Quite the busy week with more game releases hitting our respective platforms. Here’s our round up of our weeks.
Death Stranding
I couldn’t wait any longer or put myself through Metro Exodus while this sat next to the PS4 already installed with all the updates on the console in preparation. So I made a start on 2019s most divisive game.
As of writing this up I’m just shy of 7 hours clocked, and have just completed my 7th delivery. I feel that I picked up the basic understandings of the game just around the 3 hour mark. By this point the explanation of BB, BT and Timefall (Rain). I also got to understand why disposal of corpses in a quick time period is integral. Additionally why the risk is needed to dispose of them far away from cities. Its all pretty clever and as standard in Kojima games… nuts.
Upon the first 3 hours I found the game to be incredibly cut scene heavy only completing 3 deliveries. The map of America at this point hadn’t been really touched by other players of this game. Therefore the delivery routes seemed to be routes that I created, well at least for the first 2 deliveries this is the case. During the 3rd delivery I did come across ladders and ropes which I assume were left by other players. They might well have been developed in the game as a demo of what will come once the game opens up more. But I was really cool stumbling across dropped cargo and scaling ladders that were left on routes.
Upon reaching chapter 2, I was watching another cut scene that introduced Madame President of the United States, who was a really cool cameo and put a smile on my face. Especially after Normal Reedus has had past experience with this actress in a popular AMC TV Show.
From here the world really changed on the deliveries. More ladders, post boxes, towers and ropes appear. One mission you’re tasked to sneak into a MULE area to retrieve stolen cargo. There were ropes and ladders all around this to get the cargo. I took one route that was already taken but made it a little shorter by adding a rope to scale down a large cliff rather than walk around it. Now I’m wondering if others will use my rope to get to the cargo quicker.
I’ve read that you can really go full detail on the building aspect of the game which I found surprising. Rebuilding roads apparently to make easier deliveries for which I assume will be vehicles to do deliveries.
The carrying mechanics are also really clever. Prior to each delivery choosing your load out of equipment such as ladders, ropes, tools to build towers and boots. Organising the best way to carry this as well as the cargo you are due to deliver as to ensure you have maximum stability. As you progress through your delivery and pick up more cargo, you need to continue to juggle the placement of it to keep your stability up. If you begin to wobble Sam’s motions and control become off as he veers to the left as the cargo on your back starts to tilt. To counteract hitting the right shoulder button ensures you shift the weight more central.
And stumbling down hills and over rocks with all this weight, the motion capture required to make this look as difficult and painful as can be is phenomenal.
Need I go on how good the Decima Engine is for this game? It’s undoubtedly a showpiece of what the PS4 can do when given a lot of time. If the PS4 can do this with Decima then the possibility of what Guerilla Games can do with it on the PS5 is an incredibly exciting prospect.
I went into great detail back in 2015 I believe over Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain on this site with two large feature and update posts. All I can say to summarise this actually long round-up post is that I have huge flashbacks to that game. The detail prior to each delivery reminds me of the preparation you’d go into with Snake prior to drop for mission. The Soundtrack equally has that Kojima seal of approval you’d expect. The game is incredibly divisive as evident by the over the place review scores, but for me this is shaping up as an incredible experience and I cannot shake off the similarities to Phantom Pain, which to me is absolutely fine.
– Murr
Superliminal
Last week saw the release of the super weird puzzle game Superliminal. It will mess with your head with it’s mind bending puzzles that use forced perspective to confuse the hell out of you.
Honestly it’s easier to see it in action to get a good feel for it, so I’ve put together a video showing a section fairly early on from the game.
Modern Warfare
I’m really enjoying Modern Warfare, probably more than I thought I would to be honest. I’ve spent around 17 hours in multiplayer now and love it. I’m 99% sure that Gunfight is the best game mode too. It’s an intense 2 vs 2 game mode where you fight on mall intense maps. Additionally players have mirrored loadouts that switch every few rounds. It’s super fun and my friends and I love it!
-Will
