Ghost of Tsushima (PS4/PS5)

[drahkon]

The PS4 is still not done, my friends

Edit: And I started a new page, leaving @Julius' post behind

Edited August 17, 2020 by drahkon

[Julius]

Some new info on Legends from the recently released artbook:

Key takeaways:

- exaggerated landscapes and enemies

- new enemy types and bosses

- a tease of the multiplayer menus

 

Going to be honest, so much going on in the world, I had pretty much forgot about this! Feels like the announcement was back in June  looking forward to checking it out! 

[Map]

1.1 update 16th October.

Looking forward to catching up with this on PS5.

 

[Julius]

2 hours ago, Map said:

1.1 update 16th October.

Looking forward to catching up with this on PS5.

 

Heck. Yes. 

Seems like a lot for a free update, which is always a great thing. Honestly, as many great games as I've played this year, I think this is going to end up as my GOTY unless something else completely blows me away, because I had such a great time with this game.

So while I've already completed the game once to an insane degree, NG+, more trophies, and multiplayer might end up being enough to bring me back. There's still a lot more to play this year though, so we'll see! 

Edited October 5, 2020 by Julius

[Nolan]

Anyone else checking out Legends? I’m really enjoying it so far. 
 

Almost done co-oping the story on easy (bronze) and did the first mission on Silver difficulty. It’s a lot more challenging and definitely adds to the gameplay in a good way. 
 

There is a level and item progression best described as Destiny/Anthem Lite. Gear has rarities and Ki that raises your overall Ki to unlock higher difficulty.

 

Seems a good amount of effort went into this for a free update even if it’s just reusing villages from the main game. 

[Nolan]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLejPbyiFo0

SkillUp has a nice little review of the Legends mode that I find to be spot on. 

Mostly he just shames all the shitty live service games that have the audacity to be $60 and release in horrible states. And even after multiple patches still don’t match the quality of this free update. 
 

Hmmm. I broke the embed and have no idea how not how to fix it. Sorry all. 

Edited October 25, 2020 by Nolan

[Julius]

Sucker Punch crushing it, reportedly over 5 million sold. 

Well deserved in my opinion, probably my favourite "traditional" open world (read: open world not called Breath of the Wild, I have issues with that game in a few places, but I loved the exploration aspect and just how open the world felt!), it's of my favourite games of the year so far.

Awesome seeing it get a new lease of life with Legends too, though unfortunately I personally haven't put any time into it as I don't really have anyone to check it out with, but it looks like people have been having a lot of fun with it! 

[Happenstance]

Started this earlier. Certainly is a gorgeous game. Kind if a shame that I never tried it on PS4 so I can't tell the difference the PS5 patch made but it definitely plays very smoothly.

Just need to work on my timing now for the parrys. Think I need to do it a second before it looks like I should to get a good parry.

[Happenstance]

 

[Happenstance]

Looking at this new section of the map for act 2 I can kind of see why people start to speed through the story as the game goes on. Act 1 felt like a full game all on its own and I don’t really know how much more I needed.

[Hero-of-Time]

22 hours ago, Happenstance said:

Looking at this new section of the map for act 2 I can kind of see why people start to speed through the story as the game goes on. Act 1 felt like a full game all on its own and I don’t really know how much more I needed.

Hopefully you keep playing it because the story in the second half of the game is far more enjoyable and engaging than what's on offer in the first half. 

[Happenstance]

2 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Hopefully you keep playing it because the story in the second half of the game is far more enjoyable and engaging than what's on offer in the first half. 

Oh yeah I’m not planning on dropping it. Probably start sharing my time between Ghost and FFXIV from now though.

[Sheikah]

Looking at this new section of the map for act 2 I can kind of see why people start to speed through the story as the game goes on. Act 1 felt like a full game all on its own and I don’t really know how much more I needed.

I completed GoT a few weeks ago and felt the same, and really wasn't very impressed with it in the end. It's a very pretty game but full of guff that doesn't contribute to interesting gameplay. So many vanity items (that don't affect gameplay), repetitive enemy encampments, lack of ways to explore (pretty much just by horse), and generally not very interesting quests or story. The whole idea of stealth killing being unthinkable to samurai and this being the driver of the story is also completely bogus.

 

When you compare it to another recent open world game - AC Valhalla, the level of enjoyment I got from GoT was so much lower. There is just so much more interesting going on in Valhalla that is sadly missing in this game. GoT feels like an open world game from about 5 years ago but with breathtaking graphics.

 

Sorry if I'm raining on anyone's parade but this was a massive disappointment for me, especially for someone who loves Japan so much. Eurogamer's and Yahtzee's reviews of GoT are spot on IMO.

[bob]

If you love Japan so much, why don't you marry it?

[Happenstance]

3 minutes ago, bob said:

If you love Japan so much, why don't you marry it?

Maybe he's waiting until he can have more countries at the reception?

[Julius]

Having really enjoyed my time with Ghost of Tsushima, it sucks to read that you were disappointed with the game, @Sheikah.

Even having enjoyed it myself though, I do agree with some of your issues with it. For instance, with what you mention about stealth and being a samurai not being incompatible, I think it would have been totally fine if Shimura personally had issues with it, perhaps justified in the story if Jin's father had been assassinated it something like that, and so Shimura can naturally develop this disgust for such methods, which eventually grows into him claiming that it is not an honourable way to do things, etc. And having not played the inFamous games, but being aware of their morality systems in those games going into this, I was really surprised that a similar thing wasn't used here for being a Ghost vs being a Samurai.

Ultimately, being stealthy only added another (incredibly small) toolset (which wasn't really anything other than an excuse to lock the Ghost stance behind a system you can't access until later in the game), but even if you act like a Samurai throughout the whole game and "fight honourably" by confronting everyone head on, it has zero impact - as far as I'm aware - on the way in which the game unfolds. I guess maybe some of the objectives aimed at stealth in camps might make your Ghost of Tsushima level go up faster? And I guess it could be argued that the Mongols might have just exaggerated encounters with Jin, but things like stealth missions feel totally out of place if you play solely as this game defines a Samurai would do. 

I guess it's worth noting that I rarely play open world games as it is (in terms of typical Ubi-style open world affair, seriously think it's only this, Horizon, and BotW off the top of my head?), as well as not being really interested AAA games in the PS3/Xbox 360 generation, which means I skipped a whole lot of Ubisoft-style open worlds being recycled around a decade ago. It probably does colour my perspective on the game and means I don't have as many issues with some elements typical of open world games (though there are certainly still some issues) which I might have otherwise. 

I'm interested to see how I like the game if/when I return to it in the future, having played more open world games. I don't even have the greatest memories of Horizon's open world, cool as it was, and returning that at some point in anticipation of Forbidden West could be eye-opening for me. 

Edited January 4, 2021 by Julius

[Ronnie]

3 hours ago, Sheikah said:

GoT feels like an open world game from about 5 years ago but with breathtaking graphics.

This is how I felt about the first Spider-Man on PS4, that the openworld felt incredibly dated. Towers with no compelling reason for them, copy/paste encounters and outposts, etc. Horizon's was even worse, pretty but overall a bit meh. As someone who was keen to try GOT it's disappointing to hear the negative reviews here.

Edited January 5, 2021 by Ronnie

[Goron_3]

16 hours ago, Sheikah said:

I completed GoT a few weeks ago and felt the same, and really wasn't very impressed with it in the end. It's a very pretty game but full of guff that doesn't contribute to interesting gameplay. So many vanity items (that don't affect gameplay), repetitive enemy encampments, lack of ways to explore (pretty much just by horse), and generally not very interesting quests or story. The whole idea of stealth killing being unthinkable to samurai and this being the driver of the story is also completely bogus.

 

When you compare it to another recent open world game - AC Valhalla, the level of enjoyment I got from GoT was so much lower. There is just so much more interesting going on in Valhalla that is sadly missing in this game. GoT feels like an open world game from about 5 years ago but with breathtaking graphics.

 

Sorry if I'm raining on anyone's parade but this was a massive disappointment for me, especially for someone who loves Japan so much. Eurogamer's and Yahtzee's reviews of GoT are spot on IMO.

I've heard this from a lot of people. I think ultimately there's just a limit as to how an open world game can be designed on a last generation console due to CPU and HDD limitations.

[Sheikah]

I've heard this from a lot of people. I think ultimately there's just a limit as to how an open world game can be designed on a last generation console due to CPU and HDD limitations.

To be honest I meant more that the world design was dated in the sense that many new open world ideas had since come along that made for my more interesting gameplay. For instance, Breath of the Wild introduced mini puzzles throughout the world in the form of Korok seed puzzles and those miniature dungeons, ensuring there was plenty of stuff to entertain you minute to minute. AC Valhalla goes with the BoTW formula in that treasures and "mysteries" (mini quests) are rarely just throwaway - there's a small puzzle involved to complete each one. For instance, you might need to figure out how to get into a building and to do that you have to climb to a position where you can shoot an arrow at a door's lock through an open window.

GoT doesn't do this sort of thing at all, and there are repeated location types over and over with very little nuance to anything you might find there. One or the worst offenders are fox shrines, where you just follow a fox a short distance to a small shrine to pray at - there's really nothing clever or interesting about them. One of the most interesting parts of the game are bamboo shrines but they are over in a flash.

[Goafer]

Whilst I do think there isn't much to actually do in the open world, I think the scenery was so stunning that it didn't really matter. So far, it's only been this and RDR2 where I've just enjoyed the journey between places as much as the gameplay itself.

As for the story, it's a bit tropey, but that's the charm for me. It felt like a classic samurai movie, flaws and all. I was always going to play ghost style, but Lord Shimura actually made a compelling argument for a more honourable approach. The leading by example and the Ghost tactics being no better than the enemy themselves actually started to make sense. I think overall, the story was great, with some real standout moments.

That said, the game is about as long as I'd want it to be. I was getting a bit bored by the end, so I'd say it ended at about the right time. I didn't do a lot of the side quests* and mainly focused on the main story, which was some advice I'd read before playing. I'd say it was good advice too; Do the main story first, then focus on the side stuff if you can be bothered.

*although I did cherry pick a few based on the rewards - I'd strongly suggest at least getting most of the armour sets, especially the Mongol armour.

[dan-likes-trees]

On 1/5/2021 at 3:04 PM, Sheikah said:

To be honest I meant more that the world design was dated in the sense that many new open world ideas had since come along that made for my more interesting gameplay. For instance, Breath of the Wild introduced mini puzzles throughout the world in the form of Korok seed puzzles and those miniature dungeons, ensuring there was plenty of stuff to entertain you minute to minute. AC Valhalla goes with the BoTW formula in that treasures and "mysteries" (mini quests) are rarely just throwaway - there's a small puzzle involved to complete each one. For instance, you might need to figure out how to get into a building and to do that you have to climb to a position where you can shoot an arrow at a door's lock through an open window.

GoT doesn't do this sort of thing at all, and there are repeated location types over and over with very little nuance to anything you might find there. One or the worst offenders are fox shrines, where you just follow a fox a short distance to a small shrine to pray at - there's really nothing clever or interesting about them. One of the most interesting parts of the game are bamboo shrines but they are over in a flash.

Yeah this is pretty on the money, I'd say, sadly. I've played about 15 hours of Valhalla lately and there's so much more of a range to the gameplay, the mysteries and events around the map, and even the emotional range of the characters, stories, and random events. GoT by contrast I found felt incredibly repetitive, most of the stuff you find on the map doesn't really affect the wider gameplay, and the characters and story are really one note and a bit portentous. It could all do with a bit more humour and at least some side quests that didn't involve a bandit camp or a 'surprise' ambush.

 

That said - I do also agree in part with @Goafer in that, despite there not being much of interest to interact with, the quality of the art design and the polish meant I was still enjoying the experience, playing about with photo mode, all that jazz, a fair bit. I stopped about halfway through act 2 but will probably go back since so many people have praised the last act. I feel like a sequel could be really great if they focused on a wider range of gameplay and a wider tonal spectrum to the same level of beauty and polish

 

Also, the thing that does set this game apart are the one on one duels. I'd definitely much prefer this game if there were 50% less content and enemies, and more focused on these and the journey between them, Shadow of the Colossus style. Some of the sets they take place in are so incredible. Loved the mythic quest that involved beating 5 ronin around the map; breathtaking stuff and the difficulty is just right

[Julius]

Director's Cut is coming 20th August:

Quote

Explore the brand new Iki Island, plus PS5-specific enhancements like DualSense haptic feedback, Japanese lip sync, and more.

Upgrade path:

Some more details on the PlayStation blog. 

Highlights:

- fixed Japanese lip sync (!!!)
- DualSense support
- 3D audio enhancements
- load time improvements
- 4K options
- targeting 60 FPS
- save transfer

Edited July 1, 2021 by Julius

[Hero-of-Time]

16 minutes ago, Julius said:

Director's Cut is coming:

 

Lovely stuff. Happy to see it’s also available on the PS4. I wonder if the expansion can be downloaded separately?

EDIT: I see Julius edited his post and answered my question.

Edited July 1, 2021 by Hero-of-Time

[Mandalore]

8 minutes ago, Julius said:

Upgrade path:

Some more details on the PlayStation blog. 

Glad I waited now. When I looked the other day a lot of places no longer stocked the original, and others were still full price.

[Julius]

23 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Lovely stuff. Happy to see it’s also available on the PS4. I wonder if the expansion can be downloaded separately?

Based on the upgrade path it doesn't seem like it will be? I'm imagining something like a fisherman NPC taking you out there from Tsushima. After the leaks a week ago I was fully expecting a Miles Morales sort of situation, but I guess not 

I loved this on PS4, I took thousands of photos, I still listen to the soundtrack in a pretty regular basis, so...yeah, I'm probably picking this up  I don't know if I'll be doing so at launch, though -- considering how much other upgrades have cost (or haven't), £25 - £30 to upgrade from the base PS4 version to PS5 feels steep. I didn't play in Kurosawa Mode at all last year precisely because the Japanese lip sync was completely broken, but now that it's fixed (that being listed as a PS5 feature is definitely a bit weird) I'll definitely be using it whenever I get around to a New Game+. 

Which won't be anytime soon I guess because of the save transfer, so I'd probably upgrade, take some quick photos, and then beeline for wherever Iki Island is 

Edited July 1, 2021 by Julius