Our 35-odd hours with Death Stranding 2, the latest action-adventure title from Kojima Productions starring a package-delivering and gun-toting Norman Reedus travelling in post-apocalyptic Australia, is proof that hard work and perseverance pay off.
Hideo Kojima has been making games since the 80s, and has found a way to get himself and his chosen team mainstream recognition.
Yet, on the other side of this coin, you will get universal praise no matter what you do or where you go. A few weeks ago, Hideo said that after getting mostly positive reviews of his game’s beta builds, he was disappointed he wasn’t divisive enough with his approach and design.
Kojima Productions and its esteemed director are in a rare place in the video games industry where they cannot do any wrong regardless of critic scores. His titles will be universally praised no matter what genre he flip-flops to. He works with publishers who don’t mind spending more money than they should on marketing and advertising, because he is a legacy name in game history.
Both developers and publishers are in an industry where the better half of the media act as second-hand public relations agencies and sycophants who believe their audience think anything below a 7/10 is a terrible product.
The sad part is that this has cultivated and encouraged a lack of understanding in basic mathematics and critical thinking for so many years that it’s hard to go back.
If Kojima and company wish to get a divisive response out of both critics and players, they should make something outside the norm – like a turn-based strategy title or a short visual novel that costs US$80.
Short Beats
PlayStation Malaysia is responsible for helping put together Kojima Productions’ Death Stranding 2.
PlayStation will still not release first-party games on PS Plus on day one. Its current plan of adding first-party games after 12 to 18 months is “working really well” for the company.
Famous all-ages golf game Everybody’s Golf: Hot Shots will be out on September 5 on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
RPG adventure title Digimon Story Time Stranger will be out on October 2 for PC, Xbox Series, and PlayStation 5.
Op-Ed
We point out the various cameos in Death Stranding 2, ranging from Korean actor Don Lee to famous VTuber Usada Pekora.
Games Out This Week
Death Stranding 2 is a PlayStation 5-exclusive action-adventure open-world game where you play Sam Bridges (Norman Reedus), a porter and delivery man who must connect the whole of Australia using a special network.
He has to bring packages and equipment on time to clients, fight off ghosts using stealth and guns, and go through a plot filled with intrigue and sci-fi out-of-this-world mysteries.
Ruffy and the Riverside is a 3D platformer where you play a bear-and-bee tag team combo. You wield the magic SWAP to copy and paste textures – turn ice into lava or waterfalls into vines. Explore, fight, skate on straw bales, and unleash your imagination in this quirky open-world action game.
Outrider Mako is a top-down 2D action-adventure title where you’re a girl stuck in a demon fantasy realm, delivering packages and fighting off rival enemies using the power of goo.
Umamusume: Pretty Derby is a new Cygames mobile title for iOS and Android where you play a coach training horse girls to race for glory.
Rift of the Necrodancer has now added Hololive Music Pack DLC to its list of songs, available right now for PC and Nintendo Switch.
Filipino-made adventure game Until Then is out for Nintendo Switch.
Recommended Viewing
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