A new report highlights that Death Stranding‘s perfect score from Japanese gaming publication Famitsu is a little questionable thanks to some choice cameo appearances within the game. Hideo Kojima’s breakthrough title has been the most talked-about moment in gaming this fall, and part of that has stemmed from the way the game liberally employs cameos from celebrities across several different mediums.

Fans already knew that Death Stranding featured Conan O’Brien in an otter suit after traveling to Kojima’s studio to meet with him earlier during development. The list of celebrities who appear within the game is extensive, and includes Geoff Keighley and the newly-appointed head of PlayStation Worldwide Studios, Hermen Hulst. It’s a nice touch for the game, which features a number of collectable-esque design decisions, but it hasn’t stopped Death Stranding from being divisive among critics. While Death Stranding‘s reception in the United States is something that Kojima feels could be related to that country’s fixation on FPS games, that wouldn’t explain why all across the world Death Stranding is being heralded as either a transcendent gaming experience or a major let-down.

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

One review in particular has caught fans’ attention now, though. According to a report from Kotaku, the Famitsu Death Stranding review is being criticized by fans online because the game was given a perfect score – and Hirokazu Hamamura, the former editor-in-chief of the magazine and now president of Enterbrain, its publisher, makes a guest appearance as a prepper. In fact, Hamamura’s cameo comes complete with a pretty damning “joke,” telling Death Stranding protagonist Sam Bridges that he will “get in the Hall of Fame.” The Hall of Fame is where Famitsu puts high-scoring reviews. Fans are already laying into the review score and Famitsu, with the most popular sentiment appearing to be that appearing in the game is fine – as long as the company then doesn’t go on to review it.

The revelation has made some Japanese fans uneasy, and it’s easy to see why. It would be difficult to argue that Famitsu and its publisher weren’t at least a little biased towards Death Stranding pre-review period, as both Hamamura and Famitsu’s mascot appear in-game. Hamamura has been involved with games before, appearing in 428: Shibuya Scramble – which also got a perfect score – and in an ad campaign for Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, which, as fans might be beginning to expect, also got a perfect score in Famitsu. While Hamamura is no longer directly involved with Famitsu, he’s still listed as the Famitsu Group rep.

It’s a messy controversy, and one that could easily have been avoided in a number of ways. Death Stranding‘s perfect score in Famitsu in context, however, is a troubling one that will definitely keep people talking about conflicts of interest. Perhaps Famitsu or even Kojima himself will chime in on the matter, but for now, it’s a divisive topic for fans in a game that has already caused some great disparities in how people feel about it.

See also  Bachelor: Everything To Know About Clayton's Brother DMing Teddi

Death Stranding is available now on PlayStation 4. A PC release will come sometime in summer 2020.

Source: Kotaku

Marvel’s Costumes For Hellfire Gala 2022 Somehow Manage To Top Last Year

About The Author


Cody Gravelle
(1588 Articles Published)

Cody is Screen Rant’s Game Reviews Editor. He joined the team in 2018 and has been reporting on games pretty well every day since – except on weekends, where he’s typically playing them instead. Despite being in a field ostensibly about critiquing and enjoying quality games, his most played game of 2019 was Fate/Grand Order – something unlikely to change in 2020 and beyond.

More From Cody Gravelle