The whole world knew to expect something odd from Kojima's first game post Metal Gear Solid, and Death Stranding is just that: odd. But if you're in the right mood, you could click with it deeply thanks to its bizarrely beautiful landscapes and play mechanics.

Beautiful vistas; Intriguing story at times; Entertaining mechanics;

Occasional tonal oddities; Mechanical repetition;

Death Stranding is unlike anything else out there right now. It's huge, innovative and utterly unashamed in what it wants to be. Kojima Productions is heavy-handed in its implementation of modern political themes, but they tie into the narrative and involve the player in ways that feel compelling.

One of the most original games of this generation; A scary, melancholic and inviting world to explore; The characters are strange, layered and interesting; Mechanics all compliment each other brilliantly; Social interaction system is genuinely innovative;

Boss battles can be somewhat frustrating; A few plot threads remain unanswered;

Its a really good looking game with incredible visuals, good acting. That's where it ends. Its boring. Unexcited, and was over marketed to be something revolutionary which it is far from. Kojima has his nose to far up in the sky… That he fails to actually deliver a gripping fun experience which keeps the players engaged. Instead we are left with a mess of a game with very little payoff.

We’ve been waiting for Death Stranding since 2016, Hideo Kojima’s first game since his messy divorce from Konami. The long wait has been down to the fact that Sony has given Kojima and his team of developers at Kojima Productions all the time that they need so that Death Stranding can be the game...

This is one of the most beautiful experiences of this console generation, in every sense of the word. Strip away all the exposition and bombast and what you’re left with is a timely – and timeless – story about reconnecting with people that is genuinely moving.

In Death Stranding you will find a lot of mechanics that have annoyed you before: the world is open, large and empty; there are stamina meters; enforced sneaking sections; there is nothing but fetch quests; and combat is pretty simple. But it works. All these mechanics are polished to the point of shining, and they somehow all mesh together to be a lot of fun. And you are rewards for your efforts. The online and building mechanics make it so that you go from struggling to complete a single delivery at the start to zipping around America dropping off cargo in minutes by the end game – if you are properly prepared. And combat is the same – Sam isn't a solider, and it feels like it. But with skill and preparation there is (almost) nothing in the game you can't defeat – especially if you have done the work to get the multi-fire rocket launcher and are carrying two or three of them. Also, defeating one of the bosses by tying him up repeatedly and kicking the **** out of him is satisfying.

Hideo Kojima is the only game designer in the world who can sell a title with his name alone. After his tumultuous tenure at Konami came to a close, he was free of the Metal Gear Solid franchise and sought to open his own game studio.

The beauty about sharing my opinion on Death Stranding is that people will most definitely disagree with me and that's a-ok. I just think that a lot of people will be deterred by the slow start and the overly complicated mechanics but everything after that is gaming perfection.

Everything about this game blew me away, the story is stellar, the gameplay has you balancing a fine line between need and necessity by having a weight limit on what you can carry, so you have to genuinely plan your journeys, the music is phenomenal-absolutely spot on.

‘Death Stranding' is the long-awaited adventure game from Hideo Kojima.