With all of the mixed responses to Death Stranding being released, including those bias for or against Hideo Kojima’s work, it seems there is a mass misunderstanding in being able to differentiate the difference between respecting the work of the creator and respecting the creation itself. By this, I mean that there are those that love Death Stranding mainly because it is a Kojima Production title and there are those that dislike Death Stranding mainly because they expected something more, or different, than what they got from the game. Due to the controversy between Kojima and Konami, along with the history of amazing work from Kojima in the Metal Gear Solid series, many have viewed the launch of Death Stranding as more than simply a new studios first feature title when that is, in fact, all it is.
Now, before we continue here, I do want to say that I have always been on Kojima’s side of the controversy. I am also a huge fan of both the Metal Gear Solid and Silent Hill series, so pretty much everything thing that related to the game industry icon in the last decade or so has affected me in a way to where I had an opinion on the matter. Enough to continue to divulge into current coverage of breakdowns, such as this one for Silent Hills.
The point of what I am trying to say is ultimately this: Never look at a title coming from a new company, regardless of the industry titans behind it, and expect it to be any one way or another. Confusing trailers is something that Kojima is known to create with his creative stories and odd concepts that make us want more. This, however, is simply the work of creative marketing that gets people talking about the game and building hype around it.
The downside of this tactic is that many end up speculating and getting ideas that either can’t or won’t be met. Something as simple as the thought, “well, if this is all he is showing and there is only some action, he must be hiding some of the more tactical aspects.” Then there are the rumors that spread about the game, such as it having some kind of tie in with another series he created. Unfortunately, speculations and rumors get people talking about the game but end up hurting the product when people see that it is a project of its own creation and the start of something brand new rather than connecting to a series they already love.
It’s no secret that people love tie-in’s and believing that some big corporation can’t take away a series they love, despite holding all the rights to it, if the creator is still working in the same industry. Even if some of the format is changed, all people want sometimes is to see their favorite character return to action or for the storyline to continue in one way or another. I would say the latest God of War title is the biggest example of this as it strays away from Greek Mythology, switches to Norse Mythology, and the hack ‘n’ slash style the old games were replaced with a new overall combat style that could still, arguably, be considered hack ‘n’ slash.
Kojima is undoubtedly an amazing game developer and his new studio is going to be pushing out some amazing titles. A new AAA titan has emerged and their first game has been released. However, it is important to keep in mind the difference between respecting the creator for his work and respecting the creation itself.
I am still working on my own review for Death Stranding as I wasn’t lucky enough to get a code, but I did end up pre-ordering it myself. So far, it is exactly as I expected it to be and I am having fun with it. I look forward to giving a full, honest opinion on the game soon with all my bias put to the side and my breakdown focused on the game itself - regardless of who the developer is. This is the same attitude I approach all games with when I review them and is something that, I felt, needed to be brought to the attention of my fellow gamers.
