State of Play - May 14 |OT| - The Way of the Ghost

[FFNB]

Well put.

I find it hard to understand how any fans of classic Samurai films would not be massively excited about this. Once I saw the black and white mode I was giddy. As far as the animals and nature-based guides, they fit great into actual lore, great ideas.

I encourage anyone looking to enhance their enjoyment of the game to check out some of the true epic Japanese films this game is inspired by. Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, 13 Assassins, etc

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Hey, I just wanted to say I appreciate your perspective as a game designer and this is a good post.

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Thanks for quoting it because I would have otherwise missed it, it was a great post indeed.

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Well put.

I find it hard to understand how any fans of classic Samurai films would not be massively excited about this. Once I saw the black and white mode I was giddy. As far as the animals and nature-based guides, they fit great into actual lore, great ideas.

I encourage anyone looking to enhance their enjoyment of the game to check out some of the true epic Japanese films this game is inspired by. Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, 13 Assassins, etc

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Thank you guys so much! I really appreciate it!

I think a part of me is just so worn out over the constant pessimism and cynicism I see on forums such as this. It's such a huge contrast to the conversations I have with either my peers, or my friends/family when it comes to gaming. There's this almost childlike enthusiasm bursting from them, and some of my non gamer friends were also super blown away by it (especially one of them who adores Japanese cinema and Kurosawa, and lost his shit over the black and white film mode).

I hung out with my best friend last night, and we watched the 18 minute presentation (he hadn't seen it yet), and he was also blown away by the game, and beyond just the visual presentation. We talked about games like Tenchu and Bushido Blade, and how GoT seems to invoke those, but on a large scale. We speculated about the combat, and how many times during the demo, you'd see the player have to resort to strikes, because the timing on the parrying and deflect wasn't right (indicating that the combat may be a little deeper than it appears on the surface when a skilled player is slicing through enemies like butter for the sake of presentation; who wants to watch a demo where the player is getting wrecked every two seconds?).

We've both been gaming since the 80's, and we're always blown away by how far the medium has come. Like I said before, not every game needs to break the mold or establish a new genre or revolutionize gaming as we know it. Incremental improvements and adjustments to standard gameplay tropes and mechanics are just as important as the massive paradigm shifts we've gotten over the course of 30 years of gaming.

Will GoT be a good game? I have no idea, but it looks more than a little promising, and coming from a developer with a damn good pedigree.

Before Horizon Zero Dawn, Guerilla Games was considered to be, "just the Killzone guys." Now people are chomping at the bit for Horizon 2. Sucker Punch has Sky Cooper and inFAMOUS in their resume. That's more than enough to have me optimistic about Ghost of Tsushima. I also keep my expectations in check. At the end of the day, I just want to have fun with my games. Get lost in a world, story, atmosphere, and have a good time.

 

[Son of Sparda]

I could be (and probably am) massively LTTP on this but they've confirmed that Jin could also die from one or two hits from enemies so this should make the fights more intense.

 

[Simo]

I could be (and probably am) massively LTTP on this but they've confirmed that Jin could also die from one or two hits from enemies so this should make the fights more intense.

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Nope! They only just revealed that on Friday with the PlayStation podcast. Even with 18 minutes of footage it still feels like there's a ton of info for them to cover like using Technique points, how the yellow orbs in the HUD work and the stances etc. I actually forgot we can customize your horse until I remembered the CE. lol

Speaking of retail, I noticed on Amazon that the regular edition of the game is now titled the "Launch Edition" so all early copies come with the mini soundtrack, dynamic theme and avatar.

 

[Son of Sparda]

Nope! They only just revealed that on Friday with the PlayStation podcast. Even with 18 minutes of footage it still feels like there's a ton of info for them to cover like using Technique points, how the yellow orbs in the HUD work and the stances etc. I actually forgot we can customize your horse until I remembered the CE. lol

Speaking of retail, I noticed on Amazon that the regular edition of the game is now titled the "Launch Edition" so all early copies come with the mini soundtrack, dynamic theme and avatar.

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Nice, good to know that it wasn't old info haha

Honestly I think someone should make a separate thread about that considering a lot of people left the presentation thinking this is gonna be a very easy game combat wise.

 

[Loudninja]

Nope! They only just revealed that on Friday with the PlayStation podcast. Even with 18 minutes of footage it still feels like there's a ton of info for them to cover like using Technique points, how the yellow orbs in the HUD work and the stances etc. I actually forgot we can customize your horse until I remembered the CE. lol

Speaking of retail, I noticed on Amazon that the regular edition of the game is now titled the "Launch Edition" so all early copies come with the mini soundtrack, dynamic theme and avatar.

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It seems like when he uses I assume a technique it takes up a orb, and it restores when he parries.

Nice, good to know that it wasn't old info haha

Honestly I think someone should make a separate thread about that considering a lot of people left the presentation thinking this is gonna be a very easy game combat wise.

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The funny thing is a dev will always make something look easier then it is.

 

[Servbot24]

Well put.

I find it hard to understand how any fans of classic Samurai films would not be massively excited about this. Once I saw the black and white mode I was giddy. As far as the animals and nature-based guides, they fit great into actual lore, great ideas.

I encourage anyone looking to enhance their enjoyment of the game to check out some of the true epic Japanese films this game is inspired by. Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, 13 Assassins, etc

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I think if anything I was hoping for them to lean even more into realistic samurai aspects rather than go with industry trends. But of course I need to play it myself to judge fully.

But you are very right that people need to watch those movies.

 

[cantbebothered]

It seems like when he uses I assume a technique it takes up a orb, and it restores when he parries.

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that still not clear because there were 3 orbs highlighted with l1+r1 and he never used, but it would consume an orb every time he uses the wind slash kinda attack.

 

[Loudninja]

that still not clear because there were 3 orbs highlighted with l1+r1 and he never used, but it would consume an orb every time he uses the wind slash kinda attack.

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The only time the orb disappear is when he did that move.

 

[Simo]

The only time the orb disappear is when he did that move.

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Also going by the CE description we acquire Technique points so assume these unlock new skills that could be set maybe? Is L1+R1 activating that skill or is R1 used and the. L1+R1 is for a ultimate attack of some sort? I'd assume the latter since you guys pointed out the 3 orbs being highlighted directly under the L1+R1prompt. lol

 

[Loudninja]

Also going by the CE description we acquire Technique points so assume these unlock new skills that could be set maybe? Is L1+R1 activating that skill or is R1 used and the. L1+R1 is for a ultimate attack of some sort? I'd assume the latter since you guys pointed out the 3 orbs being highlighted directly under the L1+R1prompt. lol

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L1 and R1 does looks like a super move or something since it seems to take up 3 orbs that glow. We still got a lot to learn lol.

 

[Callibretto]

L1+R1 is to make Jin transform to Oni mode where he used the souls of his fallen enemy to become stronger, faster and more durable. It's necessary since Khotun Khan turn out to be demonic creatures Genma and Ghost of Tsushima is actually Onimusha reboot

 

[John Frost]

I know it's possible, I was just replying to the idea of doing it while facing off against even one additional opponent. That's dubious at best. Multiples though? Not likely.

Also...

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Cutting a BB gun bullet, wtf.

 

[Loudninja]

No dismemberment in combat?

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Its there he cuts off a arm in the newest gameplay. I guess only gechniques or finishers can cut of limbs.

 

[Son of Sparda]

I could be (and probably am) massively LTTP on this but they've confirmed that Jin could also die from one or two hits from enemies so this should make the fights more intense.

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To clarify on this bit, this is what Nate Fox actually says:

We have this phrase that we use to describe the combat in the game: Mud, Blood and Steel.
We wanted it to feel really really grounded and lethally precise. If you've ever seen a samurai movie you know what it's like. These men cut each other down with a single stroke of their sword and to capture that samurai movie, fight is very different than a lot of other games because it means you can die very quickly and your enemies can too. And that took us a while to get right but we are very pleased with the results and we think it shows up well on the screen.

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So maybe they've balanced it a bit more to "get it right" but it still should be intense in the fights if Jin does indeed die quickly.

 

[FFNB]

Yeah we all watch a dev that played it hundreds of time most likely making it look easier then it was.

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For sure! As someone who used to be a QA tester, I can tell you that when you're literally spending 8-16 hours a day, "playing" the game, as part of your job, you get really, really fucking good at it. Lol

This presentation wasn't some guy that had never played the game before picking up the controller and running through the features. It was either a dev or a QA tester, who has spent the last few months/years, working on this game. It's no different from the stage demos we see at E3. They're usually smooth, with someone very skilled at the game. Very rarely is it, like, a debug build with invincibility and one hit kills active. Just someone who is very familiar with the game and it's mechanics, making it look way easier than it will be in the hands of a gamer who hasn't played the game once.

Rewatching the presentation three times so far (I also rewatched all of the videos on the PlayStation YouTube channel about the game tonight), the combat stood out to me even more. There are definitely multiple moments in the presentation where the player wasn't able to counter and one shot enemies, and had to resort to just slashing at them with his sword, or repositioning because another enemy was getting into striking range to interrupt his focus on the intended target.

After this week, I'm even more excited to get my hands on it.

 

[Nightengale]

I look at the SoP and the highlighting of the L1+R1 with the orbs as a tease and indication that there are more to the game mechanics than what they've shown, but they aren't gonna say everything at this stage + more to be shared at a later time.

And while this isn't a popular opinion, frankly - I don't need to know "everything" about how a game's core gameplay works at a controls-level. What we saw imo was sufficient in telling us the 'gameplay loop' for Ghost.

 

[JoeNut]

Samurai mode seems to rely on quick reactions, at certain points there's a glow on enemies attacks which presumably is when you need to press something to counter. This didn't happen during the stand off, so I'm not sure how that works, but during the actual fight there are slight glows as he counters on the enemies weapons

 

[Simo]

Hoping the next 2 months fly by. lol

 

[Stinkles]

I scrubbed to the b&w mode - apologies if they say it right in the video which I'll watch after breakfast- can I also play w. Japanese audio and English subs?

 

[Nightengale]

I scrubbed to the b&w mode - apologies if they say it right in the video which I'll watch after breakfast- can I also play w. Japanese audio and English subs?

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Yes

 

[Deleted member 52190]

I scrubbed to the b&w mode - apologies if they say it right in the video which I'll watch after breakfast- can I also play w. Japanese audio and English subs?

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Yes.

 

[Stinkles]

Yes.

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Woot-u!

 

[ItIsOkBro]

what's the word on slow-mo disable?

 

[nib95]

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SooooGood.gif

 

[Simo]

I think we're getting more content or details this week? I saw there's a reddit thread asking for questions because the OP is interviewing Nate Fox this week and writes for Push Square in Australia, so I wonder if more outlets are conducting interviews so we might learn some more details?

I'm not a member of reddit but if anyone wants to submit their questions (HUD options, hair customization etc) then here's the thread:

Reddit - Dive into anything

www.reddit.com

Again, IGN was supposed to do a whole month of coverage for the game in April as part of their IGN First feature with them visiting Sucker Punch but it got cancelled due to the pandemic.

 

[Deleted member 52190]

I think we're getting more content or details this week? I saw there's a reddit thread asking for questions because the OP is interviewing Nate Fox this week and writes for Push Square in Australia, so I wonder if more outlets are conducting interviews so we might learn some more details?

I'm not a member of reddit but if anyone wants to submit their questions (HUD options, hair customization etc) then here's the thread:

Reddit - Dive into anything

www.reddit.com

Again, IGN was supposed to do a whole month of coverage for the game in April as part of their IGN First feature with them visiting Sucker Punch but it got cancelled due to the pandemic.

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Yes, you will get a blog post this week a think.

Sony has asking for questions on twitter to make a blog post.

 

[Domcorleone]

Does the sword still leave cuts and marks on enemies? I dont think I saw that in the SOP demo.

 

[gremlinz1982]

Death Stranding is one of the most innovative games to be released in years. Not having gameplay that is action focused is not the same thing as not having innovative gameplay.

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It is a game where you balance cargo and deliver cargo. What on earth is innovative about that?

 

[nib95]

It is a game where you balance cargo and deliver cargo. What on earth is innovative about that?

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I take it you haven't played the game? You can be ultra reductive about any game if you break it down like that. In order to facilitate the core gameplay loop you speak of, DS intertwines so many unique and innovative elements and systems.

In its approach to traversal and all the systems and mechanics to that end, eg the use of tools or equipment you choose to take with you or build that will shape what paths you may be able to take, such as rope, ladders, exoskeletons, hover carriers, specialist attire and tools, different vehicles, use of different facilities, infrastructure building (time fall shelters, zip lines, roads etc), their maintenance, up keep and so on.

Then there's the strategy and micro managing involved in assessing and scaling different unique terrain, managing your inventory, weight and load, the way it can be stacked to preserve damage from time fall rain, the way it's distributed on your character, how it affects your balance, physics, traversal options etc.

The very act of traversal in this game is a rich and mechanically interesting gameplay system or simulation, full of countless considerations, unlike any other open world game.

Then to tie it altogether there's what I'd argue is a rather revolutionary asynchronous multiplayer system that can have a fundamental impact on how you or others interact with the environment or with your tasks, and that is constantly dynamically changing and building the game world and environment around you.

Hell, even its story and premise is also pretty unique and atypical, what with the time fall stuff and how it affects gameplay/environment, the unusual enemies and all the inter dimensional stuff, changes in time, space, environment based on certain engagements and so on and so forth.

There are literally so many unique elements to Death Stranding, and whilst it may not be for everyone, I can confidently say it's one of the most innovative and distinct games I've played in years, despite seeming simplistic at face value.

 

[gremlinz1982]

I take it you haven't played the game? You can be ultra reductive about any game if you break it down like that. In order to facilitate the core gameplay loop you speak of, DS intertwines so many unique and innovative elements and systems.

In its approach to traversal and all the systems and mechanics to that end, eg the use of tools or equipment you choose to take with you or build that will shape what paths you may be able to take, such as rope, ladders, exoskeletons, hover carriers, specialist attire and tools, different vehicles, use of different facilities, infrastructure building (time fall shelters, zip lines, roads etc), their maintenance, up keep and so on.

Then there's the strategy and micro managing involved in assessing and scaling different unique terrain, managing your inventory, weight and load, the way it can be stacked to preserve damage from time fall rain, the way it's distributed on your character, how it affects your balance, physics, traversal options etc.

The very act of traversal in this game is a rich and mechanically interesting gameplay system or simulation, full of countless considerations, unlike any other open world game.

Then to tie it altogether there's what I'd argue is a rather revolutionary asynchronous multiplayer system that can have a fundamental impact on how you or others interact with the environment or with your tasks, and that is constantly dynamically changing and building the game world and environment around you.

Hell, even its story and premise is also pretty unique and atypical, what with the time fall stuff and how it affects gameplay/environment, the unusual enemies and all the inter dimensional stuff, changes in time, space, environment based on certain engagements and so on and so forth.

There are literally so many unique elements to Death Stranding, and I can confidently say it's one of the most innovative and distinct games I've played in years, despite seeming simplistic at face value.

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It is a game centered around fetch quests, where you balance cargo, face some really poor AI. So what was revolutionary about it? It took that which makes almost all open world games thin in quality content and made it its core gameplay loop. I have always opined that if this was not a Kojima title, people would be calling it out for what it is.

 

[nib95]

It is a game centered around fetch quests, where you balance cargo, face some really poor AI. So what was revolutionary about it? It took that which makes almost all open world games thin in quality content and made it its core gameplay loop. I have always opined that if this was not a Kojima title, people would be calling it out for what it is.

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Do you have reading comprehension issues or something, or are you just being willfully obtuse?

I literally just listed a multitude of things about the game that make it unique and innovative, and you've essentially just ignored that and posted the same exact same question only worded in a different way.

The irony is that I was 70/30 on thinking you'd do just that knowing who you are, but thought I'd put the time in to explain anyway.

Oh well.

 

[gremlinz1982]

Do you have reading comprehension issues or something, or are you just being willfully obtuse?

I literally just listed a multitude of things about the game that make it unique and innovative, and you've essentially just ignored that and posted the same exact same question only worded in a different way.

The irony is that I was 70/30 on thinking you'd do just that knowing who you are, but thought I'd put the time in to explain anyway.

Oh well.

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Inventory management? I see this in every single player game I play. You could take it to the extreme, but even then, it is nothing new.

Shared world multiplayer? Again, nothing new.

Enemies and inter-dimensional stuff? Been there, done that. DS is like a lot of other games that take what has been done and try and find a formula that may be unique. If you really looked at it, you can see a lot of stuff that has been borrowed from all sorts of genres. So, what was really revolutionary about this game? As is, had never been done before?

 

[nib95]

Inventory management? I see this in every single player game I play. You could take it to the extreme, but even then, it is nothing new.

Shared world multiplayer? Again, nothing new.

Enemies and inter-dimensional stuff? Been there, done that. DS is like a lot of other games that take what has been done and try and find a formula that may be unique. If you really looked at it, you can see a lot of stuff that has been borrowed from all sorts of genres. So, what was really revolutionary about this game? As is, had never been done before?

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Lol.

So what game plays similar to Death Stranding and has this breadth of asynchronous multiplayer interaction/world building, and traversal mechanics/depth?

If we were to go by your reductive summaries, no game could ever be considered innovative or unique.

 

[gremlinz1982]

Lol.

So what game plays similar to Death Stranding and has this breadth of asynchronous multiplayer interaction/world building, and traversal mechanics/depth?

If we were to go by your reductive summaries, no game could ever be considered innovative or unique.

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1. Asynchronous multiplayer is not new. Some games like Wargroove have this as their central building block.
2. Balancing loads in video games is not new either, there are games that have been built around this mechanic.
3. Next you will tell me that shoe wear........this not ripped off from racing games?

The game is fetch quest central with leanings towards mechanics, some that are old as RPG's or turn based RPG's.

 

[Famassu]

The true megaton was that you can pick up shit & talk to people while riding/sitting on a horse. No need to clunkily jump off the horse! Game-changer in the realm of horse-riding games.

 

[nib95]

1. Asynchronous multiplayer is not new. Some games like Wargroove have this as their central building block.
2. Balancing loads in video games is not new either, there are games that have been built around this mechanic.
3. Next you will tell me that shoe wear........this not ripped off from racing games?

The game is fetch quest central with leanings towards mechanics, some that are old as RPG's or turn based RPG's.

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You didn't actually answer my questions. If you'd answered them, we'd know the extent of credibility to your argument.

But the fact that you listed Wargroove as your example of another game doing asynchronous multiplayer like Death Stranding, is actually genuinely hilarious lol.

You're essentially equating turn based multiplayer gaming with notifications (eg the fact that you can leave a game whilst other players are making their turns, and return to it to make yours) with what Death Stranding is doing, with players sharing tools, vehicles, pathways, materials (often with objectives), signs, equipment, group building entire structures, facilities, bridges, shelters, zip-line and road networks and more, that can all fundamentally shape your play through and experience, and all without directly interacting with any other player.

Next you're going to tell me leaving notes in Dark Souls is the same thing too lol.

 

[gremlinz1982]

You didn't actually answer my questions. If you'd answered them, we'd know the extent of credibility to your argument.

But the fact that you listed Wargroove as your example of another game doing asynchronous multiplayer like Death Stranding, is actually genuinely hilarious lol.

You're essentially equating turn based multiplayer gaming with notifications (eg the fact that you can leave a game whilst other players are making their turns, in order to return to a game to play yours) with what Death Stranding is doing, with players sharing tools, mechanics, signs, vehicles, unique pathways, group building entire structures, facilities, roads, shelters, zip-line networks and more, that can all fundamentally shape your play through and experience.

Next you're going to tell me leaving notes in Dark Souls is the same thing too lol.

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I have though. You keep telling me that DS is revolutionary, To be that, it has to be doing something that has not been done before and we rare;y get this in video games these days......a game that comes in and does something so new that it has never been done in any game prior.

I will give you some examples........moving from 2D to 3D allowed developers in fighting games to make titles that allowed for side stepping. Moving from the 8 bit era allowed for games to move from turn based elements or the table top design. I have not seen one revolutionary game this generation.......not a single one that made me think that it was not possible prior.

Asynchronous multiplayer is simply that, asynchronous. You do things on your time and effects can be felt in the game. What Hideo Kojima did was simply take that mechanic and implement it in the game. So why is it so special in this one game and not in Dark Souls, Wargroove, Warhammer or any asynchronous turn based titles? This is debating minutae.

 

[nib95]

I have though. You keep telling me that DS is revolutionary, To be that, it has to be doing something that has not been done before and we rare;y get this in video games these days......a game that comes in and does something so new that it has never been done in any game prior.

I will give you some examples........moving from 2D to 3D allowed developers in fighting games to make titles that allowed for side stepping. Moving from the 8 bit era allowed for games to move from turn based elements or the table top design. I have not seen one revolutionary game this generation.......not a single one that made me think that it was not possible prior.

Asynchronous multiplayer is simply that, asynchronous. You do things on your time and effects can be felt in the game. What Hideo Kojima did was simply take that mechanic and implement it in the game. So why is it so special in this one game and not in Dark Souls, Wargroove, Warhammer or any asynchronous turn based titles? This is debating minutae.

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This is like saying all third person games are the same and can't be innovative just because they're third person.

Death Stranding isn't innovative merely because it featured asynchronous multiplayer, but in the way it implemented it, essentially in a way that is orders of magnitude more complex, in-depth, unique, mechanically rich and game shaping than any other similar game that featured it, and that goes for some of the other things I've mentioned too (namely in traversal and transportation/cargo consideration).

Anway, let's just leave it at that. We can agree to disagree, and people can read our posts to gauge who's arguments are more credible.

 

[AllMight1]

for those that dont know yet, he plays the voice of japanese Jin in the game:

same VA

 

[gremlinz1982]

This is like saying all third person games are the same and can't be innovative just because they're third person.

Death Stranding isn't innovative merely because it featured asynchronous multiplayer, but in the way it implemented it, essentially in a way that is orders of magnitude more complex, in-depth, unique, mechanically rich and game shaping than any other similar game that featured it, and that goes for some of the other things I've mentioned too (namely in traversal and transportation/cargo consideration).

Anway, let's just leave it at that. We can agree to disagree, and people can read our posts to gauge who's arguments are more credible.

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We are debating different stuff here. As I stated, there is nothing that DS does that is new.
Asynchronous multiplayer is old, like really old and all Kojima did was take that aspect and implement it. We were leaving notes in Dark Souls, we are now leaving ladders, ziplines, bridges etc in DS. People used to play and mail, and you still have a lot of games that have taken that to having time limits on when moves can be made before there is an expiry.

The notion that this form of asynchronous multiplayer is so innovative is neither here nor there.

Secondly, you made a comment on inventory management. Is there an adventure, shooter, RPG, or even racing game today that does not involve inventory management? And do they not have an effect on what manner you get to play the game? I struggle to remember games that did not have any sort of management outside fighting games in prior generations, with a few like Tekken/DoA not having stuff like V-Trigger options and such.

It does not mean that these games are less 'rich', lack depth or are mechanically wanting.........these are terms you are using to describe what is a game where Sam Porter is literally a porter in an open world. Where all he does all game is deliver stuff. Come on man.

 

[Triggerhappytel]

I just watched this again on a good laptop screen at 1440p and it really does look incredible. I love the look of the environment and I'm looking forward to exploring it most of all. The way everything moves in the breeze and there's all these things drawing attention like smoke rising into the sky makes it look really interesting and inviting. My only technical gripe would be that the animation on the horse did not look amazing, but it's still pretty great and that is a minor nitpick.

 

[Deleted member 1003]

I just watched this again on a good laptop screen at 1440p and it really does look incredible. I love the look of the environment and I'm looking forward to exploring it most of all. The way everything moves in the breeze and there's all these things drawing attention like smoke rising into the sky makes it look really interesting and inviting. My only technical gripe would be that the animation on the horse did not look amazing, but it's still pretty great and that is a minor nitpick.

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The last amazing horse I saw was back in Shadow of Colossus. None have beaten that horse yet.

 

[Dragoon]

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This game gonna have a lot of gifs popping up once it's released

The last amazing horse I saw was back in Shadow of Colossus. None have beaten that horse yet.

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How is that amazing, it's hard as hell to control