LTTP: Ghost of Tsushima

[jon bones]

Like many others here, I am enjoying a shiny new PS5.

I loved Miles Morales and wanted another 60 fps narrative game so I copped GoT.

3.5 hours in and I am... not entirely hooked. It is beautiful & smooth, and the sad story is sort of interesting but I feel like I am bouncing off it. This loop of trivial investigation, combat, move to next location is a bit rote - though the combat itself is pretty slick.

I treat open world games as linear ones, which I understand can create this pacing problem if you aren't taking breaks to explore, but I really do just enjoy playing linear games. Do things pick up or do I need to alter my expectations?

 

[Lowrys]

The loop never changes. I got sick of it before the end of the first area. Nice presentation and decent melee combat, but the rest bored me, and the stealth was the largest disappointment.

You also become super overpowered very quickly and it trivilises the game.

And give me a damn compass. No, the wind isn't the solution, that's just a fancy breadcrumb trail and actually inhibits natural exploration. The landscape is all very samey and I don't even know which direction I'm going unless I set a marker, which defeats the point of exploring for yourself.

 

[monmagman]

Yea,I can't imagine playing it as a linear game,probably a very different experience.I had a wonderful time exploring the incredible landscapes and just soaking it all in,one of my favorite open worlds ever.

 

[Forkball]

It's a cookie cutter open world game. I like those so I was satisfied but if you hate Ubi-isms you won't like this game. Everything you see in the first five hours is what you will be doing for the rest of the game.

I will say the story engaged me and the game is very beautiful, so if you are a photo mode addict there's a lot to see.

 

[lost7]

The combat is what kept me engaged throughout. Unlike most other open world games, it's actually fun fighting hordes of enemies...

 

[Roytheone]

It's.. Fine. The world is incredible and the story surprisingly great, but the gameplay loop gets boring quickly imo. There is just way too much combat, i feel like they actually get out of their way to make up reasons to have combat in side quests that really didn't need any combat.

I will say that at some point you get ridiculous overpowered and have so many tools you can get through combat super quickly. That's pretty fun for a bit.

 

[Sylvestre]

2020s most overrated game by a mile

 

[Perfect Chaos]

If you're just mainlining it and not taking time to poke around the world, see the sights, collect items for cosmetics, etc. I don't think you'll get a ton out of it, OP. The story is serviceable, and I think gets better as it goes on, but I wouldn't hold the game in nearly as high a regard if it were just the story missions.

 

[sladeums]

Just got plat this week and would suggest just playing the required story and named character storylines.
Ignore all the generic NPC quests.
But, yeah, regardless - their structure is all the same.

Main complaint for me was with one of the strengths....
Fuckin graphics drove me innnnsane

For a game that relies so heavily on graphic cues
WHY IS THERE ALWAYS A BLIZZARD OF SHIT FLYING ACROSS THE SCREEEN
I can't see a goddamn thing because there is constantly garbage floating around. Really out of control

 

[Veelk]

I'm playing it along side Spiderman right now and really enjoying it.

It's genuinely one of the most beautiful games I've ever seen and playing it at 60 fps at 1440p is just...graphics porn. Straight, pure weeb graphics porn of a purity Walter White could only dream of.

As of the gameplay, I'm not bored of it quite yet, but yes, it is very samey and I'm not even past the first area yet. My biggest complaint is they tied attack buttons to Triangle and square, but didn't give you any lock on, and they've yet to add in a control mapping feature. I want to set up my attack buttons to R1 and R2 and they're just straight up not letting me and it's very annoying.

 

[RayFoxII]

I haven't touched the story missions too much yet as I've been busy just exploring the map and enjoying the combat. It does seem like your standard open world Ubi game but with really really great combat.

 

[niaobx]

If you're just mainlining it and not taking time to poke around the world, see the sights, collect items for cosmetics, etc. I don't think you'll get a ton out of it, OP. The story is serviceable, and I think gets better as it goes on, but I wouldn't hold the game in nearly as high a regard if it were just the story missions.

Click to shrink...

Don't listen to this person OP. The game is bloated as hell, blast through the main story and then you will see how much appetite you've got for more of the same.

 

[MegaSackman]

Like many others here, I am enjoying a shiny new PS5.

I loved Miles Morales and wanted another 60 fps narrative game so I copped GoT.

3.5 hours in and I am... not entirely hooked. It is beautiful & smooth, and the sad story is sort of interesting but I feel like I am bouncing off it. This loop of trivial investigation, combat, move to next location is a bit rote - though the combat itself is pretty slick.

I treat open world games as linear ones, which I understand can create this pacing problem if you aren't taking breaks to explore, but I really do just enjoy playing linear games. Do things pick up or do I need to alter my expectations?

Click to shrink...

I love it but the game peaks in the second act in every aspect of it.

 

[JChung55]

I had the same sentiments when I got it on release and people told me I was crazy. The loop gets old fast and the stealth is straight bad.

I do enjoy the combat and that would be enough to guide me along if the story and characters are good but they aren't, I beat the first area and the entire cast is meh.

That said, I might give it another go now that it's 60fps on Ps5.

 

[Son of Liberty]

I was in the same boat as you. I bought the game at launch and thought it was visually stunning, but everything else just felt average to me.
I also couldn't get into the combat since I was playing the game at 4k/30fps, but I heard there was rumors of a PS5 upgrade so I decided to hold off on this game till that system came out, which I'm glad I did. The game feels almost completely different at 4k/60fps in a good way. I'm now doing a lot better in combat since I can actually tell what types of attacks the enemies are doing, plus the world design really shines when you see wind blow the trees and grass around in that silky smooth frame rate.

 

[Touha]

I absolutely love the game and it is even more spectacular on PS5. But I think expectations are important—it is a gorgeous, well designed game, clearly made with care, but is a fairly standard open world formula....not very original, but just executed particularly well without much bloat that other such games have. All open world games suffer from repetition and Ghost is no different here. The difference here with Ghost for me is the sheer quality of the world....it is a joy to explore and just be in. And the combat—the combat is SO good, more on par with top tier action games than other open world games. The combination of the beautiful environment and amazing combat just make the gameplay loop continually fun and enjoyable even though it gets repetitive.

 

[daninthemix]

I'm not loving the forced stealth Assassin's Creed tailing shit - I'd thought we'd moved on from that in, like, 2011?

 

[Deleted member 76797]

Yea, it's just okay. Gorgeous graphics but other than that it didn't do much for me.

 

[Jakke_Koala]

It's gorgeous, but that's the only thing it has going. I found the loop boring before the end of the first area. Eventually traded i in for days gone, which is a much more interesting open world game imo.

 

[Matty H]

It's the best Assassin's Creed game.
The story picks up pace as you go through it and the companion quests were mostly great.

 

[benzopil]

It's just poor man's Assassin's Creed game

 

[nelsonroyale]

Its a great game. The core combat is just better than most other open world games out there. There are areas they could improve, primarily presentation and side quests.

 

[Deleted member 16876]

I loved it. The exploration was fun, so was the combat and it was really enjoyable to play.


If you are trying to play it as a linear game then you won't enjoy it. The game is meant to be played by exploring and doing stuff around you.

 

[P-MAC]

I'm playing through it now and just cleaning up some side quests before doing the last main story quest. The stealth is definitely way too easy in this game, you can walk directly between two enemies without being noticed. I've had some fun sneaking around assassinating people but not once has a stealth mission been even slightly challenging which is a bit lame. I wouldn't say the world is samey though, there are some incredible areas later on. It feels simplistic and barebones in a lot of ways but the combat saves it, it just feels so smooth and incredible and makes me feel like a badass lol. Going into Ghost Mode is amazing

 

[CptSupermarket]

2020s most underrated game by a mile

 

[Pendragon_1095]

My completionist syndrome made me tired of the game. I was clearing the whole map before advancing the story but this game got boring to me. The side characters are also more interesting than Jin but they aren't that interesting themselves. I find them all a bit boring.

People keep comparing to Assassin's creed but while the combat feels better I was never bored with Odyssey until very late in the game while I got bored with GoT in the second region. The characters in Odyssey also felt more interesting and stuck out more.

World is beautiful though.

 

[Deleted member 16876]

For a game that relies so heavily on graphic cues
WHY IS THERE ALWAYS A BLIZZARD OF SHIT FLYING ACROSS THE SCREEEN
I can't see a goddamn thing because there is constantly garbage floating around. Really out of control

Click to shrink...

It is a way to lead you to your objectives. If you hate it disable the objective from the menu.

Don't listen to this person OP. The game is bloated as hell, blast through the main story and then you will see how much appetite you've got for more of the same.

Click to shrink...

Only bloated if you feel you must do absolutely everything at once.

Exploration is key. Go one direction and explore what you come across. I usually head in the direction of the story quests and explore the stuff that look interesting along the way.

Doing just thee story would go agaainstt the principles of the game.

 

[Phendrana]

The combat alone is what drove me to keep playing. I found the game to otherwise be a painfully generic checklist-based open world.

I'll add that the comparisons to Breath of the Wild are grossly overstated. Outside of temples and the like, not much in the world is eye-catching in a way the promotes exploration. It's the opposite really; it feels like it's trying to tell you exactly where to go so damn much. I eventually grew to loathe the birds for basically spoiling when something collectable was nearby, and eventually started avoiding the foxes altogether and just trying to find the shrines myself.

Combat is cool, though.

 

[LookAtMeGo]

I bought it day one and I'm still on the first act. I do like one or 2 mission then take some screens cuz its pretty then I just put something else on.

I was actually so excited because its a part of history I have always been interested in. When I heard there was a game being made about the Mongol invasions, suckerpunch was makin it ect, I was like hooooly shit no way... but its just not grabbing me at all.

I'm so over that kinda gameplay loop. It feels so damn repetitive.

 

[niaobx]

Only bloated if you feel you must do absolutely everything at once.

Exploration is key. Go one direction and explore what you come across. I usually head in the direction of the story quests and explore the stuff that look interesting along the way

Click to shrink...

I don't agree that there is much to explore. The enemy camps, fox shrines, meditating spots and useless cosmetic collectibles are not that interesting. You might run into a quest, but for the most part they are the same thing done over and over again. Climbing trials are fun I guess.

 

[Deleted member 16876]

I don't agree that there is much to explore. The enemy camps, fox shrines, meditating spots and useless cosmetic collectibles are not that interesting. You might run into a quest, but for the most part they are the same thing done over and over again. Climbing trials are fun I guess.

Click to shrink...

I disagree with this.

The best part about the game is going to different and unique locations that are really beautiful. A lot of the side content take you to parts that are beautiful.

Sure some of the content is repetitive but that isn't a bad thing. Meditating spots were great because they felt calming after going to kill an enemy camp. Cosmetic stuff were a nice reward for going to a location on your own instead of going there and finding nothing but a nice view. The camps were fun because the combat was fun as hell. I do agree the foxes were a bit too much and would have been better if there were less of them but with more varied objective rather than following them.

The game is at it's best when you are doing stuff because you want to or feel the urge to do them. If you don't like that then that's fair but that's what the game is.

 

[zzzyz36]

My gut feel for this game was that it looked like a Ubisoft game which I generally avoid. A friend told me he really enjoyed it so was considering playing it on my PS5 but now I don't think I will. Thanks hehe

I am like you in that I prefer linear games, open world games have a habit of being time sinks of boring gameplay loops.

 

[Nephilim]

It's a great game with a very good story and some amazing character development. Imo the gameplay loop along with the narrative and setting created a cohesive ludonarrative resonance that is rare in open world games like this.

 

[Rodrigues solitaire]

My gut feel for this game was that it looked like a Ubisoft game which I generally avoid. A friend told me he really enjoyed it so was considering playing it on my PS5 but now I don't think I will. Thanks hehe

I am like you in that I prefer linear games, open world games have a habit of being time sinks of boring gameplay loops.

Click to shrink...

It's a Ubisoft game in everything but name and reception.

 

[Kill3r7]

The gameplay loop is the same but the combat improves immensely as you unlock more abilities. That keeps things fresh in a sense. One of my favorite games of the year.

 

[Baccus]

The ERA and reviewer praise calling it a "masterpiece of open world gaming" and saying it was "better than every Ubisoft game released in the past or the future" pushed me to buy it at full price.

It really isn't all that. Yes, it's basically perfect from a graphics and combat standpoint but the repetition is insane, the world is empty and every single story is the same, and tragic as hell.

The nuance is also non existent. If I was a mongol I'd be fuming playing this game.

Really good game, but definitely less ambitious than, say, the last three AC games. Maybe not as fun either.

It's the best Assassin's Creed game.

Click to shrink...

Absolutely not. it was a bad take at launch, and preposterous after Valhalla.

 

[Maximus Odinson]

Perfectly OK game

 

[The Shape]

I stopped playing on base PS4 after the first act ended. I'm gonna continue this week when my PS5 arrives. I was loving it though.

The moment the title card appears and the soundtrack goes full volume while you're riding your horse on that beautiful field is one of my favorite gaming moments of 2020.

 

[Baccus]

You know what was really good about this game? The Haikus and the meditations. Not very often games get contemplative, and due to the top tier art direction and story themes, it comes together fantastically.

 

[RestEerie]

The nuance is also non existent. If I was a mongol I'd be fuming playing this game.

Click to shrink...

psss.....context is key. the mongols are basically the nazi in every sense of a word during that historical era.

u do know that the mongols literally conquered and pillage at least half of the world during that time, right?

by your example, i guess the germans must be fuming while playing every WW2 era games i supposed?

 

[endlessflood]

I love this game, and rate it the third best of this gen, behind TLOU2 and The Witcher 3 (and slightly ahead of RDR2).

It's an open world game, for better or worse, so if you don't like open world games and all they entail, then you probably won't like this one. But in terms of the collectathon shit, this game is really mild, and the cool wind system and fox/bird system means it feels a lot more natural and immersive when it comes to exploration.

In terms of what this game has going for it, it has an amazing combat system that just never gets old. There's a lot there, so they try to drip feed it to you so that you have time to digest it all, but the combat is brilliant. Graphically it's one of the prettiest games of last gen, with amazing art direction (I don't normally use photo modes in games, but I took a shit tonne of screenshots in GoT!). The main story is great, with great characters and great vocal performances. The controls are perfect (a Sucker Pumch staple). The platforming sections are great.

My only real criticism of the game is that Act 3 (the shortest by far) is lacking visually. Part of that is for story reasons, but it still felt very bland after Acts 1 and 2.

Don't forget the online co-op mode either (Legends). That's absolutely brilliant too.

 

[ClickyCal']

2020s most underrated game by a mile

Click to shrink...

It's nominated for GOTY and other awards, and has been hyped since it came out, lol.

 

[Jamesways]

Loved it.
But play the Legends mode online. It's so satisfying and addictive.

 

[The Curry Witch]

I'll say this: After this game I expect more one shot sword combat in games and more collecting stuff with no animations.

 

[Arctic Chris]

There is a weird dichotomy of views in this thread. I avoided this game as I thought it looked too difficult for me to enjoy - but people are saying you quickly become over powered. That is a play style I can get behind.

Others are saying it is very much an Assassin's Creed type game. I love Assassin's Creed games - the more bloat and repetition the better. I might have to check out the PSN sale.

 

[EJS]

The game opens up after Act I. I didn't love it at first but ended up absolutely adoring it. It might be my GotY.

 

[daninthemix]

Out of interest what's the best way to quickly take down the various enemies that either parry all your attacks, or only take stamina damage (e.g. because they have a big shield)?

 

[Dance Inferno]

I love this game, and rate it the third best of this gen, behind TLOU2 and The Witcher 3 (and slightly ahead of RDR2).

Click to shrink...

That's a hell of a statement. RDR2 is unparalleled from an open world perspective, with so many unique, hand-crafted moments, activities, and stories to stumble upon. No other game has achieved an open world as organic as RDR2, and while I haven't yet played GoT, every review and impression I've read seems to state that its world is repetitive, saturated with filler collectibles that are all exactly the same, and with side quests that that are rote go-from-A-to-B quests with little to no interesting characters. That doesn't seem like the kind of world I would put ahead of RDR2.

 

[dadoes]

I beat the main story on ps4, but didn't feel like completing the side content because it was so boring, but I ended finishing it on the ps5 because 60fps made it feel like almost a new game.

But yeah, the game becomes samey after a while.

Combat still feel great though, so fun and satisfying.

Still a pretty decent game at the end, but it's no rdr2 or game of the year. That title goes to either ori or tlou2. Both those games are head and shoulders above tsushima.

 

[Baccus]

psss.....context is key. the mongols are basically the nazi in every sense of a word during that historical era.

u do know that the mongols literally conquered and pillage at least half of the world during that time, right?

Click to shrink...

Were they? Not really familiar with the real history, but I'd be surprised if they were so mind numbingly dumb and evil. Or on second thoughts that's pretty normal, so yes. Could be. Still, the game doesn't really makes them feel like a threat and more like a nuisance

Others are saying it is very much an Assassin's Creed type game. I love Assassin's Creed games - the more bloat and repetition the better. I might have to check out the PSN sale.

Click to shrink...

Ghost is repetitive but not bloated, and that's more or less its sin. AC can get away with repeating 30 features in 60 hours, while Tsushima repeats 10 in 40. Couple it with a less "alive" world and more restrictive moment and it feels closer to AC1 than AC Odyssey