Can you believe it’s just over three weeks until Christmas? Best get your wishlists in order if you want all those delicious games to play!
Escape From Tarkov
Escape From Tarkov has been knocking around for quite a few years now. Sure the development progress has been slow, but there has been some great stuff added to the game.
The 0.12 patch recently dropped and with that came a gear reset. What this means is that everyone basically starts again. As a result, it’s a good time to get in and start playing again. Which is exactly what I’ve been doing.
With all the updates that have been coming the game is in a really good state. Both in terms of content and its performance. Sure it isn’t perfectly smooth all the time, but the change since from when I last played is huge.
As with most shooter games I’ve been playing at the moment I have made another video on my YouTube channel from a recent session. Check that out if you’re interested in seeing what it’s like now.
-Will
Death Stranding
So, it’s official, this generation I’m confirming that Hideo Kojima is the most creative developers of all time.
I’ve been plugging at Death Stranding every night since picking it up, and as I’ve repeatedly told you my play hours dips now I’ve got a little one, so I’ve only amassed 22 hours into the game since launch 2 weeks ago. But that 22 hours has been nothing short of mind blowing.
Why did I start the intro to this small blurb gushing for Kojima? Well the last time I’ve experienced such excitement, addiction and all around awe for a game on my PS4 was in 2015 when playing The Phantom Pain. I touched up a little 2 weeks back on my adoration for that game with 2 posts detailing my time with the game. All the while I’ve been playing Death Stranding I can’t stop comparing the two games. While miles apart in terms of story there are so many similarities in the games setup. I’ll go further into this as I plan to write up more detail on my time with Death Stranding.
Time well spent
With regards to the actual game. I read so many comments that people were on chapter 3 and had been for near 50+ hours. It actually intimidated me a tad initially. Being on one chapter for so long I interpreted it as being difficult as I didn’t delve into spoilers of why they were spending so long on this chapter. As I’ve now made a huge dent into this chapter I can see why. The game just completely changes from the opening 2 chapters which I’d say take about 9 hours to progress through if solely focused on progression.
Chapter 3 is incredibly addictive for reasons not related to the main story progression. However, for all the standard orders Sam takes as well as the rebuilding of the UCA. First stumbling across a part of a new highway being built by other players online who I’ll never see in the game was surreal. When I got involved in contributing to this highway donating thousands of metal, ceramics to the cause and seeing my part of the road come to life was something else. Then upon completing deliveries and getting feedback that my contribution to the highway was getting mass likes and interaction from other players was amazing.
I wasn’t sure what this connected world was about initially. I wasn’t sure I’d want it. I’m predominately a single player gamer, and the thought that a story driven single player game would be effected with online interactions was a tad off putting. That said I’m a huge fan of it. Logging back on to see new changes to the world as we all strive to make the UCA better again with new bridges, roads and signs warning of dangers is fantastic. I love contributing to the world, I love walking in the steps of others before me that ironed out routes to take. Seeing paths develop from more use is still something I can’t wrap my head around.
Hideo Kojima, you mad man, thank you for 2 of the greatest experiences I’ve had this generation on my PS4.
– Murr
