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Monday, November 11, 2019

Kojima says Death Stranding's ratings are lower in America because they prefer shooting


The creator of Death Stranding interpreted the split ratings for his game culturally, perhaps even with a few prejudices.

Critics of the recently launched Death Stranding game are pretty divisive. Some like the game, some hate it and can't think of it. I would say that such a polarized welcome was inevitable for a Japanese game whose focus is not on combat, but Hideo Kojima argues that the different evaluation of the game is cultural in this case.

Specifically, in an interview with Italian publication Tgcom24, Kojima somewhat clumsily explained his views on the situation with Death Stranding's ratings. According to Kojima, Death Stranding is rated high in Japan and Europe, while in the US, the game has underperformed. And here, generally, in the plan. For example, the US IGN rated the game at 6.8, while the Italian IGN gave it 9.8. However, Kojima did not stop there - he said the game may have confused American reviewers because it is not the shooter that Americans favor.

"Maybe the game is difficult to understand for a certain type of critic and audience. Americans are big fans of first-person shooters, and Death Stranding is not. I always try to do new things, and the discussions and quarrels about it are good. But I have to say that the Italians and the French have an artistic sensibility that allows them to appreciate such original products, not only in the form of video games but also in films, ”Kojima said.

Keep in mind that this is a translation from Italian, and Kojima himself has not been able to best articulate his thought in a foreign language lately. It is possible that he did not mean what he meant in translation, but it is probably not far from the truth. Specifically, Death Stranding is a game where you unlock your firearm after 20 hours and then discourage you from firing. For some, this is definitely not the definition of entertainment, and it is well known that three types of games are the most popular in the US market: shooters, action games and sports simulations.

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