What did Sucker Punch worked on for 5 years?

Here's a YouTube version, notice how a lot of the details are blurred?



This is a comparable leap as the Horizon games IMO, like moving from VHS to DVD.


PS4 Pro version was ~1800p CB, not blurry at all. PS5 version was patched to be 2160p CB.

Lack of sharpness wasn't the problem with GOW, some low quality assets and textures were the worst offenders. Looks like sequel will have the same problems.
 
Why do some people have unrealistic expectations for things, it makes no sense to me whatsoever. But let's break down some new additions, to see if they really added nothing after 5 years.


• Some menus, including the Journal have been redesigned
•A wolf Companion has been added
•New ranged weapon, the riffle
•Multiple weapons with unique moves for each one(each suited for different enemies)
•Enemies can now disarm you and so can you
•Expanded arsenal of ninja gadgets(can now be used in boss fights as well)
•Expanded map with more varying biomes and biome diversity
•A new clue/investigation mechanic (helps discover new locations, enemies, activities with unique rewards)
•A time travel/flashback mechanic
•You can now slide downhill to descend hills faster
•More brutal gore/dismemberment effects
•A camp system (you can now rest, cook & talk to npc's while resting)
•Map cartographers(offer maps to help uncover new map locations/routes)
•Enemies can now be interrogated for clues
•Bounty hunting
•More activity variety
•Improved art, visuals, character animations(go watch the uncompressed 4k footage on the PlayStation blog for that)
Yep, they haven't done anything in the last 5 years, no sir, they absolutely haven't.
 
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Making new content (no matter if the actual features are new or old) takes time.
Even if you got everything down already, even just making a single new character takes a lot of time.

Some of you really seem to think the time required to write a story is just the time you need to type it in, or that the time required to create a location is just the time needed to plop some assets in some editor.
 
This sounds interesting. What do you mean?
They are doing a story that is completely non linear and allows you to tackle any part of it out of order. This of course increases the complexity of testing and debugging they have to do substantially (even with open worlds, very few games go this route). I was referring to this, as well as the fact that by allowing (apparently) players to at any time pull up a completely independent past and interact with it out of sequence as well completely and exponentially increases the workload involved here

I'm just saying that something like that, which people on here don't seem to be acknowledging that much, absolutely contributes to taking up far more significant development time and resources than a lot of them might expect
 
In your opinion, How long do you think a brand new AAA open world video game should take a studio of about 200 people to make?
Honestly If it looks like a dlc, which many of these sequels now do, it shouldn't take more than what a long dlc takes 2-3 years
 
Your carpenter would have done better for five Euros, right?
Sad Season 2 GIF by Outlander
What's your job OT?
Graphically, yea it's underwhelming. Everything else you should come to expect from a AAA safe sequel.
Are people here really forgetting that with Tsushima they released Legends months after release and then a year later they released a complete new DLC and optimizations for PS5?
Yotei was in full production for 4 years at most, in 2021 SP were still very active in developing new content for Tsushima so no way they had all hands on deck for Yotei yet at that time.

But oh well, if the graphics are not 10 times better than the previous entry then I guess the rest of the game should've been made in 1 year, 2 at most.
I love how guys act you are expert in game development, I would love see how long for guys take to release AAA games?
Graphics, animations and simulations look substantially better than the first game. The acting also looks great.

Also, you're criticizing story/missions from a 20m video as if you've seen all 20-30h.

You're delusional.
That's actually embarrassing how blind you people are.
We don't know what's going on at the studio. What concepts they were testing and what other games they are working on.
To me, it's way better if studios focus their development on the game and features, rather than wasting their time on chasing latest graphical trends.

But at the same time l;aunch up the first game and then stop fucking complaining that "it looks the same".
So called experts, who see the same style and go with "looks the same". No it's not lol.
Even if it was true.. so what? looking similar to one of best looking games is great.

I played got this year on pro. yotei looks vastly better.

We've reached diminishing returns where it takes 90% of dev time to look good but other 90% to look amazing. it;s not worth it.
This is how GOT1 looks. Look at the yotei trailer again
You can't fucking look at this and say yotei looks the same. this is embarrasing
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Why do some people have unrealistic expectations for things, it makes no sense to me whatsoever. But let's break down some new additions, to see if they really added nothing after 5 years.


• Some menus, including the Journal have been redesigned
•A wolf Companion has been added
•New ranged weapon, the riffle
•Multiple weapons with unique moves for each one(each suited for different enemies)
•Enemies can now disarm you and so can you
•Expanded arsenal of ninja gadgets(can now be used in boss fights as well)
•Expanded map with more varying biomes and biome diversity
•A new clue/investigation mechanic (helps discover new locations, enemies, activities with unique rewards)
•A time travel/flashback mechanic
•You can now slide downhill to descend hills faster
•More brutal gore/dismemberment effects
•A camp system (you can now rest, cook & talk to npc's while resting)
•Map cartographers(offer maps to help uncover new map locations/routes)
•Enemies can now be interrogated for clues
•Bounty hunting
•More activity variety
•Improved art, visuals, character animations(go watch the uncompressed 4k footage on the PlayStation blog for that)
Yep, they haven't done anything in the last 5 years, no sir, they absolutely haven't.
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There are so many examples in the realm of current AAA development over the years that can take you right to the answer.

They were developing. It took them 5 years to develop their new game.

There are so many variables that affect this, the size of the team, the scope of the project, etc.

They certainly weren't just sitting on their hands.
 
I view this like how I view TotK. It looks cool. Looks like a fun game. Does it look like it justifies its 5 year development cycle? Hell no.

Game development needs to be fixed. I'm not a developer but that doesn't matter. Five year plus development cycles can't be sustainable. With that said, I'm sure I will enjoy this game, but I doubt I will leave thinking it was worth it after waiting five years.
 
PS4 Pro version was ~1800p CB, not blurry at all. PS5 version was patched to be 2160p CB.

Lack of sharpness wasn't the problem with GOW, some low quality assets and textures were the worst offenders. Looks like sequel will have the same problems.
I wouldn't say it was just "some", but we'll get some better comparisons of the two later on.
 
Game development needs to be fixed.

5 years dev time is what happens when management loses their balls and removes crunch and strict scheduling so all the kids and pussies can work peacefully and at their own leisure so no one has a emotional fucking breakdown from working too hard

(...and no one wants them to run to Kotaku or Schreier or whoever to shit all over the company)
 
It's almost like they didnt have to build any content........

Outside of the cliche story which is almost identical to AC shadows the game looks great.

Almost every story can be seen as cliche if one forces it. It's laugh out loud funny how people like to place the story being similar to AC Shadows as if it's a negative. Clearly both had the same idea, but it's not like Sucker Punch were copying AC Shadows.
 
Why do some people have unrealistic expectations for things, it makes no sense to me whatsoever. But let's break down some new additions, to see if they really added nothing after 5 years.


• Some menus, including the Journal have been redesigned
•A wolf Companion has been added
•New ranged weapon, the riffle
•Multiple weapons with unique moves for each one(each suited for different enemies)
•Enemies can now disarm you and so can you
•Expanded arsenal of ninja gadgets(can now be used in boss fights as well)
•Expanded map with more varying biomes and biome diversity
•A new clue/investigation mechanic (helps discover new locations, enemies, activities with unique rewards)
•A time travel/flashback mechanic
•You can now slide downhill to descend hills faster
•More brutal gore/dismemberment effects
•A camp system (you can now rest, cook & talk to npc's while resting)
•Map cartographers(offer maps to help uncover new map locations/routes)
•Enemies can now be interrogated for clues
•Bounty hunting
•More activity variety
•Improved art, visuals, character animations(go watch the uncompressed 4k footage on the PlayStation blog for that)
Yep, they haven't done anything in the last 5 years, no sir, they absolutely haven't.

This WHOLE thread is one big version of Console Wars. Get used to it, now that Microsoft is taking Xbox 3rd party in both hardware and software. There's going to be a huge push back on GAF and the internet in general from now to at least 2028. It's gonna be rough.
 
Ironic how it comes from the right hand of the nintendo cult.
Wait till your boss Gigabowser finds out. He would be mad at you to troll other fans cause cult of nintendo is a saint cult. Everytime i say how shit zelda and donkey kong bananza is and mario kart the most boring game of all time, i never get attacked.
 
Lmao, not long ago I was bitching about Microsoft fumbling it and not providing some actual competition to Sony, today I'm being called a Playstation cultist for not being an absolute tool towards Sucker Punch.
Well, at least it made me smile

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Almost every story can be seen as cliche if one forces it. It's laugh out loud funny how people like to place the story being similar to AC Shadows as if it's a negative. Clearly both had the same idea, but it's not like Sucker Punch were copying AC Shadows.

Completely agree, the story is cliche and it wasnt new and exciting in AC shadows, its just unfortunate that Yotei is launching in the same year with a very similar story.
 
You must have missed the initial topics. Gaffers shat on ER Nightrein just the same.

Was more thinking how little gameplay progress Elden Ring has versus Demon's Souls really, when let's face it the legacy dungeons in that game are more or less interchangeable with areas in any other Souls title. Yes they added an open world, but Torrent adds very little gameplay-wise (fighting on horseback, being real, isn't something that most players bother with) so its really only ever more of the stuff people already like.

Hell, I'm still salty about people bashing DS2 because it dared add mechanics and try different stuff, so its not like I'm opposed to change. I'm just pointing out that how extremely conservative FROM have been with advancing the Souls formula over a decade and half because of how pissy some of the fanbase gets when they try and branch away from a core loop established in 2009.
 
From what I understand they started working on a direct sequel to Tsushima starring Jin but then they hired some Sweet Baby reject as a story writer to boost their ESG score as that was all the rage a few years back, and that woman decided that the game needed a woman MC and changed everything so they pretty much had to start from scratch since the game takes place centuries later in a completely different part of Japan. Also we got almost the same story as AC Shadows since Ubi also hired some Sweet Baby reject, and so we got Naoe a female character who seeks revenge againstt a group of masked men for the murder of her family as well, they were even referred to as Onryo lol. Copying AC shadows is beyond embarrassing even if they didn't know they were doing it.
 
PhaseDurationDescription
ConceptualizationWeeks to a few monthsFocuses on brainstorming ideas, defining the core concept, and drafting the Game Design Document (GDD). Typically, it lasts 1 to 2 months for more minor games.
Pre-ProductionSeveral weeks to a yearSolidifies design elements and technical requirements, planning the game's structure and defining mechanics.
Production (Development and Art Creation)Months to yearsThe most intensive phase, taking 2 to 3 years for medium to large-scale games, involves asset creation and coding gameplay mechanics.
Quality Assurance (QA)Weeks to monthsFocuses on identifying and fixing bugs, optimizing performance, and fine-tuning gameplay to ensure readiness for launch.
LaunchDays to weeksInvolves final preparations for release, including distribution decisions and marketing efforts.
Post-release MaintenanceOngoingIncludes bug fixes, patches, and updates based on player feedback, along with developing additional content to keep the game engaging.

Now, since this is a AAA open-world game we can use the above table and take the highest values from the examples. So 6 months for Conceptualisation, 1 year for Pre-Production, 3 years for Production plus a few months for QA and Certification and there you go OP, almost 5 years when you draw the line. This is the ideal case where there are no setbacks of missed deadlines and everything just goes buttery smooth, which is almost never the case cause games are very complex pieces of software and multidisciplinary products with a lot of spinning plates during production.
How about we start using critical thinking, a bit of learning and we stop making silly troll threads based on profound ignorance :messenger_winking:
 
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Lol, you can't tell me with a straight face this looks better than fucking Forbidden West. It does not. The game looks beautiful at times thanks to the color palette and art direction, but when they don't shine, it can look rough as hell with questionable texture work like this:

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Compare that rock to the foliage and environment around it and it looks like it's a PS3 asset transplanted into the game. Is it a bad-looking game? Absolutely not. It's middle of the road, but acting like it's only topped by Death Stranding 2 is comical. It doesn't hang with the best of the best in the industry.
Not even DS2 is the best currently so I'm not sure what he's talking about.
 
Thank you for adding for adding zero contributions to the discussion. This dry response really adds nothing meaningful to the conversation. And no, I'm not defending SP, I'm saying that it's incredibly dense to say they did absolutely nothing in 5 years.

Especially considering that non linear story progression is not easy to do in games and neither is switching from one timeline to the next with the push of a button. But oh no, of course people have forgotten the size of SP and the fact that they've basically did both Legends and Iki Island, as well as a director's cut within a time period of 18 months. The 5 years you're talking about, are probably closer to 3. I apologise if my Og response has offended you or anyone else for that matter, I was addressing the "they've done nothing in 5 years" part, which, in hindsight, is an absolutely outrageous claim.
 
I'm actually with the OP.

There is no reason this game should have taken 5 years. Hell, take Insomniac as an example. In 5 years they released Spider-Man, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Spider-Man Remastered, Spider-Man 2, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart along with other small VR projects. They are now years into the development of the new Wolverine game.

A sequel game like Yotei that borrows heavily from the previous entry, reusing or repurposing assets, sounds, animations and well everything really should be wrapped in 3 years max. That's the same release cadence between Miles Morales and SM2. What on earth have they been doing all this time???
 
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Thank you for adding for adding zero contributions to the discussion. This dry response really adds nothing meaningful to the conversation. And no, I'm not defending SP, I'm saying that it's incredibly dense to say they did absolutely nothing in 5 years.

Especially considering that non linear story progression is not easy to do in games and neither is switching from one timeline to the next with the push of a button. But oh no, of course people have forgotten the size of SP and the fact that they've basically did both Legends and Iki Island, as well as a director's cut within a time period of 18 months. The 5 years you're talking about, are probably closer to 3. I apologise if my Og response has offended you or anyone else for that matter, I was addressing the "they've done nothing in 5 years" part, which, in hindsight, is an absolutely outrageous claim.

How long have you been working at SP?
 
Lol, you can't tell me with a straight face this looks better than fucking Forbidden West. It does not. The game looks beautiful at times thanks to the color palette and art direction, but when they don't shine, it can look rough as hell with questionable texture work like this:

nxksmqf.jpeg


Compare that rock to the foliage and environment around it and it looks like it's a PS3 asset transplanted into the game. Is it a bad-looking game? Absolutely not. It's middle of the road, but acting like it's only topped by Death Stranding 2 is comical. It doesn't hang with the best of the best in the industry.

You know damn well the game doesn't look like that. Come on man. You're better than this.
 
How long have you been working at SP?
The same question can be asked to everyone in here. You don't have to work at a studio to weigh in on a particular subject concerning them. I'm not criticising, I'm just providing my take on the matter…and by the looks of things, so does everybody else.
 
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You know damn well the game doesn't look like that. Come on man. You're better than this.
This is what I said:

The game looks beautiful at times thanks to the color palette and art direction, but when they don't shine, it can look rough as hell with questionable texture work like this:

I straight-up said the game looks beautiful at times but it can also look rough like the screenshot I posted. I'm not saying it's a bad-looking game either. It's simply not the gold standard or even a top 5 best-looking PS5 game.
 
Op by your logic every sequel should be able to release 12 months after the first, since alot of sequels use the same engine.

Someone else made a good point in the other thread. This complaining only seems to happen for Sony sequel's.

Gears e day should have only taken 6 months.
 
Development has gone through the roof. It is not sustainable. If it takes them so long to make a game with so many people, every game needs to now sell 10 million copies.
 
Why do some people have unrealistic expectations for things, it makes no sense to me whatsoever. But let's break down some new additions, to see if they really added nothing after 5 years.


• Some menus, including the Journal have been redesigned
•A wolf Companion has been added
•New ranged weapon, the riffle
•Multiple weapons with unique moves for each one(each suited for different enemies)
•Enemies can now disarm you and so can you
•Expanded arsenal of ninja gadgets(can now be used in boss fights as well)
•Expanded map with more varying biomes and biome diversity
•A new clue/investigation mechanic (helps discover new locations, enemies, activities with unique rewards)
•A time travel/flashback mechanic
•You can now slide downhill to descend hills faster
•More brutal gore/dismemberment effects
•A camp system (you can now rest, cook & talk to npc's while resting)
•Map cartographers(offer maps to help uncover new map locations/routes)
•Enemies can now be interrogated for clues
•Bounty hunting
•More activity variety
•Improved art, visuals, character animations(go watch the uncompressed 4k footage on the PlayStation blog for that)
Yep, they haven't done anything in the last 5 years, no sir, they absolutely haven't.
Tears of the Kingdom
Uncharted 2
Elden Ring
Baldur's Gate 3
Arkham City
Silent Hill 2
Super Mario World
Mass Effect 2
Portal 2
RDR2

Not every sequel plays it safe. The Horizon sequel is the posterboy for playing it safe. It's a shame Sony seems to be making that a pattern with this game and Ragnarok. I'll still probably play it. Capcom reach for the moon, Sony reach for not fucking up. Sony development lately feels like they aren't developing to push boundaries. Like when Peyton Manning played football. He'd play hard at the start of the game and generate a lead. Then he would get to a certain point and start to turtle and run out the gameclock, stopping most/all agression. It came back and bit him in the ass in a few big games but overall it worked well. This is Sony's development strategy. I think TLOU2 reaction scared them from "revolutionary" sequels.
 
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This is what I said:

The game looks beautiful at times thanks to the color palette and art direction, but when they don't shine, it can look rough as hell with questionable texture work like this:

I straight-up said the game looks beautiful at times but it can also look rough like the screenshot I posted. I'm not saying it's a bad-looking game either. It's simply not the gold standard or even a top 5 best-looking PS5 game.

This type of thinking is what's wrong with video game dialog today. And it's been getting worse since the PS4 generation due to diminishing returns has started to kick in.

Yes. You can change the resolution and that's it. Don't remember being able to change the lighting settings of the game in a trailer.

So you just can't see compression issues that the screen grab is presenting. Cool.
 
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