. Shame it only gave me 40h of beating the main story, I want more content like Death Stranding
Thanks so much for finally talking about it, George, you´ve always had this really interesting point of view of gaming in general, but especially with Kojima games! I´d been hoping you would. I´m gonna watch as much as I can, I´m currently starting Chapter 6 and don´t wanna get spoiled more than what I inferred from the Launch Trailer hahahaa
Really great vid. I haven't got around to the game myself yet, but this kind of stuff makes me really interested. I really like the idea that there can be big, weird, experimental games, that might not get everything right or be fun for everyone, but are genuinely trying to use games to do something different and meaningful. Also I really appreciate not having the sponsor plug split up the video in the middle. It makes things flow so much better, and it's way less obtrusive. So thanks for that. I would hope that continues.
Sam isn’t so much a vessel for Kojima’s anxieties and frustrations as he is for our own. Death Stranding encapsulates the age of loneliness we find ourselves in. His work is repetitive, tedious, and met with hollow praise with each completed task. His assignments are managed via a cold UI which mirrors Asana or Monday, always offering yet another job to do. When Sam is disenchanted by the deluge of work on his plate, the main characters only offer repetitive platitudes about our country’s values and vision. It might even be the case that all this work is actively hurting the very country he is trying to save. Sam is working in a startup, headphones on, nose to the grindstone, not really interacting with any of his coworkers, as they all have their own boulders to push. It’s also a game about how this loneliness is born from our late-stage capitalism. Without the chiral network, Sam is on his own. He must pay for every piece of gear needed for the trek. Things that would speed up his travels, like roads and bridges, are far too expensive to build in abundance, so his journeys are far slower than they could be. Often, his tasks involve ferrying literal currencies (like alloys or ceramics) from point to point. Money is literally weighing Sam down. But, in the utopian society allowed by the chiral network, instead of each portal hoarding and spending their resources for themselves, wealth is pooled together and utilized by the many. Roads and bridges are built, with each user contributing a small bit of their earnings for the greater good. Signposts are placed, aiding not the signmaker, but the anonymous collective. Desire paths are warn into the earth, as our struggles make it easer for the next porter to climb the mountain. This game is about how socialism is the only thing that will pull us out of our wallowing loneliness. It’s a game that intentionally repeats dialogue, intentionally makes its characters so one dimensional that even their names are self-describing, intentionally weaves a convoluted story in which the player feels just outside of the loop. We are being hammered over the face by Kojima, instructed to ignore this narrative, to realize that the real story and message exists, silently, in gameplay.
This a million times I don't know how much in the game is put there knowingly and how much comes from feelings and thoughts that kojima probably ruminated over for a while But the whole team managed to put these themes in the game and holy crap it's fantastic to be challenged on so many levels, i really believe that Death Stranding is the worthy successor to mgs2
I camped and hiked alot in my childhood and this game clicked instantly with me during the intro where i found myself looking for rocks jutting out of a river a way to safely cross either by it being shallow or useing the rocks themselves to cross.
As someone who grew up on a mountainous island, I also felt a personal connection to Death Stranding. It made me feel like the first time I went hiking upstream the river at the foot of the cliff at my parents' house all over again. The feeling of... 'wholesome loneliness' (? I don't know how I can put it) it gave me was incredible. Death Stranding came close to that in a video game form. Skyrim gave me that to some extent, but I kept being taken out of that experience by all the "videogame~y" elements on top (that's why I always play with immersion and camping mods)
I can only think of one instance so far in my playthrough where they repeat something. It was Deadman. He called over the Comms to talk about the BB. Then later at Lockne's shelter, he said the same thing in the cutscene as if he never told us before. But despite some problems people may be saying about the game, I'm enjoying it. I've been waiting for the game for about 4 years, and was happy when it finally came out. Got the Pro console special edition and the steelbook edition of the game. I don't care what people are saying about it in terms of negativity. I'm loving it.
Gotta hand it to you, only TH-camr i know that mix pop culture reviews with the intellectual and personal. I guess " real gamers" can't handle when their hobby is pressed against the expectations of art criticism.
i would watch a two hour documentery from you any day, your videos never get boring and they provide a fun way to get ideas and information out and still be fun , you energetic and calm voice is what makes you videos tick , keep it up and good luck.
I actually thought that the whole empty praise and jingoistic "reconnect america" thing actually came across as the language and feel of your average American political campaign. Since everyone who connects up to the Chiral network is tacitly saying they want your boss as president, you can actually argue that Sam, and by extension the player, is basically doorknocking his way across america and convincing people to vote for his political leader- and the reason people are convinced isn't because of any of the flashy big ideals but because you're there to help them face to face, so to speak. This I think fits too with how it turns out the actual goal isn't to everyone's benefit but the individuals whom you connect with end up valuing each other and coming together regardless. The real treasure is the friends we made along the way. It's a really nice game and I also hope it convinces devs to be a little braver, or rather for publishers to let them be brave.
Very nicely put. Hadn't thought of it like that but it makes so much sense. The usual "reunite america" talk was always off-putting to me, and the way certain preppers argued against joining the UCA always resonated more with what I think. It felt good to convince them to join in, but I was never thinking "damn, but how about america, my dude?", and felt more like "If I deliver stuff enough, competently enough, they'll understand the value of my efforts, and understand that we all being together is worth it".
Once again George you've surpassed yourself. I literally could not be the person I am today without you. Thank you for all the good work you've done and keep on keeping on.
@@itsikolia best gaming experience of the year, wish I could play it for the first time again. Some flaws, obviously, but it was really impactful on my year.
Now I actually want this game. I've always wanted a game of me just delivering shit. Like yes sir here's your package I almost died and crossed a mountain for. Have a good day!
![ILLSLICK - KILLSHOT REMIX [FULL VERSION]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RIK8RrqIAzE/mqdefault.jpg)
Man, you're still at the top of your game. I was completely captivated by this video of a game I haven't gotten around to playing yet. Its passion is rather infectious.
The fact George pinned this means that talent recognizes talent
I don't think your gonna like this game but I would watch a video if you made about it :)
@@MapleMilk raycevik was a guest on George's podcast this week!
This is the exact same way I felt playing this game as well, and I'm glad to see someone else acknowledge what made this game special to them in relation to their life experiences. While George relates to the slow gradual journey of a bike ride cross America. I relate to the probably near 2000+ miles I've rucked on foot in the military with sometimes ridiculous amounts of weight towering above my head exceeding 130lbs in some cases in the form of many things from ammo, food, water, clothing, and gear, to mortar tubes, stinger missiles, and javelins. Playing through death stranding gave me the same calm feeling as I walked up nearly vertical mountains seeing my destination come closer and closer by the mile. Another great video well done!
WTF Raycevick you're George split off to become a Canadian don't lie. You two share experiences.
Man, you ARE Kojima's core demographic.
Is that an insult or compliment?
@@MechanicWolf85 Yes
Was this not already apparent from the 45 minute video where he lectured in a classroom about MGS games?
And still, he isnt a fanboy, he hated MGS4, PW, and V.
@@Jose-se9pu I don't know if 'hated' is the right word here. Just that the story went off the rails stupid in ways most people probably wouldn't notice.
I travel around in a wheelchair every day I feel like hearing this sort of mechanical analysis of Death Stranding from that perspective would be interesting. Primarily because disability tends to make every day movement into a version of this negotiation of the enviroment. Maybe these mechanics would connect with disabled players more than ablebodied ones. If anyone seeing this is disabled and has played Death Stranding I'd be interested to hear your thoughts
let us know what you think after you play the game
Disabled dude here. It's an odd one for me:
On one hand, the obstacles put in front of the player via gameplay mechanics (primarily balance and weight distribution) are a weird reflection of how I imagine my disability negatively affects my experience of and capability to walk as compared to a non-disabled person. I was born with my disability, so I have no real basis for comparison. If I tell you that I would fall over when I walk if I didn't use crutches, and that my legs and hip are kind of stiff, more able-bodied readers can maybe make a better comparison than I.
On the other hand, these same mechanics afford a much greater degree of control over Sam's walking than I have over my real life legs. This feels very empowering.
This odd mix adds up to an experience of walking in Death Stranding that is sort of like the one I'm used to, but with one exception. I have much greater control over my body. It feels kind of great :)
Great enough to complete the game.
I was born with fibrous dysplasia I my legs and skull and can’t walk without crutches. I haven’t played DS yet but I’ve always wanted to see a video game where you play as a disabled person on crutches or in a wheelchair or maybe both
In The Surge you get to start off on a wheelchair. Which was pretty interesting, I was surprised to see that. But of course, the game being a souls-like, they must take it away at some point, and they do so very soon.
see, why can't there be a soulslike with a disabled protaganist? Those games pay special attention to movement in a way that I would love to see implemented through the lens of disabillity.
My biggest pet peeve in gaming related to movement, to this day...is how every developer doesn't seem to understand that human beings can in fact...walk up steep hills.
And that is never fun, too.
Fallen order does this to a degree. There are some dedicated slide spots that you can't climb up, usually made logical with ice or slick mud, but there are also some spots that you slide going down, and climb on all fours going up.
Benjamin McCann Life sims are also a game genre.
There are some hills you haven't climbed, yet...
@Benjamin McCann the gamers like repetitive gameloops of AAA games but don't like sims, huh?
This game, and I'm serious don't laugh at me, taught me a lot about walking.
There is this road going steeply up I occassionally need to travel by foot. During winter it freezes over with ice. I've developed my own style of climbing over it over the years but I've actually managed to apply some stradegy from Death Stranding to fine tune it (lowering your center of weight and climbing it that way).
I'm starting to think Death Stranding is to hiking as Kerbal Space Program is to orbital dynamics.
I learned a lot of ways to walk over rocks and terrain from this game too.
@@astrosnappy what were you doing before? walking on your hands?
@@deadeyeduncan5022 you know there’s technics to walk up a steep mountain right? Or maybe you don’t know what a steep angled hills are
It also emulates really well the experience of being a deliveryman, from the logistics of planning a route, to checking your map and your surrounding to be sure were you have to turn and things to avoid, to also sometimes forgetting something and only finding out when you arrive to the place you were supposed to go and having to do the whole thing again. The only thing that it does not feel at all like it is how much praise you get when you're done with one.
Sad part on the last one.
I always respected delivery guys but not that much, even after Fallout: New Vegas who pride itself on you being just a "courier". But you're just another rootin' tootin' cowboy in that game. The part of being a "courior" felt like a wierd title. A meme
This game tho. Gave me way bigger respect. I always greeted delivery guys in a respectful way. But now I smile, way hi, soften my voice to be welcoming, thank them alot of delivering the package, and just be nicer than before.
Keep on keeping on out there, delivery men! 👍👍👍👍👍
@@CrystallizedBlackSkull I mean, I always took NV's approach to the courier thing more as a backstory for the player for role playing experience. IIRC it's not stated that you are one as a career. Maybe you just needed some cash and figured delivering stuff would pay decently?
I guess for that courier, experience, there's always mods.
Don't know if you'll see this, but I just want to say; this video encouraged me to take my casual bike riding to new levels, which has pushed me to ride well over 350+ miles this year so far (which isn't a lot for many, but to me is huge!). Doing this has helped my social life out so much, from general confidence to having stories to tell and making small talk, which has gained me quite a few friends I wouldn't have otherwise. Because of all of that, I just want to say... thank you for making such encouraging content, even if you don't intend it to be so.
Wow! I hope I'll gain the confidence and skills to do this soon. I always wanted to walk, bike across whatever country. It was always my biggest dream. I hope I can do it.
I agree with the observations of George. When I pick up bundles of rebar with a coworker and traverse a congested construction site I'm constantly scanning where to walk and avoiding loose gravel or small garbage piles and the movement is limited since I'm tethered to my coworker who is holding the same pieces of steel. Travel can be challenging by itself.
The difference is, George went on a biking trip and found out how complex the mechanics of traveling is and developed a new appreciation for it while the complex nuance of traveling was forced on me by my work.
I hate the game because What George found compelling I found has a chore.
Not everyone hate his job
@@liuzhaoqi2003 I don't hate my job Not every job is takes place in a congested site with power lines above. Thee are a lot of sites where there are enough space to shake out and separate the various lengths of steel.
@@Gooong thanks for sharing that perspective
I'm in a similiar vein but with working retail, and thats mostly trying to walk in the dark.
Sounds like a personal problem.
Not every blockbuster game needs to be about combat and killing
For once their is a full game that wants you to experience the enviroment
The problem is that's what everyone expects of a big budget game.
I like to compare Death stranding to the classic Monster Hunter games. They are for a small audiece that wants a very specific experience that isn't found in big budget AAA games.
The problem is that Death Stranding is a big budget AAA game and the mainstream audiences generally don't like that kind of game.
@@dsa2505 duh?
What's brilliant is Kojima taking a massive risk unapologetically and taking all the time he wanted to pitch his own philosophy on Homo Ludens. There's no video game director that emodies "multiple realizability" better or integrates every aspect of the idea of "games" than Kojima.
Being a full time city kid who only sees big post-modern buildings and ugly concrete this game is an escape unlike anything else, seeing all these green fields and snowy mountains and big desert patches was an experience unlike anything else gaming-wise, also the gameplay was fun as heck in my opinion, planning carefully and watching out for the terrain and weather.
seeing digital green fields/snowy mountains/deserts is an experience now, hm
you're going to love the real world dude
I find that an interesting comment, considering I always had a much larger tolerance for industrial and artificial environments in games than wilderness ones. In fact, I prefer them. Perhaps this has to do with the fact that I have seen a lot of wilderness areas growing up.
@@lounowell4171 My real world is just concrete and busy streets, I haven't seen wildlife and greens in years unfortunately, maybe I should get to it before I go crazy.
@@eliaskapravelos7171 I personally find cities to look better than nature ever could, 20th century industrial architecture especially. I know that is not a popular opinion.
Elias Kapravelos just take a train to your nearest small town. Ride a horse or two. Or rent out a boat. And do it with someone. It’s not as fun when you’re alone.
Finally, the time has come. The one guy I wanted to hear talk about this game is here.
I didnt do any trips across the country but traversal has always been my secret passion in games so this has been...heavenly. People who hate the snow dont know what theyre missing. Great video
I did 4 years in the Marine Corps and hiking up and down hills in Death Stranding took me back to those days of arduous struggle. The whole game just really struck a nerve with me in the right ways and my goodness i cannot express how it feels to know that other people have similar experiences with their relationship of the game. Amazing video man. Keep up the great content!
You can also wall up hills in Ted Dead Redemption 2. Only its optional
I haven't played it, but I noticed those parallels. It will be interesting to see if that translates to fun for me. When Sam holds his breath and tries to avoid not being detected, it reminds me of avoiding bored SNCOs. I crack up at the thought of that. I have a suspicion that it will be a chore to me though
@@jodrano9356 haha death stranding is the marine corps. BTs are SNCOs, you walk all the time, you have orders that make no sense. your LCPL is attached to your chest and you have to take care of him. oh and you live on monster, the only thing the are missing is cans of dip.
@Ian Corral nah
Thank you for your cervix.
"Strategic Movement"
there's a new term i was never gonna learn about without Bunnyhop.
Stick around the smash community long enough you'll hear someone say it
Kidding, don't stick around them, the stereotypes about them smelling bad are true...
Omg lol
Bunnyhopping is strategic movement.
I hated this crap, I found this to be a more accurate review of the game.
th-cam.com/video/ukqZ5VOoK5s/w-d-xo.html
@@OjoRojo40 hhahahhahah Dunkey sounds like a dunkey next to this review, like if he does not have brain cells or something.
Dunkey is really terrible at most reviews he makes.
I feel like I say this a lot but this might be my favourite video of yours. Just so, so well written.
I connected with this game in the first river section. I grew up by a beach entirely covered in rocks. Every day after school, I would walk down there and run across the rocks. When this game got me to cross the first river, I looked up and down that thing exactly like I was on the beach again as a kid.
I built the road system near mountain knot city and it reminded me driving on the big island and seeing the mountain
"I really like history, actually."
Huh, didn't know that. Cool.
"I'm colorblind."
Oh uh- I had no idea.
"I BICYCLED ACROSS THE UNITED STATES."
JESUS CHRIST!!
Watch his podcast "Dad and Sons" if you want a high chance of learning behind the scenes information.
Well, only slightly colour blind. Within normal spread of people.
Wonder what will be revealed next; the stakes must be raised.
"I once went on an adventure that started in Delaware and ended in Tingvollvågen with two dogs and a very, very lost raccoon."
"I am your father."
"I started a non-political revolution by selling lemonade in custom-made cups, that ended only once the minister's left-hand man died. On a tuesday."
@@LiarraSniffles_X3 Tingvoll, that is a very specific location in Norway.
*really specific*
To be fair he talked about the bicycle thing about 5 years ago ? i think it was his skyrim video
would like to see a game where you play as a mailman during a war
Fallout: New Vegas
@@jeremy7157 i'm sorry sweetie i was thinking of a strand type game
it was a joke
@@crispy-pt9pq Well you gotta be more specific, dearie?
i'm sorry ignore my comment it was a big fat joke
Most of your non-review videos tend to seem incredibly personal, but this feels like an even more personal video than usual for you.
I found it fascinating to hear your opinion on Death Stranding. The difference in the way you experienced a game that I just can't quite enjoy seemed kind of beautiful to me. A bit humbling, if I'm being honest, and I'm not even that pushy about my opinions on games.
Keep up the great work, dude.
In most videogames, traversing is trivial while combat is the challenge. In DS traversing is the challenge while combat is trivial.
This turns off a lot of people. But i enjoy having down time walking out in VG world and enjoy the landscape and architecture. In dark souls, botw, HZD, journey, and death stranding. I even made a dedicated insta account to photograph the scenery on botw and death stranding. I find it meditative.
Mario would like to have a word with you.
@@MrVicodin "so I'm Mario and you're Princess peach?"
Agreed. My favorite open world game is Morrowind, and my most cherished moments are simply traversing the wonderfully alien landscape of Vvardenfell. There is indeed a meditative quality to it, no doubt related to one of George's earlier videos, "The Importance of Quiet Time."
I bought a switch and BoTW about a month before Death Stranding came out. I put zelda on hold because I was really anticipating DS and I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. In fact after I finished the game and resumed BoTW, I found myself missing the mechanics of the best walking simulator to date. I'd find myself just zoning out during traversal and not really paying any attention to the environment or the very few obstacles present.
if you havent done so already, you should add new vegas to that list and refrain from quick traveling and visit black mountain and jacobstown
"The Grand Tourismo of walking simulators"
- Tim Rogers
Gran Turismo*
Translated to "Grand Tour."
Grand Tourismo is like an insult
@@crysiscore2051 Gran Turismo is pretty cool imo
@@deadnervs4391 he was talking about the misspelling of turismo
Getting pretty hungry for some Wooloo right about now.
The dARK sOULS of Euro truck sims
I wonder how many people never realized the subtleties of half pressing the joystick or shoulder buttons
I found that out well after how you can control your jumps with half, partial or full holds on the jump button.
@@shotskoala2890 Well I didn't know that, so thanks.
I had no idea! Well, at least in regards to the shoulder buttons. I just beat the game a couple of hours ago and watched this video after holding off for three months, and now I kind of wish I had watched it beforehand haha
When I was young we lived by the sea and I loved just running or walking around in the mountains. Exactly that feeling you spoke of about weaving between planning you next step to looking up and planning the path the next 100m ahead. I love that someone put that in a game.
I feel where you're coming from. As a Marine I've had to walk under loads the size and shape as the ones in this game. It really captures the strategy of something so mundane but still challenging, as well as how petty the failures are. Maybe to really appreciate it you have to have been there, at least a little bit.
As a mountain hiker/climber, AND former mailman (on bike) this video REALLY makes me want to try the game now!
I really wanted to enjoy this one, I was on board with the idea that the traversal and exploration in an open world game was at the forefront rather than typical combat situations. Metal Gear's mantra was "what if instead of confronting your enemies, you avoided them?" And Death Stranding would be "instead of enemy confrontation, what if traveling was the core mechanic?"
But I found that the game erred more on the side of rewarding conservative play, and instead of overcoming challenges it was more of an exercise of reducing tedium. The game teaches you early on how much harder it is when Sam is overloaded. So then you avoid taking on too many orders at a time to avoid the penalty. Then once you get the Floating Carrier and vehicles, you stop worrying about the balancing mechanics entirely.
As George mentioned the strategy of zig-zagging along cliffs to reduce the angle of the slope over a longer distance, I found myself being able to force vehicles up the most ridiculous terrain, just to avoid carrying on foot and therefore needing to play with balancing.
The boots mechanic is also a funny one. All you need to do is periodically replace them after a couple of trips. If you don't you will be penalized. All you need to do is just remember to replace them.
So rather than enjoying the gamified traversal, I actually enjoyed the gamified social help aspect of Death Stranding. Someone has to use or specifically like your structure; ideally confirming that you made someone else's trip more efficient. But that's the fatal flaw to me. Other people help remove the challenge from your own game, and you're left with an easy delivery with no challenge. Yes a game can be an experience more than just it's gameplay mechanics. But I found the other aspects of the game not very compelling either.
So I ended up with a 40 hour game with story front and back-loaded, with a very long and bland middle section with insignificant characters and little plot development helping it along. The gameplay either feels tedious or trivial if someone else's structures are in place.
And even I say all of that as another Hideo Kojima fan. But I don't think its a controversial opinion to say that his output pre-MGS4 was more impressive than post-MGS4. Books and music can be written by individuals, but games and movies are mostly made by teams. A game isn't great just because Kojima was at the helm. A collective had to work together to ship the game. We should look past simple idolization of a single figure who might be the spearhead but was supported by many others who don't get close to the same credit. I'm a little disappointed in myself that I can't name other major staff besides artist Yoji Shinkawa.
I'm glad others were able to enjoy Death Stranding, but I wasn't able to. If you agree with me click the thumbs up to give me an oxytocin boost I guess
1 Like(s) received from John Johnson
That's an interesting take. I agree with the "exercise of reducing tedium" moment.
I completely agree with you on this one.
Kalvin Clein 😂 I don’t agree with everything you wrote, but loved the ending to your comment. Here’s an oxytocin boost for you 👍 👍 👍 Today’s a good day.
I don't know how to argue except 'I don't agree'. To me the floating carrier didn't ruin the balancing aspect of the game, it just reduced the load. You still had to worry about Sam while he's moving the carrier, also the carrier doesn't apply in every situation, such as if you're scaling a cliff with a rope, and certain terrains may cause it to snap.
As for the vehicles, they can be a liability as much as an aide. Usually a load up the bike and drive out to my destination, but within a few minutes I'm ditching the bike and going on foot because I'm tired of smashing into every rock in existence. Also there's cliffs and ravines and other things which the vehicle straight up cannot access. So I invested in the bike under the assumption it would to me to the objective, now I'm stuck with this huge cargo in the middle of nowhere. It's both a deterrent against being reliant on vehicles as well as being part of the gameplay. Suddenly finding yourself in a difficult situation because of either bad planning or something unavoidable, such as weather or environmental obstacles. I hear the argument a couple of times from you and others that you just spam vehicles up ridiculous terrain. I guess this is a gameplay hole if it works, but I've never tried it, because honestly, why would I? It looks ridiculous and it's not how the game is meant to be played. Why would you deliberately want to play the game in a silly way? Every MGS game, no matter how highly rated, allows you to go rambo on the enemy and bypass the sneaking mechanics, but it's a much less elegant and engaging way to play the game. I mean yeah, Kojima should have anticipated players would try to spam terrain and make it impossible, but part of the blame is on you for relying on such a stupid mechanic instead of just playing the game properly.
As for "rewarding conservative gameplay instead of overcoming challenges", I found the game does both. The game is constantly giving you orders that seem simple but come with huge catches or roadblocks that will either cause tedium or completely wreck you. For example, you have to ship a huge amount of pesticide to the timefall farm, more supplies than can be carried, so you have to rely on a vehicle or floating carriers. However, the only accessible routes are through a mule camp (they'll sabotage your vehicle and wreck.steal your cargo) or a mountain which exposes you to timefall and is unaccessible by vehicle. So you have to pick your poison and prepare accordingly. I chose the challenge of making it through the mountains quick enough to avoid my cargo being destroyed by timefall instead of the tedium of sneaking through the mule camp and it was a huge sense of overcoming a challenge when I just managed to get the cargo there before it was destroyed.
I think the trick to enjoying Death Stranding is to think of it less like a competitive video game (which mechanics can I exploit?) and more like a simulation of real life challenges in which you can use your problem solving skills in a simulated world. For me, that's how I approached the game automatically but I think some people need to change their thinking if they're going to enjoy the game. I know that sounds pretentious as hell but it's just the reality of it. It's not a game for everyone, and I respect that, but when someone says they WANT to enjoy death stranding I say well you can, but you have to rethink how you're going about the game. It's like playing solitaire. Nobody's going to force you to follow certain rules, but you're expected to. I know that's an apology for flaws and holes in the game design, but the game is actually so ambitious in what it's trying to do I'm surprised there aren't more holes than there are. If you want an interesting challenge, play the game where you accept every order the moment you receive it. It becomes a challenge of managing a huge workload and not pissing too many customers off. Is it more fun? I don't know, but it's more challenging
I guess it goes both ways, man. I feel a sense of accomplishment with every single mechanic and tactic the game can and does offer. I love carefully planning my route for long, heavy hauls on foot, going through, MULEs, cliffs, rivers and BTs with nothing but my +200 KG of cargo and a bola gun.
I also love how fast and efficiently I can get a bunch of little errands done simultaneously by using all the roads, bridges, tools and MY BIKE, GOD I LOVE IT, just to wrap up the client's 5th star.
But then... I also very much love the idea of using other people's bridges roads and such left behind purposely for everyone's use. It builds to this huge map. Giving you more options to traverse this beautiful world. From all the things I've seen built by others, it has never felt like it's robbed me from my gameplay, but enhanced it.
Instead of ruining the fun and joy from the challenge of planning every step and crevice, taking that bridge over there (a bit out of the way) will instead TURN that satisfying challenge into a fun quick rush to this finish line. I always have to carefully remember that I'm not playing a difficult game. I'm playing a game all about planning, tactics, adaptability and reflex on delivering this cure for a shit hangover.
I love this game. I love this community. I love the amount of freedom the game offers amongst us all. And i love hearing not how, but why it is, and isn't for everybody. Hearing your unique, well spoken opinion gave me a new understanding. Thanks, man. 👍
"Just tickle your controller"
-George
I just got the image of my controller giggling and bursting into laughter in my head.
When I read the reviews about Death Stranding, I just knew that George would love it.
Death Stranding doesn't look like the type of game I'll end up playing (I've heard it needs a lot of time, which I frankly don't have), but credit where it's due- Massive respect for Sony for funding a game with just traversal as one of the core gameplay mechanics, and also massive props to Kojima Prod for crafting (from what my friends who've played the game tell me) a thoughtful narrative around these mechanics.
Although I understand (and agree to some degree) I don't know about thoughtful narrative, if what you mean the gameplay has some connection to the story than maybe yes, but a bunch of games done that before.
To make my point(s) somewhat clearer :
th-cam.com/video/QTzU_I2fFFw/w-d-xo.html
Having hitchhiked across alot of the United States these past two years this video just hits different. There's alot of your experience I can see in my own.
This video is already captivating to watch less than 3 minutes in.
Your videos are always worth the wait George.
That bike chain picture frame at the end brought a tear to my eye. Subbed.
Whens that No Tranquilizer Foxhound Run, George
I really empathise with how the bike trip affected you in social situations etc. I spent weeks out in rural france, working at various farms after my first year at university, the many experiences I had while hiking and working at these farms has made me a much more social person with my own stories to tell.
Yep, when he said the bit about small talk, I felt that.
You just sold this game for me. As much as I like hiking and climbing, I'm going to adore this. Thanks Mr. Socks-Ramen.
The story is incredible as well
I think you are on to something here. I biked across Canada 9 years ago, and so far I am 82 hours into the PC version of Death Stranding. You completely nailed what is so appealing about it to me. Great work.
What I noticed about the game is how responsive and tight the controls are. Went from this to Jedi Fallen Order and the difference is extremely noticeable.
Yeah, and it really makes me wonder how it will play using keyboard and mouse.
This was probably the most interesting take I have ever watched.
I grew up in the mountains and the Winters there were like -25°C, you couldn't even ride your bike during that time. I often went off-trail hiking with friends, everybody carrying a 72l backpack and through the forest we go.
Death Stranding was a real throwback to those days for me
7:11 funny you should mention this, Final Fantasy XV actually had this exact same mechanic in its sprinting system, wherein timing the pressing of the "sprint" button right before you run out of stamina gives you an extra boost of stamina. It really added some flavor to an otherwise standard traversal system.
Sounds like George is already hankering for the second "strand-type game."
You must be fucking kidding. Kojima got fired, Norman reedus only took the role because Guillermo told him to and Lea Seydoux is busy. What the fuck game is going to be made with none of these characters or kojimas guide.
I have a love for hiking and exploring, and I’ve always wanted a game that really encapsulates that feeling. Death Stranding is the first game to ever really scratch that itch for me. It even made me want to go out and hike myself. There were a couple times in my playthrough where I would just put the controller down, put some weights in my backpack, and go hiking through the pasture by my house to simulate sam’s experience.
You and Girlfriend Reviews PERFECTLY put into words my feelings on this game.
Not to mention your writing and storytelling are as in point as ever, I was showing my friend your MGS videos before the midnight release of Death Stranding just to give her a taste of Kojima before we plunged into this game.
Thanks so much for your content!
@Suffer No Fools They're referring to "Girlfriend Reviews" review of Death Stranding: th-cam.com/video/lKdv-IeAv2g/w-d-xo.html
Finished it yesterday. Had taken my time with it. Really liked it. Nearly cried at the end.
Dude. Fucking THANK YOU. I am so overjoyed that someone got the same kind of happiness and enjoyment out of this game as I did. It really felt like I was in a bizarro world with how many reviewers just seemed to not get it and rag on about how boring the game was. This review is a gem. Thank you, George.
I have degenerative joint disease - from a young age had no cartilage in my joints, and am basically always in some kind of pain when moving around, biking, etc. With that said, I am still passionate about making the most of the abilities I do have and getting out to explore and feel the freedom of just existing in the world. In a way I believe that's what I've been loving about this game... the fact that it reflects how at least for me personally, getting where I wanted to go IRL has never been the equivalent of holding the left stick forward. Going where I've needed to go and doing what I've needed to do to not be an outlier from my peers has always been about assessing the struggle ahead of me and deeming it worth it despite pain and limitation.
I recently watched and commented on Dunkey's analysis of the game where he basically said that Mario perfected movement 20 years ago (implying that no one should ever do anything differently) and then proceeded to show footage of him bashing his face in the side of a mountain, or driving his motorcycle directly into rocks at full speed and wondering why they didn't disintegrate. It reminded me of situations in real life where people's blind acceptance that things should just be easy and thoughtless to do is their motivation on whether or not they do them.
I hardly ever write TH-cam comments but I just wanted you to know that this video spoke to me on a really personal level and it is by far the favorite of this years-long fan of yours.
I built that road. You're welcome and I'm sorry.
hey buddy.. I helped.. you can't take all the credit
@@StayFractalesque you right, you right . It was all his idea!
@@Zahoops 🤪
All these years George still can't say "nuclear"
say it with me: knew-Q-ler 🤔
@@ChenLadTV I don't get how. English is not my mother language and I have never made that mistake because the difference seems obvious to the ear. How come natives don't see it 🤣
th-cam.com/video/OoASZyihalc/w-d-xo.html
Also, his pronunciation of niche. It should be ‘knee-sh’ rather than ‘nish’.
@@ik107 wait really?
I always thought it was the latter.
Hey I wanted to drop you a little line to tell you how much I enjoyed this video. I also absolutely loved Death Standing and when I tell my gamer friends this, I always get the impression from them that they think I'm being a contrarian or simply being pretentious. I think it's a sign of the times that everyone, friends included, feel the need to validate their opinions by justifying why yours and theirs don't match up, but I could be wrong.
Glad to know that there are other fans out there!
Its a walking, delivery boy simulator but its completely up front about being a walking delivery boy simulator. Every single open world game in the last 5 years has been a walking, delivery boy simulator disguised as a game.
While slightly exaggerated for impact purposes, it's not too far from the truth.
If we take a step back, we can finally realise that "side quests" or any type of secondary content is actually the meat of these games. Sadly, it's often nothing more than turning you into a rat pressing a button to get food.
So basically, what I'm saying is: well said, man
So you are basically commending it for being up-front about being boring fucking waste of time that is not exciting at all ? My, what else will we commend in the future, then ? A game chock-full of microtransactions that is up-front about "GIVE YOUR MONEEEY" nature of it ? My...
@@viewtiful1doubleokamihand253 obsessed
@@zedxcu Yeah, obsessed with keeping gaming clean of boring shit like this, that will unavoidably lead to even further worsening of standards. Yeah, quite obsessed.
I mean... this shit has "action" written in it's genre description. "Action". So basically Uncharted, Tomb Raider, Devil May Cry and the like are in the same league as that hiking delivery simulator. Genious.
And this is after the awesomness of Metal Gear Solid and Zone of The Enders. Ofcourse I am obsessed.
We need less needlessly open world games that waste time on getting from one point to another and instead something actually going on constantly. God, please keep FromSoftware safe... In the face of this shitty calamity we need them more then ever.
Open World games have become so smoothed out that exploration, y'know, the whole point of an open world game, had basically disappeared. What you're left is a glorified time wasting level select menu.
I still don't understand why he's giving Breath of the Wild so much shit for it as that's a game that really made exploration and navigation a core part of its gameplay loop, I don't understand that especially considering his love for Witcher 3 which had a horse automatically taking you to your destination.
My soul longs to do the kind of bike tour you did. I don't live in the US but a visitor visa might be just about long enough to get it done.
Merry Xmas and Welcome Back George! Missed ya more than you'll ever know!
This is the single best review of this game that exists. Making something so abstract so personal and relatable is a special skill you possess, and it's been said before but you are at the top of your game. It's a refreshing thing to see.
It's also one of the few reviews that only take into account pre 2019 events so it doesn't spend half the video talking about the pandemic
It's funny hearing you talk about how you plan each step and try to think ahead, right after I was watching you Sprint straight into a river like you're blind.
I did a similar thing before graduating from college. I had hardly any money that summer and no one to travel with, but wanted to go to Spain because I had never been there. So I took the train from Vienna to the French/Spanish border and hiked from there to Santiago de Compostella along the Way of St. James. It took me 30 days to walk about 700km. The thing you said about mountains slowly growing in the distance is so true, when you walk it takes even longer. And you are also right about not forcing yourself to get to your destination quickly. I was in my mid twenties and felt really bad at the beginning when grandpas were passing me by, but after some days I did not really care anymore. Some days were really good and I was flying through villages and roads, on other days every step felt like it took me forever. But I did it and I am proud of my accomplishment. Unfortunatelly I can't tell a story about personal growth myself, I felt just like before (and I am still kinda unclear about my place in life more than 10 years later).It's kinda funny that I did not think about this experience when playing death stranding. The Walking part felt kinda familiar though. I took up climbing (and inevitably hiking as well) in the last couple of years so I know my way around the mountains. I even keep on hiking in winter now, to keep my lungs trained in order to battle the symptoms of Asthma. Don't think I could be a porter like Same though (fuck this reads like one of the NPC e-mails. Get out of my head , Kojima!) But tbh I build Ziplines everywhere I can nowadays haha.I was also not disappointed about the experience the game offered and I love that they tried something new. I never preordered a game before and I'm happy I had the right idea about the direction Kojima was going with this (I preordered so that I could play right away but a friend of mine bought the game in store physically and could play hours before me lol). It's a quiet game, there is hardly any music (though I wish I could create my own playlist when travelling like in the safe houses). And it's all about exploration, which I find out to be my main game play hook nowadays (Hollow Knigh GOTY for me this year because it was so late on PS4). I kinda wish there was even more, like some mountains and valleys that you don't have to travel to but where you can find side quests would be nice.
"I bicycle across the United States from East to West coast"
*Noah gervais wants to know your location
It's a shame he's purely a PC guy, because I'd love to see what he thinks of Death Stranding. Hopefully he'll pick it when it ports later this year.
@@breedlove94 He's got a PS4, reviewed Horizon, Days Gone, God of War and RDR2 .Also, check his Twitter. He mentions he'd been playing it.
@@tahirpleasant5640 How did I forget about those? I guess I was thinking about when he played through the Call of Duties but skipped over CoD 3 because it wasn't on PC
I may not have biked across a continent, but I did spend a great deal of time in my childhood and later life for that matter, walking in the mountains. I think that, too, gives this experience of "seeing the matrix" ahead of you, planning every step with what seems like superhuman speed - especially when running in rocky steep terrain, like mountain rivers, where the entire landscape is made up of; deadly drops, 90* edges made of pure rock that will end your life with ease, boulders that look secure but have like a 1mm^2 contact area and will slide / tilt / rotate under you instantly, weird algae and moss growth that will send you sliding down a 300-foot rockface and break all your limbs when you inevitably reach the end, and of course, water, ranging from still water puddles to life-ending flows of deep water going down the mountainside. Yet you jog along, eyes darting literally 1 or 2 steps ahead of you at all times, looking at, analyzing, and deciding where and how to put your foot down (the foot that's already in the air on its way down), with the occasional glance upwards to think about the next 10 seconds.
Games like Death Stranding bring that same sort of joy to me. It's the same idea of finding challenge and enjoyment in doing something that, on a surface level, seems simple: Navigate from A to B.
Georgie boy you've done it again. Thanks a lot. Great analysis. Also great getting to know you through you getting to know Kojima through Death Stranding.
I was born in Abruzzo, a region in the center of Italy. The mountain landscape there is basically where I've had most of my childhood adventures - when I visited on summer, we'd often go out with friends and have picnics on top of hills that were steep as all hell or sunbathe for a while on inclines. We also created weird stories to play in, in which all our myths and all the things we liked came together and melded with the place we were enacting these shenanigans in - a complete opposite to the factory-made, flat playgrounds I would usually see where I actually lived.
Death Stranding is the game eight-year-old me has been waiting for since I first got a PlayStation, and I'm so happy you managed to - indirectly - capture this feeling so well through your own experience. You really are one of the best.
I've missed traversal being an interesting challenge since the old Tomb Raider games.
prince of persia games as well i guess. I don't remember properly.
You liked it MORE than MGS 5, 4, and Peace Walker?? I've been debating playing this game, and I'm a big Kojima and MGS fanboy. You've convinced me: I'm playing this game!
Great video, man. I appreciate how clear you show the game's antics being a reflection of Kojima's celebrity, the whole game's existence is predicated on that. And as always with your videos, it's nice to enjoy a nuanced and authentic view on how game mechanics shape the player's internal narrative! I wish this was talked about more often.
Best Death Strandig review ever. I love riding my bike too and I really appreciate this jewel.
My father got me into backpacking. When I first saw the loaded-high packs of Death Stranding and the long sprawling landscapes, it actually made me think, "huh, here's a struggle and game that I think my Dad could actually find interesting." Him and I have spent entire weeks up in the mountains of Colorado and Wyoming, just trekking and talking about the trekking and experiencing the trekking. We didn't cover the same distance that you did in your astounding bike trip, George, but I like to think that we at least kinda know what you're talking about.
In addition, it's just so refreshing for game developers to create a fascinating experience out of something besides the well-walked "gun go shoot" situation. To clarify, I love gun go shoot games. Doom Eternal is so far one of my favorites of 2020, but goddamn variety like this is so desperately needed in this industry.
I’ve been anticipating this video for a while, and it’s just as interesting, well-written and original as I hoped! Love your videos, you always bring a fresh and well thought out perspective to the table George!
I feel you my friend. I lived out of a ruck sack and slept under the stars for a few years. The controls of this game, very much, reminded me of rucking over uneven terrain. When Sam would stand up and grunt under his load, it brought back memories and a chuckle from me. I enjoyed the long distance movements in this game and I found myself just making deliveries across the entire world map just to kind of drone out on the journey. The mind kind of fills in the gaps on those long treks.
Friend: "Hey, Death Stranding is good or bad game?"
Me:" Neither, is a Kojima game"
It's like asking 'Is "2001: A Space Odyssey" a good or a bad film?' - It depends on what you're looking for.
By far the most touching video I've seen from you so far, George!
The comparisons between both of your journeys across the US and formulating all of it through the literal looks you've given to and feels you've gotten from the game really got to me. I'm still waiting just a little longer to pick up the game myself, but these 24 minutes were incredibly touching and reassuring. Thanks a lot!
I knew it. The secret ingredient to “understanding” the game is to have done a Tour de France or something
You've got to at least enjoy walking long stretches while you observe the landscape and go about with your thoughts
i used to hike a lot, it brought out a lot of those feelings. theres a certain zen in only having to focus on taking one step in front of another.
this is by far the BEST video on death stranding i've seen so far, thank you for sharing your experiences
After watching this video and the dunkview back to back: I have never felt the urge to play a game for myself to find out what I think about a video game this hard in a long time
The Dunkview won't give you an accurate assessment at all of the game sadly. The guy makes some fun videos, but he can't make a proper review for the life of him. (The game ain't perfect, but there's a difference between bad design and forcefully try to make the game look bad in an effort to validate one's opinion of it.)
If you enjoy the idea of planning your routes and enjoying the journey it's a great game. If you want an action-packed FPS, then I'd not recommend it. Even with all the talk about its convoluted story, gameplay philosophy, and all that, it's core gameplay loop is quite easy to grasp. What's unique about it is mainly that it places an emphasis on nature as an obstacle rather than humans/monsters.
@@t6v4l968 I legitimately don't know what he was trying to prove there. That ramming a bike into a mountain makes it difficult to move forwards? I mean at least it kinda helps with showcasing the problems with his reviews? (There's also the overuse of headlines to prove his point, rather than using the contents of the articles. But I digress.)
What's funny is that he made a video ridiculing the people who criticised his video, but later he took it down since it made him look quite petty.
glad to hear that, hope more people dont just take dunkeys word for it. i like dunkey but that video of his is full of shit. Not because he didnt like it, his stated reasoning for not likin it was full of nonsense.
It's 2 for 2 already, George loves Hitman and DS while Dunkey hates both
@@t6v4l968 maybe he did it to demonstrate how bad the vehicle physics are. Just because there were 1 or 2 Minutes of him goofing around to show some bad stuff literally nobody cares to show doesn't mean his entire playtime was like that.
He also brought up more than that, which nobody seems to notice. Like having 3 cutscenes for taking a shower or the dumb writing at times.
From what I'm hearing, spintires/mudrunner/snowrunner is actually one of the originators of the strand type games.
Every point he makes but driving instead of walking. Compared to the GTAV approach to driving up mount chilliad in a slammed Lamborghini by just pinning the gas up the steepest part, a tiny rock can really fuck up your day by tipping you just enough (or more likely your trailer) and losing a load, then either going back to get another or bringing a crane out.
It's like kojima made this game for you, goddamn dude
Great video. I absolutely loved my time with Death Stranding. It’s been a while that I’d put 12-16 hour binge sessions into a game on days off etc. I knew DS wouldn’t appeal to a mass instant gratification gaming culture, but it was 100% a game for me. I definitely believe this will be viewed as a classic down the road.
I mean its literally a walking simulator. So many years of gamers using this phrase as a complaint about overly big, empty space that the player has to traverse on foot and now Kojima actually made the meme reality. But you know, absolutely not in a meme way, but acutally with a very serious tone and in the ususal super polished Kojima way. Like damn, what kind of twist is that. Is this whole game just an extremely elaborate post-post ironic joke thats beyond comprehension for my mortal mind?
even better is how meta the game is now. We're all trapped indoors due to a pandemic, and relying on outside services to deliver us the shit we need
No, its trash and its a very overrated and overthinking game
The game isn't a walking simulator. The descriptor doesn't do the game justice.
Death Stranding do not subvert the walking sim genre. Let's not pretend it is.
Walking sim is a whole different genre. Death Stranding is an action game that emphasizes the movement, bases the core loop around it.
I'm glad you enjoyed this one!
I thought it was unique. Not great but not bad. I also enjoyed the walking simulator aspect but maybe not as much as you.
The story was a mess but it's a story in a video game and a Kojima game at that. I kind of expected the story to be a mess with some beautiful moments.
I just didn't expect to feel that way about the gameplay as well. Lots of down time. I like the guitar hero analogy.
You know what, George, I have been really hesitant about this game. MGSV was a really dumb guilty pleasure, and I have barely brought myself to watch this game's hour-long cutscenes; however, after watching your video, I can say confidently enough... I miss hiking, man, I really want to go climb a hill again. Thanks!
Excellent Video. I love the concept, but will probably hate the game - better to delay it until, it's on massive sale (Cultist simulator was similar, liked the concept, but didnt have the patience to invest my time to "really get into it" and stopped after 3 hours...)
If you like Animes than give this Game a Shot. The cutscenes are Kojima-like over the top, cringy, too much Exposition, don’t feel Natural. But I like everything between the cutscenes and how the Progression System Works in this game
Don't give it a shot its the worst torture ice ever experienced shot game
I'm so glad you actually put in the effort for this video. Watching this during the corona lock down really helps it resonate with me.
This is one of the most engaging games ever made, and the best of 2019
It's incredible and the story is on another level
Finally somebody who comes close to describing why I love this game.
People keep saying there is "no gameplay", but literally every single SECOND is gameplay.
You can't stop thinking, can't stop planning for a moment, or you'll fuck up.
Something I wish to mention is that the concept for what is a video game used to be a gamification of an otherwise redundant task. Mowing lawns, delivering newspapers, serving food or running a bar. Video games started as an emulation of things in life from jobs, chores, board games, card games, and sports. Death Stranding is a game I really enjoy because it feels like a throw back to these times and the narrative makes me think of the evolution of video games. But, it also is a game I enjoy because of my experiences through my life. Aside from video games I have always been one for the outdoors and one for traveling. So take these things with a grain of salt.
This was the perfect was to cap off your best year yet on TH-cam. Great job, George. Thanks for all the hard work and keep on keeping on.
I loved Death Stranding, I finished the game with 135 hours put into it, and dozens of those hours were spent doing things that helped other players.
I love hiking mountains and this is exacly what I feel about this game, planning your routes and equipment, consantly dealing with the terrain and balance, finding out creative ways to traverse landscape, this is perfect for me. Shame it only gave me 40h of beating the main story, I want more content like Death Stranding
Thanks so much for finally talking about it, George, you´ve always had this really interesting point of view of gaming in general, but especially with Kojima games! I´d been hoping you would. I´m gonna watch as much as I can, I´m currently starting Chapter 6 and don´t wanna get spoiled more than what I inferred from the Launch Trailer hahahaa
Really great vid. I haven't got around to the game myself yet, but this kind of stuff makes me really interested. I really like the idea that there can be big, weird, experimental games, that might not get everything right or be fun for everyone, but are genuinely trying to use games to do something different and meaningful.
Also I really appreciate not having the sponsor plug split up the video in the middle. It makes things flow so much better, and it's way less obtrusive. So thanks for that. I would hope that continues.
Sam isn’t so much a vessel for Kojima’s anxieties and frustrations as he is for our own. Death Stranding encapsulates the age of loneliness we find ourselves in. His work is repetitive, tedious, and met with hollow praise with each completed task. His assignments are managed via a cold UI which mirrors Asana or Monday, always offering yet another job to do. When Sam is disenchanted by the deluge of work on his plate, the main characters only offer repetitive platitudes about our country’s values and vision. It might even be the case that all this work is actively hurting the very country he is trying to save. Sam is working in a startup, headphones on, nose to the grindstone, not really interacting with any of his coworkers, as they all have their own boulders to push. It’s also a game about how this loneliness is born from our late-stage capitalism. Without the chiral network, Sam is on his own. He must pay for every piece of gear needed for the trek. Things that would speed up his travels, like roads and bridges, are far too expensive to build in abundance, so his journeys are far slower than they could be. Often, his tasks involve ferrying literal currencies (like alloys or ceramics) from point to point. Money is literally weighing Sam down. But, in the utopian society allowed by the chiral network, instead of each portal hoarding and spending their resources for themselves, wealth is pooled together and utilized by the many. Roads and bridges are built, with each user contributing a small bit of their earnings for the greater good. Signposts are placed, aiding not the signmaker, but the anonymous collective. Desire paths are warn into the earth, as our struggles make it easer for the next porter to climb the mountain. This game is about how socialism is the only thing that will pull us out of our wallowing loneliness. It’s a game that intentionally repeats dialogue, intentionally makes its characters so one dimensional that even their names are self-describing, intentionally weaves a convoluted story in which the player feels just outside of the loop. We are being hammered over the face by Kojima, instructed to ignore this narrative, to realize that the real story and message exists, silently, in gameplay.
This a million times
I don't know how much in the game is put there knowingly and how much comes from feelings and thoughts that kojima probably ruminated over for a while
But the whole team managed to put these themes in the game and holy crap it's fantastic to be challenged on so many levels, i really believe that Death Stranding is the worthy successor to mgs2
I camped and hiked alot in my childhood and this game clicked instantly with me during the intro where i found myself looking for rocks jutting out of a river a way to safely cross either by it being shallow or useing the rocks themselves to cross.
the man literally done Sam's journey.......if there was ever such a thing as a valid opinion
this is it
OMG I JUST REALIZED HE DIDN'T USE THE RAMEN CLIP IN THIS VIDEO.
WTF
HE RUINED EVERYTHING, HE'S CAUSING THE SIXTH EXTINCTION
DAMN YOU GEORGE
As someone who grew up on a mountainous island, I also felt a personal connection to Death Stranding.
It made me feel like the first time I went hiking upstream the river at the foot of the cliff at my parents' house all over again.
The feeling of... 'wholesome loneliness' (? I don't know how I can put it) it gave me was incredible.
Death Stranding came close to that in a video game form.
Skyrim gave me that to some extent, but I kept being taken out of that experience by all the "videogame~y" elements on top (that's why I always play with immersion and camping mods)
Fantastic video. Loved to hear such a different and personal perspective on it.
I can only think of one instance so far in my playthrough where they repeat something. It was Deadman. He called over the Comms to talk about the BB. Then later at Lockne's shelter, he said the same thing in the cutscene as if he never told us before.
But despite some problems people may be saying about the game, I'm enjoying it. I've been waiting for the game for about 4 years, and was happy when it finally came out. Got the Pro console special edition and the steelbook edition of the game. I don't care what people are saying about it in terms of negativity. I'm loving it.
Gotta hand it to you, only TH-camr i know that mix pop culture reviews with the intellectual and personal. I guess " real gamers" can't handle when their hobby is pressed against the expectations of art criticism.
i would watch a two hour documentery from you any day, your videos never get boring and they provide a fun way to get ideas and information out and still be fun , you energetic and calm voice is what makes you videos tick , keep it up and good luck.
I actually thought that the whole empty praise and jingoistic "reconnect america" thing actually came across as the language and feel of your average American political campaign. Since everyone who connects up to the Chiral network is tacitly saying they want your boss as president, you can actually argue that Sam, and by extension the player, is basically doorknocking his way across america and convincing people to vote for his political leader- and the reason people are convinced isn't because of any of the flashy big ideals but because you're there to help them face to face, so to speak. This I think fits too with how it turns out the actual goal isn't to everyone's benefit but the individuals whom you connect with end up valuing each other and coming together regardless. The real treasure is the friends we made along the way.
It's a really nice game and I also hope it convinces devs to be a little braver, or rather for publishers to let them be brave.
Very nicely put. Hadn't thought of it like that but it makes so much sense. The usual "reunite america" talk was always off-putting to me, and the way certain preppers argued against joining the UCA always resonated more with what I think. It felt good to convince them to join in, but I was never thinking "damn, but how about america, my dude?", and felt more like "If I deliver stuff enough, competently enough, they'll understand the value of my efforts, and understand that we all being together is worth it".
Once again George you've surpassed yourself. I literally could not be the person I am today without you. Thank you for all the good work you've done and keep on keeping on.
Man, the covid outbreak really made this game look appealing to me. Waiting on that PC release.
How is it going?
@@itsikolia best gaming experience of the year, wish I could play it for the first time again. Some flaws, obviously, but it was really impactful on my year.
@@gabrieltdelima have you played breath of the wild? If not, you should play it
@@itsikolia I tried it on an emulator but the technical bells and whistles of that were getting in the way of my enjoyment of the game
Now I actually want this game. I've always wanted a game of me just delivering shit. Like yes sir here's your package I almost died and crossed a mountain for. Have a good day!
So did you get it ?
Trust me when I say this, death stranding had to walk in order to make other games run in the future. We'll talk about this in a few years