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[GreyHorace]

Thanks very much for that summation. It was only about halfway through that I started paying proper attention to the stories -- mainly because one reviewer (Eurogamer) said they weren't good. What a lie.

Having a clear code of honour makes the stories much more interesting than they would be normally, as it allows the player to constantly think about what they would do? Would they cross that line or not? And why? It's a staple for Samurai movies, and isn't exactly original but it works very, very well as a tool for engaging the player.
Having all the history surrounding it as well, bolstering that, makes it far more engrossing than the usual 'are you evil or good' choices -- More so than games where you actually have an effect on the world.
Even though I knew that there literally was no effect, except for the weather, I still found myself role playing much more than usual. I hope the DLC comes soon.

I mentioned it in another thread, but Sucker Punch kind of played fast and loose with historical facts when they made Ghost of Tsushima. The armor, weapons, and style of dress within the game have more in common with the Edo period of Japan (1600-1868) rather than the Kamakura period (1185-1333) when the Mongol invasions took place.

The samurai code of honour that Jin adheres to didn't become a thing until the Edo period, during a time of relative peace when the country wasn't being torn apart by constant civil war. In reality, the dishonorable tactics that Jin uses would have been the norm rather than the exception during the time of the Mongol invasion. Samurai were perfectly willing to fight dirty and use terror against their opponents.

But this in no way detracts from the wonderful experience Sucker Punch has given us. They weren't out to make a game with historical accuracy, but a way for gamers to experience being a samurai, much like what Rockstar did with Red Dead Redemption in letting us feel like a cowboy.

 

[CAPSOL]

I just came here to say that Ghost of Tsushima is soooooooo fking goooooood! As I'm approaching the end of the game , I'm starting to think its the best open world of this gen. Completely suckered punched me

 

[IbizaPocholo]

 

[tassletine]

I mentioned it in another thread, but Sucker Punch kind of played fast and loose with historical facts when they made Ghost of Tsushima. The armor, weapons, and style of dress within the game have more in common with the Edo period of Japan (1600-1868) rather than the Kamakura period (1185-1333) when the Mongol invasions took place.

The samurai code of honour that Jin adheres to didn't become a thing until the Edo period, during a time of relative peace when the country wasn't being torn apart by constant civil war. In reality, the dishonorable tactics that Jin uses would have been the norm rather than the exception during the time of the Mongol invasion. Samurai were perfectly willing to fight dirty and use terror against their opponents.

But this in no way detracts from the wonderful experience Sucker Punch has given us. They weren't out to make a game with historical accuracy, but a way for gamers to experience being a samurai, much like what Rockstar did with Red Dead Redemption in letting us feel like a cowboy.

Thanks for the information. Although my knowledge is mainly derived from Samurai movies, I did watch a video recently where a samurai expert talked about the tactics in the game, and there was one part where he just shrugged and said all those tactics were okay. Only being dishonourable when duelling another samurai. He was like “are those bandits?” “yes“ “That’s okay then“. It was quite funny.
I also read about how Samurai used to go out at night and just kill people for practice, robbing them in the process.
It’s not a realistic game though and the graphic style, mix of seasons, animated stories all make it feel more mythic and moral rather than just realistic and dreary. The package was very well thought through and consistent.

 

[Ar¢tos]

Thanks for the information. Although my knowledge is mainly derived from Samurai movies, I did watch a video recently where a samurai expert talked about the tactics in the game, and there was one part where he just shrugged and said all those tactics were okay. Only being dishonourable when duelling another samurai. He was like “are those bandits?” “yes“ “That’s okay then“. It was quite funny.
I also read about how Samurai used to go out at night and just kill people for practice, robbing them in the process.
It’s not a realistic game though and the graphic style, mix of seasons, animated stories all make it feel more mythic and moral rather than just realistic and dreary. The package was very well thought through and consistent.

Many of them were also pedophiles, but that certainly isn't mentioned in the game.

The Samurai referred to the ritualistic practice of taking a young boy as a lover as “Shudō,” or, “The Way of the Young.”

The purpose of the union was to allow young men to form an apprentice-like bond with a warrior and learn from him everything there was to know about becoming a warrior. The Samurai would teach the young boy about martial arts, warrior etiquette, and the code of honor shared amongst the Samurai. The union would often continue past adulthood, and turn into a form of friendship inspired by loyalty.

Until the boy came of age, the bond was sexual in nature. The warriors believed that sexual relations with women weakened the mind, body, and spirit, and thus turned to men instead, seeing the union as sharing each other’s battle spirits.

However, the battle spirits could only be shared for a certain amount of time, as when the boys began to grow facial hair and bulk up, or turn from boys to men, the relationship was considered inappropriate. After that, the boy would continue to serve his older partner in battle, until he could choose a younger male partner of his own, and pass down the teachings he had learned.

The practice of shudō was carried out from medieval times all the way until the 19th century when the concept took on a more taboo nature.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

every time i load this game back up

 

[#Phonepunk#]

just realized ive been ignoring the Winds of Resolve and now im running across the countryside hacking at these bamboo mini games.

btw the best way to get a first shot when you challenge a group of mongols is to look away from the screen. easier to pick up on peripheral movements that way.

 

[cormack12]

I dont even think it needs a ng+. Just needs a way ti make the island invaded again and turn up the difficulty to lethal

 

[The Mad Draklor]

just realized ive been ignoring the Winds of Resolve and now im running across the countryside hacking at these bamboo mini games.

btw the best way to get a first shot when you challenge a group of mongols is to look away from the screen. easier to pick up on peripheral movements that way.

My way is to look at their feet. They don't step forward when they feint.

 

[slade]

Finished it. Feelings remain the same as they were at the start. This is at best a 7. Combat needs more refinement and far more enemy diversity. The duels were the best part about the combat but the emphasis on using Stone stance for them most of the time hurts the combat system. There are some duels that you can use other stances in but they are too few to stand out. Stealth is a joke so for most of the time, I just went in and clobbered everybody. The side quest stories are good but the overall story is too safe. I was kinda tired of it by the end.

Of Sony's games this gen, this one isn't as good as Horizon or Spiderman. It's nowhere near TLoU2, God of War or Bloodborne. Still have to play Days Gone fully to see how that stacks up.

 

[jakinov]

I just got platinum last night. I enjoyed it overall.

Things I liked

• quick any-time fast travel
• easy long-range picks (even from a horse or on a ladder)
• graphics
• story was decent
• side-missions were interesting
• lots of customizations

Things I didn't like:

• Time waters like mission name screens, butt, haikus, surveying, horse comes too slow, post-mission horse scenes, villagers you save who give u essentially nothing in a cutscene
• Combat got way too easy mid way through; got even easier in the last section of the game, it just got more annoying than anything with poison not harder
  • Ghost stance, ghost weapons and resolve attacks make the game super easy to clear out everyone
• The map sucks, can't zoom in, can't filter, it's hard to see white question marks with faint borders on a white land map on certain areas. The quest icons also cover up locations too.
• not enough stuff to do with loot, I finished the game with probably enough loot to buy everything over again (except flowers)

 

[Captain Hero]

 

[Kamina]

Related to the ending:

Spoiler

Did anyone actually kill Lord Shimura? Does it change anything? I didn't, because as stated above, it just wouldn't be in character for Jin.

I did. I saw both endings, and vastly preferred the one where Jin kills Shimura. It was very emotional and from my point of view the better ending.

 

[Radical Dreamer]

I'm in third act and I'm thinking about getting platinum trophy but I have a question. Is there a way to track collectibles? for example which mongol artifacts from camps you've taken or not?

 

[IntentionalPun]

My way is to look at their feet. They don't step forward when they feint.

Same; occasionally their feet are blocked by something though (usually the player character itself in weird camera angles.)

 

[BluRayHiDef]

I'm still in the Second Act. Why is this game so long? Every time that I complete a quest, new locations for new quests appear on the map. This game has a never-ending series of quests. Ugh! However, it's a great game.

 

[cormack12]

I'm in third act and I'm thinking about getting platinum trophy but I have a question. Is there a way to track collectibles? for example which mongol artifacts from camps you've taken or not?

You don't need all of them so youll probably only be short a few. If you unlock the exploration skills you can fast travel to each camp in the travellers attire and it will vibrate when one is near. The guiding wind can be set from the map as well to 'artefact or 'records'

 

[Captain Hero]

 

[Komatsu]

The samurai code of honour that Jin adheres to didn't become a thing until the Edo period, during a time of relative peace when the country wasn't being torn apart by constant civil war. In reality, the dishonorable tactics that Jin uses would have been the norm rather than the exception during the time of the Mongol invasion. Samurai were perfectly willing to fight dirty and use terror against their opponents.

That's an overstatement. The concept of bushido is indeed a Edo period concoction, but by 1274 the mononofu were already a established class, with their own mores. The game also (mostly) employs the correct terminology for the feudal hierarchy of the Kamakura bakufu: Lord Shimura is a Jito, not a Daimyō.

Reading the Heike Monogatari, one will see plenty of back-and-forth between the Taira and the Genji, a focus on "man-to-man" combat (or, in the case of Tomoe Gozen, woman-to-man) and people, from monks to distressed widows, singing the praises of facing your opponent head-on, without subterfuge. Minamoto no Yorimasa, the first major Seiwa Genji to die in the Genpei War (a war to which Jin alludes in a conversation with Ryuzo), committed sepukku and wrote a death poem (a "jisei") as the Taira forces stormed the Byōdō-in. In 1180, almost a century before the Mongol invasion.

I could go on, but my point is that it's not nearly as anachronistic as people make it out to be.

 

[MiguelItUp]

GoT has truly been a wonderful experience. Personally my GOTY thus far. Is it the perfect game? No, but what it does, it does VERY well. It's a beautiful game and a damned fun experience. Currently on the cusp of going into Act 3, but man, I've been playing since release and I've been savoring it best I can.

 

[rubenburgt]

Definitely GOTY if you'd ask me.

I haven't enjoyed a single players as much as this one in a long time, and this is coming from someone who mostly play single play games on multiple platforms.

Sure it has some issues and the side missions can become a bit repetitive, but I just love how grim the game can be. This and the great combat made this one of my new favourite games.

 

[Boss Mog]

Most underrated game this gen.

 

[Exentryk]

Still playing through the game slowly. I liked the Act II ending and the start of Act III.

 

[Shinobitron]

My second playthrough will be lethal in black and white. Oh boy I haven't even tested lethal out yet, I wasn't perfect at parrys so I gotta get better at that, I mastered the art of switching stances on the fly, dodging I am like a the ghost no one can touch me there lol. But this lethal sound intimidating.

 

[Exentryk]

My second playthrough will be lethal in black and white. Oh boy I haven't even tested lethal out yet, I wasn't perfect at parrys so I gotta get better at that, I mastered the art of switching stances on the fly, dodging I am like a the ghost no one can touch me there lol. But this lethal sound intimidating.

Lethal isn't too bad actually. You can stack defensive gear to give you room for mistakes. It's actually quicker to kill enemies in Lethal as they take less hits.

 

[Exentryk]

Too slow!

 

[Bryank75]

 

[CrysisFreak]

Super interesting.

tl;dr Japanese people love it

 

[HotPocket69]

Most underrated game this gen.

Uhhhhhh it’s less than two months old I think it’s quite finely rated thank you.

 

[Nankatsu]

Man the tale where you have to duel the 6 ronin is so fucking epic. The scenery for the final ronin is epic.

Still Gosaku Armour dyed in black with blind headband and white sword continues to be my favourite costume.

Nothing beats a blindfolded samurai parrying and kicking ass.

 

[HotPocket69]

Man the tale where you have to duel the 6 ronin is so fucking epicThe scenery for the final ronin is epic..

Epic scale of 1 to 10?

 

[spartan30gr]

The Red ghost of tsushima

 

[Entroyp]

Oh no, time to cancel GoT

Timestamped video

Forward to 0:25s

 

[Kamina]

Oh no, time to cancel GoT

Timestamped video

Forward to 0:25s

 

[cudiye]

This became my game of the generation. Platinum’d it and am still waiting for that NG+ with extra content such as Horde mode to do my second play through.

 

[idrago01]

“The graphics are beautiful”

“but the female character is the type of character that can be typically seen in overseas game and she is ugly”

 

[Exentryk]

Some of these side tales are really well done. For example, the scenes with Tomoe.

 

[Boss Mog]

Uhhhhhh it’s less than two months old I think it’s quite finely rated thank you.

What does how long it's been out for have anything to do with the game receiving lowers review scores than it should from the gaming press. Ghost of Tsushima is a 90+ game for sure, it doesn't deserve a Metacritic of 83.

 

[drganon]

I'm getting closer to the platinum, but most of the trophies I've got left will take me a while. Game is still great though. Definitely a top goty contender for me.

 

[Bryank75]

 

[Exentryk]

 

[Bryank75]

 

[GreyHorace]

Some of these side tales are really well done. For example, the scenes with Tomoe.

Spoiler

The interesting thing about Tomoe in this mission is that she doesn't quite live up to the monstrous reputation that the game has built up for her during the Ishikawa questline. And likewise in the mission itself she comments that Jin doesn't quite match the image of the legendary Ghost that the people of Tsushima have afforded him.

Both characters have preconceived notions of the other because of what they've been told by other sources. Remember that much of what we know about Tomoe comes from Sensei Ishikawa, who is not exactly an unbiased source and has conflicting feelings with regards to her. On one hand Ishikawa wants to kill Tomoe for betraying him and sharing his teachings with the Mongols. On the other, he feels guilt for having driven her away with his hardline teaching methods and general prickishness (Jin can even call him out at some of his more questionable methods during the game).

Not to say that Tomoe isn't guilty of any crimes. She did turn and trained the Mongols in Ishikawa's Way of the Bow, although she claims she was forced to while imprisoned by them. But like her other claims; that she gave Mongol prisoners quick ends by making them practice targets, or that the attempts to kill Jin and Ishikawa were not her idea, none of these can be proven to be the truth. She could be lying for all we know in an attempt the manipulate Jin and Ishikawa to fix the mess she made and mitigate her crimes.

In the end though we know don't know the whole truth whether Tomoe really was a monster or just a woman forced to do terrible things to survive. It's a case of two sides to every story and that's what makes her one of the game's more intriguing characters.

 

[The Mad Draklor]

Lethal is pretty fun. I did get wrecked by Ryuzo's dual several times before I managed to time my parries correctly.

 

[Bo_Hazem]

I got the deluxe version so watched it after finishing the game. It was a 25GB video! It was full of passion, I'm really impressed with what Sucker Punch done, they made Japanese developers in shame for not covering such massive history part in a very wonderful setup and story.

I tend not to reply the games when finished since this gen, used to do that back in the day, but this is probably one of the few that I "might" revisit on PS5.

 

[Nankatsu]

Epic scale of 1 to 10?

If you do the battle solely with perfect dodge and perfect parry easily a 9/10 from a boss side quest.

And the costume you win when fully upgraded is dope.

 

[Captain Hero]

 

[Exentryk]

 

[Radical Dreamer]

Finally got platinum trophy. Overall what a game, one of my personal best games of generation. If it wasn't for FF7R it'd be my GOTY. Awesome characters. I really liked Jin, Shimura and... Tomoe. I wonder if we'll get to see/play as her in the sequel if there will be any. 9/10

 

[PanzerAzel]

I heard that Sucker Punch just made an announcement on new content? Can't find anything.