‘Ghost of Tsushima’ is the Game of the Generation

Forbes - "'Ghost of Tsushima' encapsulates every game design trend of the generation, and it does so beautifully."

[Hakuoro]

It's definitely a fantastic showcase of the quality of Sony's gaming developmental talent.

[morganfell]

For me it isn't about Sony's talent, which they certainly have. I said the other day several times it is my GOTG. That has not changed. So for me it is about the experience this game brings and that is like nothing else.

[cesar4]

But didn’t Sony approve and fund the development of that experience?

[Army_of_Darkness]

My gotg is still horizon zero dawn... But only because I have yet to play tlou 2 and GOT... So we'll see.

[morganfell]

They did but what does that have to do with the price of matcha in Japan? Sony made the game and it is my GOTG. It is a result of the talent but my focus concerning the brilliance of this game isn't about the talent. My focus is what that talent did. My focus is the game itself. No matter who made this game it still would be my choice.

[Hakuoro]

"No matter who made this game it still would be my choice."

Sure, that's a fair comment, but it was made by Sony and Sucker Punch. And considering it's the only AAA big budget samurai game in generations probably since Onimusha I think respect is due.

[morganfell]

"Sure, that's a fair comment, but it was made by Sony and Sucker Punch. "

But...nothing. You are talking to a certified Sony fanboy. For me, for any 'gamer' it is the game first and then the tech, and then who made it later. They deserve all the praise in the world but the game matters far far more than the company who made it.

If you had never heard of the game and were given a generic controller and allowed to play a portion of the game and then allowed to ask one question, what would it be? What would matter to you most? Who made it? Not if the game is a genuine masterpiece. If it is a Game of the Generation, if it is wonderful engrossing story telling, then what you want to know is more about the game. Who made it always comes second when a game is a genuine work of art. I never watch a landmark movie and then halfway through ask who made it. Even once the film is over what matters to me more are the characters, their motivations. The director, producer, distributor...always come second. Yes it is Sony once again doing something different this generation. And its one of the reasons I love this company. But...game first.

[The_Hooligan]

To me it is a toss up between Bloodborne and GOW as the GOTG, but to be fair I haven't started on GoT yet because I am still finishing up TLOU 2. But to be honest it is a good problem to have when you have several titles that can claim the GOTG title and can't decide on one lol. At the end of the day it all comes down to each individual's preference. And this is one of the reasons why I love Sony first party devs. Many different options for many different type of gamers. Not to mention each of them are high quality titles.

[Hakuoro]

morganfell

Wow I concede that you made a fair comment and you still attack me.

I have heard of Sucker Punch and I know Sony funded the game, and if I saw a great movie I liked of course I would want to know who made it.

But I should have known you being you as soon as I said the word respect you would get offended.

But w/e I am grateful Sony and it's studios are still making big budget games like this and not yearly cash grabs and GaaS loaded with real money transactions or other B.S. to maximize profits.

And yes I respect that as well as the people who worked on the games.

[morganfell]

Hakuoro,

I am not attacking you. You have made some insightful and wonderful remarks on this board and that was not my intention at all and if you took it that way then I am truly sorry. It just seems when pointing out Game of the Generation people seem to be focused on who made it. Game of the Generation shouldn't matter one iota who developed or who published it.

I am a hardcore Sony fan. That is the company in which I believe. But GOTG is about the game. That's it. It is why I said 'but nothing' because who published and who developed it should not be a part of the conversation. Period. It is about the game, the experience, the art itself.

There is a place to discuss the incredible achievements of Sony and its subsidiaries. But for once when we really really talk about a landmark, sales, publishers, developers, all of it needs to go away for just a brief moment. GOTG is something that for all of our disagreements should cut across all lines, all platforms, all beliefs. For a fleeting moment we should just be gamers.

[Masterchief_thegoat]

For me I like got more than the last of us 2 since I platinum tlou2.

[Masterchief_thegoat]

But For me gow is playstation game of the decade. till part 2 come out. Thor vs Kratos. I can’t wait for that epic battle. For ps5 only.

[kayoss]

Kratos killed Zeus with his bare hands, I wonder what he would do to Thor? Honestly the only chance thor have is to Go for the head.

[TommyVercetti88]

Kratos is no match for Enlil.

[Ratchet75]

How great this generation has been.
So great in fact that we cannot agree on which game is GOTG. 😉😉

[meganick]

It’s certainly one of the better games of the generation.

[Kavorklestein]

I agreenis is a good one, but It is not the game of the Generation.
I think TLOU 2 and Horizon Zero Dawn are better games and are better choices for GOTG.

Ghost is more Repetetive than an Assassin's Creed Game (not saying that is necessarily a bad thing cuz I love the AC games, and I love Ghost) but Assassin's Creed has more to do and has more life and activity in it so it doesn't get as stale.

Ghost is actually as far as it's setting and visual style, and unique as far as the verticality of some areas and the way you climb or explore some rock faces or find shrines, but it is not even close to Game of the Generation in my Opinion.

I wouldn't say AC is game of the Generation either even tho I prefer Origins and Odyssey to GoT, and I'm about 30 hours into GoT.

[Silly Mammo]

Only about 5 hours into the game and I'm really enjoying it. The only thing that kind of bugs me is that I'm suppose to be this honorable samurai,, yet I'm running around stealing supplies, linens and such from poor peasants and temples. I understand for the purposes of an open world game you need to do it, but for a game so steeped in honor and sacrifice it feels slightly off.

Small complaint. Still think the game is great.

[SamPao]

I think of it as gifts from the people to help me fight the mongols :)

[LucidIllusion]

Honor is a huge trait for Samurai, but how long can the average man keep persevering without change? The world is as unfair as the rule and the invasion of the Mongols. If you don't get dirty when the moment calls for it, way more innocent lives would be lost to pride. And to be completely honest, no BEING can stay consistent forever. Expect hypocrisy and uncertainty since it is no more than factors of everyday life.

[LiViNgLeGaCY]

It's freaking fantastic, that's for sure.

[Poopmist]

Still Witcher 3

[DrDeath]

Ha!

[zumlauf14]

please name one thing Ghost does better than TW3 other than combat? Story? No. Characters? Hell no. Side quests? BIG no. Mission structure variety? No. Customization? lol you get one sword and a handful of armor sets with color customizations that TW3 also has. World building? Other than its geography, the world itself is lifeless. Lifeless npcs that you cant speak to and most dont achnowledge you. The npcs don't adapt/live around the day/night and weather cycle like they do in TW3. TW3 has much more enemy variety thst also bleeds into the wildlife whete ghost only has deer/bear/pigs/birds. Every Ghost settlement has the same npcs doing the same animations over and over rain or shine. I can go on and on. Im not saying TW3 is the GOTG. But anyonr saying GHOST is better is completely delutional. TW3 is unrivaled in the open world genre and design. Rdr2 comes close(didn't like botw).

[GameZenith]

Exactly, 5 years from now people will still use TW3 as an open world benchmark

[gleepot]

but breath of the wild is the benchmark, so

[WillyC009]

Breath of the Wild isn’t even in my top 3 Zelda games of all time. I really wish people didn’t talk about it like it’s the greatest thing ever. I stopped playing about 3 quarters of the way through. Have no desire to go back.

[robtion]

GoT is amazing but there are so many other greats like TW3, Bloodborne, God of War, and others.

[Seraphim]

that's kind of my thinking. I could nit pick a bit about Ghost but it's a great game that I'm thoroughly enjoying; working on Platinum. But I think other games offer/ed great experiences but were, for lack of better terms, more polished, robust, well rounded & had more depth. Lastly, simply put, I just don't think it has enough or has done enough to give it the crown. Easily in the discussion and top 10-20 games of the generation but it's no crown winner.

[Silly gameAr]

I haven't played Witcher 3 yet. I feel lie it won't live up to the hype for me. It would be like Fallout 3 and Skyrim. I hear all of this praise for those games, and I finally get around to playing them, and they're both disappointments. I'm weird.

[fonger08]

I get the same way about a lot of games too, that get overly hyped. I really liked the Witcher 3, there’s was just something off putting to me with its combat. Still a fantastic game, and highly recommend anyone a fan of the open world genre to play it, but it didn’t live up to the ungodly praise it got.

[Elda]

I didn't like TW3 or RDR2.

[Poopmist]

Witcher 3 has a much better story than Fallout 3 and Skyrim. I didn't even finish Skyrim.

[fonger08]

@ Elda I didn’t like RDR2 either, too many remedial tasks to constantly do. Plus, and this is probably just me, but after living in the middle of nowhere Arizona for a good portion of my life , the “Wild West” scenery just plays out on bad memories.

[TheHateTheyGive]

You should be a comedian, that 3rd party filler.

[King_Noctis]

Third party filler? Lol what?

[Elda]

Nope.

[King_Noctis]

Witcher 3 would always be my pick.

[majiebeast]

Its amazing but its got some stiff competition with GoW,Horizon and Bloodborne.

[Rebel_Scum]

Holy heck, I mean its a decent game but its not that great.

[Spicyram]

Um holy heck, it is a great game actually.

[Rebel_Scum]

Glad you enjoy it, I'm enjoying it too, cheers.

[MeteorPanda]

every fucking game that does well is a "game of the generation" Chill.

[zumlauf14]

a game that scored an 83 meta is somehow better than games such as GOW, TW3, BLOODBORNE, UC4, TLOU2 etc.? Oh lemme guess...the reviewers were part of some conspiracy to give Ghost lower scores? Go look at every sucker punch game since infamous 1. They ALL averaged around a 84 meta score. They have not changed their approach to open world design since and it reflects in those reviews that most tend to agree on its generic open world design.

[Elda]

It's an awesome game that's among the other great PS4 library of exclusive gems. Sony has a great exclusive portfolio.

[TommyVercetti88]

Death Stranding, Detroit Become Human, Horizon Zero Dawn all on pc so not so exclusive anymore.

[Elda]

I weren't talking about those games but now that you mentioned them they are definitely PS4 gaming console exclusives especially HZD. Those games mentioned can not be played on a Nintendo or an XB gaming console.

[Atticus_finch]

You tried!
Lol

[Mr Marvel]

I might agree... I’ll say for sure when I finish the game though.

[ShadowWolf712]

I'm inclined to agree at this point, though I can't say for sure until it's done.

[zumlauf14]

Big no. In the articlr the authot admits the game had an "uninteresting story". And, that it does everything we've come to see from this gen with open world games. Then, they go onto say that they executed all of those mechanics better than anyone. Specifically how there's a lack of clutter on the screen with the blowing wind mechanic and you have a sense of freedom unrivaled. Rdr2 easily beats this game when it comes to lack of clutter when exploring. Let alone the exploration being much more rewarding and WAY more varied(strangers, a plethora of random events, shooting contests, races etc). Ghosts exploration isn't as varied or exciting. After the first fox, you seen them all.After the first shrine(after the typical auto-target horizon like platforming sequence) you've seen them all. The Witcher 3 beats ghost in every open world department. You can argue ghost had better combat..but that's it. Rdr2 and TW3 as open world games alone beat ghost. Reviews would support this. Open world games aside - I would place GOW, TW3, Bloodborne, Tlou2( unless you're one the other side of the divide ). Ghost is being praised in the wrong departments. Its open world mimicks everything that we've all called for to finally die. Generic/repetetive outpost liberations, watch towers. Fetch quests that don't differ from the main stories repetetive mission structure etc.. This world does NOT feel alive. The npc's are emotionless. They all have the same awkward animations. They don't react to the world/weather changes. Most of them don't achnowledge you. The AI is embarrasingly similar to AC. Theres about 5 species of land animals. Some that give you no recources(deer i.e). Pacing is attrocious as a result of the constant cutscene interuption WITHIN gameplay. There's a cutscene every 5 seconds when within a mission as if sucker punch didnt have animators for the simplest of interactions. Wanna get on your horse? CUTSCENE. Wanna get into the back of a carriage? CUTSCENE. Wanna speak with someone? CUTSCENE. Wanna crouch behind a downed tree? CUTSCENE. These are all cutscene senarios ive encountered IN MISSION COUNTLESS TIMES. They're not proper cutscenes. They are fade to blacks to HIDE the lack of an animation with that interaction it is fast forwarding. This is a first party AAA dev. The animations and lack there of are last gen. Every settlement is THE SAME. Same lifeless npc's doing the same animations. Empty homes that only consist of the same supplies and the same architecture. I can honestly go on and on. There's a reason this only scored sm 83. That's your average sucker punch rating with there past 4 games. It'a honestly generous. I have a hard time playing this game for more than hour at a time. It's the same fox/shrine/haiku/bamboo OVER AND OVER. Even the duels have the SAME INTRO CUTSCENE everytime. There is no variety in any aspect of this game.

[zumlauf14]

i'll see if any comments can refute any of these points. Probably not.

[Silly gameAr]

Can you prove the played the game and didn't just watch a twitch stream or youtube?

It seems like you're trying pretty hard to change people's opinions about GOT, like only yours matters here.

[_dangerclose_]

That's high praise.

[TheHateTheyGive]

Even after watching sony and xbox next gen showcases, this game looks better than all of them. Its amazing what last of us 2 and this game pulled out of the ageing ps4.

[kayoss]

For me so far, Horizon zero dawn, god of war, uncharted 4, and tlou2 are contenders. I need to play GoT first to see if it belongs on this list.

[gleepot]

but it does the trends not as well as the ones it borrowed them from

[Yui_Suzumiya]

The Last of Us: Part II, Life is Strange, Soma and Persona 5 Royal are my picks

[fonger08]

It’s a good a game but not GoY... let alone generation. I’m about 10 hours in, and it is beautiful, the combat can be really fun if not for the really odd and troublesome camera angles it can sometimes give you. Also the targeting in combat can get real tricky/annoying if there are more than 3 enemies rushing at you, or if your trying to rush an F’ing annoying archer and your character won’t turn to fight him. But if I’m being honest, there’s not a ton that separates this game from a newer Assassins Creed game. That’s not a criticism, I really like new ones, but it can lost in the shuffle when compared to other open world games.

[covcha]

I agree.

[mkis007]

I havent enjoyed an open world game like thidls in ever.

[CoNn3rB]

I wouldn't go that far, it's a great game and it showcases the talent of the studio behind the wheel but I still feel that when I look back at this generation the game I am most impressed with is still the Witcher 3

[waverider]

What this game show is that Sucker Punch is another studio on the rise. Its getting much better. The quality of the game is amaziing. Sony got the best studios on the market and after yesterday event by HUGE margin to microsoft. Huge.. What they are able to do with the OG PS4 is just crazy. This is being an amazing year for gamer with a PS4. Its that simple.

[King_Noctis]

Once in a generation is a better description imo.

[WelkinCole]

The beauty of Playstation. GOW, HZD, U4, TLOU2, Persona, BloodBorne. All of these games are exclusive. All of them are GOTG contenders. All of them different for different people.

Yet people still question if the playstation has games lol.

[GamingSinceForever]

It started off a little too slow for me but now I’m loving it. Hopefully most are patient enough to get through the first 5 to 8 hours.

[VariantAEC]

My first session with the game was maybe 6 hours and I think it picked up much faster than Horizon Zero Dawn's start. It took about 3 hours for Horizon to get interesting but it only took me about an hour and a half before things picked up in Ghost of Tsushima.

[Manubiggs]

I can't remember the last time I was so addicted to the gameplay loop. All my excitement for AC Valhalla disappeared cause I doubt it can be as fun as this.

[RebelWAC]

This!

The gameplay loop is second to none imo.

[TechnoGoat]

I dunno about all that, the game is amazing, but GOTG? nah fam, that goes to TLOU2

[GoodnessGreatness]

Ghost of Tsushima >>>>> The Last of Us 2

[GamingSinceForever]

TLOU2 has the more intriguing story, but GoT is superior in game play.

Depends on your niche I suppose.

One thing is for sure and that is TLOU2 is no runaway for GOTY.

[zumlauf14]

got gameplay doesn't even touch tlou2 what are you smoking. It's literally a clone of assasains crees unity but with horribly bland auto aim platforming. Bad AI on top of that that gives an overall less satisfaction when defeating your enemies unlike tlou2.

[Qin1982]

For me, GOTG is TLOU2. GOT is quite good.

[LucidIllusion]

I may not agree with their statement, but GoT is a phenomenal experience! Anybody who loves the samurai lore and history can be fully immersed in this gorgeous world. All games have their negatives and their room for improvement, but the game is so fun to play. A strong 9/10 for me.

[Gatsu]

Red Dead Redemption 2 is it for me.

[Final_Aeon]

Have yet to finish before I could come to this conclusion. It's awesome so far but don't know whether it'll beat out God Of War, Sekiro and Uncharted (among others). Think it's a solid 9, maybe it'll even go up to a 9,5 by the time I'm done with it.

[Imalwaysright]

To me is up there with Persona 5, GoW and Bloodborne as the best playstation exclusives of this generation.

[roadkillers]

God of War is better

[kreate]

Game of the generation? I was going to slightly criticize it but I'll keep it to myself

[Germaximus]

That is some insane hyperbole. It's right up there with calling the Switch "revolutionary."

[exputers]

Sorry, GTA 5 and Witcher 3 for me.