It's finally time to talk about the weird world and gameplay from the mind of Kojima, Death Stranding. Dylan has finally finished the game that he had to play for losing the predictions bet at the start of the year. Now, he and Andrew are gonna talk about it.

The spoiler-free first half of the conversation covers hiking mechanics, half-baked stealth and gunplay, interesting online components and more! The spoiler-filled back half of the discussion covers the weird cast of characters and poorly explained scifi world the game is set in.

What do you think of Death Stranding? Let us know by joining our Discord with the link below!

TIMESTAMPS
09:43 - Spoiler Free
1:05:29 - Spoilers
2:03:35 - Verdicts

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What to share your thoughts on this episode or tell us what you're playing? Send us a text with this link!

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In this episode of "Your Friendly Neighborhood Gamers," Andrew, Aubrey and Dylan delve into the complex world of live service games. This discussion takes a critical look at the highs and lows of this controversial gaming model.

Failed projects like Anthem are dissected to understand how poor execution derailed games with promising potential. The hosts touch on historical MMO failures, such as those attempting to rival World of Warcraft in the mid-2000s, and discuss the how that compares to the current trend of live service games.

The conversation broadens to general games industry trends, scrutinizing the shift from traditional DLC models to the perpetual updates mandated by live service games. The trio explores why some games succeed while others languish, including insights on monetization strategies reminiscent of mobile games.

Lastly, they ponder the future viability of the live service model in gaming, hoping for a more diverse and experimental landscape.

Closing Track - Helldivers 2 Main Theme - "A Cup Of Liber-Tea"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5hCkh2AH58

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• DISCORD
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• FANTASY CRITIC LEAGUE
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What to share your thoughts on this episode or tell us what you're playing? Send us a text with this link!

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On this episode of The Neighborhood Watch, Andrew and Aubrey are joined by friend of the show and host of The Video Game Lounge podcast, Jon Haig! Andrew talks about the new, stylish, 2D roguelite game Elsie that he reviewed on our YouTube channel (shoutout to Playtonic for the review code!) while Aubrey discusses $2.00 search and find games that she finds on the Nintendo EShop.

Jon has recently been playing and enjoying Tales of Kenzera: Zau, a metroidvania from EA Originals. He also recently played through Final Fantasy XVI and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (which he got the platinum trophy for!). And Aubrey checks out for a bit while Andrew and Jon geek out about Marvel Snap. Jon is playing again after a break and Andrew never stopped...

The episode wraps up with Video Game 100 Questions where Jon and Aubrey get 100 questions to try and guess 5 games. Can they do it? Listen to find out!

Check out The Video Game Lounge here - https://open.spotify.com/show/1bGOUrOSJyBXdKBQKcr3Za

Songs used in this episode -
The Hideaway - Final Fantasy VXI OST
Welcome to the Multiverse - Marvel Snap OST

Follow the FN Gamers here -

• WEBSITE
  • https://www.fngamers.com/
• DISCORD
  • https://discord.gg/euhEYZxC58
• TWITTER
  • https://twitter.com/F_N_Gamerz
• INSTAGRAM
  • https://www.instagram.com/yourfriendlyneighborhoodgamers/
• YOUTUBE
  • https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRgS_YRAM8_PlWNvxrjQshA
• FANTASY CRITIC LEAGUE
  • https://www.fantasycritic.g

What to share your thoughts on this episode or tell us what you're playing? Send us a text with this link!

Support the show