Ghost of Tsushima.

otbr87 said:
Sounds like a lot of people complaining about Ghost being boring, repetitive or not fantasy enough would like Sekiro or NiOh with the over the top characters, daunting difficulty settings and the fantasy elements mixed in. I'm glad they didn't ruin the game with making another predictable samurai title or something modern Japanese inspired that's trying to be trendy, edgy and cool but isn't(like Yakuza). Ghost does feel grindy at times, but so does Shenmue and that isn't a bad thing.
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I am at the 1 section (I play short sessions) and it is undoubtedly repetitive at the point. The mission design is mostly 3 templates at the moment:
  • Go to a walk with the NPC companion while explains things a bit (not a bad thing) to end to a fort/camp that need to be exterminated (and at the moment I have not seeing any of those requiring any variation of gameplay aka archer only area, etc... ) . Those are usually the story mission or main tales.
  • Go to X place to hunt bandits/mongols for whatever reason and report back. Those are usually the side tales from random villagers.
  • The treasure hunt. Go explore areas hinted by maps and flowers. The mythic tales.
There is no need of fantasy elements to make scenarios more diverse or have a better coat of paint to those missions to be less aparent those missions were probably added later in development cycle to increase game length (similar on how 80% of the missions of Assassin Creed 1 were added in the last month or so).

The thing is a lot of pieces were already there to allow more diverse missions and I can do some examples:
  • Yesterday I did a side mission of a villager complaining about lack of food and sends you to retrieve rice from bandits. While the main point was about the lie and all that why not allowing the user to talk to the bandits learn the truth and then hunt deer for food?
  • Why not have some mission involving an archery contest for whatever reason with a prideful mongol as a bet instead of the usual massacring the camp.
  • Bears are in the game so why not havin a mission or so related to an evil human eating bear that was awaken from hibernation for whatever reason? Kudos points if we have a random Ainu exiled here in Tsushima and introduces a bit their unique "Japanese" Kamuy worship.
  • Mongols are faersome riders and hunters. I have yet have a mounted battle or chase that shows their might.
All those are super quick examples I thought relatively quickly with gameplay elements that are mostly in the game without anysupernatural elements and please be wary of the tone ditching other games does not really help supporting your point nor it gives strength to your reasoning.
 
I finished Ghost of Tsushima last night and while I've really enjoyed the last 8 hours or so, and I thought the ending was a stunning set piece, man, the first few hours were such a dreary slog. Hiding away all the abilities in skill trees I understand as a carrot to keep you playing, but you feel so under powered , the script is really serious and dry and it was only the visuals keeping me interested. The map is once again massive and the long horse riding between missions I found quite tedious. It's a good game though and well worth playing , once you get some extra abilities under your belt and can find the fighting style that works for you. Just be prepared to take a while to get there. It also reminded me how much I prefer intimate, smaller open maps like Shenmue and Yakuza that have plenty to do in them than huge open spaces that exist mainly to pad time between missions. I quickly ditched the side missions at the end of Act 1 as I knew I'd never see the end otherwise. Powering through the story missions and unlocking abilities was way more enjoyable.

That said, I'd still probably pick it up cheap next year during the inevitable PS5 games drought and do all the side stuff with the benefit of better performance on the PS5 as well.
 
I just beat the game. Ending was predictable, but Iā€™m glad it went down the way it did, because it was done very well and I was genuinely moved by it.

Iā€™m glad to be done with the game. My enjoyment with it really started taking a downhill turn towards the third act. From there, it was kind of up and down for me, despite the mechanics remaining strong throughout. Had the combat not been nearly as good, then I probably wouldnā€™t even bother finishing the game. Overall though, it was a great experience.

And Iā€™m so happy I donā€™t have to hear those fucking archers yell ā€œDOCHO!ā€ or whatever the fuck it is they say.
 
Your Boy Leroy said:
I just beat the game. Ending was predictable, but Iā€™m glad it went down the way it did, because it was done very well and I was genuinely moved by it.

Iā€™m glad to be done with the game. My enjoyment with it really started taking a downhill turn towards the third act. From there, it was kind of up and down for me, despite the mechanics remaining strong throughout. Had the combat not been nearly as good, then I probably wouldnā€™t even bother finishing the game. Overall though, it was a great experience.

And Iā€™m so happy I donā€™t have to hear those fucking archers yell ā€œDOCHO!ā€ or whatever the fuck it is they say.
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Question for those that finished the game-

What ending did you choose?

I chose to respect Uncleā€™s wishes and I feel it fits the arc of Jin much more.
 
Slowly chopping away at this game. Don't get much time to play games but when I do, I'm doing what I can.

It's a fantastic game and I'm enjoying it immensely. Will probably take me well over a month to complete it.
 
code l name said:
Question for those that finished the game-

What ending did you choose?

I chose to respect Uncleā€™s wishes and I feel it fits the arc of Jin much more.
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Uncle's wishes. Definitely the better option within the lore and traditions of the culture and era.
 
I wonder if it was planned for release but they could not get it time due COVID or something. Adding networking functionality to a game that has not been thought for it is no easy feat.
 
Just got this game yesterday. I started on hard and not having too much trouble with the difficulty. I'm thinking to start again on the hardest difficulty. Smart move or pure frustration?
 
So what difficulty is everyone playing/played on? I like the hardest difficulty though I'm struggling to concentrate with the kids around. Also, archers are a pain in the ass.
 
Nathanial Essex said:
So what difficulty is everyone playing/played on? I like the hardest difficulty though I'm struggling to concentrate with the kids around. Also, archers are a pain in the ass.
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I am playing with the hard setting, the one below lethal (which I believe came in a patch). I struggled a bit initially because I was being clumsy or trying to kill only using perfect parries. However, now in the 2 part of the island with skill and weapon upgrades is being a breeze and super easy.
 
That's why I switched to lethal as people were saying is does become very easy. I need to get a bow ASAP because I'm struggling with archers when it comes to taking over bases.
 
Yesterday night I was doing the mission for the Long Bow fighting against the Tengu Demon guy. I was still very early in the game and went into the fight with no resolve. I must have tried at least 40 times and when I finally did defeat him, I did so flawlessly without getting so much of a flick. I'm playing on lethal difficulty and slowly warming into it. For the most part 5 or less enemies at once is not much of an issue for me but the archers do catch me out.

So far I'm enjoying it but I feel some quest can be shortened as there is, so far, too much: go here, but no go there, then go here, then there and now you've got what you've needed to get
 
Just finished and I have to say I found part 3 quite more enjoyable than act 2. Since I already maxed out all ewuipment by then and I had not to loot around for supplies and I could focus on missions/story with the ghost armor around causing fear.

I did dislike the supplies system quite a bit, godbless the inari charm.
 
I finished it last night, wrapped up a couple trophies today. Excellent game, really enjoyed it. I started playing it back on July 23rd, took me way longer than I'd expected.

There was a point in Act 3 where it felt like it was really dragging. To go through the previous massive areas, then get to Act 3 and have another enormous area.... I wanted it to be over a couple times, but I did eventually get over that bump of tediousness and enjoyed the final hours.

It's also the very first Platinum trophy I've ever obtained. I typically don't care for trophies but when I'd finished I noticed I only had a couple left. For some reason, early on in the game I'd set out to do everything that popped up on screen. I have some banners left, some vanity items but I won't seek them out.

I chose to not kill the uncle. Jin says in the end that he couldn't bring himself to kill his own family. That felt right.
 
Has anyone played Tenchu Z for Xbox 360?? I know it's not going to come anywhere close to Ghost in terms of quality, but I'm looking for something samurai or ninja based to fill the void until GoT Legends comes out. I enjoyed Tenchu 1, 2, Wrath and Fatal but they're way too dated to want to play in 2020, and the 2008 one for the Wii was really bad. If anyone has some input on the 360 Tenchu Z it'd be greatly appreciated before I drop $20-$60 buying another Xbox 360 console just for this title. Thanks!
 
Finished Ghost of Tsushima yesterday and for me it was a great experience; really loved the game overhaul altough it felt that it was dragging a bit towards the end.
Fortunately the story of the side characters helped out; otherwise it could have felt a bit boring.
The ending was kind of predictable; but it was very beautifull and fitting for the story arch.
I consider it to be one of the best games of this genertion both in terms of gameplay and atmosphere; the story is also pretty solid but I ended up enjoying more the story of the side characters specially the one from Lady Masako and Sensei Ishikawa but overhaul they are all great and fit very well the personality of each character.

Positive Features:

+ Probably the most beautifull Open World i've ever seen in a video game.
( It is crazy the amount of beautifull screenshots you can take in this game. )

+ Best Lighting Effects i've ever seen in a video game.
( The Sunsets; Sunrises; Moonlight and the reflections of the lighting on the water are simply amazing.)

+ Amazing Atmosphere.
( The game world design and the attention to detail is absurd; this game really makes you feel that you are in the period of
Feudal Japan in the era of the Samurai.)

+ Gameplay
( The gameplay in this game is pretty solid and does a great job in making you feel like a badass Samurai or Ninja and gives
you enough variety to mix the gameplay style the way you want.)
( The other gameplay features like the Hot Springs; Bamboo Cutting; Fox Shrines; The Haiku's and the Locations with Swords and Hats do a good job in motivating you to explore the Island.)

+ Story
( Although the Main Plot is pretty predictable; the overhaul story is pretty solid; but in my in my opinion the stories of the side characters are the ones that really shine and help you keep engaged troughout the whole game.)
( The mystical Stories are also very good and provide a great swordplay challenge to the player.)

+ Sound
( The overhaul sound quality is very good; from the sound effects to the music and the dialogue; everything is pretty solid.)

+ End Credits
(Hands down the best end cretids I've seen so far in a video game; it was so well made that I watched it from start to finish.)

Negative Features:

- Lip Sync
( I understand why they made the Lip Sync for the English version; but for me it should have been for the Japanese VA; it is immersion breaking and it feels off for a game based in japanese culture.)

- Enemy AI
( In the fighting aspect the AI in this game is pretty solid; but when it comes to the stealth gameplay it is simply not good it just makes the game way too easy.)

- Padding
( The Story and the mini games you have in Ghost of Tsushima are good; but towards the end you start to get a little bit bored because it drags on and on and you start to lose the motivation to explore the island.)
I finished both the main story and the ones from all the side characters but after that I didn't have the motivation to carry on; but I believe that after a break that I will return from time to time to complete everything.

I highly recomend this game to any Shenmue fan because there are a lot of things that I believe they will enjoy in this game
specially because of the zen feeling the game transmits through some of its mini games and the overhaul atmosphere and beauty of the game world it also provides a rich and engrossing story; specially the ones from the side characters.
All in all for me it was a great experience and one that I can see myself returning to in a year or so.
If I were to rate this game; for me it would be a 9.0 out of 10.
 
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