Saints Row is no stranger to wild and impractical weapons. The series is built upon the madness that wouldn’t be possible in a more serious tone. Saints Row 4 features the Dubstep Gun, a powerful weapon that turns energy into the beat of a dubstep song, sending out powerful blasts to damage vehicles and peo

It’s no secret that facial animations are important for telling a personal story. It’s hard to get a deep story across when characters look and feel like robots. Facial animations are important to help players understand the all-too-human emotion some characters feel, and how they move. Luckily, there are plenty of great games with the best facial animati

The driving in Death Stranding was surprisingly smooth. Considering that wheels could get stuck on rough terrain, or the long winding roads across America that the player had built. Perhaps the biggest issue with vehicles wasn’t the fact that other players would abandon their rides in annoying locations, but the steering itself of said vehic

Although there were many gaming advancements in the eighth generation, it will likely be the stories it provided that it will be remembered for. From games like God of War that explored the relationship between father and son, to eccentric mind-benders like Control , there was something in every genre for all gamers to enjoy. Gamers can only hope that the current gaming generation will bring as many great stor

In a weird bit of worldbuilding, Kojima decided to include product placement in his Death Stranding universe. The world may be a post-apocalyptic wasteland, but at least Monster Energy drinks still exist. It's nonsensical and doesn't make sense even for those sold on the absurd premise that is the rest of the game. For a AAA game, the choice to include Monster Energy or have Sam mention Ride with Norman Reedus is an odd one and takes players out of the experience, especially when Kojima took the time to make an entire soundtrack of in-universe music that includes new tracks by known singers. Death Stranding 's Director's Cut removed Monster from the game, so it may be that Kojima saw this as w

Numerous titles from the eighth generation attempt to evoke powerful emotions and say poignant things about human life. Much like literature, video games are grappling with philosophical questions, moral conundrums, and attempting to untangle the human condition. One of the bestselling titles of the last generation was Red Dead Redemption 2 , a game that frustrated several players due to its slow-paced gameplay. However, if one is willing to immerse themselves in Arthur Morgan's cowboy life, they will find a complex story that interrogates morality and mortality, and how humans cope with b

The environmental design also forwarded the medium and its capacity to tell stories. This reached a pinnacle in 2016's The Last Guardian where dialogue takes a backseat, and the interesting environments one traverses share a wealth of information about a mysterious world. The game centers on a young boy and a colossal, birdlike beast he befriends. However, as one explores the dilapidated buildings with their austere architecture, they discover secrets about the people who live in this strange land, and how they have reacted to the birdlike bea

A simple variation on missions can be a big improvement for those looking for a change of pace from Death Stranding 's walking simulation and cargo management . Perhaps the player has to retrieve a package from BT-infested lands or has to eliminate a particularly strong BT threatening a route. Maybe another Mule had to drop their delivery and Sam has to pick it up and finish it. Anything to change up the mundane formula would be much more fun for those that need the change of pace while ultimately not affecting the overall feel of the g

Other than the Cliff Unger sections of Death Stranding , and the added missions for Death Stranding: Directors Cut , there wasn’t much the game offered in combat levels. Combat levels add a unique engagement, in which the player has the freedom to choose their path forward. Whether it’s stealth or otherwise, guns blazing, or not, combat sections offer something fun for play

There are plenty more games that told compelling stories, though they might not have received the attention that AAA games received. This includes titles such as What Remains of Edith Finch and The Suicide of Rachel Foster . Nevertheless, they played an important role in proving that video games can go beyond entertainment, and they are also capable of telling stories that change people's lives. With a new generation brings a new wave of games, and they have a high bar to beat if they wish to surpass their predecess

Death Stranding 2 crafting guide Stranding's unusual depiction of America proved to be prescient in a number of ways. A country that many of its citizens perceived as invincible was proven to be just as vulnerable to disease and contagion as any other nation, and a country that proclaims itself to be "indivisible" has never been more starkly divided. Civil liberties such as reproductive rights for women, once thought unassailable, have been stripped away, and still more hang in the limbo of future jeopardy. In many ways America has become just as strange and alien as the unrecognizable landscape of Kojima’s game. Some think that poor vehicle options like the Reverse Trike highlight the worst Death Stranding elements the sequel doesn't need or can find ways to fix, but the struggle of transporting goods across the strange landscape was central to the game’s experie