Ghost of Tsushima

I've got a bit more faith in this game than other PS4 exclusives, because it's made by Sucker Punch, and I generally like those guys.





Looks a bit like the Arkham games in terms of stealth, at least. And the combat is kinda counter-y, somewhere between Sekiro, and Assassin's Creed. Although the gameplay's probably scripted as fuck here.

I'll keep this thread updated with trailers.

Yeah it really looks like the Arkham system. I sometimes wonder if it can be like Hotline Miami where you can hit and die once.

New gameplay



Combat seems like Arkham/Assassin's Creed, has too much slow-mo in this footage for my taste (Hope we can turn that off). There are different stances that are more effective against enemy types. Unsurprisingly, the game is all about efficiency.

Stealth seems pretty basic, again, kind of like Arkham/Assassin's Creed. Distraction objects, crouching, you get the picture.

Has the Ninja Gaiden 3 thing of enemies getting scared of you, will probably do that better than NG3, considering how low the bar is.

RPG elements as usual, involving customizable armour and charms.

Kind of losing my hype for this game, looks like just another bland PS4 exclusive.

>exploration

Looks like the usual open world collectathon we've seen a billion times before, only they're trying to mask it with different methods of finding the billion points of interest with landmarks and animals. I imagine the animals will obviously obstruct you to get you following them.

The wind is just the dotted line GPS. Making it a gust of wind doesn't change anything. It's just a paint job.

>combat
>no wasted energy, every strike must count

Headshots a guy while standing in plain sight, alerts the whole village and gets surrounded while having to deflect arrows. I'm sure that really saved on energy.

Looks like extremely boring parry combat. AC/Arkham as you noted. All we need is the fast guys, guys with shields.

>Stealth

Looks especially hideous. Traffic light system so no thinking needed.

When I was a kid, my dad had this yellow car. Forgot what kind.
One day he decided to paint it white. I think he had some kind of financial issue and some company were trying to repossess it.

Problem was he painted it with house paint. This resulted in a streaky mess. You could see all the brush strokes. From a distance it appeared white but upon closer inspection you could still see the yellow underneath.

This game is that yellow car.

Cue every low tier scrub saying this looks fantastic, deep combat and amazing open world, muh story. I knew this game would be ass when they showed about 1 gameplay trailer before now. You don't do that for a good game. You do that for a generic open world walking simulator.

Judging by how this looks, I am expecting about 20 fps gameplay on base ps4. I really don't think I can deal with 30 fps games anymore. Just spent a grand upgrading my pc. Unless it's a Yakuza or SMT title, I'm done with console games.

Looks as bland as bland can be.

-Open world
-“follow the objective marker” signs
-Camps/side quests, but they’re marked by smoke signals, so I guess that’s supposed to be interesting
-“Play your way” trying to emphasize combat and stealth
-Enemies stand around waiting to be countered
-Stealth consists of “throw x and then do a stealth kill”
-Inevitable detection during the bad stealth which culminates in every enemy just knowing where you are, and still not being a threat

Not to sound overtly negative but this looks bad. I fear we’re heading for a major drought of legitimate good games with the way every AAA game being the exact same junk with a different coat of paint. Every game has to be this hyper serious, grounded, open world, padded snoozefest with de-emphasized mechanics. It’s just tiring.

Sony is an especially bad offender of this, GoW2018, Last of Us, Uncharted 4, Horizon, and now this. None of these developers are allowed to think outside the box, take risks, or have any kind of fun. I guess we got Death Stranding which was certainly unique but I don’t find these rare exceptions to cut it anymore. I feel we only have a small number of reliable devs anymore, but even then, they’re still restricted by their publishers in most cases.

Rant over.

You know a game is questionable when they start using terms attributed to the character while describing gameplay.

'Every strike counts' and 'saving energy', while showing a guy just countering and slicing.

It's the Shadow of the Tomb Raider's 'become one with the jungle' thing that never actually happens in gameplay all over again. You're just using dead basic stealth in a jungle setting. That's it. This kind of shit is essentially a scam.

This game might have the enemy slowest swing animations I have seen in a long time.

>Not to sound overtly negative but this looks bad. I fear we’re heading for a major drought of legitimate good games

This is why I recently picked up a Vive. VR games like Boneworks and Superhot are really pushing the boundaries of what an action game can be, and in the case of Boneworks, not holding your hand one bit. Like it used to be. Shooting a guy in VR was more thrilling than any game I have played since I guess TEW. I am losing sleep over video games again, and that hasn't happened in a long long time.

>No fun allowed
Supposedly, Sony actually gives the studios a lot of creative freedom. If that's the case, then it seems more of a case of the creators not being able to think up of anything creative, or unique.

>pLaY yOuR wAy
A.k.a exactly two playstyles. Y'know, the Ubisoft approach.

Speaking of Ubisoft, a lot of people have been saying "This looks more AC than AC!" That's not wrong, but that's also not what I would consider to be a good thing at all.

Sad thing about the combat is that Arkham combat can be really fun, and addicting. But this just looks like a slower, less fluid, and boring version of it. Y'know, like original Assassin's Creed combat. Slow-mo this, slow-mo that.

What's particularly disappointing is that this is from Sucker Punch studios; Y'know, the studio that made the inFAMOUS games, which were a hell of a time to move around in, and fight. This is where I have to disagree with the director; What made your open worlds great was definitely not the exploration and the stuff in it. It was moving around in it, and being able to finish sidemissions, and grab collectibles really, really quickly. Not trying to act like I know more about their games than the director themselves, but... Are they just not really getting what made their games fun in the first place?

I see basically no reason to play this game over Arkham, or Nioh 2.

They don't even talk about actual combat mechanics. Just stuff that they think sounds cool like 'save energy every strike counts'. What about the strikes themselves? Nothing. That's because they're most likely those magnet attacks with no spacing required.

They put more effort into telling us how to find fucking collectibles and loot with their disguised GPS wind and animals.

I know I sound harsh, but I'm hoping I'm wrong. It's not looking good though.

This game is probably the epitome of what I've seen in terms of AAA gamedesign. Tells you where to go, automatic combat, cinematic interface, automatic stealth, tons of slowmo, it checks all the damned boxes.

I do feel sorry for the developers though. Suckerpunch made some great games before and Infamous was always this great hybrid between open-world and good combat. Taken aback by just how by the numbers this title is. And of course it is popular and will sell like hotcakes.

That said, none of my casual friends are even remotely interested in it. They're all hyped up for the Unreal5 footage showed this week and this 'looks okay' in their eyes.

> Yellow car
Painful, but apt.

>they don’t even talk about combat mechanics

They never do in these hyped up trailers and demos. Always say the most vague stuff to drum up interest from casuals. It’s the same crap we get when companies talk about how open their games are, with how much “freedom” you have.

>disguised wind GPS

When I saw the “wind to guide you to your destination” I literally rolled my eyes. It’s a glorified objective marker, who is seriously impressed by stuff like this? Absolutely baffling that in a game with such little information up to this point, they actually included that into the demo.

Yeah, I have a mixed reaction to the new reveal.

I am absolutely going to buy and play this game as it looks gorgeous and is the Assassins Creed/Tenchu-like game I have always wanted in feudal Japan. But it totally is the epitome of AAA open-world games, which is normally not my cup of tea at all. I will make an exception for this just based on how much I love the setting, etc...

But, as pretty as this game might be----it just absolutely reinforces how important and separate games like Nioh 2 are. Similar settings but Nioh 2 is going for a totally different experience and thank god we are still getting games like it from devs like Team Ninja that are not necessarily AAA and are not catering to the casual, open world game design....

>When I saw the “wind to guide you to your destination” I literally rolled my eyes. It’s a glorified objective marker, who is seriously impressed by stuff like this?

It's really dishonest. It's like they know how shitty those mechanics are but instead of NOT making the same crap they try to disguise it and then show it off as the best thing since sliced bread.

Pre-ordered this and very excited to finally try it out this weekend.

I hardly ever play AAA or open world games but making an exception for this given the amazing looking Japanese setting. I am keeping expectations fairly low but what I’ve been hearing about the combat from people I respect is very positive (for casual action games).

Seems to be pretty decent if you know what you're getting into. The 'performance mode' seems to be a joke though, the only differences is that it is a bit more stable 30fps instead of going from 24 to 30. Let us know how it goes!

That is hilarious the performance mode gives you 3 fps haha.
The thing about this game that really irks me is the sword animations. I don't know if they are more realistic swings than something like NG2, but they don't look like something a cool samurai would do.
I hate how much he one hands the katana seems impractical to me.
Western devs are really just ass at melee animations in general.

Should arrive tomorrow and will certainly be playing this one. I've wanted to play this since the first day I saw the trailer what seems like years ago :)

First party playstation games at 30fps.

No surprise really. Even ps5 games will be running at 30fps. One can only hope that their "performance modes" will actually be 60fps.

Game mechanics?

What's there to talk about really. It's not like they are doing anything unique. The combat will be much like what we have experienced with Assassin's Creed games. The only quality that they can market is "how the game feels." Interesting since the animations and feedback don't look so amazing, at least not with what I've seen so far.

The game will sell and review well regardless. Almost seems like Sony doesn't really have to show gameplay to appeal to gamers at this point.

Let us know how you end up liking it Hebass! Despite the negativity or mixed responses, I'm honestly always up for a eastern styled action game. Let me know!

> game mechanics
A lot of casuals will quickly ignore things like the stances the game offers for example, think there'll be fun in seeing if there isn't more on offer with that.

> gameplay doesn't sell
Sad, but true.

> performance mode PS5
I believe you mean to say "PS5 pro".

Will do! I feel similarly, I love these themes in games as well and have played lots of them.

I hear you on gameplay doesn’t sell at times...but people will poop on the game if it doesn’t live up to its hype. Some games, I buy with my gut. It doesn’t always work out, but it works out most of the time. Gameplay is key, a core loop that is fun/appealing is important and most importantly how it feels while doing it (at least for me). I typically don’t learn that information from watching videos, I need to feel it for myself. I’ve listened to people tell me that Onimusha was awful because you can’t control the character well, but I enjoyed the heck out of that game. Same with Genji on PS1. I’ve had the flip side occur where I’ve seen gameplay of something and get super excited, only to be let down when I get my hands on the game... this happens in 2d platformers mostly. My brain may be limited in that it can’t project well into what it would be like to actually control the game. On a very much related note, I’m guessing that’s why I don’t enjoy watching other people stream games, I can’t connect to the game...maybe I’m supposed to be connecting with the person and the game doesn’t matter...but I’m old and don’t understand haha.

>I’ve listened to people tell me that Onimusha was awful because you can’t control the character well, but I enjoyed the heck out of that game. Same with Genji on PS1

That's because in both you CAN control the character well. They can't, so they got mad and started the usual lies.

@hebass, any initial impressions of the game? It's still looking like a bland Assassin's Creed clone, but with nicer graphics.

True Birdman haha.

> initial impressions

Early impressions are good for me. I am not too far into it, though. It has a wonderful feel to it in terms of the environment, setting and it easily immerses me. The color schemes are very vibrant (depending on the setting you choose) and feel great. Your reference to Assassin's Creed is partially true, it has that feel in terms of open world and map and waypoints for main missions, side missions and collectibles, etc...the combat has a similar feel to it, but has some dodging mechanisms for different types of enemies that seems to keep it more interesting interesting as unblockables (early in the game while exploring). It's neat that non-engaged enemies will approach and attack you even if you're engaged with another enemy which makes you have to stay aware of all enemies simultaneously. It also appears there is a pretty heft set of techniques and stances you can learn throughout the journey...I've started with perfect parry path which is fun to try to execute. The combat slices feel responsive and seem to flow well. You can block and cancel an attack into a parry and things like that which feels pretty great. If you're looking for super deep, complex combos and options...this game likely won't have it, but it does have different paths you can choose to aid your combat experience...which I'm enjoying so far.

Keep in mind that I love action games, and I also enjoy Assassin's Creed and Nioh...and this game has a similar feel to those. Assassin's Creed/Uncharted are the closest thing I can get to Prince of Persia these days (I love that series). Adding the setting of Feudal Kamakura era of Japan to that type of gameplay is fantastic.

So there is a bit of bias in this one for me as I knew I'd want to play this the first day I saw the trailer years ago. I mentioned Genji, Onimusha, earlier, I've also played and loved games like Way of the Samurai and of course Ninja Gaiden.

If I had to point out any negatives to begin, it would be the occasional framerate drop/stutter (I don't have a PS4 Pro, still a launch day PS4). I'm playing with Japanese dialog and English subtitles...and the subtitles sometimes flicker in two different locations like it's rendering in one position, then on another the next frame...cycling back and forth. But this i minor.

I'm still very much at the beginning, exploring, admiring the beauty and have done a few missions to unlock some new techniques.

Played about 10 hours so far.... I LOVE the game!

Could you maybe describe?

I'm also interested in hearing more about it, that stance-video was interesting!

Saw some interesting things in that stance video and others. I still don't think much of the melee combat at this point but it does look better than any AC I've played. The only thing that interested me was the kick. Looks extremely useful. I love knocking enemies into shit in games.

There are exploding arrows and charms that grant attributes so maybe some level of builds are possible.

Sorry guys!  Work/life has been busy and I've been using all my free time to actually play the game.

So yeah, I can already basically tell Ghost of Tsushima is going to be one of my favorite games of all time.  Sorry for hyperbole haha.  I think basically the most simplistic way to look at it is a much better Assassin's Creed, with some elements/inspiration from Breath of the Wild, and maybe a little Nioh and Sekiro perhaps.  So, basically a very well designed and somewhat streamlined open-world adventure stealth game with obvious passionate care/focus paid to art direction, environmental design and the combat system.  This is for me the most beautiful game I have ever played easily.  But what I love about it is that it is not all graphics/looks over substance.

A note about myself---I typically have no interest in open world games and AAA games in general for that matter.  I've played Assassins Creed 1 and 2 only (they were just okay and barely held my interest) and Breath of the Wild (wonderful game but a bit empty).  That's about it for my open world experience.....tried Witcher 3 and got bored very quickly and found the combat too generic.  But, I do have a huge subject bias for all things samurai/ninja...so I am looking at Ghost of Tsushima from the perspective of someone who loves the subject matter and always intended to get the game.  My biggest question mark was would the combat be lame/generic as usual for a Western dev and would I tolerate the open world.

And basically the game has exceeded my expectations on both fronts.  The world is rich, beautiful and engaging--I actually want to do all the side quests!  And this is bar none the best "casual"/non-hardcore combat system I have ever encountered in a game.  It is MUCH deeper and refined than something like Assassin's Creed.  Obviously, this is a totally different kind of game so the combat is nothing like Ninja Gaiden, DMC, Nioh in terms of depth or difficulty.  In general, Ghost is not a hard game but it is a thoroughly engaging one.  Combat feels satisfying and lethal---you will often die in 3-4 hits and likewise you will kill enemies just as quickly.  The hit detection, inputs, movement and animations are super crisp and responsive.  These are probably the best "realistic" sword combat animations I have ever seen in a game.  Enemies are not particularly smart but aggressive and attack in groups, and pleasingly do not wait but will attach at the same time.  So, at any given time you will be facing a fast swordsman closing at you fast, a spearman launching an unblockable thrust and two arrowmen sniping at your from afar.  So the encounters have an awesome chaotic, brutal quality to them.....honestly it is a feeling that is similar to Ninja Gaiden at times (the feeling, not the depth of mechanics obviously).  You have to manage the space or you will die quickly.  There is also a very good intrinsic soft lock in the game....it was absolutely the right call of the devs not to have a lock-on feature....you quickly have to maneuver and adapt between multiple enemies and attacks coming at you at the same time from different directions.  On top of that, you get some GREAT one-on-one cinematic duels----impressively it is the same core combat system used in these duels as the regular melee action.  This to me is an indicator of just how well designed the combat fundamentals are.

So again not a hard game (note I am playing on Normal right now and saving Hard for my next play thru), but engaging and honestly just super fun.  Why is it super fun---well, the game just gives you so many incredibly fun skills and options that honestly just make you feel like a badass.  Parries, counterattacks, dodges, perfect dodges/parries, multiple stances with their own movesets, "Ghost" tools like kunai, smoke bombs, grenades, your bow and arrow....and I am no where near unlocking them all!  

Stealth is decent and fun but nothing new---it is the same kind of stealth for the most part from games like Tenchu, Assassin's Creed, etc.  So good but not great---this is where I would have liked them to have done a bit more personally, but it is fine and enjoyable as is.

Anyway....sorry for the length and possible incoherence...typed this up fast.  Basically, if you like samurai/ninja, traditional Japan, etc. this is a must play IMO.  I cannot overstate how beautiful the game is and how amazing they have captured the natural world, lighting, etc.  

If you are someone who has played a lot of open world games, I can see how perhaps this would just be more of the "same" but not the case with me.  In many ways it is still just the usual open world game stuff/tasks...but I would just argue done in a much more engaging, streamlined way.

I never would have thought this possible either but a Western developer has also now designed one of my favorite combat systems ever (granted they got some input from Sony Japan I am sure and also brought in renowned Japanese sword masters from the Tenshin Ryu Hyoho school for the mo-cap!).

Hebass, do you agree man?

Since you like samurai so much, try Kengo Zero. It's an X360 exclusive though. Take a look at my topic. The game has incredibly unique mechanics.

Sorry for the late response on this. I did enjoy the game a lot. It is very chill in a lot of ways and I was enjoying the crap out of it. Something happened and I stopped playing though. It’s not the game, I think it’s the fact that I spent so much time on Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 and loving it that I now don’t have the drive to play any other action game for awhile I guess. I haven’t really figured out why just yet, but I haven’t even turned on the PS4 since week 1 of this game ><.

That's fine man, I think everyone here can relate to that to some degree. I haven't even gamed in two weeks...been too busy with other stuff. You still loving Sigma 2 yeah?

I do, but I’ve taken a break from NGS2 as well. I did, however, fire up NG2 on XBOX360. I’ve only played the first level so far though and stopped. Different style...and fun! Think I’m just in break mode for a bit.