Hideo Kojima sits down with IGN to explain Norman Reedus Eats a Fetus - Sensationalist Headlines

[quote]As Kojima spoke of the way a vast majority of games treat the concepts of life, death, and mortality, it was clear that Death Stranding was aiming to eschew this tradition. “One of the themes of this game is life and death. So I want people to realize that when they die in the game, that isn’t the end.” Partway through the latest clip from Death Stranding, Sam (played by Norman Reedus) watches as an explosion engulfs the giant, Lovecraftian-kaiju that projects through the fog. Suddenly we see an upside-down world submerged in water, where Sam exists among the flotsam and jetsam of the universe around him. From the sound of it, this is where Sam, and the player, go every time they die. But don’t make the mistake of calling this “game over.” When you die in Death Stranding, you’re transported to this purgatory, where you’re free to explore in first-person. Because of some mysterious “unique” abilities Sam possesses, you can wander outside of your body, recovering items among other things. As Kojima explains, “At that point, you’re not dead or alive. It’s the equivalent of that screen that says ‘Continue?’ and a counter ticking down towards zero.” From what Kojima told us, here's how it sounds -- when you’re ready to return to the world of the living, you can get back into your body. However, unlike most games which set you back to a point before you died, Death Stranding acknowledges your defeat, and seems to even embrace it. You’re transported back to the world after your death -- like in Dark Souls or roguelikes -- where your actions maintain an aura of persistence. The mechanic of “dying” is ubiquitous in video games, but it sounds as though Kojima is implementing systems inspired by purgatory and reincarnation as well. "So as you saw in the trailer, you saw the crater, and when you come back, it’s still there. Most games would’ve taken you back to before the crater was made. So depending on the player, you might have a lot of craters all over the place -- depends on each player." “Death will never pull you out of the game,” Kojima firmly stated.[/quote] [quote]That rain, which is not of this world, is called “Timefall,” and it is an integral part of Death Stranding’s story and lore. So how does this affect Norman Reedus’ Sam? As Kojima explains, “Most people in the game are aware of the rain -- and well, Norman is quite unique in this regard… I think I should stop there. I’m spilling the beans.” When we asked if this Timefall had anything to do with the recurring motif of Sam crying, Kojima joked, “…the tears…that’s really only because he’s sad right now.”[/quote] [quote]From the newest trailer, it seems like the baby is more than just a plot device. As Kojima explained, “The baby relates to game mechanics as well as the story as a whole.” It seemed like the shoulder-mounted robotic arms attached to Sam and his Corpse Disposal Team 6 pals sparked to life when that person came in possession of the baby. And like the baby, it seems like the mechanical arm is going to play an integral part in Death Stranding. We asked Kojima if the robot had a name (of course it does) and if he would be willing to tell us the name now (of course he isn’t).[/quote] [quote]“Most of your tools in action games are sticks,” Kojima continued. “You punch or you shoot or you kick. The communication is always through these ‘sticks.’ In [Death Stranding], I want people to be connected not through sticks, but through what would be the equivalent of ropes… But of course you will be able to use the sticks too.”[/quote] [quote]“A lot of people have been telling me, ‘You’re crazy like Stanley Kubrick...like David Lynch,’ and I’m honored, but these are all elements that play into the game design, and they do come together and they’re in line.” “Everything makes sense. Everything will come together.”[/quote] [url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/12/11/kojima-explains-death-stranding-gameplay-and-lore]IGN[/url]

is strangling somebody with a piano-wire considered the use of a rope or a stick

[QUOTE]“You punch or you shoot or you kick. The communication is always through these ‘sticks.’ In [Death Stranding], I want people to be connected not through sticks, but through what would be the equivalent of ropes… But of course you will be able to use the sticks too.”[/QUOTE] I have NO idea what the fuck is going on.

[quote]In the most recent trailer, you might’ve noticed a mystical, unnerving rain that seems to have the ability to manipulate time. It makes plants grow and wilt the second a droplet hits them, and it makes a human body age and deteriorate in a matter of seconds[/quote] Yo this is pretty important, it explains why the trapped guy was aging

I can't wait to play the fuck out of this movie, over and over.

I've seen from a few people they are having difficulty loading the page, so here's one more part. [quote]But that wasn’t all that troubled him this year. In a surprising moment of honesty and vulnerability, he explained how a rabid fanbase armed with the megaphone of social media can be a double-edged sword. "I’ve been reading a lot on the internet of people saying I’ve spent the last year just traveling around and having fun. A lot of people saying I’m wasting time and money. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.” It was clear that this weighed heavy on his shoulders. “We’re waiting for the right moment to show gameplay, but right now we’re on track with the project.”[/quote]

[QUOTE]“Everything makes sense. Everything will come together.”[/QUOTE] Death Stranding confirmed for MGSV Chapter 3. /s I honestly don't even care if Death Stranding ends up being mediocre, Kojima's ruse cruises are half the fun.

I have no idea what Kojima is feeding us, but I will continue to blindly eat it because it is oh so delicious.

Gonna have a crack at interpreting some of this: What if his "ropes" are a means of connecting two players together? Is it partially alluding to Madds and his spooky bois in the second trailer? They were connected with some kind of rope or cord. Perhaps, two players end up being bound and have some kind of symbiosis?

It's quite good that a seemingly nonsense trailer is actually showing off a few of the core gameplay features but a lot of people just thought it was weird for the sake of being weird.

I haven't played a single Kojima game except for half of MGS1, but Death Stranding is so cool I think I want to be a fan.

I mean i love Kojima's work but i want to see actual gameplay. "But you should know that his works is 90% cutscenes" And that's fine but i'm really itching to see the game's mechanics and flow.

I feel like I had a better understand before I read Kojimas explanation

[QUOTE=Zotobom;52967426]I have NO idea what the fuck is going on.[/QUOTE] hes explaining that a stick is a thing that a person uses to keep themselves away from bad things. action games are full of weapons/mechanics that keep you away from bad things. Guns/Blades/Explosions/Etc. Ropes are things to keep important things to you. This would be like a thing that causes a co-op mechanic in a game or keeps people together. Left 4 Dead you can heal friends with health kits or pick people up when they are down. Journey has you meet a random person and do stuff with them throughout the entire game. Destiny has public events which puts random people together to complete a objective. He wants people to be connected through co-op, not forced violence. Don't hurt the people/players you meet along the way. You can but that doesnt have to happen.

The buildup thus far has been perfect, and even not knowing this information would have been fine for me, because I would be able to unravel the mysteries of the game on my own. Probably why I stopped reading at the [sp]Timefall[/sp] stuff. I appreciate them holding off on gameplay for now too, because the tone and setting are now in place, all we need now is the experience.

Norman Reedus eats a feedus

[QUOTE=little.sparrow;52967528]Gonna have a crack at interpreting some of this: What if his "ropes" are a means of connecting two players together? Is it partially alluding to Madds and his spooky bois in the second trailer? They were connected with some kind of rope or cord. Perhaps, two players end up being bound and have some kind of symbiosis?[/QUOTE] It's hard to tell with how vague he is being but usually I would interpret ropes as being building relationships that metaphorically tie characters together. That does sort of change when he has shown Mads controlling a bunch of skeletons with literal ropes though, so it might just mean that.

[QUOTE=Takuat;52967439]Yo this is pretty important, it explains why the trapped guy was aging[/QUOTE] So then why the whole cover your mouth bit? From that impression, I got the feeling it was a fog/gas that they were trying to not breathe in. Also, all of the Death Stranding trailers sync with each other now, down to the exact second [video=youtube;VGkFFDasTkQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGkFFDasTkQ[/video] My theory Trailer 1 and trailer 3 are both outcomes of the same scenario. Also, maybe the game takes place in different timelines and you die at certain points to transfer yourself between timelines?

[quote]"So as you saw in the trailer, you saw the crater, and when you come back, it’s still there. Most games would’ve taken you back to before the crater was made. So depending on the player, you might have a lot of craters all over the place -- depends on each player."[/quote] That is fugin cool.

[QUOTE=Svinnik;52967584]So then why the whole cover your mouth bit? From that impression, I got the feeling it was a fog/gas that they were trying to not breathe in. [/QUOTE] I thought they were only covering their mouths to avoid being heard by invisomonsters?

[QUOTE=Wii60;52967568]hes explaining that a stick is a thing that a person uses to keep themselves away from bad things. action games are full of weapons/mechanics that keep you away from bad things. Guns/Blades/Explosions/Etc. Ropes are things to keep important things to you. This would be like a thing that causes a co-op mechanic in a game or keeps people together. Left 4 Dead you can heal friends with health kits or pick people up when they are down. Journey has you meet a random person and do stuff with them throughout the entire game. Destiny has public events which puts random people together to complete a objective. He wants people to be connected through co-op, not forced violence. Don't hurt the people/players you meet along the way. You can but that doesnt have to happen.[/QUOTE] Given that line about death putting you in a sort of "purgatory" that Sam can recover items among "other things", maybe the other things are people. Maybe that's why they are less afraid to die, perhaps Sam can "tie a rope" onto them and bring them back with him. But getting consumed by those monsters takes them out of sam's reach. Like Wilson drifting away in Castaway.

tbh there are more and more games using death as a mechanic and its really interesting

[QUOTE=Svinnik;52967584]So then why the whole cover your mouth bit? From that impression, I got the feeling it was a fog/gas that they were trying to not breathe in. Also, all of the Death Stranding trailers sync with each other now, down to the exact second [video=youtube;VGkFFDasTkQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGkFFDasTkQ[/video] My theory Trailer 1 and trailer 3 are both outcomes of the same scenario. Also, maybe the game takes place in different timelines and you die at certain points to transfer yourself between timelines?[/QUOTE] Well, Reedus's character was like "Shut up, don't even breathe". So they were trying to be quiet, most like. And it was only when trapped guy cried out in pain that he was attacked by whatever was stalking them.

[QUOTE=Rummy.SM;52967554]I mean i love Kojima's work but i want to see actual gameplay. "But you should know that his works is 90% cutscenes" And that's fine but i'm really itching to see the game's mechanics and flow.[/QUOTE] Lately he's been really downsizing Cutscenes.

That purgatory mechanic explains why that guy was trying so hard to kill himself, he could just respawn after the giant exploded

[QUOTE=d00msdaydan;52967730]That purgatory mechanic explains why that guy was trying so hard to kill himself, he could just respawn after the giant exploded[/QUOTE] Question is if it only applies to the protagonist, or if it really is something that all people can technically 'respawn'. If everyone could respawn, then that'd mean people are terrified as all hell of entities that can legitimately end their lives for good and that they can do just about nothing against.

[QUOTE=AaronM202;52967729]Lately he's been really downsizing Cutscenes.[/QUOTE] Yeah, both Peace Walker and MGSV had a much bigger emphasis on the gameplay over cutscenes and most of the story was delivered through tapes in both of those games.

Oh wow, the title of the game makes sense now Death strands you in purgatory [in a sense]

[QUOTE=d00msdaydan;52967730]That purgatory mechanic explains why that guy was trying so hard to kill himself, he could just respawn after the giant exploded[/QUOTE] Kojima was saying the player has special abilities, I think purgatory and respawning is unique to him. The scene is a lot more powerful when the implication is that the beings capturing you is a worse fate than death. Another alternative is being killed by the being removes your ability to enter purgatory and respawn, but then this wouldn't make sense from a gameplay perspective if the player is killed by one of the beings. Another reason I don't think this is the case is because the guy takes his time to kill the guy being dragged off. The shot mattered and he was ending a life hence his delay and precision. If everyone just respawned it wouldn't have as much gravity to either person. I think only Norman respawns and I think being captured alive is somehow a fate worse than death.

I still get the feeling that "ropes" means combat is going to focus on having "pawns" like Dragon's Dogma or you get buffs by building up pawns or other players. Damn I really don't want to spend money on PSN just to get the full experience in one game. I wish I could do like a one time $10 fee to activate MP in a single game