I know I'm not the only one here playing this right now. What is (without major spoilers) everyone's feelings on the game so far? I've put in about an hour and a half, maybe? I don't know if my feelings will change as this game is supposed to be long, but so far in the little I've played, I honestly feel that it's an amazing experience so far. Maybe it's just the production values though. The sound design and visuals are fantastic. I'm not sure if the story will make me feel anything, but the environments so far do and the music that kicks in is really good. The only thing I dislike is the jarring, goofy-ass names of the characters. The game feels so serious, and then you hear 'Die-Hardman'.

So yeah, not very far in, but I love the desolate setting. It reminds me of games like Shadow of the Colossus or a Souls game. The music at times sounds like Silent Hill too. I'm probably not far enough to decide if I like it, but from the bits I've played, it's spectacular. Does anyone else just hold down the triggers as you go? I'm not yet sure if there's any penalty to doing it aside from the fact that you have to hold down the buttons as you go (which, isn't comfortable). I also don't mind that it's one of those stories where characters know so much more than the player does, so they use terms that are foreign to the player until you figure it out later. I've heard some have an issue with that.

I'm enjoying it, I feel like the presentation in Kojima's games is always top-notch but the writing kind of sucks. I think I preferred the mix of action movies and anime that MGS reveled in compared to the kind of sappy meta narrative mixed with horror that Death Stranding is going for. Regardless i'm still interested to see where things go.

Gameplay wise i've been enjoying it more and more as I go. You get a decent amount of fun gadgets and weapons that alleviate some of the more stressful stuff in the game. It's not the onslaught of items and upgrades that MGS V presented you with but it's still nice.

I think the most annoying thing for me so far has been the safe house. I dont mind dumb animations or mundane cutscenes in games (I barely ever skip the eating animation in Monster Hunter) but having 20 odd second cutscenes for drinking a can of Monster that you have to do 3 times in order to reap the full rewards is ridiculous. I know you can skip them but even thats tedious. There are three seperate scenes you have to skip for him taking a shower, THREE! That isnt even the worst part, you would think having a toilet in the shower would be the most convenient thing but no, Sam has to exit the shower every time he does anything to go back to his default stance on the chair, (which looks quite odd) its pretty dumb.

I do like how your safe house evolves little by little over time though, that's always nice.

About four hours in actually. I just made the first delivery of oxytocin. That's as far as I am, so early. It's really good. I enjoy trying to get around the environmental obstacles to get to the destination. I'm not yet sure how much I should care about how the timefall ruins the items for delivery, or, I'm curious to know how or when I'll be able to alleviate the issue. I guess I am somewhat surprised by the game, but I also kind of knew what I was in for. The game to me is kind of what Blade Runner or 2001: A Space Odyssey is to movies. I'm not going to go so far as to call it a masterpiece, but just in terms of it being boring to some, and amazing to others. I also think similar to those, it looks and sounds amazing.

I am not necessarily referring to writing or story, just the contemplative, slow and quiet way things are presented as you roam the world. It's The Martian or Arrival, rather than Armaggedon if you will; slower, less bombastic. That's what it makes me think of, just in terms of playing it (also because the suits and some of the tech remind me of what's in The Martian, and the BT's remind me of the aliens in Arrival, ha ha). What difficulty is everyone playing on? I opted to just go on hard. I just feel like, if the game is supposed to be challenging, I'll go all the way. It'll make me have to learn how to play the game well. That said, I'm not really sure what it really affects aside from combat.

@boozak: I haven't gotten that far into the story, but I don't think the writing is terrible yet. There was some exposition which made me roll my eyes and say 'oh no', but so far it has been fine. I also often dislike when a game gives ideas but it comes off as sophomoric and/or unoriginal, but again, so far (and maybe I'm just dumb) I haven't hated the writing or been too bothered by it. When the writing/story treats me like I'm dumb, or goes into unnecessary detail about the meaning of a word, then I might be bothered a bit.

I'm probably right around the same point as @ntm: I stopped right before starting out on the Oxycontin delivery.

So far, I like the stark look of the game together with the synth heavy portions of the soundtrack. It's got a good 70's-80's sci-fi vibe to it. That and the surreal nature of the world so far actually has me thinking of an old movie called The Lathe of Heaven, which had a very similar feeling.

On the negative side, I'm sick to death of cutscenes already. While I know this is a Kojima game so it's somewhat expected, I think I've actually played only about 20% as much as I've watched at this point. I also think the gameplay is going to get pretty repetitive given the distances you are crossing. The walk to the incinerator in the mission before this was tedious as hell.

Overall, my early feeling is that this might have worked better as an arthouse movie than an actual game. The visuals and weirdness of the world are drawing me in, but I'm not sure there's enough game there to keep me entertained.

Another thing, if people can, please drop tips down so others and myself know ways to go about things in the game. I have one question and it has to do with the consequences of item degradation. What are the consequences? I mean, if some items degrade, does it merely make it harder to get around as well as perhaps make it so when you finally deliver something, you don't get certain equipment and upgrades to get you and others through? I'm just curious because if there's nothing that will stop me in my tracks, and is simply there to slow me down, I can't say I care that much about the degradation of the items as I just want to see the sights in the game and see the story. As long as I can always get from point A to B, no matter how long it takes, I'm fine.

I made a dumb mistake earlier: I dropped some story items aways back from the place I needed to drop it off at, so I had to hoof it back to those items to grab them and bring them back to the area where I could finish the mission. Be aware of that I guess. My items, due to timefall said that they were ruined, so I was like 'eh, f it, I don't care *drop!*' until I realized too late that those were mission items. It's obvious early on, but just make sure you drop and pick up the right items, like mission items. Read about what you're delivering. I was reading some of the story stuff, like what the MULE's are about, and I have to say, it's really stupid to me. Also, unfortunately (for me anyway), I find the sneaking around BT's harder than I expected as you have to juggle with traversing with the sneak, although I am surprised how easy it is to run away from the situation once you're in their grasp. I thought having to fight them once you're caught was inescapable.

@therealturk: Yeah, I think you have to be in the mindset for a game like this. If you want to feel immersed in a game about walking slowly through and soaking in the atmospheric environment, being a delivery man, it's probably something worth playing. This also comes off as a game very hard to recommend people watch being played through or having someone else watch you play it. My brother was like 'I'll watch you play that in a while' and I was thinking 'Nah, it'd probably be boring'. I'm into it because I love playing games to just relax and soak in the atmosphere, and adding the challenge of traversal to it can bring satisfaction (and frustration), but I can see why people wouldn't like it, especially if you don't have a lot of time to play games.

@ntm: Regarding mission critical deliveries that are slowly degrading in the rain. Sometimes there are prerequisites for delivery conditions like being less than 50% damaged or zero percent damage. Don't forget that some items have a container damage and item damage. I believe that the container absorbs damage from time fall before the item within starts getting damaged but the item within can still receive damage from taking falling damage. I don't know if the game will force you to redo a whole mission if an item well past the requested damage percentage since that sounds like it would be a pain.

One tip that's helpful in plotting out a traversal plan is to hold the touch button on the control and tilt to get a better sense of the geography of the 3d map so you can see safer routes around elevated points. Also I've heard people saying to focus on the story till you get to the 3rd Chapter which is when more tool's become available after which you can start doing side missions with a larger tool set.

Also the game clearly tries to funnel you through BT territory by having them scattered in flatter, easier to navigate areas. I suggest climbing hard to access areas to avoid those traps. I'm about nine to ten hours in and I'm enjoying it so far. There are story aspects that are pretty silly, some cheesy dialogue here and there but over all it feels like I'm playing what amounts to a Sci Fi game with all the terms and odd happenings that come with it. I'm getting some interesting Oblivion(the movie) vibes from the game.

There's nothing 'kinda' about the writing sucking. It straight up suffers from Hideo not being told, "Hey, maybe the characters name shouldn't have bridge, strand or their singular character trait in it. DON'T PRINT THEIR UNIFORMS WITH IT, EITHER"

The point where Lindsay Wagner explains what a strand is (dictionary and thesaurus level waffle) put me right off. Taking a long time to explain something simple is not depth. I feel like there's a lot of that ahead of me. Norman Reedus crying four times in the first hour can fuck off, too. There's nothing profound about this.

I'm just watching a playthrough. As much as the walking and exploration kinda interest me, it'd be like walking through the Pennines or the Lake District. Hill, rocks, rivers and nothing else. At some point you just want to go home or at least wander about a city with stuff in it.

I'm in episode 4, maybe 20-ish hours in and so far the game has been exactly what the duders said it would be. The stealth and action are mediocre and constantly interrupt the actually somewhat enjoyable parts of the game.
I feel like I'm fighting the game over my enjoyment, Timefall is ever present and every system has a bazillion asterisks, all of which are there to make your job more tedious.
Like you can get a truck early on, but can't store it in a garage and repair it, only after you craft the correct truck you can do that, why?
They make traversal easier bit by bit, but so far the most annoying thing has persisted: The fucking rocks. Every place you go is filled with random rocks jutting out of the ground, seemingly just as a "fuck you" if you're trying to make it though on a vehicle. And the vehicles seem like an afterthought to begin with; I'm getting these things stuck on geometry all the time. I've gotten into the habit of saving the game before crossing particularly rocky terrain in case my car ends up glitched inside a rock.
The battery on vehicles drains super fast if you're in water; that mechanic is there just so you can't use small streams and rivers as roads, right?
I've run into invisible walls about three or four times, and it's fucking infuriating in this game when climbing up a steep cliff is so bothersome.
Story hasn't really been noteworthy in any way yet. Except that it's so fucking long-winded. Characters spend and eternity explaining the basic concepts of how this world works saying anything in the beginning hours of the game. That's how I've felt about the cutscenes in general, they're either completely unnecessary or so long for absolutely no reason.

So far through this entire thing I've felt Kojima fucking loom over me, making sure I play the game exactly the way he intended all they way down to the route I take. Because of it, there's no sense of exploration or discovery, both in terms of the world and the smaller mechanics of the gameplay.
And that's not uncommon, often I find myself playing a little bit of cat and mouse with the devs with how much they let the player get away with, but never has it felt this prevalent and tedious.

@ntm The comparison to Arrival is sharp. I’m very early—in Chapter one on a delivery after meeting Bridget—and I kept thinking it felt like a gamification or Arrival or the first third of 2001. None of the writing has bothered me, mostly thanks to GB warning me, and I love the gameplay from what little I have played. I guess I know my feelings could change, but I still have a healthy respect for what this game is trying to do. I also think Dan’s exaggerated distaste for the game has primed me to be more open to it as well.

I'm 15 hours in. Just did the part they did on the quicklook. Loving it so far. Trekking around finding the most optimal way to deliver the packages.

The story is still pulling me along. I really like the game to be honest. For me it's something special.

I'm early on in the game - only connected two places so far and it's about what I expected. I'm fascinated by all the sci-fi elements. I love the visual and sound design, the codec noises being a real highlight. The gameplay kind of is what it is I suppose - I'm not hating it but I'm not like in love with it. I think you would be hard pressed to find someone that genuinely loves the act of moving around and doing stuff in this game (although the person posting right above me has used that specific description). There is a certain level of appreciation for what is going on, and the systems but like moving in the early game is (intentionally I assume) arduous for the most part.

Also I have not turned on my base PS4 in quite a while and maybe something reset in the settings but boy there is some rough AA going on in the game and from watching the Digital Foundry video and Googling around I haven't heard anyone say anything about this. Certain textures also seem to completely blur further away from you.. but like not far enough? I dunno maybe I'm forcing a lower resolution somehow but the game does noticeably look rough at times in a way that seems very contrary to what people usually say concerning the presentation.

Performance is alright. There are times where it feels a little laggy but maybe thats just the momentum. After Phantom Pain which ran incredibly smooth and looked really sharp I was expecting something similar but it's more modest. Then again I've been gaming on my Xbox One X for the latter part of this year so maybe my expectations have become a little warped.

I have no issues with the story and writing so far but then again I'm a lot more liberal with this sort of stuff. Like I don't typically get offended by game writing. The explanation for BB's kind of washed over me as an interesting tidbit of lore in this crazy world and I do find it hard to understand why it would be distasteful for others. It is all about as hammy as Metal Gear has been in the past. If you don't like that stuff, and plenty of people out there feel the need to loudly make sure everyone knows they don't, well you aren't going to be swayed here either. What is a strand? What is a knot? Sure, let me know Kojima I don't mind. Weirdly enough they then throw out a bunch of real medical textbook words and no one bothers to cue in on what those mean..

Anyway, it's one of those games where I'll typically hit a point during a gaming session where I think "ok I've had enough for now" only to start thinking about it 30 minutes later. I've got the syndrome..

I just woke up, but I had played from the last post to around four in the morning, so I'm also about 15 hours in. I'm currently on the mission that Die-Hardman says 'you better get ready, this is the longest trip you've made yet.' I believe I fully understand how the game plays for the most part now; it's just learning about new equipment that comes along. I like it and it's addictive for some reason. I think it's just the traversal and the want to see what's around the corner. The MULE's at first I thought was a pain, but they're actually super easy to dispatch. There isn't a whole lot I dislike about the game right now. Some of the story details/explanations are dumb to me which is unfortunate.

Traversal doesn't seem hard so far. There was only one time I awkwardly dropped items. I was walking on a ladder over water, and all of a sudden Sam walks into a wall and his items fell. Maybe I jumped into it, or walked too fast into it; I don't know, but it was the only instance and I couldn't tell exactly why it happened. But yeah, it's pretty easy to get around without making your stuff get all over. For the majority of my time, I didn't care for the online stuff of people putting things places to make it easier for me, and me doing vice versa, but it ramps up and that becomes more enjoyable/wanted.

You find a way to make a short cut for people that'll allow them to walk straight through a place instead of walking longer to take a bridge or something, or you'll be walking along thinking 'damn, I have all these items and I need to get across that water... Oh, and there is a bridge right over there.' That said, where I am the terrain isn't so hard to get around that I'm desperate for these things. I've heard people keep liking one thing because they're thankful, but I just say 'cool, thanks *one like*.'

As for side missions (or, standard deliveries), I haven't been doing them because you only get so much space on your back and I'd rather, at least for right now, save that for mainline quests. I'll start doing the side stuff later.

First written up impressions: I'm about 6 hours in? Maybe little more. Did the Wind farm trek and now just went back to the initial city.

Pretty good so far. Definitely enjoying the traversal and systems the most. I do wish the dialogue and tutorial explanation stuff was a tad bit shorter between missions? I like seeing and feeling the physics of it all. Climbing rope functions awesomely and every adventure/action/stealth etc sort've game should have items like this.

Story wise, it has been a bit much. Unlike all the journalists discussing it who feel like everything is really on the nose.. I'm more on the other end and feel like.. I get that he's using simple, obvious metaphors.. but that still isn't making it any less clear to me wtf is going on behind the scenes. But whatever, I take the cutscenes in, put a little effort into trying to understand the narrative, and then eagerly dip right back into organizing all my gear, cargo, route etc.

Do not regret buying it. Kojima still knows how to do cinematics better than pretty much any other game I can think of. It's like watching a movie, though more of an art-sy, independent film in Death Stranding's case.

Edit: Oh yea, also wanted to note like someone else mentioned, it's like slightly addicting or motivating me. I want to keep playing Divinity Original Sin 2, and I keep telling myself I'll go play more of that. But every time I sit down I keep going with Death Stranding.

I am about 10 hours in or so. This game is hitting on every level for me. I enjoy spending 15-20 minutes at distribution centers before run. I strategically pickup multiple orders, stack cargo and supplies meticulously; working to get 2 or 3 deliveries done in a single multi-destination trip. The minute to minute gameplay of Death Stranding was practically engineered for me. I like to plan thoroughly and get as much done in the shortest amount of time possible.

I have been doing this in games for years. I was an early backer of Elite Dangerous and I have been space trucking in that game for almost six years now. DS scratches that "maximum efficiency" itch. It also helps that the systems are so tightly designed. I understand why some people hat this thing but I find it calming and satisfying. I will probably play it multiple times. one of my favorite games this year for sure.

Oh, and if anyone knows, is there a way to see how much time you put into the game aside from seeing it once you finish a delivery mission? I haven't seen a way to, but it'd be nice to see it whenever. I find that somewhat unfortunate and weird. Oh, and before playing it I was somewhat worried about the amount of time spent on item management, but it doesn't really bother me.

@ntm: I think I saw something in a "Bridge Link" menu somewhere. Maybe on the map screen in Private Room? It had a list of all players you've recently interacted with and a ton of stats. I saw myself on there and I could look through all my info.

@seikenfreak: Okay, when I play it I'll check it out. I know what menu you're talking about, although I don't remember seeing a count there. Granted, I didn't spend much time on the page. Thanks.

I'm really enjoying myself. During the first three or four hours, though, I was starting to wonder if I'd be able to keep up playing at the current rate of mounting frustrations. Call it a learning curve!

There's kind of a lot to keep track of in terms of how to play. However, after completing two or three episodes, I really fell into a soothing lull. Everything clicked and I felt ready to "start" the game. The previous missions, cut-scenes, and combined exploration left with me with a solid foundation to start planning my routes, gear placement, and delivery strategies better.

The story isn't nearly as bad as some reviews have made it out to be. I mean, if you're coming into DS expecting the most thought-provoking, original storytelling you're going to be disappointed. What this game offers is a hugely unique experience that is simply not for everyone. I'm fifteen hours in and still unsure what kind of game it is. I love it.

It's reassuring to read so many positive comments from gamers similar to myself. Here is a great game if you're the type who doesn't mind a slower-paced experience.

@briarpack: One thing that helped me on rocky terrain was popping up the front wheel of the motorcycle up on the face/peak of the rocks to gain some traction before traversing them. But it sounds like your issue is with the larger vehicles, which I haven't had a chance to use yet.

I think one of the NPCs even mentions that using certain vehicles will actually be more of a hassle and that's why trucks especially can be see abandoned and locked.

I'm probably 3-4 hours in and.... really really enjoying it. The weirdo world mixed with the meditative trekking is doing it for me. I thought the L2/R2 balance stuff was going to be super annoying at first but it hasn't been an issue. Fav part is def the little sound cues for all the different characters.

15 hours in. I love the gameplay loop. I’ve been hating the MULE and BT parts. I am enjoying the story. It’s not as obnoxious as I was expecting. I can recognize when it’s spelling out things too much, but I haven’t been bothered by it; I’ve enjoyed every cutscene.

I have not felt bored a single time. Actually, I wish all the distances were at least doubled because often these trips feel too short. And the US map is hilarious for me to be crossing at the pace that I am. I wish it was more crushing journey.

The material/inventory system is hard to grasp. I have a sense that my possessions are spread out all across the country. I haven’t had any issues, but I don’t like how much of a mess it feels like.

I spoke too soon. Last time I posted I was only 12 hours in. Now though I'm just under 20. I am still into the game. I tend to try to complete every side mission in most open-world games, but in this, I am more or less just mainlining the story until late, late game, or perhaps after the credits if I can. I'd say gameplay-wise, the thing I dislike most is encounters with the BTs. They're just a nuisance. The MULEs are extremely easy to dispatch as you just have to wait for them to run up to you and attack so you can counter them with your strand, so they're pretty much a non-issue. I think, if nothing else, the game is never boring to look at nor listen to. I like the locations you go to, and honestly, the story and writing haven't been that bad so far. From what I understand, Kojima's style hits more in the latter half of the game? I don't know, but so far, some of the more goofy, roll my eye at stuff from MGS hasn't arisen here all that much. I can count on one hand how many times it has happened.

About 20 hours on the clock now. I only stopped playing to sleep. When people say "Chapter 3" are they referring to Episode 3? I'm in the mid-west area which is still Episode 3.

Bits and pieces of the aesthetic and vibe remind me of Oblivion (the Tom Cruise movie)

I haven't had many run-ins with BTs. I am able to avoid them most of the time. Only once, at the end of Chapter 2, did I get caught up on really crappy terrain and had to fight one of the mini-boss sort've things. Killing it wasn't too hard.

Mules have been kinda fun-ish. Mostly because I finally had a real fight with them, managed to hi-jack one of their trucks to escape. That opened up a whole new can of worms for me. I am a (as much as I can be) a trucker at this point lol I can't build or repair my own truck yet (hasn't unlocked in story) but I was able to use this one for quite awhile. Some roads started going up so I was able to easily get around to a few spots with no hassle. That meant I was loading the truck up to capacity and taking deliveries back and forth, unlocking new/better gadgets. I was also cruising around gathering lost cargo and materials in the world and bringing them to locations. Also doing my part and hauling large amounts of materials to help build more roads heading south. Mule camps are also a good source of materials so if you wipe'em out, load up a truck and make a couple trips back and forth, it ain't too bad.

Eventually, the truck fell down a ravine/waterfall lol I was able to get everything on my back, looking hilariously silly, and get it to a terminal. Now back on just my own two feet, I continued with story missions going farther south. Got mobbed by Mules again because I didn't even realize I was walking into one of their areas. Repeat same as last time: Knocked those fools out, stole a truck, made a bunch of trips back and forth doing deliveries between the new places I found and dumping a bunch of mats to start building MORE roads farther south. And now continuing story again.

Still feels pretty good to me. I can 100% see how most "mainstream" gamers would not like the gameplay loop here. And I agree with the person who said the trips can feel short. I often look at a new delivery and think.. Yeesh, that looks like a trek.. And then I can get it done in 5 mins. And then have to watch a bunch of dialogue again. When the trips are longer/harder, then the break for dialogue is welcome.

Maybe an ironic side note but I actually drive/deliver for a living lol About 200-300 miles a day. Two runs, 10-20 stops per day ish?

I'm about 12 hours in and was just about to go leave Port Knot but it gave me a 'hey finish up what you want to finish up'. I've done all the orders for Sam but there are still standards on offer. Are standard orders finite or do they keep generating more?

@hayt: I dont know if the orders are finite but without going into spoilers the second you begin Chapter 3 they give you an option to freely go back to that area so you aren’t really missing out on not doing them.

I’ve taken the advice of ahem.. strand-lining it.. to chapter 3 without doing a lot of the side stuff and I’m way better for it. You get a lot more useful equipment and doing all that side stuff without it would have been a lot more grueling than it needed to be.

@humanity: Yeah that's good to hear. I've been doing Standard Orders if they are "on the way" but I have a lot to do at Wind Farm because fuck that slippery valley of hate.

I have been enjoying the game so far, I just crossed the lake in chapter 2. I am getting great satisfaction from hanging equipment and boxes from myself. I thought the opening two hours were very captivating and I am enjoying the music too.

The game that keeps on giving. I managed to unlock my first truck (the long range lvl 1) and it solved almost all the problems I had with the Mule version so it's amazing. 1. Cargo is covered so Timefall isn't always damaging it. 2. The long range battery means I can go far with it before needing a charge and 3. Most important of all: It can fit a LOT of stuff! I have been unable to max it out yet. Where as before I'd have to make multiple trips in and out of a Mule camp, I think I could grab everything in one go now. I must've had 3000 metal, 2000 ceramic, and 10 pieces of lost cargo etc and it still wasn't telling me it was full.

I feel like a FedEx/UPS driver. They should've sponsored the game. I want a paint job & outfit for both. From one pickup location, head out, stop by a post box or two along the way, drop off whatever materials I've been able to find for the roads, then headout to my final drop off location. I love how the terrain actually reflects where people are traveling a lot because it feels organic and real. Sometimes squeezing my truck down these narrow, serpentine footpaths (Weatherstation) or broad dirt roads between more frequented places.

And I finally put a finger on why the Mule camps feel great: It feels like a heist. Something about beating up dudes, parking my truck up in the middle of the camp, running around grabbing large containers in each hand like they're cash-stuffed duffel bags and chucking them into the back of the truck with some moody music playing that feels great. Like I'm being greedy and grabbing too much weight and it's somehow going to backfire on me lol

The little floating carrier is cool for more hard to reach spots. Power legs are great. Recently able to start customizing the backpack so that frees up more space.

I do have some quality of life annoyances but nothing that is ruining the game for me. But like, having to re-enter the terminal menu after I select a delivery is meh. They also should've let you move items up and down on the backpack list to adjust stuff rather than offloading everything first. Hasn't been an issue since I got the truck + carrier since I just throw most everything on them. And you'd think they realize you are going to be watching the same little clips of him picking up/delivering loads a million times so maybe they'd come up with more than one lol

Last night it was one of those "It's time for bed but.. okay, just one more run." I think I'm at the last part of Chapter 3 but I'm going to hang around a bit and try to unlock more gear. Where are the best areas to get Chiralium or whatever? Thats the one thing where having the truck is bad because I don't want to stop every two feet and get in and out of the truck to grab 5 chiral. They mentioned something about timefall areas. I know I found like a dense deposit of it off in a corner some place but haven't since. Maybe I need to go into BT areas? I've got two or three road sections that have all the materials done except for Chiral and unfortunately I need a lot of it. Few thousand I think.

Also, should I be exploring way out to the ends of the map? There are large areas that I haven't had a reason to go to so I haven't. Sometimes I see icons for player ladders or shelters out there. Not sure if the story has you double back through all areas and go farther out on the map?

Anyway, sorry for another word dump. Last thought: Wouldn't surprise me if this was more ambitious at some point and was designed to have actual online multiplayer.

@seikenfreak: I'm not super-far into the game, but there can be wildcat settlements out in the edges of the map sometimes. There are also occasionally the data chip collectible things. Mostly it's just there to provide you with alternate routes, since the game actively tries to funnel you into MULE camps and BT areas if you try what seems like the shortest route (inexplicably, because those are by far the worst part of the game).

I just finished the game. I need a week to process it. It took me 36 hours, just mainlining the story missions and not skipping any cutscenes.

I had a good time with the game, except for episode 5 and 6 which were the worst parts in the game.

I finished it earlier. I give it a "I don't hate it!"/10.

A LOT happens at the end of the game, but there's surprisingly very little to say about it. The big set piecey stuff comes in the back third of the game, and it's all visually impressive and incredibly uninteresting to play. The social stuff helped out a bunch, and never made any of the degradation mechanics feel all that oppressive. The story is S T U P I D in capital letters, but it was never quite Metal Gear silly, just self serious, and horribly written. There's a moment in one of the final chapters where a character is in tears and it's comically bad on a David Cage level, I couldn't stop laughing. For every single awe inspiring moment where I climbed up a snowy mountain there was 5 return trips that sucked the life out of me.

Miscellaneous thoughts. Kojima should never be allowed to make a proper movie. Kojima's biggest inspiration is butts.

I have no real intention of playing this game but it has been fantastic to watch various streamers play it. Strangely watchable I think it shares some of the qualities that made BR games so popular on twitch

I just left the first major area (starting episode 3). Are you able to go back and do the side deliveries? I know there was a little warning to FINISH any ones you currently had going.

@handlas: Yes, you should be able to. I haven't tried it myself, but a little ways into Episode 3 you'll get a cutscene with a character that'll tell you that you can warp around via your private room.

@therealturk Ooo.. Wildcats? Haven't heard of that yet. So like, can I go over or around the giant snowy mountain in Episode 3? lol

For those who have beaten it: Is there an Episode where there is no turning back? Or maybe some big event happens that alters the whole game and gameplay for the worse? Just so I know for future reference.

@seikenfreak: Loving the game in general as well, but in regards to how much you like mule camps - how do you sneak in? Every time i've gotten near one a cargo scanner will pick me up. I haven't poked around enough to know where, or if, they aren't placed, but the scanners have more or less overlapping coverage, so I usually just run in and alert everyone, and beat them all up. Consequently, mule camps aren't super interesting to me.

Regarding people not into backtracking, I'm fine with it, the social elements and climbing ropes make it feel interesting and rewarding to both go back down, and back up again. I get the satisfaction going down some giant hill with climbing ropes knowing its easier, and others might benefit, as well as me in the future. It's a good bit of "progression" without bars, sort of dark souls shortcut feeling whenever you want.

One thing that caught me off-guard is that through some grand social engineering feat..the game does put me in high spirits. I really enjoy helping people out and as corny as it is I love hearing these peppers and Bridge guys appreciate what I do. Everyone is so positive it’s infectious. Today I helped this guy finish his bridge and it felt great to be able to pitch in. Maybe Kojima is on to something here.

@humanity: this is my feeling too. The game is shockingly wholesome mechanically. I go out of my way to slam the likes on anything even remotely useful.

Yeah, I'm thinking I'll probably finish the game in another 10 to 15 hours as I'm pretty much just mainlining it. It doesn't bother me either; I don't feel like I'm missing out by not doing the standard missions. For those that finished it, obviously without any kind of story spoilers, is this a game that puts you right back into the world to finish up content you didn't do, like standard missions?

@north6: Yeah, the MULE camps are kind of dumb and pointless to me (I like the music that plays as they come after you though). I also find it weird because any time I've seen people play it, they go on and punch the MULE's which to me seems like less than the ideal way to go about it. It's so easy to alert them, wait for them to run up to you, and simply counter their attack with your strand. Every attack they do, it slows down indicating that's the window to counter. Counter, and then just keep holding the left trigger and press the right trigger and they're immediately down. May have to do a bit of dodging if some are at a distance and throwing their spears, but it's not an issue. I do think the MULEs and BTs are little more than hindrances; attempts to make the traversal more intense. It works, but it's also just kind of annoying.

"You see that mountain? ...You can go there" Woweee I just went on a trip. Said F'it, I'm gonna go explore. 3 hours later, I'm back at south distro.

Went around the north side of the mountain range, came across an incinerator, found a decent amount of Chiral in the center (if you climb up on the roof, you can find ladders that go down into the little inner area). Then circled around south, ran into some higher level Mules I guess because they had machine guns, took out that forward guard force, then into their camp to clean out the rest of the dudes. Kept on hiking south, started coming across some real rivers. Wanted to make a bridge across with a couple ladders, got half way across, there I was balancing on a rock in the middle of rushing water, tried to step across to another rock (against the river flow) and fell right into the small gap of deep water. River started pulling me back downstream, some of my gear fell off, took awhile for me to paddle and luckily get caught on a rock so I was able to get across that way. Unfortunately, the gear that fell off (Bola Gun, PCC, etc) either kept going downstream or was caught up on the rocks in the middle of the river. Either I risk using my last ladder to get back toward a couple pieces on those rocks, or just continue. So I left it. Camped in a little alcove along the mountain before heading further up river and into the mountain.

Long, epic climb up and over the snowy mountain. Set up all the climbing ropes I had so hopefully someone or myself will find them useful later. Came across some interesting locations. Fairly disappointed that you can't fully access any of these terminals until I assume the story gets around to it. Feel like the whole thing should just be open ended. Eventually headed back down the other side near the Weatherstation. Wish I had had a floating carrier on me as I imagine you could essentially snowboard down the mountain?

And in the whole trip I managed to gather about 4000 chiral which allowed me to finish three more sections of road. Awesome. These are the parts about this game and other open ended exploration games that I love. Now time for bed.

@ntm: It puts you back in the world, all side stuff can be finished.

I only mainlined it from ep4 onwards. There are only a handful of deliveries towards the end, and I think they're the game at its best. Side stuff is only really needed to get lvl 2&3 versions of things to make life easier, and most of it is unnecessary in the cutscene heavy/slightly more actiony end section.

I've played more, and I'm mildly digging it. It's meditative to wander around and just . . . deliver stuff. Maybe it was that the discussion here set my expectations really low, but I think a lot of the crew's criticisms were sort of overblown. Like, sure, your shoes degrade, but even the Level 1 versions last a couple of hours of playtime and you can just . . . make more? A lot of those meters got built up as this big hindrance, but I haven't found it that intrusive at all.

I do wish I could choose how much stuff shows up in the world. I don't want to turn it off entirely, but there's so much shit in the world that it's kind of off putting. Piss mushrooms everywhere.

EDIT: Thinking about it more, I'm getting similar RDR2 vibes to it. I think I inherently have more patience for the preparation of these games and the little animations that happen all the time. Contrary to a lot of the crew, I really didn't mind all the little chores that game asked you to do.

@therealturk: Yea all the negative discussion helped set realistic expectations. But Vinny was key because he likes some of these niche like.. logic/work sort've games? Even that doesn't sound right. Not sure what you'd call them. The menial-task genre. Like, Factorio is awesome. I was happy when he finally got around to playing it and really liked it. Or Satisfactory. Everyone else on staff doesn't care. So when Vinny was kinda diggin the gameplay, I knew there had to be something there for me. He's a smart, crafty dude lol The hunting in RDR2 is another good example. I spent so much time just immersing myself in the gorgeous environments and ambiance. Hiking up into the mountains there as well to hunt something. Loading all the pelts up. Kinda the same thing here.

@north6 Sorry, didn't see your question before. Honestly, I haven't been sneaking into the camps exactly lol I did do some sneaking last night, with one successful stealth take down. I didn't really know that strand rope thing existed or how it worked so I wanted to try it. There is supposedly a way to counter the perimeter sensor pings with your own scanner once you get an upgrade for it. I don't know what the timing is for it yet but I've only tried it once. Another tip: I noticed with the Bola Gun, if you target their head, the Bolas will wrap around their head and immediately knock them out. If you target their body/legs, it'll just tie them up and you have to run over and kick them to knock'em out. Great attention to detail.

In other news, I happened to look at a Death Stranding post on the PS4 reddit and damn.. It's like people have it out for this game. Super harsh negativity, as if this game existing somehow affects their lives lol Sprinkle in a couple people who are like, yea, it's actually kinda great if it's your sorta thing. If not, then don't play it. The clip of someone glitching a bike across a ladder? "Realistic physics my ass.. This game is garbage." Umm.. its supposed to be funny people. The clip isn't there to demonstrate the game..

Also realized why it would've been nice to have that Sticky Gun when my cargo got stuck in that river. Wasn't quite sure what I would use it for until that. Wondering if higher level ones can handle more weight, and potentially a vehicle if it gets stuck?

I've just completed it and as mentioned above you do get to mop stuff up after beating the game, which i've been doing. (trying to find and connect all the preppers)

My feelings on the game as a whole are weird, in the beginning I was dealing with the gameplay aspects because I was interested in the story but as the game went on things took a turn in the opposite direction. In a lot of ways this game adopts all of the bad parts of MGS 4 & 5 with some of the good.

All that being said I still enjoyed it. It might be the most interesting game i've played all year but it's far from the best.

Okay, huh... How long is this game? I've been mainlining it, I'm 35 hours in, and I just reached chapter six. I looked up to see how many 'chapters' there are, and it says there are 15 (14, 15 you can't complete I guess). I thought I was almost done. Not an issue, just thought I was nearing the end. I haven't died much, fallen over, or had any big obstacles in my way to truly slow me down, so it's curious then because people have said they've finished the game at 29 hours or so, which seems unrealistic to me. I don't know. I am playing on hard, but I feel like that hardly matters.

Is the map good at showing topography? Like, can I look at the map, see a route (i.e. see what landscape's ahead of me) and plan my loadout before I set off? Or do you just load up and hope for the best?