I wasn’t a particular fan of Death Stranding. An incomparable atmosphere contrasted with an unbearably complicated story that was told in the wrong places and pathetic and narcissistic, which only annoyed me at the end. Still, I’m excited for anything Kojima comes up with because ever since Snatcher and Metal Gear Solid kicked off my shoes, I’ve just been a fan of his attention to detail and his unmistakable way of going against the grain.
Death Stranding 2
Because one thing is clear: if you try something that big, you just have to screw yourself up every now and then. In my opinion, that happens to him every second game, sometimes more, sometimes less. Considering the caliber of the ideas he touches on, that’s not a bad rate. Either way, that’s why I count the odd — 1, 3, and 5 — Metal Gear Solid titles among my absolute favorites. At their core, they revolve around simpler ideas, most notably tricking the player — very fitting for a stealth game. It’s not that I didn’t find the other parts bad, but what bothers me on the second and fourth parts is the same hand-wringing, cramped digging for deeper meaning and edginess as in Death Stranding.
Death Stranding 2
Looking at the first trailer of Death Stranding 2 now, it could be the other way around with this series. I might like the straight parts this time — hopefully. How do I get it? Well, for several reasons. We’ve already revealed the biggest character secrets and continue to follow the same characters. In addition, a real (?) baby is involved. Things that signal that this time it could be a little more human and have a clearer plot in terms of the goals of this new journey.
Death Stranding 2
Above all, however, a crystal clear reference to Metal Gear Solid made me think that my personal “MGS law” could still apply. Did you discover them too? As Fragile’s massive airship rises from the black ooze, it deliberately makes the camera look like the “head” of Metal Gear Rex, the coolest mech ever created by pop culture product, as it orbits the archaic Shinkawa-esque construct. Plus, Troy Baker’s transformed Higgs gives off massive Liquid Snake vibes. I can’t be the only one who sees this and the falling out with Konami is too long ago to be a mere middle finger to his old employer.
Death Stranding 2
No, here a creative is just getting his work back bit by bit and I can’t blame him — even if I’m surprised that Kojima, who was once so tired of sequels, voluntarily goes back into the series treadmill. I won’t complain, because as I said, whether I like the individual games in the end or not: they are never boring, comfortable or stupid. I prefer it this way than the other way around.
