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Revisiting Death Stranding After The Announcement of DS 2

The first time the formula worked. They can't repeat the same thing all over again unless they plan for mediocre reception. We connected all of America, so it would be weird if it's a barren world again. Years later, are we still going to have hologram characters and emails only?
 

RaduN

Member
The first time the formula worked. They can't repeat the same thing all over again unless they plan for mediocre reception. We connected all of America, so it would be weird if it's a barren world again. Years later, are we still going to have hologram characters and emails only?
I wouldn't worry about that. Kojima is behind some of the best sequels of all time, always massivey improving and expanding upon the previous entry.
We're good.
 

Hudo

Member
I wouldn't worry about that. Kojima is behind some of the best sequels of all time, always massivey improving and expanding upon the previous entry.
We're good.
He had one hell of a team supporting him though. I am always astonished that people seem to think that Kojima was the only competent guy who worked on the Metal Gear games. Not true.

This "auteur" shit needs to die.
 

RaduN

Member
He had one hell of a team supporting him though. I am always astonished that people seem to think that Kojima was the only competent guy who worked on the Metal Gear games. Not true.

This "auteur" shit needs to die.
No worries here either, as most of the Kojima Prod team is with him as well.
 

KOMANI

KOMANI
No worries here either, as most of the Kojima Prod team is with him as well.
no, most of the team stayed. only a third left with him. and since then, developers have left both Konami and New Koji Pro.
 
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DonJorginho

Banned
He had one hell of a team supporting him though. I am always astonished that people seem to think that Kojima was the only competent guy who worked on the Metal Gear games. Not true.

This "auteur" shit needs to die.
I swear the majority of employees with Kojima now are the exact same who worked with him at Konami?
 

KrisB

Member
Amazing game but I’ll admit I could barely understand the story. Kojima is the GOAT but the storyline’s are always needlessly convoluted.
 
He had one hell of a team supporting him though. I am always astonished that people seem to think that Kojima was the only competent guy who worked on the Metal Gear games. Not true.

This "auteur" shit needs to die.
I'm a little weirded out how much Kojima needs his name on everything but "auteur shit" is what innovates the industry. Death Stranding is probably the most innovative game of the past 5 years and Kojima developed it in 3 years while building up his own new production studio.

And Knowing Konami, the MGS franchise most likely would have been quite unimaginative without Kojima over the years. It's pretty obvious it was Kojima who was radically changing the formula from game to game. While many gamers may not like DS2, you can bet your ass it will be very different from DS1. First and foremost, Kojima wants to be viewed as someone who is pushing boundaries of what games can be
 

Killer8

Member
I suspect in DS2 that we will see more of the base building elements that were in Peace Walker and MGSV. The trailer suggests that via the Drawbridge company you will have access to a not-Metal Gear mecha ship, which no doubt will be customizable and capable of travelling across the globe. I wouldn't be surprised if we visit all sorts of locales rather than just America, since the trailer showed off vast deserts that looked like the Sahara. Then again, the first DS took a lot of liberties with how America was portrayed (apparently the country just looks like bigger Iceland according to KojPro), so those deserts could still weirdly be American.
 
He had one hell of a team supporting him though. I am always astonished that people seem to think that Kojima was the only competent guy who worked on the Metal Gear games. Not true.

This "auteur" shit needs to die.

Exactly. He is the face of the franchise just as Cliff Blezinsky was for Gears of War but one man does not come up with a story, gameplay elements, level design, music composition, and development. I always found it comical that people think its ALL Kojima. Dude watches some war movie, comes to the meeting room says this is what he wants the focus to be then 20 other people brainstorm to make it happen.
 

BootsLoader

Banned
I like Death Stranding a lot. Gameplay was top notch, the vibes, the graphics also were top notch. The story was a mixed bag, sometimes I liked it a lot, the story with Mama and Heartman, most of Cliff moments also for example. Other times the story was pure shit, like I did not understand it, many moments with Lea were like “wtf is this piece of shiet”.

But, Kojima is Kojima and I love Kojima. I don’t think that a DS2 game is necessary. There are no holes to fill, there is no story to continue.

DS is from those games that need to have only 1 installment and be remembered for its weirdness. I hope DS2 will not ruin that for me.
 

Killer8

Member
Exactly. He is the face of the franchise just as Cliff Blezinsky was for Gears of War but one man does not come up with a story, gameplay elements, level design, music composition, and development. I always found it comical that people think its ALL Kojima. Dude watches some war movie, comes to the meeting room says this is what he wants the focus to be then 20 other people brainstorm to make it happen.

He obviously has many talented people working with him on the games, but a glance at the credits for any Metal Gear or Death Stranding shows that Kojima personally does a lot. Principally, in every one of his games he is the director, producer, lead designer and writer of much of the story. There are not many games where one person fills all of these roles. In several of the games he also directs and edits cinematics, makes casting and music choices, and was in charge of the motion capture unit for Death Stranding. He also personally edits the trailers:



One man cannot do everything, there is physically not enough time, but Kojima's fingerprints are all over the games he makes, similarly to a film director. Whenever people say "I like this director's movies", I rarely ever hear a chorus of people chiming in that "ackshually there were a lot of people involved" in the same way that happens with Kojima...
 

Hudo

Member
I am not sure whether it was someone from Nintendo (in one of the interviews for Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom of Mario Wonder) or Michel Ancel or someone from Bungie. But that dude dropped a line akin to that what they release is the sum of years of work of that team and that configuration of the team. If you change that, what would come out would be different. So in that sense a game is a memento of a certain group of people in certain positions. And maybe I am biased from my own experiences but I really believe that this is true.

So if you want to celebrate him and him alone, fine by me. I don't. Let's leave it at that, I guess. Because we won't change each other's minds. And we don't need to.
 
I like Death Stranding a lot. Gameplay was top notch, the vibes, the graphics also were top notch. The story was a mixed bag, sometimes I liked it a lot, the story with Mama and Heartman, most of Cliff moments also for example. Other times the story was pure shit, like I did not understand it, many moments with Lea were like “wtf is this piece of shiet”.

But, Kojima is Kojima and I love Kojima. I don’t think that a DS2 game is necessary. There are no holes to fill, there is no story to continue.

DS is from those games that need to have only 1 installment and be remembered for its weirdness. I hope DS2 will not ruin that for me.
The story was wrapped up but the gameplay could evolve massively. So I am really interested in that regard.
 

Gojiira

Member
Okey here is what I think after playing DS for the second time. After I saw that DS got a second installment I was like “ ok now I must revisit the game, give it another chance and refresh my memory about the story “


You know when you find that song and you really like it to the point where you use it in every video and listen to it everyday everywhere rather than understanding the lyrics you just love the rhythm of the song. Yeah this is what I witnessed in Death Stranding, the game keep showing the same thing the same drama and the same way from the beginning of the “ Episodes “ till the end of it.

No doubt I enjoyed the world the mechanics and the gameplay was just so good but sad it was about only delivering and fighting cringy bosses with the cringiest lines ever. Death Stranding offered such a bad story writing , not to mention the weirdness in changing the development of the characters in many ways through out the storyline. The game wanted to use the element of surprise but they didn’t know how to do it, they wanted to make that twist but sure they failed in that.

I didn’t have any connection with any character. You can’t make a connection if there is nothing to connect to! I mean making a lot of drama scenes won’t make me feel the sadness or the joy, every time there is a scene I know it would be forced by fake emotions and lots of tense moments with no reason!

I know you willl get answers at the end of a game or a movie, but you can’t put many holes inside holes and says its “complicated story”. I’m mad because I really like the concept and wanted so hard to feel and connect to characters but this game just told you to not through out unnecessary drama and poor writing.

I think DS 2 is not a great idea if it keeps doing what they did in the first game.

What about you folks.. knowing that DS2 is coming, are you excited to continue the journey or do you have some comments?
Dont agree, The Soldiers story is one of the most emotional stories in gaming, the atmosphere to every encounter was just impeccable, then when he finally entrusts BB to you its really effecting.
Not to mention if you felt nothing during that walk to the incinerator near the end…Well sorry to say but opinion invalidated, its a beautiful moment with perfect music and atmosphere.
Now the general story up to say the half way mark, 100% agree, it takes way to long to really start delivering on impactful storytelling, Fragile is meh for sure and Higgs is only really intimidating near the end.
But in general the story is pretty good and nobody can deny its original and different. Its probably one of few if not the only Open World where the World itself is integral to the gameplay and not just a sandbox, your gear is important and unlocking new gear is actually rewarding when it makes traversal easier.

As for 2 Im super hyped, DS1 has a ton of great moments and with the way the first ends and the possibilities opened up by it, who knows what kind of game the second will be. I just want it to keep the feel of traversal, add much more interiors and more bosses and it will be stellar.
 

Klosshufvud

Member
He obviously has many talented people working with him on the games, but a glance at the credits for any Metal Gear or Death Stranding shows that Kojima personally does a lot. Principally, in every one of his games he is the director, producer, lead designer and writer of much of the story. There are not many games where one person fills all of these roles. In several of the games he also directs and edits cinematics, makes casting and music choices, and was in charge of the motion capture unit for Death Stranding. He also personally edits the trailers:



One man cannot do everything, there is physically not enough time, but Kojima's fingerprints are all over the games he makes, similarly to a film director. Whenever people say "I like this director's movies", I rarely ever hear a chorus of people chiming in that "ackshually there were a lot of people involved" in the same way that happens with Kojima...

Exactly. And you can't deny that during his supervision, KojiPro developed one of the most efficient and skilled teams in the whole industry. He may not micro-manage every detail but his leadership and directorial skills have indeed resulted in some of the best games in gaming history, and a dev team that once seemed unbeatable in the field. If Kojima's direction and producing had little importance, we would not see Konami now fumble about trying to make something out of the MGS IP.
 

Arsic

Gold Member
I’m not sure what he will do with DS2 since DS1 ended perfectly without a set up for a sequel really. Can you make one ? Sure, but it isn’t the usual clear sequel bait we see these days.

Excited to see it either way. Game will be a certified hood rat classic.
 

Luipadre

Member
Now that Alan Wake 2 is out and it delivers big fucking time this is my most anticipated game. Hopefully this will deliver too, i trust kojima, just want to see it more
 
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Luipadre

Member
I’m not sure what he will do with DS2 since DS1 ended perfectly without a set up for a sequel really. Can you make one ? Sure, but it isn’t the usual clear sequel bait we see these days.

Excited to see it either way. Game will be a certified hood rat classic.

DS2 "working title" im expecting some mind fuckery here, just wait for the TGA this year
 

mckmas8808

Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
He had one hell of a team supporting him though. I am always astonished that people seem to think that Kojima was the only competent guy who worked on the Metal Gear games. Not true.

This "auteur" shit needs to die.
The auteur shit is what brung us some of the best games, movies, and music of all time. It's okay to admit that.
 

mckmas8808

Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
Exactly. He is the face of the franchise just as Cliff Blezinsky was for Gears of War but one man does not come up with a story, gameplay elements, level design, music composition, and development. I always found it comical that people think its ALL Kojima. Dude watches some war movie, comes to the meeting room says this is what he wants the focus to be then 20 other people brainstorm to make it happen.

This is 100% a lie. Stop hating on another man. It makes you look weak.
 

Caffeine

Member
im still under the impression that the 2nd game will drop the mail man gameplay, It will focus more on action and combat.
 

RaduN

Member
Exactly. He is the face of the franchise just as Cliff Blezinsky was for Gears of War but one man does not come up with a story, gameplay elements, level design, music composition, and development. I always found it comical that people think its ALL Kojima. Dude watches some war movie, comes to the meeting room says this is what he wants the focus to be then 20 other people brainstorm to make it happen.
This is a pretty ignorant post tbh.

It's enough to actually take a moment and watch the credits for any Kojima game, to see that he is credited with:
- producing
- directing
- story by
- written by
- planning
- design
- mo-cap directing
- japanese (obviously) VA directing
- cutscene editing
- for Christ sake, he even edits the trailers all by himself.
I really struggle to find a more involved game creator, or movie/tv one for that matter. Maybe Cameron...maybe.
 

Little Mac

Gold Member
i'm somewhat of the same opinion. Really liked the gameplay, as well as the whole atmosphere/vibes it had.

But the story and writing just weren't good. Can't say i'm really interested in a sequel.

Ever play Metal Gear? He excels at gameplay, but his writing? Kojima shouldn't be allowed to write his own name let alone a videogame story.

 
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SteadyEvo

Member
The story was solid the first 1/2 or so then goes off the rails. Loved travel from point a to b. There’s something satisfying and relaxing about traversal. That said, game took me over 70 hours to complete and as much as I enjoyed it, there’s no way I’d ever play it again.
 

Guilty_AI

Member
Ever play Metal Gear? He excels at gameplay, but his writing? Kojima shouldn't be allowed to write his own name let alone a videogame story.


His and his team's writing style uses tons of exposition and scenario building. Metal gear was interesting because that kind of writing resonates well with fictional-politics and fictional-warfare.

But with sci-fi bordering on fantasy? Its plain boring.
 

JayK47

Member
Ha. I just had to do an URGENT mission. To deliver pizza. Funny. At least now I have access to several weapons and a bike.
 
This is a pretty ignorant post tbh.

It's enough to actually take a moment and watch the credits for any Kojima game, to see that he is credited with:
- producing
- directing
- story by
- written by
- planning
- design
- mo-cap directing
- japanese (obviously) VA directing
- cutscene editing
- for Christ sake, he even edits the trailers all by himself.
I really struggle to find a more involved game creator, or movie/tv one for that matter. Maybe Cameron...maybe.

So if he does ALL that, what the fuck do the other 300 members do? Jesus, the amount of Kojima cum in some of your mouths is astonishing. Here's just an example for MGS3 (I'm not gonna go through every MGS wikipedia). As I said, others do the heavy lifting he is a "story planner". Everyone else writes the elaborate dialogue, codec messages, and file manuscripts. Kojima cant even speak English, he isn't capable of writing heavy-duty deep dialogue. Even the directing, most of his MGS games he is a co-director meaning another person does it with him. You have all this free info on Wikipedia, sorry to burst your imagination.

wPzXvJj.png
 
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RaduN

Member
So if he does ALL that, what the fuck do the other 300 members do? Jesus, the amount of Kojima cum in some of your mouths is astonishing. Here's just an example for MGS3 (I'm not gonna go through every MGS wikipedia). As I said, others do the heavy lifting he is a "story planner". Everyone else writes the elaborate dialogue, codec messages, and file manuscripts. Kojima cant even speak English, he isn't capable of writing heavy-duty deep dialogue. Even the directing, most of his MGS games he is a co-director meaning another person does it with him. You have all this free info on Wikipedia, sorry to burst your imagination.

wPzXvJj.png
As i said, watch the actual game credits, not some site. And stop acting like a fucking retard.
 
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