Reviews are trickling in for legendary game creator Hideo Kojima’s latest title,Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, and the reception is almost universally positive, even though the game does not quite meet the lofty expectations set by some of Kojima’s prior work. Earlier this year, Kojima stated that internal players were alreadyenjoying the game more than its predecessor, and it seems the general critic audience is now in agreement with Kojima’s previous claims.
According toMetacritic,Death Stranding 2, as of this writing,is sitting at metascore of 90, making it one of the best-reviewed games of the year, and is also sitting quite a bit higher than the firstDeath StrandingonMetacritic, which has an 82 metascore. However, it is also slightly trailing other games by Kojima, such asMetal Gear Solid 3: Snake EaterandMetal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.
How Does 90 Compare To Other Kojima Games?
Death Stranding 2 Is Impressing Critics
A 90 is an impressive score, comparable to most of Kojima’s previous work,but the game is slightly behind some of Kojima’s other work.Snake EaterandGuns of the Patriotshave metascores of 91 and 94, respectively. Kojima’s lastMetal Geargame,Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, has a metascore of 93, so it is trailing several of the iconicMetal Gear Solidgame scoreson the site, overall.
Still, a 90 is nothing to scoff at. And it’s alsoa big improvement over its predecessor. Most critics seem to be praising the game’s story, its graphics, its emotional weight, its unique Kojima style, and its improvements over its predecessor, like refined combat mechanics. Fans willneed to play the firstDeath Stranding, though, before hopping in, as the game is a direct follow-up to the original and assumes the player has prior knowledge of Sam and his journey across a post-apocalyptic America on a mission to reconnect the world.
Death Stranding 2 Is A GOTY Contender
A Triumphant Success For Kojima And Fans
Death Stranding 2is standing tall with the rest of Kojima’s lengthy body of video game work, and the game has become an almost instant Game of the Year contender. InScreen Rant’s review ofDeath Stranding 2, our writer gave the game a perfect score and wrote:“Visionary writer and director Hideo Kojima’s idiosyncrasies are here in force, resulting ina game so genuine and earnest that it’s hard not to fall for its romanticism.”
Even ifDeath Stranding 2doesn’t quite hit the highs of some of theMetal Gear Solidtitles, it seems like the game is an improvement over the first one in virtually every way.Death Strandinghad amazing, quirky, very Kojima ideas, and its unique gameplay loop and story made it a fan favorite, even if the game became quite polarizing. This time, however, it seemsDeath Stranding 2: On the Beachhas refined what made the original game great, and it’s a game that will likely be remembered for years to come.
