🚨 This Kojima Sequel With a 96 Metacritic Score Puts Death Stranding 2 To Shame 🚨
🎮 A Kojima sequel just rocked the gaming world with an incredible 96 Metacritic score, and fans are saying it *blows Death Stranding 2 out of the water. 😱 What makes this game so special, and why is it stealing the spotlight?

2019’s Death Stranding was the first original Hideo Kojima game since Policenauts back in 1994. It was fresh and felt like an entirely new genre, so it was exciting to see how the formula would evolve in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. Kojima’s last high-profile second installment was Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, one of the best video game sequels of all time.

MGS 2 was bold, took massive risks, and heavily improved all aspects of gameplay. Death Stranding 2, on the other hand, frankly, doesn’t feel like a Kojima game until the last third. It still has the incredible, seemingly real graphics Kojima Productions is known for, but it plays things way too safe, and compared to Metal Gear Solid 2, which was a once-in-a-lifetime sequel, Death Stranding 2 isn’t on the same level.

Death Stranding 2 Is An Uncharacteristically Safe Sequel

Doesn’t Entirely Change The Game

For the first two-thirds of Death Stranding 2, I was shocked by how similar it was to the original. Some were upset over this controversial part of Death Stranding 2, being an expansion upon what was done in the first game, but that’s not the exact issue I have here. It’s completely fine if Death Stranding 2 is the first game again, but heavily improved, but I would argue it’s not.

DS2 should have beefed up the human enemies, like Cyberpunk 2077, being able to hack into Sam, but they’re still lacking in abilities.

Since Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, Kojima’s games have had the same issue, where it gives you so many tools to play with, but there’s always one dominant strategy that trumps all the others. For Death Stranding 2, I expected more tools to play with, but I also expected Kojima to balance the tools available better, so that you’re forced to switch up strategies based on the current situation.

Games by Tomonobu Itagaki do a great job of this by forcing players to get out of their comfort zone, such as the many easy strategies that won’t work anymore once you play the higher difficulties in Ninja Gaiden Black. Death Stranding 2 fails to accomplish this. The same truck problem in Death Stranding 1 persists in Death Stranding 2, and it’s even worse. I’m currently grinding to max out all 42 facilities, and around 90 percent of my current playtime is spent in the Pickup Off-Roader, as it’s still the most efficient way to navigate the map.

Driving through BTs used to be an issue in Death Stranding 1, as you’d often get thrown out of your car, but if you go full speed ahead in DS2, the BTs won’t be able to touch you. Sure, reviews have noted the combat improvements, but you can still machine gun blast for headshots the entire game, with no incentive to switch that strategy. DS2 should have beefed up the human enemies, like Cyberpunk 2077, being able to hack into Sam, but they’re still lacking in abilities. When compared to Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid 2, it’s a no-contest.

Metal Gear Solid 2 Was The Exact Opposite

A Title That Completely Flipped The Script

Looking back, it’s remarkable that Metal Gear Solid 2 came out as it did, with Hideo Kojima mostly retaining full creative control. MGS2 seemed like it was made to anger fans, intentionally giving them a small taste of what they want with the Tanker section, then taking it away with the introduction of Raiden, who you play as for the rest of the title. The story was absolutely wild, with important themes that became relevant years later, and the ending is so mind-blowing that Kojima has never topped it.

Metal Gear Solid 2 is about as risky a sequel as you could get, but, most importantly, the gameplay was in an entirely different ball park compared to its predecessor. The stealth action gameplay improved significantly with the new movement and shooting controls. MGS2 demands to be played with the radar off, as sneaking around using only sound, first-person, and leaning around corners results in a far better stealth experience.

First-person shooting was a game-changer, and while it took a while to get used to, once it clicked, the combat felt incredible. The boss fights are also some of the best on the PlayStation 2. When played on Extreme difficulty, they test your skills to the limit. Metal Gear Solid 2 has to be the hardest Kojima game to 100% complete, but finally getting that Big Boss rating, stitching together a perfect run, feels amazing and a big accomplishment. Death Stranding 2 just does not have that level of improvement, and it’s unbelievably safe coming from Kojima.

Much Of Death Stranding 2 Doesn’t Feel Like A Kojima Game

This Isn’t The Kojima I Remembered

Throughout the majority of Death Stranding 2, I was so perplexed at why Kojima would essentially make the same game again, but bigger and with more tools to play with, while most of my issues concerning the original weren’t addressed. Besides a few cutscenes, Death Stranding 2 didn’t feel like a Kojima game for the first nine chapters. This is a developer known for twists, game-changing elements, pushing boundaries, flipping the script of what you thought, and Death Stranding 2 plays exactly like the first one, with no surprises to be found.

Where are the shocking, curveball, mind-blowing elements that I expect from Kojima?

That said, once chapter nine ends, the game gets really good, and it’s a vast improvement over the ending sections of DS1. I was often bored for most of the game, but you’ll be hooked to the end once chapter 10 starts. The pacing, gameplay, and plot revelations all work significantly better than DS1, and the ending portions of that title were my least favorite aspect. This is an area where DS2 undoubtedly improves upon, with an incredible, action-packed finale that lives and breathes Kojima.

It’s a shame that the rest of the game didn’t follow suit. Most single-player titles reserve the best stuff for last, and while I think it saved the game for me, it’s a disappointing Kojima project considering the developer’s past work. I’m currently grinding for the Platinum trophy, but I’m still baffled by this game. Where are the shocking, curveball, mind-blowing elements that I expect from Kojima? It’s just not present in Death Stranding 2, for the most part.