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Used to rebalance Sam, the extra tension when pressing one down really sells the sense of weight. That helps me better determine when I’m teetering too far to one side, adding to the game’s already intriguing hiking mechanics.Īdaptive triggers also do wonders to make the experience immersive. When Sam plods around with a tower of cargo on his back, I can feel the weight of each footstep on each side of my controller. That’s exactly what happens here, and it enhances the experience. The first time I used the DualSense controller, I remember wishing Sony would bring Death Stranding to PS5 to take advantage of that. Instead, it’s the finer details of the PS5 hardware. Those changes aren’t what makes the Director’s Cut stand out, though.
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It features faster load times, too, which is a godsend considering that this is a game that triggers three separate cutscenes anytime Sam enters a shower. Fans can enjoy the game in native 4K or scaled 4K at 60 frames per second.
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Right off the bat, the new version brings the kind of technical boosts we’ve come to expect from next-gen upgrades. The Director’s Cut is meant to smooth the opening of the game over for newcomers, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to start from scratch. After getting a little lost, I just decided to start the game from the top instead. New sensationsĪt first, I figured I’d just transfer my old PS4 save data over to my PS5 and pop in where I left off. It’s a more immersive experience that benefits from DualSense integration and small, but important quality of life changes. While the upgrade won’t sway any naysayers to its corner, the upgraded rerelease feels more at home on the PS5 than it did on last generation’s hardware. With Death Stranding: Director’s Cut, I don’t need to imagine.
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