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I'm not sure if this is hot take or common opinion or what not, but I really couldn't get into Death Stranding. Probably only hit 5 or 10 hours into it. Game play just wasn't good. But I felt the world was interesting. A very vague story that kept you wondering what any of this means. So I might watch the movie. Get the experience the story and not have to sit through a 40 hour slog.

I don't really see this working if Kojima isn't directing, and it seems so. I think Death Stranding is a masterpiece and works perfectly as a videogame: all the work you do as Sam has narrative weight, it's not just "shoot these people until next cutscene", you are at every moment progressing the story and it wins the all too common dissonance where story and gameplay are totally unrelated. The final scene would not hit as it does if you didn't carry all those packages yourself, and I was never once bored while doing so; gameplay itself is simply great.

We'll see. Cutting down the quite complex narrative to a fit a movie is going to hurt it and I'm dreading the required changes; there is so much in the game that a single movie can only really be a summary if it stays faithful. If done well it could still be decent though, if not as perfect as the game.

Kurohei wrote:

I'm not sure if this is hot take or common opinion or what not, but I really couldn't get into Death Stranding. Probably only hit 5 or 10 hours into it. Game play just wasn't good. But I felt the world was interesting. A very vague story that kept you wondering what any of this means. So I might watch the movie. Get the experience the story and not have to sit through a 40 hour slog.

I dunno if it's a common opinion, but the game got boring fast. I doubt the movie will interest me at all.

Kurohei wrote:

I'm not sure if this is hot take or common opinion or what not, but I really couldn't get into Death Stranding. Probably only hit 5 or 10 hours into it. Game play just wasn't good. But I felt the world was interesting. A very vague story that kept you wondering what any of this means. So I might watch the movie. Get the experience the story and not have to sit through a 40 hour slog.

I ended up watching someone stream it. Most of the stream was Just Chatting during the delivery missions so it was fun in that regard but otherwise, yeah. I don't think it's a hot take since even Kojima himself insinuated westerners were "too dumb" to enjoy Death Stranding when asked about the reception in the west.

I'm sure Kojima is happy though since it seems like he just wants to make movies and not games.

ZiharkXVI wrote:

Kurohei wrote:

I'm not sure if this is hot take or common opinion or what not, but I really couldn't get into Death Stranding. Probably only hit 5 or 10 hours into it. Game play just wasn't good. But I felt the world was interesting. A very vague story that kept you wondering what any of this means. So I might watch the movie. Get the experience the story and not have to sit through a 40 hour slog.

I dunno if it's a common opinion, but the game got boring fast. I doubt the movie will interest me at all.

I personally loved the game as did many others. It's certainly not for everyone, for the same reason Flight Simulator isn't for everyone, and there are people out there (like me) who personally don't like popular games like Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty.

Gnarth wrote:

I don't really see this working if Kojima isn't directing, and it seems so. I think Death Stranding is a masterpiece and works perfectly as a videogame: all the work you do as Sam has narrative weight, it's not just "shoot these people until next cutscene", you are at every moment progressing the story and it wins the all too common dissonance where story and gameplay are totally unrelated. The final scene would not hit as it does if you didn't carry all those packages yourself, and I was never once bored while doing so; gameplay itself is simply great.

We'll see. Cutting down the quite complex narrative to a fit a movie is going to hurt it and I'm dreading the required changes; there is so much in the game that a single movie can only really be a summary if it stays faithful. If done well it could still be decent though, if not as perfect as the game.

From what Kojima has said before, this could be an entirely different experience than a straight adaptation. It sounded like they are not actually adapting the story of the game, but rather making a unique story that could act as a companion piece beside the game and also stand on it's own. So it'll probably be some other delivery guy, and won't involve the events of the story that Sam Porter Bridges goes through. I don't know if that plan has changed, but I'm hoping it is different.

i got the shivers! wrote:

I'm sure Kojima is happy though since it seems like he just wants to make movies and not games.

That's certainly an unoriginal edgy hot take... never heard that one before...

Kojima has better game mechanics and game design than vast majority of other games out there. And actual effort and care are put into the story and cutscenes than 99% of other titles for whom story is an afterthought in search of multiplayer gamepass microtransactional skinner boxes.

Kojima's history is making games and he is still devoted to it. That he would like other studios to make a movie of his games is all well and good. Do people complain when Nintendo wants movies to be made out of Mario and Zelda??? Does Nintendo "just wants to make movies and not games" anymore?

Death Stranding was a great post-apocalyptic delivery sim. The gameplay fit the experience that he wanted to convey, and in fact it was actually not punishing enough, but let you roll about and make mistakes or even clumsily run or shoot your way out. The initial and deliberate frustration many experience goes away with the learning curve and the social-sim creation of infrastructure. There is no game like it.

What's sad is not that other people don't like it, but fail to understand that it simply didn't resonate with them because of their own personal preferences, NOT because the game itself was flawed or badly constructed. Sure, like any game, there are things that can be improved on in hindsight, but that's exactly what iterative sequels are for, and judging from the Metal Gear Solid series, Kojima knows better than most developers how to improve upon his games with each iteration.

The game was a financial success, and a sequel is coming. A24 has some great little sci-fi films. A director like Alex Garland or Robert Eggers could be awesome for an original movie in the DS universe.

Kurohei wrote:

I'm not sure if this is hot take or common opinion or what not,

From what I’ve heard it’s definitely a love it or don’t particularly like it kind of game.

I”ll see for myself when I get the chance as it’s sitting in my Epic Games Store Library.

jdnation wrote:

Kojima has better game mechanics and game design than vast majority of other games

Less not get crazy here. Maybe the Kojima of 1998 did have a strong handle on game design & mechanics but after that?

I don’t know of any video game with FPS mechanics specifically a shooter that simply used the perspective as little more than a means to better see things as opposed to being something that the entire game was or optionally could be played in. Here is Sons of Liberty with it’s FPS perspective that simply exists to make it easy to shoot enemies but does not let you move and shoot at the same time unlike most other games.

Also overdone as they’ve become I’ve never played a game with an open world that was empty and boring as Phantom Pain. Also with it’s jankily broken up mission structure carried over from portable OPs & Peace Walker that barely worked even in those games.

I honestly loved the game especially after being so skeptical of Kojima's output since the disappointment of MGSV. That said, the best parts of the game come from the experience of being able to play as Sam making deliveries in a post-apocalyptic landscape with a baby in tow. So I wonder how well that would translate in live-action.

I never got bored playing the game, but unfortunately I thought the story was mostly nonsensical gibberish and kind of wasted a lot of great unique ideas and concepts. Although I still think it has the best acting of any game ever. Kojima needs to direct or at least edit the film adaptation. I’ve often wondered why he doesn’t simply make movies since his games are mostly movies anyway (same with David cage). Plus he has a genius level ability when it comes to creating trailers and generating hype.

i got the shivers! wrote:

Kurohei wrote:

I'm not sure if this is hot take or common opinion or what not, but I really couldn't get into Death Stranding. Probably only hit 5 or 10 hours into it. Game play just wasn't good. But I felt the world was interesting. A very vague story that kept you wondering what any of this means. So I might watch the movie. Get the experience the story and not have to sit through a 40 hour slog.

I ended up watching someone stream it. Most of the stream was Just Chatting during the delivery missions so it was fun in that regard but otherwise, yeah. I don't think it's a hot take since even Kojima himself insinuated westerners were "too dumb" to enjoy Death Stranding when asked about the reception in the west.

I'm sure Kojima is happy though since it seems like he just wants to make movies and not games.

Making movies is initially what Kojima wanted to do back in the 80's before joining Konami. I mean look at his first two big games. Snatcher and Policenauts. They were essentially visual novels with mystery elements and inspired by The Terminator (Snatcher) and Lethal Weapon (Policenauts). Big Hollywood action and science fiction films were his biggest influence early on. Snatcher is definitely my all-time favorite classic game.

I feel like this might lend itself well to the live-action format.

This is the perfect fit for A24. I can definitely see this working.

russ869 wrote:

I’ve often wondered why he doesn’t simply make movies since his games are mostly movies anyway

Simple just because he can direct video games doesn’t necessarily mean he can direct direct movies.

It’s like how John Woo can direct good hard boiled crime dramas but when he started making American Action films the only good/memorable one he made was Face Off.

The idea that Kojima "wants to do movies" is just a slur the internet trolls came up with based on his ambitions from his youth and the fact that he likes Hollywood movies and incorporated those ambitions as cinematics into his games.

As a game creator he can fulfill both aspects - creating engaging gameplay AND writing stories and filming and editing cinematics with actors. And in a virtual environment that is inexpensive and easier than filming on set. If anything Hollywood is increasingly chasing game technology with virtual filmmaking and real-time game engines. Kojima was ahead of the curve!

He has stated that he will always be in the biz of making video games, and Death Stranding is the most throw-back old-school video-gamey thing he's made under the veneer of a AAA cinematic production.

Just recall all of Nintendo's old LCD Game & Watch games where you're handling boxes and other stuff. The repetitive loop is kind of the same, except in an open world.

P.T. is also a little project everyone conveniently forgets that was a horror sensation unto itself that spawned many imitators, and not because of the brilliant Silent Hill reveal at the end.

As games get more graphically realistic, it makes sense to mo-cap people with actual acting talent. And Kojima can afford to hire people he admires and wants to work with and is excited to get to work every time he wakes up. The man is living his dreams and some folks are envious. It's like people are looking for something to complain about... "He is working with famous accctoooorrrssss!!! To act in his videogames!!!! How dare he!!!!" Mad

"How dare he put long cutscenes in his games!!!" "How dare he make a game that eschews violence and have positive themes!!!" "How dare he want to try other things and not just keep making Metal Gear Solid over and over and over and over and over and over again and keep running his creation into the ground like Konami demanded for company profitsssss!" Laughing

The budgetary concerns that internet trolls have about whatever Kojima might be spending is of no concern to anyone else other than himself and his own investors, and Sony and Microsoft, and I bet you they are still far far below anything spent on Naughty Dog or Bethesda games or especially the next GAAS. Just look at what Kojima accomplished with a single room in Death Stranding or a looping hallway in P.T. and ask yourself if any of that cost anywhere whatever Bethesda spent on Starfield, or Naughty Dog must've spent on the now-cancelled Last of Us Online GAAS and compare results and ask yourself where your investment money is better spent. If you guys think Kojima's games are expensive relative to anything else, that just goes to show how impressive Kojima is at polishing the heck out of little things!

Dude is also great at viral marketing. That Game Awards OD trailer is now getting buzz because people are finding letters in Udo's mouth and other things. Sounds like it'll be something cool. Let him try new things. Why worry?

Kurohei wrote:

I'm not sure if this is hot take or common opinion or what not, but I really couldn't get into Death Stranding. Probably only hit 5 or 10 hours into it. Game play just wasn't good. But I felt the world was interesting. A very vague story that kept you wondering what any of this means. So I might watch the movie. Get the experience the story and not have to sit through a 40 hour slog.

Believe it or not, it used to be a hot debate when it originally came out. So you are not in the minority.

However, I do hope they will at least use the voice actors in the actual acting. Considering how they basically did it for the game, just in weird black skin tights.

jdnation wrote:

The budgetary concerns that internet trolls have about whatever Kojima might be spending is of no concern to anyone else other than himself and his own investors, and Sony and Microsoft, and I bet you they are still far far below anything spent on Naughty Dog or Bethesda games or especially the next GAAS. Just look at what Kojima accomplished with a single room in Death Stranding or a looping hallway in P.T. and ask yourself if any of that cost anywhere whatever Bethesda spent on Starfield, or Naughty Dog must've spent on the now-cancelled Last of Us Online GAAS and compare results and ask yourself where your investment money is better spent.

Considering how video game budgets are very rarely ever publicly known it’s hard to tell.

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NEWS: Kojima Productions, A24 Confirm Death Stranding Live-Action Adaptation