Frame Trap - Episode 94 "Stranded"

Ben, Ian, and Huber can finally discuss at length the long-awaited and controversial Death Stranding. They also talk about other big fall games like Disco Elysium, Luigi's Mansion 3, and Afterparty.
TIMESTAMPS
03:15 - Death Stranding
56:45 - Caught in a Frame Trap: When will these huge games like Diablo 4 actually come out?
01:04:40 - Disco Elysium
01:24:34 - Path of Exile
01:45:51 - Luigi's Mansion 3
01:56:15 - Afterparty
02:01:47 - HOTTAKE: How do we feel about Fortnite's inclusion of bots?
02:19:17 - Emails
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[@ovoon7]

15 hours in, finishing chapter 3. I absolutely love Death Stranding. I love how positive the player reaction has been so far. I think this game is going to be really significant years down the road.

[@trevorcooper3268]

Amazing how when you actually play it, you know how it is and can form an opinion that matters about it. Unlike everyone else who will just hop on a bandwagon and hate on a thing without experiencing it first.

[@MyStoryQuest]

I love Easy Allies and respect to anyone who didn't like DS. But I loved every second of it. The story, World Building, working with other players and all of the aspects of it. I hope you enjoy it too.

[@sKullkidi]

Same. Finished it after 68 hours and really liked it. I get tired of most games by the time I hit hour 10 but this somehow kept me engaged through out.

[@drquantum6548]

Same here. I'm probably one of the few that thinks it's the best game i have ever played. Have played it for 200+ hours. My first Platinum game.

[@Enigmalake]

Nah “last of us 2 is a 9.5” 🤦🏻‍♂️ 😂 it’s why I don’t like review scores on music, games, movies but I guess it stirs comments

[@deathrowslag78]

40 hours in and still on chapter 3 and loving it. Right back to it these roads and bridges ain't gona build themselves

[@wyldeman7]

Same.

[@CRISNCHIPS12398]

Same, I was on Level 4 for Bridge Links then invested a few resources into the roads. Next mission exploded with 17,000 likes and went all the way to level 42 haha Am I becoming a MULE?

[@Hiroth86]

@@CRISNCHIPS12398 We're all MULEs, our enemy is an illusion :p

[@Not_Liquid]

Just wanted to drop by and say Frame Trap and EZA as a whole is what gets me through my work week. Thank y’all.❤️

[@Retro.foxhound]

I actually stopped proceeding through story in chapter 5 and only dedicating my time to help others! The social strand system is so great and addictive.

[@Shreeb]

Almost everything you guys mentioned about Death Stranding reminded me of why I absolutely loved The Last Guardian, despite its downfalls. It’s doing something different, taking risks, and to repeat what Ian said, makes the world a better place just by existing. Both games are divisive, but if you’re the right type of player that enjoys a slow, meditative experience, you are in for a treat. We need to cherish these types of games that are made not to appeal to a broad demographic, but instead made for the love of the craft.

[@nerosk1241]

It's weird because I loved TLG but found DS to be a slogfest. I think the 40hour length of the game really ruined it for me. Whereas SotC, TLG, Shenmue etc; games that are also intentionally tedious tend to not overstay their welcome & it works in their favour

[@mwmrhdm]

Nah dude Last Guardian has a lot of dynamic puzzle solving going on. Death Stranding is just stumbling around completing fetch quests.

[@Shreeb]

I’m not talking about specific game mechanics, I’m talking more broadly about games that break norms and game design conventions, and take risks to stay true to a focused artistic vision. There are too many games that try to please as many gamers as possible. Triple A games have become so same-y, so based on templates, that it’s refreshing to see games that are harder to quantify. By definition these types of games are going to be divisive. But I’m glad this industry is still willing to take those risks. They are a net good for the industry, and I am glad they exist- even the ones I don’t personally like.

[@Enigmalake]

Abraham M. Don’t worry. It’s a masterpiece. Idk what they guys are on. Not enough shooting random slow walking zombies. BT’s are awesome enemies

[@NASTAR01]

DS offers an experience you'd most commonly find via indie games, only with the resources being a AAA studio affords - which should be celebrated I suppose. Who knows when another big budget studio will be given absolute control over what they make, no matter how experimental it is.

[@OnionTaylorJoy]

Thankfully Death Strandings gameplay loop totally clicked for me and I am lovin it.

[@meganlinart948]

Put about 20 hours into Death Stranding since Friday and I love it! Is it perfect? absolutely not but I’m loving every minute of it, warts and all 😊

[@hamidofwinterfell8002]

Too slow man feel like I have to force myself to play it

[@wyldeman7]

I absolutely love everything about it. Picking up lost stuff. Helping build something. Leaving a sign or a ladder or a rope. Calling out to other players. Seeing the paths form in the world. It's all so good. Such a breath of fresh air. Also I abandoned my trike because of harsh land + timefall + BT, but I later got back to it and saved it RIGHT BEFORE timefall had completely taken it

[@Thuriazs]

Disco Elysium already has console ports announced for 2020. I've been playing it with a controller since the beginning and it works very well already.

[@John_Frost28]

DS is my GOTY so far, what a game 👏🏻

[@raphaelcarbinatto]

I'm so glad you guys played Disco Elysium, Ian and Huber. It's such a fucking good game. Now to get Kyle to play Disc Creatures.

[@raffaelmacielschneider158]

I must be on to something because I have absolutely nothing to criticise about the gameplay in Death Stranding. I'm clocking at around 30 hours playing it, now by the end of episode 3, and I can't stop playing it. It's addictive, it's beautiful, it's really fun, I'm loving each and every moment I spend with the game, and the story is very compelling to me. For me, it's one of the best games ever. It's weird and different and awesome and all. Just saying.

[@ibha-xh6nn]

and calling it "divisive" or "controversial" for trying to do something different is just pure laziness. Some people like the game, some people don't, that just how taste works. There are some youtube channels that keep milking on how people have different opinion on this game. Those channels also putting gas on fire by misquoting Kojima or calling those who like it as fanboys or shill. Later, it was found out that they have not play the game yet.

[@o0Brick0o]

Hey Ben, the crew didn't break out of the frame trap this week! Everyone is doomed!

[@borgs101]

Death stranding has been quite an experience thus far! I'm only on chapter 2 and around 8ish hours in, the combination of the gameplay loop and mystery of the world is fun and interesting I'm loving leaving signs for people that may have an easier journey and finding things left behind by others has a strange yet compelling feeling to it

[@javierjofre3930]

Congrats on the Death Stranding discussion guys, it's phenomenal.

[@teaboswell]

Ben being so excited about PoE while still in act 4 makes me so happy. After thousands of hours I'm still learning new things and getting excited about new leagues.

[@CuriousCorduroy]

Thanks for answering my email, Allies! Really cool to hear your guy's take on gaming and mental health.

[@BigPartyYoyo]

Frame Trap - Episode 94 "Stranded" Presented by Hideo Kojima

[@azimulhoque1497]

Written by Hideo Kojima

[@ayasolaris4971]

Directed by Hideo Kojima

[@Sleepgarden]

Catered by Hideo Kojima with special guest appearance Hideo Kojima as Michael Huber

[@DerUserX]

Review copy provided by Hideo Kojima

[@TheMr1luigi]

Edited by Hideo Kojima

[@shubhankar2508]

20:10 I totally know what you're talking about Ian. I used a lot of *those things* and they really helped. Thanks

[@griffmendez]

On one hand, I feel like BOTW2 is spring 2021 if only so Nintendo can release Wind Waker HD on Switch next year. On the other, Pikmin 3 Deluxe, Super Mario 3D World Deluxe, and Metroid Prime Trilogy HD have to release at some point and Nintendo already has Tokyo Mirage Sessions for January and Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition coming out probably late-2020 and that's 5 potential ports/remasters already, so BOTW2 for Holiday 2020 with WWHD and Twilight Princess HD releasing in 2021 might be more feasible.

[@TheOtherJonB]

I hope BOTW2 is holiday 2020 so Nintendo has something big to stay in the conversation during the next gen console launches

[@theycallmeGUN]

New leaks suggest 2020 for BOTW 2, but that feels so soon

[@griffmendez]

I think there's definitely a chance for it to release next year. I don't think Sabi is a reliable source that said leak, as she makes sure to always leave disclosures for her predictions with wording such as "Zelda games often get delayed, so it might not be until 2021."

[@josemanuel_rocha]

Death Stranding for me is one of the best "podcast games" ever! While I´m delivering cargo I listen to podcast or music and when dialogue or Low Roar song comes up just I put the headphones back in the PS4 controller. Loving it!

[@Cobhammar]

I'm thinking of buying. You sold me. Need a new podcast game

[@josemanuel_rocha]

@@Cobhammar Great!

[@platonicdescartes]

I have played through Death Stranding, and I still disagree with Ben's review. I like it much more. But, different strokes for different folks. As long as Kojima doesn't change his style to please the critics, then I don't really mind anyone who dislikes the game. In my opinion, the desire to make games "for everyone" is one of the worst inhibitors on creativity in the industry. And this game feels like a direct opposition to that tendency. It is not going to be my Game of the Year, that belongs to Sekiro, but it is one that I will go back to again over the years.

[@yoloalchemist]

I too am very glad that Kojima got to create the game he wanted to create. That being said, is there even such a philosophy as creating a game “for everyone”? Like I look at Resi 2 and I see only survival horror fans flocking over to it, so it has to be made for them. And not every gamer is a survival horror fan. KH III (my personal GOTY) was made for KH fans who have made their own understandings and grasping of the series’ plot. Sekiro was most likely made with Soulsborne (or, speaking more broadly, long time FromSoft) fans in mind with how it’s structured. And those are examples from only this year. I played Diablo III and Nioh once and then I got tired of both of them because of their looting system, which I’ve never been a fan of, but I understand that kind of system has its attractors for some people. And I’m not gonna even begin to talk about turn based RPGs and fighting games being made with specific people in mind. I think no game made within the last three decades has ever been “for everyone”. That being said, some people from outside a certain audience can certainly try to become a part of said audience if they want to, but not everyone will want to. However, I kinda understand your sentiment. Recently, Maximillian DOOD talked about how Guilty Gear Strive is removing some of the mechanics that defined past games in the series in order to appeal to a wider audience, but even then, according to him, there would still be a game that is familiar with long time fans because, at the very least, that’s how much deep the combat mechanics of Xrd were.

[@TheLastDaysOfSorrow]

Listening to you talk about Death Stranding really reinforces my decision to sit the noise surrounding this game out. Having been bombarded by marketing, discussion and hottakes since or hell- even way before the embargo-lift really soured my desire to play this. So yeah, I'll wait til everything mellows out and jump into it hopefully as unbiased and unspoiled as possible.

[@yourmum997]

Dante B. Same here. We’ll also save some money too when it gets discounted :)

[@McFancyPan]

I keep having the thought that death stranding is sort of like elite dangerous in 3rd person adventure form

[@KraaaHKen]

Thank for clarifying that this would not be a spoiler talk, Ian. I mean I kind of assumed it wouldn't be, but I was still a bit worried going into this Frame Trap. L&R

[@ape5490]

Thanks for clarifying that Ian clarified. I was too scared to even turn my volume up before I checked that there were no spoilers. Love and respect

[@MrConeman]

Word. I almost turned the podcast off when Huber started talking about the opening. Thanks.

[@HasneyZone]

The confusion of bots in Fortnite is something I can relate to without even playing Fortnite. Paladins does something similar early on and I had no idea, I just thought I was good at the game. Then you get thrown in with real players and at that point, the game just lost me because it was so jarring. If I played against real people to start with, I may have seen where my issues were immediately and not learned bad behaviours based on what bots were doing

[@trounbyfire]

Omfg thank you i feel like nobody is talking about the online. I was just randomly Walk and i heard a faint echo "im sam" i looked around my room like wtf was that and then i was like holy shit some other player called out from god knows what location on Earth and i randomly heard it. So cool

[@jackcall3815]

trounbyfire where is this guy??? I hear him but can’t find him

[@trounbyfire]

@@jackcall3815 its another person playing the game that talked when u talked i think

[@Ayoul]

@@trounbyfire I believe it's you who says "I'm Sam" and if someone else is around it answers "My name's Sam too" or something like that. I've never experienced hearing it at random. I only get answers when I press the touch pad sometimes.

[@michaelhudson3737]

Ohh... I thought disco elysium was like 60-100 hours For some reason maybe because of the comparison to crpgs, might have to grab it now if its more in the outer worlds length.

[@maxmillermakesmusic]

As a film editor.. I would not have cut out one second of Death Stranding

[@treebush]

I think one of the things that are changed in Hard Mode is the fragility of your packages and vehicles, which rust away much faster than normal pushing you to move faster aggressively during your journey, and stamina and such drains faster so BTs and such are harder

[@lan1719]

the 2019 is a bad year for games take is so weird to me. Dmc5, sekiro, kh3, resi2, fire emblem, astral chain, death stranding, outer worlds, ect ect ect. Even if you dont like some of those its hard not to argue that thats a crazy good line up. in comparison 2018 had spiderman, god of war, and Celeste.

[@Mac_N_Cheezy]

Yea this year has been amazing. Maybe not quite as great as 2017 and 2018 but I feel like the bad year for games argument is because there wasn't a 95+ Metacritic or anything generation defining.

[@lan1719]

@@Mac_N_Cheezy 2017 was legendary. persona 5, nier automata, botw, mario, gravity rush, nioh, Hzd, Yakuza 0. Damn. 2018 was meh for me other than Celeste which i love.

[@JudgmenTaichi]

There's no "bad year" IMO. Just stinkers like Anthem and FO76 but there's usually MORE better games to counter that and balance things out. We had Andromeda and FO76 last year but God of War, Spider-Man, RDR2, Smash Ultimate etc. makes it a good year for gaming.

[@chaosmos24]

I only played Sekiro and RE2 out of that last, but that was more than enough to make it a good year for me. Shout-out to Celeste.

[@weaverquest]

@@lan1719 Yeah 2017 had more variety but for me 2018 was also mind blowing because both God of War and Insomniac's Spider-Man elevated these two franchises to heights beyond my wildest dreams. Like my previous favourite Spider-Man game was Web of Shadows and that game is frankly shit in most aspects. The new God of War was also so successful in reimagining what the series could be that I still can't believe it is real and I still play it all the time. Just beat Sigrun on ng+ Give Me God of War difficulty yesterday and it felt so amazing and rewarding.

[@ShyGuyOni]

I can’t wait for the spoiler mode for Death Stranding

[@Sticks_of_Truth]

You can drive that motorcycle straight through the BT sections early on. Your bike will cut out for just a second then you start it right back up and move on. Yes I'm doing all of this on hard. As long as you maintain your bike and park it in safe places you can come back to your bike with cargo on it and park it in the garage even after your journey to a new location. As soon as I could charge that bikes batteries I used it to get around that whole first area for my deliveries. Just parked the bike go on foot come back to the bike and ride to where you need to go.

[@samuelcardwell577]

Well, Ian sold me Disco Elysium...

[@zukuu]

It's amazing. Feels like a truly new way to handle deep conversations and feels like a new genre.

[@dee85ist]

Death stranding talk 3:18

[@flooptydooicepant]

*Tags for watch later*

[@AntiNihilist]

I love that Ben mentioned Journey when talking about DS. So similar in so many ways

[@scorpiusjones5436]

Its definitely been a so-so year for video games, but there's still gems to be found. Outer Worlds, Fire Emblem and Death Stranding are some of my favorites, and restore my faith that interesting, thoughtful games still exist.

[@sugs0377]

RE2, DMC 5, Sekiro?

[@richarddawson6514]

It's funny that Ben was worried if Death Stranding was a streamable game, as it averages over a 130k viewers (which is incredibly high for any game).

[@Spaghet3639]

There is so much more to POE and you really just scratched the surface of a game that deserves so much more attention. The $60 thing should be clarified that it was a pack they offer every league and you get nearly that much in ingame currency alone plus the skin and other stuff in the pack.

[@johannesmeier5550]

I got kinda tired of The Outer Worlds after about 10 hours. Started Disco Elysium today and I totally get where Ian is coming from. The story and dialogue (and monologue) are luxurious!

[@MagmAlex]

I usually get tired of games after a 2-hour session or so but I played it for like 10-hours straight yesterday. I couldn’t get enough and I can get enough now

[@cyberexile3507]

"I wanna give money to path of exile just because of goodwill" I used to feel like that, but then they got purchased by tencent..

[@bjornzexi535]

Huber mentioning the conjuration of Oblivion gives me life

[@mileswilliams4807]

The question about games helping peope through a hard time is awesome! I got pretty depressed from quitting my job a while back. Wasn't sure if I was making the right choice. It was the same day that Hollow Knight came out on PS4. I got lost in that game and forgot about my stress for a while. I'll always love H.K. for that, and it's just a damn good game.

[@NesanikaMV]

Last night, as I slowly built roads across Episode 3 by gathering Metal and Ceramics from outposts miles away from my objective, loading and unloading onto enemy vehicles, my mind had disintegrated into a digital being of a hard workin man in a post post-apocalyptic world where I worked harder than I ever did in my video game career. Before I knew it, it was 6am and I heard my mother wake up for work and so I offered to drop her off at the thought "I cannot build roads but I can be of use in this life." In the drive I thought of how I left a bit of my heart onto each of those beautiful structures of some 5k metal/ceram. I was so proud of each of those roads as we are all connected and maybe I'm helping hundreds of other players traverse the lands easier. *SPOILER* First 2 chapters were excruciating, + the worst mini-boss mechanic on current AAA gaming. I think this may be a on purpose as I absolutely hated it and never want to deal with that again.

[@Enigmalake]

Anik Don'tPanic worst mini boss. BT?

[@Crokto]

Fallout 4 felt like it was 10 years old when it came out, mainly cuz of the engine (stuff like animations being locked to framerate and shit). Even skyrim looked old when it came out imo - some stuff was beautiful but a lot looked super jank and low res even for the time. I just want their next game to be on a good looking engine.

[@hammadkhan450]

i thought skyrim looked good at the time. Comparing it to dragon age and other stuff at the time, it looked better and actually had physics for every object.

[@Crokto]

@@hammadkhan450 I thought skyrim looked fine at the time. But everyone was saying it looked amazing and I was like meh. Same way I feel about gta5 now.

[@hammadkhan450]

@@Crokto bro gta5 is an even worse example. That looked insane back in the day. Just check any graphical analysis from the era. In fact, most reviews said they felt it pushed console hardware to the max. But I guess art styles can rub people the wrong way.

[@SuperPowerPainter]

Love and respect. About 25 hours into Death Stranding and I cannot Express my displeasure with Ben's opinion of it. Everyone has a right to an opinion, but I couldn't disagree more with any of the criticisms. It's a masterclass all it's own and a breath of fresh air. I love every aspect of it. The level progression and unlocks are phenomenal. I'm gonna have a hard time going back to any other game. Love. It.

[@MauriceSeow]

I disagree that you guys feel the Cliff battle sections were out of place. I think at the end it ties in to what he tells Sam, that the only thing he knows is separating people. His beach scenes were about him trying to find Sam, but finding him in a way he only knows how, treating it like a military mission. This in turn sort of pushes away or separates Sam further from him as he is chasing him around like a target. Sam therefore has no choice but to retaliate. Hope this makes sense.

[@shaneadams6687]

Luigis Mansion 3 is rated higher on metacritic and its not a shooty shooty bang bang.

[@lupefiasco653]

Nintendo games are overrated trash. Zelda botw mediocre unoriginal rehash story won Goty....Neir automata and Divinity Original sin 2 weren't even contenders. Persona 5 all of them were Innovative Masterpieces....Zelda is a baby in comparison. If persona 5 was on Nintendo and Zelda on PlayStation....Persona 5 wins Goty keep it 💯

[@alexanderchilton911]

@@lupefiasco653 Lol.

[@lupefiasco653]

@@alexanderchilton911 Fe 3 houses is Nintendo's version of persona on the switch genius. Persona is never coming to the switch it is a PlayStation exclusive. Don't act like garbage Nintendo didn't try to monopolize the video game industry in the past .

[@AmirGameShow]

Play Death Stranding on hard. Absolutely.💯💯💯

[@TotemoGaijin]

Reading emails to get the most out of the story? The Goddess would be proud!

[@themcfaceman]

"I cannot believe wtf is going on" -Ben Moore my sentiments on DS lmao

[@VideoHorrorShow]

I had the same experience starting Disco Elysium before Outer Worlds and completely agree with Ian. I am at a loss trying to think of another instance where a game has impacted my opinion of another in this way. I’m currently torn between Disco and Control for GOTY.

[@Starfals]

Death Stranding can be great, but also it can be horrible. A lot of things need to happen in order for someone to enjoy it. Not to mention how its not a game for everyone like metal gear lol.

[@yoloalchemist]

Not even Metal Gear was for everyone. I’m sure detractors were the stealth element and the convoluted story.

[@___IG]

Oh my gosh Ben's not even to maps yet and he loves it. Ahhh stay with it Ben PoE is soooooo good!!

[@SnoopyKendall]

I have totally taken my Switch into the bathroom, by the way. >_>

[@1luarluar1]

VIDEOGAME 2.0 We are trained to hate boredom, so we try to avoid it at all cost: that is why all games are about being engage at all time with new stuff that are thrown at you...but being bored open a door and this door allows new energies to come in, new awareness, being alone is one of the pleasure of life and a passage without which we miss part of the experience to be alive. This game make you observe your thoughts as you have the time to do so....for some is like a torture as are not ready to stay alone with themselves, but they are missing out an opportunity...This game is absolutely a masterpiece: there is a wonderful bond between you and the character in the virtual world....the game opens a gate and invites not the player but you, yes, you. A masterpiece that will only grow its status....this is the first videogame 2.0.

[@sugs0377]

The way Huber explains it is quite similar to MGS 5, the game become less fun in MGS 5 when you have a long ranged tranq sniper and DD.

[@Vvonter]

I disagree, the thing with MGSV is that the story lost all focus and made any lore and connections optional. It became gameplay first and story second IMO. It's a game that put more thought into how it functioned rather than what it tell.

[@sugs0377]

@@Vvonter Yeah the gameplay is great, I just preferred being the underdog. I love the sandbox element of MGS 5

[@shubhampranav]

12:57 I get what Ian is saying, It sounds frustrating as hell, except the tools you gain are not for you to conquer obstacles, but for you to contribute to allow other deprived of the tool to conquer it.

[@maglorc]

For those getting disconnected when putting the console on rest mode, just press options and go to system and select log in. No need to reset the game.

[@Small_Leviathan]

I actually had another game kinda ruin The Outer Worlds for me, too. I had just gotten into Destiny 2 a couple of weeks before, and I was amazed by the animations and the sense of physicality in that game, and compared to that The Outer Worlds felt stiff and floaty which made me the world less believable to me. I got through it either way, of course, and I'll go back to it at some point for new playthroughs, but right now I just wanna go back to shooting things in Destiny 2, dude.

[@Kicktugo55]

That 'dude' caught me off guard

[@lupefiasco653]

Triple a game Activision trash vs double a

[@Small_Leviathan]

@@lupefiasco653 Well, first of all, Destiny 2 is all Bungie. Activision has nothing to do with it anymore since Bungie ended their contract and split away from them, and the game has been pretty heavily changed to remove the stuff Activision meddled with. And I think you misunderstand what I'm trying to say, because I'm not comparing the two games. Both games are trying to accomplish very different things, and comparing them would be a mistake as a result. Regardless, part of the experience of one of the games ended up heavily impacting my experience with the other because while the games aren't similar there are similar aspects.

[@hammadkhan450]

@@lupefiasco653 more like triple a polish vs double a jank

[@Sensates85]

so aesthetics are important to you ok we get it

[@BradYoung87]

Those bot names remind me of my first auto recommended xbox 360 gamertag "MemorableCrayon"

[@vernontk]

Building roads produced an oxytocin rush. :)

[@mattlandry]

I can’t believe huber just got me hyped for showers

[@dcashley303]

1:09:04 Ian - 'I'm not physically adept at all' Huber - 'Nice' haha!

[@emeraldo]

The Social Strand aspect is insanely addictive. I love this game.

[@aqsw57]

It's the oxytocin man, it's addictive :D

[@unihaale]

I went through a pretty difficult and long area with those monster things and after connecting that outpost i saw a trail from another player where you could completely avoid that area, online is great.

[@stevelafser9619]

Death Stranding was not for me. I played 15+ hours, made it to the "magical" episode 3 (when the game is suppose to get better), and I was not enjoying it. I found the gameplay loop (managing inventory and making deliveries) to be more frustrating than fun, and the story was not enough to overcome that frustration.

[@sugs0377]

Steve Lafser can you tell me what happens in episode 3? I played for like 6 hours but I was forcing my to like it

[@kagewilliams4475]

@@sugs0377 You get to a new map region and begin to unlock technology that "helps" traverse the landscape. But unfortunately it doesn't. My problem is not that it is hard, or difficult to understand, it is that the game is shiny and cheap. The story is told through pure exposition. The game is an after thought that feels as though kojima just wanted you to get the player to the same building in different locations so that he could trigger a cutscene that you do not affect. The graphics are phenomenal, and set a new benchmark in gaming, but the lack of interest in the parts in between the graphics and cutscenes is arrogant and pretentious.

[@stevelafser9619]

@@sugs0377 Similar to what Kage shared, you get new equipment that is suppose to make things better. For me, it made the core gameplay loop more efficient (you could more easily deliver more packages), but it did not make it more fun.

[@stevelafser9619]

@@kagewilliams4475 I agree that Kojima chose to "tell" rather than "show" in how the story is presented to the player. I remember putting my controller down several times because the cut scenes lasted so long. Further, I had to laugh when Huber shared that he really loved the start of the game, because I remember the start of the game being like 2 hours of cut scenes and 20 minutes of gameplay.

[@kagewilliams4475]

@@stevelafser9619 His type of story telling would not be warmly received in the world of cinema. Exposition is to be used sparingly, but when it becomes the only form of story telling it becomes a crutch instead of a tool.

[@Alex_Logan22]

Stick vs Rope boss fight was a 10/10

[@Ocean5ix]

The word of mouth on how fun and addicting Death Stranding is is starting to surface more and more. It's kinda like playing Euro Truck Simulator 2 but with the game design of Peace Walker and MGSV, meaning that it's a game that is constantly evolving and adding new tools and ways to approach it even after dozens of hours of gameplay. Those that played these games know exactly how addicting it is to keep unlocking stuff. It's funny because Witcher 3 is one of my favorite games ever but it also is the opposite of this. At the 10 hour mark you have already seen everything the game has to offer in terms of mechanics but there's at least 90 hours left of experience to be enjoyed. As for the video I think you guys are a little bit too worried about the weird (which is fine) but this is the easy part for the consumer, we have played Kojima games before and we have watched/played animes/games like Steins Gate, Zero Escape Trilogy and many other titles that are weird or have convoluted narratives, especially the Zero Escape games. What's really getting traction is the Delivery part which isn't "insane" or thaaaaat innovative by any means, it's basically Euro Truck Simulator or even the trading part of No Man's Sky (or any other space trucking game) with Peace Walker and MGSV unlockables progression. Which IMO makes for a hell of a game.

[@Majody.511]

I finished Death Stranding and it is my GOTY this year, amazing game and I respect all of your guys opinions.

[@Mammet16]

Love to hear the Allies talk some POE!

[@PersianGamer36]

Just play the game on hard. Makes the stakes higher. Talking about death stranding

[@obba40]

Recommend Grim Dawn for a like Diablo 2 style game.

[@ThiefSakon]

YES!

[@sneakysnake3344]

finished DS last night and wow i absolutley love this game and cann agree with all your statements you made

[@Sensates85]

Yeah felt the same about Path of Exile that it's so good I don't mind paying for some of the cosmetics stuff, and in response to how bad DIablo 3 was.

[@battlegrizz3687]

And it's the YEAR OF METRO!

[@ChewableToast]

Playing Death Stranding right now and really enjoying it. Only on chapter 3. I find it pretty relaxing just traveling back and forth. Im curious to see how ill feel once I finish it. Like Ian said, I appreciate a game like this can exist and is so different from everything else.

[@CafeCreativeYT]

This game is very addicting and ultimately super fulfilling as a result. The gameplay loop reminds me of BOTW or Stardew Valley for some reason.

[@nickgcs]

Just checked the metacritic user score for Death Stranding and it's a joke... Thousands of idiots who didn't even play the game bombing it... Most reviews posted on launch day, giving it a 0 or 1... Just soooo embarassing... I mean, look, it's ok to dislike a game on principle, maybe these people think that Death Stranding is just insulting for being so "artsy", but clearly this is just some childish hate (and also childish love from people just giving 10s without playing it, just to counter the 0s), that it's impossible to get a fair read on public reaction... Also, when I clicked for the users reviews, the first one, giving it a 2, was written by "MarkusChiief", I went to his profile and he had only one other review. And it's for Gears 5... He gave it a 10... Yeah, sure... Very legit review there, sir... Not to mention the abundance of users with a single review. These people could put SOME effort in creating their fakes... I found some reasonable reactions here and there, some even on twitter, but as far as I could tell, a lot of people just saying nonsense because the game is "boring" and "overhyped". I'm sure a huge portion of these people haven't even played it, and certainly haven't finished it yet... I bought it today, after I read some reviews from people that I trust (like EZA), and watched around 7 hours of streams during the weekend, just to make sure. Man... I can't even grasp why there's so much negativity on it... It's almost like people are just stupid... But that can't be... right?

[@thepuppetmaster9284]

The 0/10 or 2/10 user review on meta is just stupid and like you said childish hate. Those scores fit for ugly, broken, and unplayable games. But Death Stranding nowhere near ugly, broken, or even unplayable. It just shows some gamers are sad creature that can’t accept there are games that made not for them. But i hope Kojima or other devs doesn’t feel afraid of trying new things in their games.

[@nickgcs]

@@thepuppetmaster9284 That is my major fear for the future, that somehow this bloated and irrational hate will discourage developers and publishers to try new ideas... So, like you, I also hope these immature comments and "reviews" don't affect any developer or publisher and they continue to strive for more unique games. I've had my fill of FPSs and 3rdPS a long time ago, so a new experience like this is always welcome!

[@lupefiasco653]

Fallout 76 is a 0 anyone giving this marvel a 0 is on meth and not a gamer

[@manueldiaz2686]

It's the same with 10s. Fanboys who didn't played gave a 10 to Death Stranding without even played. The game is clear that it's not to be a 0 or 10 I would be between 8 and 5 in my opinion.

[@mileswilliams4807]

I wouldn't worry too much about Kojima being discouraged to make weird games in the future. I don't think he gives a shit to be honest haha. Love him or hate him, he makes the game that he wants to make. I'm a huge MGS fan, and have a foxhound tattoo (cheesy I know.😂) so maybe I'm biased, but I'm liking Death Stranding so far. It honestly doesn't matter how good or bad something is... there's always going to be people that blindly hate/love it.

[@phaedrussocrates7636]

Well, Mass Effect is already skined Dragon Age, so Skyrim in space might also be all we get.

[@swayzone87]

Are there Death Stranding spoilers in this episode, or can I listen even though I'm just at Chapter 2?

[@Squeenix1]

Gameplay spoilers but not that many

[@Tobey93]

I absolutely adore Death Stranding. It's definitely my goty and one of my favorite games this gen. I don't think this game is a mess at all. Imo it achieves what it's trying to do.

[@FireteamYogurt]

Same. One of my favorite games this generation.

[@Jocaju3]

I know Ben tried to justified the $60 skin because the game was free and all that, but this is why we have games full of microtransactions and loot boxes, because a lot people will pay it and think is okay for one reason or another.

[@kelph228]

Here it is!

[@JayRutley]

Hmm. Oxenfree is one of the only games I got from Amazon Prime membership that I actually played all the way through. Might make After Party worth a look... or do I wait to see if it becomes free again?

[@Thwap23]

I'm feeling Death Stranding, I was kind of weary of it at first. I was still enjoying the game but I'm ashamed to say i let the reviews sway my initial impressions of it a little bit but during chapter 2 I started to settle in and am loving it.

[@patadeurso]

Interesting that an article said the audience from USA are the ones that complain alot about DS. And looking at this conversation I only see separation of gameplay and story/world elements. You cannot separate the game in that way. You have to look as a whole.

[@larsgrosse644]

I am absolutely loving this game.

[@1luarluar1]

have noticed that there are similar things to Killer 7?

[@MidnightNostalgia]

Does anyone know the spoiler/Easter Egg that Huber is referring to in the opening area of Death Stranding? Or at least a general area?

[@thenewsupermonkey122]

ConorXT a familiar looking “game over” screen appears in the background of one scene.

[@SnoopyKendall]

Question about Death Stranding. If I play it ,like, a year from now, will it have a lot of "help" scattered around the world? Or do they always try to make it kinda... I dunno, balanced? Is that the word? Will the world be littered with help from others in a year?

[@batman7827]

No, I heard Homo Demens and Timefall will stop this "litter" from expanding too much.

[@hammadkhan450]

like ian said you have to first connect each zone "ubisoft style" to the internet. Before that you have no help from other people so you get to be alone.

[@l90316]

58:46 But they said it’s a ps4 game.

[@Stealitnot]

Games should be fun. If a game isn't fun, it has failed in my eyes. If you need a gimmick to even appreciate a game, it has fundamentally failed in my eyes. I just don't get Death Stranding unless you enjoy the gameplay loop, but even then I don't get people saying it is objectively good when it has so many problems. Also, budget is absolutely not an argument. This is Playstation money, baby.

[@timecop2344]

For me fun isn't "fun" in a traditional sense. I think having a emotional experience over time can be more rewarding and fun. Best example I can think of is when I saw blade runner 2049, I thought that was a painfully slow experience and it ruined my day when I saw it, but I loved every minute of it (probably one of my favorite movies of all time, I saw it 3 more times in theaters). So it made sense to me when some reviews called it "boring and beautiful" and gave it a good score cause a gameplay experience like DS is unusual in the AAA landscape.. where you just walk. But it's also so polished in traversal mechanics it sticks to. So it's not bad, just a different experience. Just my op

[@Stealitnot]

@@timecop2344 I wouldn't equate a 2-hour movie to a game personally. Movies are such a concise way of passively translating a story whereas games generally require more thought, input, and time. My thinking is that, since you have to dedicate yourself when playing a game, you should be enjoying the experience itself or you're just wasting your time. Again, I guess it's all relative and I just don't get it.

[@timecop2344]

@@Stealitnot That's fair! DS to me is not what alot of people would want from a AAA game, so I get if it's not for you personally. Games definitely should be fun, and this won't be fun for everyone. But I'm definitely having fun with it a couple hours in, it really is down to personal tastes. After recently replaying Doom '16 it's a nice change of pace haha

[@lonewolf3314]

The mobile games are not for people having a switch is more for people not having a switch they just show the feel to entice people to buy a switch.

[@alexanderchilton911]

I might check out Death Stranding when it is cheaper and the discussion has died down. I don't think the game is for me - but I want to try it.

[@zedetach]

Kojima mentioned in an interview that he had to put in some mainstream elements in the game so as to not completely alienate is fans. I'm assuming it was combat.

[@danoschwab9937]

You didn't break out!! :O

[@Frumlock]

Hottake dual head bonk >.< L&R