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[PS4] Ghost of Tsushima

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Unread postby earthboundtrev » 12 Jun 2018 14:15

https://gematsu.com/2018/06/ghost-of-ts ... al-trailer

Sal Romano wrote:Sony Interactive Entertainment and Sucker Punch Productions debuted an nine-minute gameplay reveal trailer for Ghost of Tsushima during its E3 2018 press conference.

Here is an overview of the game, via Sucker Punch Productions producer Brian Fleming on the PlayStation Blog:

Ghost of Tsushima is an epic, open-world samurai adventure set during the Mongol invasion of Japan in 1274. We’re telling an original story set in the world of feudal Japan—a time of warfare, chaos, and violent change. You play as Jin Sakai, a powerful samurai warrior whose adventure draws on Japanese history and the iconic traditions of samurai cinema to craft a gorgeous tale of revenge, empowerment, and hope.

What more could you ask for?

Thus far, all we have shown about Ghost of Tsushima is the debut trailer from Paris Games Week back in October. That video gave you a glimpse into the world and story we are creating. Don’t get me wrong, I like a good story trailer or mysterious teaser video as much as anyone. But to get me really excited, and to understand the experience of a new game… Show me the gameplay, baby!

Which is why I’m thrilled (or is that stress/anxiety/all of the above?) to share a taste of what Ghost of Tsushima is all about. We chose this particular sequence to capture a few of the essential visions we have for the game: a sprawling, beautiful Tsushima Island… brutal Mongol invaders… and katana combat that delivers on our target of “Mud, Blood, & Steel.” Of course this is just the beginning — and as time goes by we’ll talk more about the scope of the world, Jin’s progression and the game storyline...

In this story, Jin fights alongside another samurai—a deadly onna-bugeisha named Masako. They joined forces to save their homeland from the Mongol invaders, but Masako’s tragic personal history drives a wedge in her relationship with Jin. As you’ve seen, this ends up forcing them into a duel at the end of the experience.

Masako and her story are one of many side characters and quests that form the fabric of Ghost of Tsushima These characters will play important parts in Jin’s main storyline, but most of them will also have side quests and stories for you to explore. In fact, the demo you just watched is part of Masako’s storyline, a side adventure off the game’s main path.

This story offers a small window into Jin’s world and his journey to save his homeland from the Mongol Empire. The early moment when Jin overlooks his surroundings—the distant fires, sacred temples, and far off mountains—promises an island full of dangerous and stunning places to root out the invading Mongols.

Even Jin’s outfit and how he chooses to fight are notable–foreshadowing some parts of Jin’s personal journey. He’s in a rain-drenched part of the world, so Jin has traded his traditional armor for a straw raincoat called a mino. And while he wields his katana with deadly skill, you can see he’s straying from his samurai ways to attack his enemies with the violent grace of a silent assassin.

What does all this mean? It means there’s a much bigger story to tell—but that’s for another day.

As a final thought, watch the red leaves swirl around the final duel between Jin and Masako. The red leaves are a visual metaphor for this story in Ghost of Tsushima—but also for the path it takes to create a game. Ideas swirling around and can almost be overwhelming for me–and at the same time incredibly beautiful and exciting. The first task is identifying a clear vision—picking out the one red leaf among thousands. Once you find that idea, you set out to pursue it relentlessly as the wind carries it in exciting new directions.

That single red leaf Jin picks up at the beginning of the story was a touchstone for the creation of this story. The leaf influenced the visual development of the adventure as well as the design of the temple. Those ideas lead to gameplay, and to dozens of iterations on this quest. Even today, as we write this blog post, the team is tweaking small details of the experience. Still chasing this particular red leaf.

Just like in Jin and Masako’s duel, it’ll take a whole pile of red leaves to make Ghost of Tsushima something worth jumping into.


E3 2018 Gameplay Debut | PS4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSAvzeopPC8
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Unread postby ExiledOne » 23 Jun 2018 19:07

Mongol Invasion Gameplay Trailer (4K) - E3 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c87LbOfG7dI
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Unread postby icycalm » 04 Sep 2018 22:28

The last two videos linked are the same. I watched it, and it's unbelievable. This is basically a modern Onimusha.

Only thing is that in Onimusha everyone was good-looking and dressed to the nines, while here everyone is ugly and dressed like crap. The protagonist basically looks like a hobo.

Western (lack of) sensibilities.
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Unread postby Some guy » 16 Jul 2020 14:03

Ghost Of Tsushima Is Being Praised By Japanese Critics
https://kotaku.com/ghost-of-tsushima-is ... 1844387298

Brian Ashcraft wrote:Often, when foreigners bring Japan to life, they don’t quite hit the mark. Sometimes, their vision of the country is eye-rollingly egregious. But sometimes, they portray it in a way that even the Japanese praise. According to the early reviews in Japan, Ghost of Tsushima is an example of the latter.

A handful of the biggest Japanese print publications and sites have posted their reviews, with all giving their seal of approval of the game’s depiction of the Kamakura Era (1185–1333). Considering that Sony Interactive Entertainment is publishing the game, I would be more surprised if Ghost of Tsushima mucked up its depiction. The Japanese reviews, however, seem to express a sense of relief.


With anything, there will inevitably be players who disagree, but so far, the critical consensus is that Ghost of Tsushima does an admirable job of bringing 13th century Japan to life.

Have a look at what some of these publications have to say about the game (note that I focused largely on their impressions of world-building).

Akiba Souken

Earlier this month, among international players, there was chatter about the Japanese language on the menu screen, but to native Japanese speakers, there didn’t seem to be an issue. Akiba Souken’s reviewer also didn’t feel like the Japanese in the game was strange or off. The reviewer even went on to say the game could be useful for Japanese people to study kogo (古語) or archaic words.

In Japanese, kanji characters have two readings: onyomi (readings based on Chinese pronunciations) and kunyomi (readings based on indigenous Japanese pronunciations). Kanji was imported into Japan by the 5th century, and prior to that, the country did not have its own writing system. Japan did, however, have its own spoken language, with native pronunciation for words and ideas. Kunyomi is an expression of that. (You can read more about onyomi and kunyomi on Tofugu.)

So, as Akiba Souken points out, in Ghost of Tsushima, the word 村長, meaning “village leader,” isn’t the onyomi reading sonchou, but rather, the kunyomi reading muraosa. There are other examples of kunyomi use throughout the game. This is a very small thing, but a conscious decision that shows a deeper understanding of how the language was used.

The review ends by stating that Ghost of Tsushima’s protagonist Jin Sakai isn’t the typical samurai of foreign creation, but rather, a real Japanese 侍 (samurai), with the site using both the English “samurai” and the word’s kanji to highlight this distinction.


Dengeki Online

One of Japan’s most popular game sites, Dengeki Online wrote, “In this world, there aren’t any weird [Japanese language] signs or anyone using dodgy Japanese.” Not only did Dengeki praise the game for its understanding of the period (as well as historical Japanese movies), it also lauded the game for how it brought the landscape and scenery to life.

“Japanese historical dramas have been thoroughly studied and brought to life in a world that is very close to how we picture his period of Japan in our minds,” the site adds. Dengeki also praised the game’s story and action.


Engadget Japan

According to Engadget Japan, Ghost of Tsushima didn’t really have the type of odd or uncomfortable scenes or storylines that Japanese people often experience in American-made movies. The story, the site adds, shows respect for the period, adding that the game itself was enjoyable and moving.


Famitsu

Weekly Famitsu gave Ghost of Tsushima a perfect score. This is only the third time a Western game has gotten a perfect score, with Ghost of Tsushima taking its place alongside The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Grand Theft Auto V.

Like other reviewers, Famitsu found nothing odd or off-putting about the game’s depiction of Japan. In fact, one of the subheadings in the Famitsu review is, “There Is No Sense Of Discomfort In This Foreign-Made Japanese World.” Because foreigners often get their depiction of Japan wrong, whether that’s on the big or the small stuff, Japanese players rightly have concerns that Ghost of Tsushima would be no exception.

As Famitsu notes, when people outside Japan depict the country, they tend to pepper their creations with strange, incorrect language and mix Japanese culture with Korean and Chinese culture, collapsing Asia into a single monolith. Famitsu admitted that it didn’t know how real the game’s depiction of the era was but explained that nothing about it felt odd. This is a fictional account of the period, and in that regard, Famitsu believes the game succeeds.

Interestingly, the one nitpick Famitsu had was regarding the speed at which characters speak. For Famitsu, the dialogue’s tempo is much faster than it should be for the time, and there isn’t the same importance on pauses in conversation that are typical of period pieces. That pause and that silence are key; in Japan, what isn’t said is just as important as what is. Moreover, some of the lines are ironic or sarcastic, which the reviewer felt had more of a foreign sensibility.

Famitsu, however, went on to praise the way the game looks and plays (it thought Kurosawa Mode was especially cool), the story and characters, and called it a great masterpiece. It highly recommended the game to those who like sword-fighting action and historical dramas.


It will be interesting to see what players in Japan think when Ghost of Tsushima is finally released on July 17.
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Unread postby ChevRage » 27 Jul 2020 19:19

Looks like there's going to be a patch that adds an increased difficulty mode:

https://www.suckerpunch.com/ghost-of-ts ... 5-details/

Sucker Punch wrote:New difficulty level: Lethal

  • Enemy weapons are more deadly, but Jin’s katana is also more deadly
  • Enemies are more aggressive in combat
  • Enemies detect you faster
  • Tighter Parry and Dodge windows


I'm not sure how I feel about Jin's katana being more deadly. I've only played an hour or so but I kinda like the few hits that mooks take before death, if they need even less I think it'll be a little unsatisfying.
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Unread postby ChevRage » 29 Jul 2020 07:28

So I played a bit more and goddamn, it's fucking great so far. Definitely recommend the "Lethal" difficulty setting for sure. The tool-tip describes it as being such that "a single sword strike is lethal", which suggests one hit kills and deaths, but that's not the case at all. Sometimes you die in one hit, sometimes you can take a couple of hits before dying. Enemies don't die immediately either, and combat is super fast and really satisfying. The superb animations the game has helps a lot with that and it looks quite realistic while you're in combat. You can change the HUD style to "Expert" too for a slightly more immersive look; it's already quite minimalistic, but a few more steps doesn't hurt at all.

I can't really be sure how the balance changes once you start fighting harder enemies, or upgrade your weapons damage. I might end up holding off on upgrading stuff until I absolutely need to, since I often find that with games like this you upgrade yourself into having overpowered skills quite easily. While I hope that's not the case, it's better to be safe than sorry.

One thing I don't like is that you seemingly respawn after death a few paces away from where you died. On top of that the time of day is the same as when you had died (instead of reverting to before the encounter began), and even the random enemies on a road or whatever that you might have died to disappear to boot. It's almost like the fastest way to get rid of a group of Mongols on the way to your destination is to simply have your throat slit, and you'll be back on your feet in no time with nobody around. The hardest difficulty setting makes this all too apparent. Such a shame there's no save points, since it's quite a beautiful game.

The quest GPS in this game is absolute genius though. I mean, as far as a GPS goes anyway, to be quite honest I prefer not to have them and be able to consult signs, NPCs, a journal, real GPS, etc. as to the direction I'm meant to go. But failing those, this one will do quite nicely. Instead of a waypoint, or a line on the ground telling you where to go, the wind itself blows towards your destination and holy shit does it look pretty. It's just another way that they've managed to get rid of needless UI abstractions.

You can select a quest or location on the map screen for it to point to, OR you can do what I do and not look at the map screen at all. When I press the start button, I quickly press R1 to get to the second tab and that's where you'll find all the quests that you've picked up. From there you can select the quest you want the wind to blow towards. I don't really like looking at the map since it has too much information on it even with the fog of war, all those question marks and other points of interest get marked down when you get close to them. There's plenty to distract you from your travel towards a quest; plumes of smoke in the distance signalling what must be Mongol camps I think, birds or foxes that can lead you to interesting little secluded hot springs or shrines, and more. There's really little reason to look at the map, though I think I'll check it out every now and then just to see where I've been.

I'm playing it on a vanilla PS4, but I imagine it really deserves to be played on the Pro. Such a shame it hasn't also come to PC.
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Unread postby ChevRage » 01 Aug 2020 18:45

A really nice theme for the PS4: https://twitter.com/Wario64/status/1283453869805076480

Wario64 wrote:Free Ghost of Tsushima theme for PSN (unlimited use codes, seems to be the same theme from late last year)

Americas: 5NEC-F9N4-75M8
Europe/AU/NZ/Russia/Middle East/Africa/India: 8T2T-CRNJ-FM72
Japan: N4TK-59NH-2LH3
Korea: EM56-NTNC-EHX8
Asia: DHLN-HANF-F6LH


You can only get it via these codes if you didn't buy the deluxe edition. I wish the menu noises were changed too, I don't like the default ones the PlayStation 4 has.
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★★★★★ Ghost of Tsushima (2020, PS4)

Unread postby Insomnia » 19 Aug 2020 22:37

Insomnia review (5/5): https://culture.vg/forum/topic?t=7252

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Insomnia wrote:Stunning open world and one of the best sword combat systems ever. Sucker Punch's finest game yet.
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Unread postby icycalm » 20 Aug 2020 03:04

I take exception with something said in the second review to the effect that "any open-world game you've likely played" has some repetitive content. GTA3 had none. I do not remember a single boring, repetitive mission that was obvious filler. Even the couple of racing missions were exciting and tough, and a nice change of pace from the rest of the game. The side missions were all very, very welcome content. I think this notion that open-world games HAVE to be repetitive to an extent comes from Ubisoft and the Assassin's Creed series, the first of which I have reviewed and found mediocre and too boring to play past the three-hour mark [ > ]. I've been meaning to give the game a second shot, and then move on to the rest of the series, but everything I've heard and personally seen about it points to it being the game and series that introduced filler to open-world games. Far Cry 2, as far as I have played it, has no filler either. So keep that in mind next time you hear someone accept filler as if there's something about the genre that REQUIRES it. It's just lazy, inferior designers who can't think of cool stuff for the player to do, and pad the games out with repetitive content. Moreover, I suspect that setting has something to do with it too. GTA's complex urban settings, with a plethora of transport and weapon options, perhaps lend themselves better to inventive mission design than an ancient history setting in the wilderness where the only thing you can do is pretty much charge someone with a sword. In my extensive playthrough of GTA4 and my limited time with GTA5, I did not really encounter filler, I encountered easy missions that failed to stretch my imagination for ways to beat them, as GTA3 and Vice City had earlier done. Also their plots and characters were crap and/or boring, so that didn't help either. But the problem wasn't filler. (Red Dead 1 on the other hand, at least for the couple of hours that I managed to stomach it, was filler, filler, filler AND crap characters and story lol. And apparently Red Dead 2 took that to a whole other level.) So whoever tries to tell you that filler is a natural part of open-world games either hasn't played many of them, or has played the worst of them, or has very short memory or low standards which he's trying to justify. Don't fall for it. Our reviewers are cool people, but this is a meme by now, and even the coolest of people can fall prey to them and lazily repeat them even if they don't fully believe them. And that's where I come in, to set the matter straight, because I am never lazy when it comes to criticism, and I never fall prey to stupid memes.

In other news, the game is getting a four-player co-op mode in "fall 2020".

Ghost of Tsushima: Legends - Announcement Trailer | PS4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIf_hJCZyhQ

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PlayStation wrote:Introducing Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, a new cooperative multiplayer* experience inspired by Japanese folk tales and mythology. Choose from one of four classes -- Samurai, Hunter, Ronin, or Assassin – and play with friends or via online matchmaking in a series of two-player story missions or four-player wave-based survival missions.

*Internet connection and active PS Plus membership required for online multiplayer.

Ghost of Tsushima: Legends will be available as a free download for Ghost of Tsushima owners in Fall 2020.


The trailer shows nothing interesting and I wouldn't be interested in any case. This stuff should have been integrated into the normal open-world mode. No one buys this sort of game for lame "wave-based survival" missions, or even for linear "two-player story missions". If this game has the amount of padding people say that it has, the last thing anyone who finishes it would want to do is play even more of it, in even lamer missions. Hard pass.
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Unread postby ChevRage » 25 Oct 2021 14:50

The game might be coming to PC real soon!

https://www.earlygame.com/gaming/ghost- ... ming-to-pc

Amidu Njiemoun wrote:Is Ghost of Tsushima Coming to PC?

Yes, Ghost of Tsushima will be making its way to PC. How do we know that? The same way we found out Horizon Zero Dawn and Days Gone were going to be coming to PC: The PlayStation only label was removed from the boxart on Amazon. Yes, it is that simple. In case you are doubtful and are ready to scream 'clickbait': Horizon Zero Dawn and Days Gone are both on PC and, really, this is no surprise as we knew from the start that a lot of PlayStation exclusives are PC-bound. Also, PlayStation Direct now features the new Ghost of Tsushima boxart without the 'Only on PlayStation' banner. So yes... this is happening.

If you missed when Sony stated its intentions on bringing more PlayStation exclusives to the PC, here's what Sony had to say on this a while back:

Particularly from the latter half of the PS4 cycle our studios made some wonderful, great games. There’s an opportunity to expose those great games to a wider audience and recognise the economics of game development, which are not always straightforward.

If you haven't played Ghost of Tsushima yet, rejoice, the game is just... chef's kiss. Think Breath of the Wild in grown-up meets a little Red Dead Redemption, and it's all set to the tunes of Feudal Japan. Seriously, this is a gamer's game. Don't miss out.


Guess I'll be starting over again lol. I had originally stopped playing so I could continue it on the PS5 whenever I got one, here's hoping it'll release on PC sooner than that.
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Re: [PS4] Ghost of Tsushima

Unread postby earthboundtrev » 16 Mar 2024 04:28

Ghost of Tsushima has a Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2215 ... ECTORS_CUT

The game will fully release May 16th on Steam.

Christian Vaz wrote:The Ghost of Tsushima PC release date is set for Thursday, May 16, 2024. Sony is bringing the Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut version over to the Steam and Epic Game Store, giving players access to the Iki Island expansion and the multiplayer game mode, Legends.

The port is being developed by Nixxes Software, a studio that was purchased by Sony back in 2021 to bring first-party PlayStation games to PC. Not every Sony first-party port has been perfect, like The Last of Us Part 1 Remastered which saw Naughty Dog issue an apology, but the games released by Nixxes have generally been well received by critics. The last game ported to PC by Nixxes was Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart which utilized Windows 11 Direct Storage for seamless loading.

Ghost of Tsushima was last ported to the PlayStation 5 where it received a number of upgrades that have also been brought over to the PC port. Upgrades like support for 4K, a 60fps performance mode, and Dualsense support are all coming to the PC port.


The PC version of the game will have PC exclusive features as well:

Christian Vaz wrote:
  • Unlocked frame rates to run the game above 60fps
  • Support for ultra-wide (21:9), super ultra-wide (32:9), and triple monitor (48:9) aspect ratios
  • Upscaling and frame generation technologies (Nvidia DLSS 3, AMD FSR 3, and Intel XeSS)
  • Supports Nvidia Reflex and Nvidia DLAA
  • Fully customizable keyboard and mouse controls


Another Sony exclusive bites the dust...
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