Ghosts of Tsushima Review thread

[Nick Calandra]

Just finished it. Well "finished" it, I don't really have any desire to liberate everything for completonist stuff, but I did most of the side stories and all of the main quest.

Hell of game and I super enjoyed the ending. Sony needs to give Sucker Punch some more of that Naughty Dog money cause damn do they make good games. This and Infamous 2 are among my favorites now.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Just finished it. Well "finished" it, I don't really have any desire to liberate everything for completonist stuff, but I did most of the side stories and all of the main quest.

Hell of game and I super enjoyed the ending. Sony needs to give Sucker Punch some more of that Naughty Dog money cause damn do they make good games. This and Infamous 2 are among my favorites now.

I think Sucker Punch's strength is that they do the best with what they have. There isn't that need in their games to show off or flex like Naughty Dog does (or Santa Monica or Guerilla for that matter), and this benefits the characters and the world overall. There's something charmingly unassuming about how this game presents its story, and then it suddenly throws an interesting little twist your way. I have come to expect half of the NPCs that give my side quests to be goddamn liars though.

Anyway, I'm knee deep in Act 2 now, and I really like the addition of a new more skillful enemy class. Also more duals, which kick ass.

 

[happyninja42]

I have come to expect half of the NPCs that give my side quests to be goddamn liars though.

Considering half the time they ARE lying to you, this checks out

 

[Casual Shinji]

Considering half the time they ARE lying to you, this checks out

Yeah, I noticed that. Now, when I come across some guy telling me to save his wife from bandits or whatever, I expect either him to have gotten her into that situation in the first place, or the wife to have run off with one of the bandits and him wanting payback. Either way, Jin's a gullible idiot.

 

[happyninja42]

Either way, Jin's a gullible idiot.

Sounds about right yeah. I did like one mission where you actually had the opportunity to accomplish it, without killing anyone. If you were just being sneaky, you could complete the objective with zero body count. I'd like more like that personally, but, well, it's a samurai game. I expect the majority of conflicts to end at the end of a bloody sword at sunset. Still would be nice to see more missions where it's something more administrative? I mean he's one of the ruling lords of the island, a position of power and leadership. And while I appreciate his "It's my duty to protect my people with my blade" I'd also like them to emphasize the "yeah they also need an administrator and guide for all the important things that don't involve sticking a pointy sword into fleshy bits. And that is technically YOUR job Jin."

Again, not asking for a city manager game, I'm 100% down for the Kurosawa film as video game, but, just more variety of objectives and goals would be nice.

And now I'm off to continue Act 2, because the wifey is home from work, and demanding I play it more for her viewing enjoyment!

 

[Dreiko]

Apparently this game is actually really well received in Japan too, when you had some american people complaining about it because it was made by westerners. Goes to show how respectful they were with their representation. Also throws the notion of "cultural appropriation" out the window. If you're a weeb who mainlined Kurosawa for 30 years, it is just as much your culture as it is anyone's by that point, even if your genetics make you look european. This game has none of that americanized amalgamation of disparate asian elements something like MK does, it legit feels authentic.

 

[Dalisclock]

Apparently this game is actually really well received in Japan too, when you had some american people complaining about it because it was made by westerners. Goes to show how respectful they were with their representation. Also throws the notion of "cultural appropriation" out the window. If you're a weeb who mainlined Kurosawa for 30 years, it is just as much your culture as it is anyone's by that point, even if your genetics make you look european. This game has none of that americanized amalgamation of disparate asian elements something like MK does, it legit feels authentic.

I didn't realize Weeb's mainlined Kurosawa. Normally they're depicted as mainlining anime and Japanese video games( and by that, I mean the REALLY stereotypical Japanese videogames).

Kurosawa seems a bit old school for Weeb culture.

And I say that as someone who particularly enjoys Kurosawa, particularly Ran.

 

[Dreiko]

I didn't realize Weeb's mainlined Kurosawa. Normally they're depicted as mainlining anime and Japanese video games( and by that, I mean the REALLY stereotypical Japanese videogames).

Kurosawa seems a bit old school for Weeb culture.

And I say that as someone who particularly enjoys Kurosawa, particularly Ran.

See, I'm being ironic there, because people nowadays get called weebs for expressing a fondness for anything Japanese.

But yeah on my personal journey through otaku fandom I got into those movies very very early on. Yojimbo is prolly my fav. This game is like something I would have dreamed and hoped for when I was like 14, so I know that someone else also saw that dream and was able to realize it.


But yeah anime fans come in many stripes, some just watch shonen stuff and call it a day. Some like the fanservicey stuff. I like pretty much everything outside of BL lol. It's not that hard of a leap from something like Rurouni Kenshin or Demon Eyes Kyo to a Kurosawa movie. There's less flashy action but the coolness of the atmosphere is what really makes it stand out.

 

[happyninja42]

I didn't realize Weeb's mainlined Kurosawa. Normally they're depicted as mainlining anime and Japanese video games( and by that, I mean the REALLY stereotypical Japanese videogames).

Kurosawa seems a bit old school for Weeb culture.

And I say that as someone who particularly enjoys Kurosawa, particularly Ran.

That's what you get for assuming a group is a monolithic collective with zero variation of interests.

Also it seems a bit silly. I mean, as someone who isn't a weeb, and isn't a huge film nut either, even I have heard over the decades that Kurosawa was a pioneer of modern cinema, who's influence shaped the entire samurai film genre to this day, and also heavily influenced the most famous of Western (the genre) films, that went on to influence much of the more modern film work to this day. Hearing how more recent films are remakes of remakes of his original work. So even I'VE decided to look them up and check them out. Is it really surprising to you, for a fan group so in love with all things Japanese, who likely see Kurosawa's influence in pretty much EVERY anime they watch that involves fighting, to go check out the source material? I mean by that logic, no current star wars fans would go watch the original trilogy, because it's too old school for them. And that's just not the case.

 

[Dreiko]

That's what you get for assuming a group is a monolithic collective with zero variation of interests.

Also it seems a bit silly. I mean, as someone who isn't a weeb, and isn't a huge film nut either, even I have heard over the decades that Kurosawa was a pioneer of modern cinema, who's influence shaped the entire samurai film genre to this day, and also heavily influenced the most famous of Western (the genre) films, that went on to influence much of the more modern film work to this day. Hearing how more recent films are remakes of remakes of his original work. So even I'VE decided to look them up and check them out. Is it really surprising to you, for a fan group so in love with all things Japanese, who likely see Kurosawa's influence in pretty much EVERY anime they watch that involves fighting, to go check out the source material? I mean by that logic, no current star wars fans would go watch the original trilogy, because it's too old school for them. And that's just not the case.

And not just that, Toho is the same studio that produced Kurosawa films and things like DBZ and Slam Dunk, there's a continuum there. There's a lot of shared DNA between the two that a fan can easily notice.

 

[happyninja42]

And not just that, Toho is the same studio that produced Kurosawa films and things like DBZ and Slam Dunk, there's a continuum there. There's a lot of shared DNA between the two that a fan can easily notice.

Yeah, I mean pretty much any shot of two dudes with swords in an anime, pairing off against each other, probably in a wide shot, held for an extended length of time, with ambient environmental effects punctuating the silence? I mean the creator might as well subtitle the scene with "I REALLY LOVE KUROSAWA FILMS!!" every time.

 

[Baffle]

I'm not enjoying it that much to be honest. It does look pretty I guess, though I find I get used to prettiness quite quickly so stop noticing it. Gameplay is a little lacklustre so far, though I'm still in the early stages. Not as taken with it as I thought I would be.

Wish they'd used the RDR2 controls for the horse. Forever jumping off the bastard just after I've got on.

 

[happyninja42]

Wish they'd used the RDR2 controls for the horse. Forever jumping off the bastard just after I've got on.

Lol, for me it's the "Use R2 to interact with the world" that catches me up, especially with the horse. I remember feeling SO bad when I first started the game, because I'd call my horse, and then hit Triangle to mount (since most games use triangle for that), but instead, I hack at poor Nobu's throat with a heavy strike. EVERY...TIME, I feel like shit, and flinch IRL and cry out "oh shit!! I'm SO SORRY Nobu!!" *feels bad as Nobu whinnies and runs away*

The accidental dismount by pressing X is also amusingly frustrating, though I don't run into that one too much. I find trying to ride horses in open world games in general to be tedious. The controls are always janky on some level, the horse pathing will sometimes stop you dead when on foot you'd just keep going. You frequently have to slam on the horse brakes because you're coming up on a sheer cliff, which means you have to dismount, climb up/down, remount, ride for 20 seconds maybe and do it again.

I find it easier a lot of times to just run. Less interruptions of movement in my opinion.

 

[Baffle]

and flinch IRL and cry out "oh shit!! I'm SO SORRY Nobu!!" *feels bad as Nobu whinnies and runs away*

I killed a dog in RDR2 and felt awful even though he/she was going to kill me otherwise.

 

[BrawlMan]

I got around to playing the game and just completed the prologue. I know people mentioned the story is not great, but I am invested so far. The fact it is playing things straight does not bother me at all either. This game practically loves, respects, and wears samurai films on its sleeves. Not every game has to be" wink wink, nudge, nudge" at the audience, or be No More Heroes & Deadpool. Having too much of that can be just as bad. Plus, there are some moments with humor. It is not a complete "I'm dark, gritty, and super serious. Take me seriously, even though I should not be criticized, because I'm perfect! I am a serious game for serious adults! I am revolutionary because I have female protagonists". Unlike some recent games that shall not be mentioned. I am playing with Japanese Dub, English Subs. The best way to play. I'll save Kurosawa mode for a different playthrough. Thanks again, Big Bro. He was able to watch me play for a little bit.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Just finished it. Well "finished" it, I don't really have any desire to liberate everything for completonist stuff, but I did most of the side stories and all of the main quest.

Hell of game and I super enjoyed the ending. Sony needs to give Sucker Punch some more of that Naughty Dog money cause damn do they make good games. This and Infamous 2 are among my favorites now.

Have you played the Festival of Blood stand-alone? I really liked that too, and the premise of needing to find the head vamp in time for a cure made it feel fast paced for an open world.

I killed a dog in RDR2 and felt awful even though he/she was going to kill me otherwise.

At least it wasn’t the one that sits crying by its owner that you killed’s gravesite, and even tries to dig him up.

 

[happyninja42]

I got around to playing the game and just completed the prologue. I know people mentioned the story is not great, but I am invested so far. The fact it is playing things straight does not bother me at all either. This game practically loves, respects, and wears samurai films on its sleeves. Not every game has to be" wink wink, nudge, nudge" at the audience, or be No More Heroes & Deadpool. Having too much of that can be just as bad. Plus, there are some moments with humor. It is not a complete "I'm dark, gritty, and super serious. Take me seriously, even though I should not be criticized, because I'm perfect! I am a serious game for serious adults! I am revolutionary because I have female protagonists". Unlike some recent games that shall not be mentioned. I am playing with Japanese Dub, English Subs. The best way to play. I'll save Kurosawa mode for a different playthrough. Thanks again, Big Bro. He was able to watch me play for a little bit.

I like the story a lot, and am running into more evidence that there could be different endings based on your behavior in the game. My plan for Kurosawa mode is Japanese dub, English sub, and go pure "honor" style of combat. I'm hoping to finish it up this weekend, if I'm lucky.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

How Red Dead Redemption 2 nails open world discovery where Ghost of Tsushima fails

One of the best things about Ghost of Tsushima is how it strips back the HUD during exploration.

www.vg247.com

Pretty much highlights what seems to be one the biggest problems with the game. Where is the incentive to explore?

 

[happyninja42]

How Red Dead Redemption 2 nails open world discovery where Ghost of Tsushima fails

One of the best things about Ghost of Tsushima is how it strips back the HUD during exploration.

www.vg247.com

Pretty much highlights what seems to be one the biggest problems with the game. Where is the incentive to explore?

Interesting, as I feel the opposite. I had almost zero incentive to explore in RDR2, but really like exploring in GoT. I think it's me not having any empathy or connection to Arthur in RDR2, but really enjoying Jin Sakai.

For me, the answer to "where is the incentive to explore?" is "because the people are living in an occupied country, and it's my duty to protect them as a samurai. Like it's literally my purpose in our societal structure (as presented in the game at least), to be the protector of the people of my kingdom. " So going out and saving them felt very appropriate.

In RDR2, it was just....a criminal asshole wandering around and getting his nose into things

 

[stroopwafel]

In RDR2, it was just....a criminal asshole wandering around and getting his nose into things

Arthur is one of the richest characters in videogame history. He really didn't have much of a choice in the way his life turned out but you see how he struggled as he was still an essentially good man. The layering in his character was pristine.