Recent reviews by leftcoastfunk

Game is decently fun for a few minutes, but the constant thieves - and the fact that chasing after them gets you SO far behind with your regular shoppers - is a total bummer. Management games like this need to have the ability to hire staff to automate certain tasks for you. No retail store could possibly grow any larger than you do in the first couple weeks without hiring staff due to all the multi-tasking with inventory management, customers, thieves, shipping orders, etc you end up dealing with

Might be fun someday, but imho it's nowhere near ready for actual release

Well, I feel like rating this negatively would be pointless since it's literally free. If this ever costs money though, I would NOT recommend it. Beat the game in less than half an hour without even really paying attention. Are you just bored, need to exercise your clicker finger a little bit, and need to waste a half hour while you do laundry or something? Then sure, why not give it a go. Otherwise, you're not gonna touch it again

Edit: I played for 13 more seconds to get the two achievements I somehow missed the first time

Played a video game inside a video game

Smacked Michael Jordan in Morrowind

Prevailed

Roasted Hideo Kojima in the future

Died

10/10

Disclaimer: I imported my PC GamePass save at around 200 hours played, so my play time is much higher than my Steam profile thinks it is

NMS is one of those games that I've known about since before launch, but never picked up. After it released all I could think is "boy I'm glad I dodged that bullet". I've followed the game casually throughout the years as Hello Games traversed their redemption arc and more. Finally, after the Worlds part 1 update and realizing it was included on PC GamePass, I finally decided to give it a try....and I think I put in that first 120 hours in the first week and a half! It's *that* good. Sure it's a certain play style that not everyone will enjoy. And thematically well not everyone wants to be an astronaut. All I can say is that if you're reading this you're at least familiar with the game and have been wondering if you should give it a shot - and I say go for it! Especially if it's on sale, but honestly even if it's not. If you think you might like it, you probably will. If you think you'll hate it, why are you even here right now?

I played five minutes too long, oh well

Yep, I've only played a couple hours so far, but I feel the need to put my comments in to combat the ridiculous review-bombing that's already going on. Honestly and truthfully, I'm already in love! This game is so much better looking on a bad day than CS1 was on a good day (and I play with 120mods & 10k assets). Seriously, I've already caught myself twice just staring at the screen during sunset, and just zooming around the map looking around cause it looks so good! Can't wait to see what this becomes

For context, yes I have higher-than-average specs, but certainly not beastly: 12700k & 3080ti both with modest overclock, 128gb RAM, 38" ultrawide (3840x1600)
Yes, I "only" get 40 fps, but it's a smooth 40fps. In CS1 the game would freeze for a second or two just from opening the road toolbar and such

Is the game perfect? No
Is the game done? No
Is the game well optimized? No
Do you need more than 20-40 fps to plop down roads and make flat spots in your terrain? No
Do I already wish we had mods available? Yes* (but I will say that the starting point is SO much higher than in CS1. I'm actually enjoying vanilla for the first time ever)

Am I loving every second of it so far? YES!!!!!

Obviously, I'm just getting well into my first settlement with only 13 hours of gameplay, so keep that in mind as you read...

So far what I can see is a pretty rewarding little colony/settlement builder with a lot of cool features. It feels polished enough that *most* of the time playing you will forget it's Early Access though! The rest of the time, you get slightly frustrated for a second, then realize this game is still EA with what seems like active, dedicated devs

Yes there are a few bugs Yes there are a few QoL things that can be improved. Yes there are a few balance issues. Yes there are some things that don't make sense, or some things that would nice if they were a little bit different...

A quick browse of the community discussions assures me that most of the things I wish could be different/better/re-balanced are already being looked into by the devs

Honestly, I think it's worth pickup up now since it's really fun as-is, and I know it'll only get better over time!

I unfortunately can't recommend this game, not on Steam. To be clear, this is an amazing game and my favorite in the franchise. I've been playing these games since HD first came out!

However, this release was incomplete at best, missing the DLCs that - yes, came out before this port to PC. In addition, the way they essentially force you to complete tracks in *both* Evolution and HD in order earn enough medals to progress is lazy and inappropriate. Why would the progression in one game be linked to playing old tracks that were ported from a completely different game?!?!

Lastly, if we talk about marketing, they state "will contain all the content of the original....Trials Evolution". Ambiguous at best, this will lead many gamers to assume that it has the DLC content too since it was all available before this was released

First of all, if you've played Death Stranding fewer than 50 hours or so, you have no real concept of what this game is about and I can only take your review with a cautious grain of salt. Second, if you plowed through and *finished* the game in that little amount of time, ditto. At almost 180 hours I haven't even finished the game yet, but I also don't feel like I "need" to anytime soon!

It has been years since I've played a game I want to complete (as in 100% complete). Years since I've played a game that made me come back day after day only to purposely NOT progress the story further. Longer than I can remember since I've played a game that made me just want to turn all the lights off and enjoy the scenery and atmosphere all while also completing super-mundane tasks. The story, the scenery, the music, the whole package just makes me not want it to end. That is what Death Stranding can do to & for you if you are willing to give it your time, patience, and respect in return.

I'll admit that it's not for everybody. If you are someone who enjoys instant gratification and fast-paced games, simply move on to another game. If you enjoy a very well-developed, if not super confusing and convoluted at times story (I mean, it's Hideo Kojima, what do you expect?!), this is for you. If you enjoy games with absolutely gorgeous graphics, dramatic landscapes, and breathtaking vistas with a touch of intrigue and creepiness, this is for you. If you enjoy being able to just sit back and enjoy the flow, then occasionally be drawn into actually quite interesting fights with a super creepy feel (or possibly some non-fights for all you MGS fans who always snuck their way stealthily past the guards rather than taking them out), this is for you.

Honestly, as so many others have said, it's actually quite difficult to define this game. Is it a walking simulator? Sure, I won't deny that. Every now and then I get a little annoyed at a delivery task I need to, or *should* do. But then it's also so so soooooo much more than that. If you won't give it the time, and you don't have the patience, you won't ever be able to appreciate what this game is. Don't believe me? Look at the typical hours played of positive versus negative reviews. Barely 30% of players even made it through Episode 3 (there are 14 total, plus the Prologue) which honestly is about where I felt like I was just finally getting into the "meat" of the game!!! Yes, Death Stranding starts VERY slow, which is what turns a lot of players away. However, I personally absolutely LOVE how slow it starts. The first few days I played the game I seriously just wandered around enjoying the scenery :) The game does well at easing you into the mechanics of the game, because they really are a bit complex, but you only have to learn a little bit at a time.

Take the time to read the emails that get sent to you. Take the time to read the gameplay tips you're given, it's all in there! Technically it seems you can get through the story and "finish" in about 50-60 hours, but looking back to where I was at the 60 hour mark, and what I had available to me, there's no way I would have wanted to be at the end of the game at that time. I can't even fathom running through a game like THIS that fast just to get to the end. Think about the best meal you've ever had (great food, great location, great atmosphere)...it's taking your time and enjoying the meal that makes it a wonderful experience, not just getting it over with as fast as possible. I don't ever hear someone say "that was the best meal I've ever had, finished it in only 14 seconds and got out of there!" Anybody see a trend in what i'm saying?

tl;dr - TAKE. YOUR. TIME...If you do, you will be handsomely rewarded with what is easily one of the best games I've EVER played!!!

pro-tip: play Low Roar's music in the background on an external player while you play the game :) Thank me later