Mohammed Farooq

This Game Is Amazing Though “Ghost of Tsushima's” charismatic characters and intricate combat are a significant draw, what first kindled my admiration for the new open-world RPG set in 13th century Japan is its respect for poetry. Early in the game, Jin Sakai, the samurai hero of the story, encounters an old man sitting on a rock who advises him to take up the art of haiku. The anonymous poet makes a practical case for its utility, telling Jin that haiku can help a warrior clear his mind of internal strife and find equanimity. Curious to take him up on this advice, I led Jin to a nearby overlook — with a view of the forest in the distance — where he sat down. Using the right thumbstick of the controller to pan the camera back and forth, I was able to focus Jin’s attention on specific parts of the landscape by pressing the X button, and compose a haiku: “Whispers through the trees/Protected from the harsh sun/A sturdy defense.” In all my years of gaming, this was the first time I helped the protagonist in an action game reflect on the theme of serenity. Ghost of Tsushima” is a game that abounds with such nifty elements. Rather than depend on an unsightly compass, or a mini-map, on the screen for navigation (as is typical for most large-scale open world games), you can swipe your finger across the touch pad to rustle up a breeze — the Guiding Wind — to point you in the right direction. In fact, you can discover points of interest in the world without consulting a map at all. From time to time a golden-colored bird or a fox will cross your path. Following them will lead you to convenient locations such as shrines or hot springs where Jin can pray or bathe to increase his stats. Details like these help connect the player to the world in a way that feels more or less organic, and I expect other developers will crib some of these innovative features. Though it is often said of the best open-world games that the environment is like a character itself, the cliche is borne out in “Ghost of Tsushima.” Set during the time of the Mongul invasion of Japan, this visually-stunning samurai epic tells the story of Jin’s quest to repel the invaders who, at the start of his journey, wipe out most of his fellow samurai and capture his uncle, Lord Shimira, the leader of the region. For much of the first act of the campaign Jin focuses on raising an army to help him free his uncle. Along the way he encounters Yuna, a no-nonsense thief. Over time, she comes to exert great influence on his life. She counsels him that to defeat the Mongols he will have to put aside some of his samurai ideals, such as always confronting enemies head-on rather than taking “the coward’s way'' and sneaking up on them from behind. She also seeds an idea among the peasants that Jin is a “ghost” or an “avenging spirit” whose destiny will lead the haggard population to victory. You Should Buy This Game And Play It

This Game Is Absolutely Full Of Garbage The first The Last Of Us (and its well-received DLC) established a narrative that had two of the most beloved characters in gaming history, which was rightly lauded as a classic. It always felt like it should have remained as a standalone masterpiece. But a sequel is what we have. Let me start with the positives. The graphics are absolutely stunning. They’re clearly pushing the ageing PlayStation 4 to its limits, as the fan noise can testify to. The environmental level design is excellent, as is the sound. Facial animations are really superb. The presentation of this game is one of the best available on the PlayStation 4. Another big positive are the game’s accessibility options. Naughty Dog have really pushed the boat out on this, with clearly well thought out options. I’m colour blind to the point where some games pose a problem, so Naughty Dog’s commitment in this area should be commended. Although it has some tweaks the gameplay is familiar, mostly performing as the same perfunctory way of progressing the story. Enemy artificial intelligence at times is still laughably bad. However, the delicate balance of the original has gone. Environmental puzzles play little part now, so the gameplay is repetitive; sneak and kill, rinse and repeat. At times I began to feel like I was a data entry clerk. And then we come to the story. It’s very difficult to criticise this game properly without spoilers. What I can say is it’s far too long and structurally awkward. But it’s in the second half that this game really falls apart. There is a distasteful theme of underlying patronising that makes the game feel like a 25-hour endeavour that only exists to tell players off. We are forced into performing certain actions we don’t want to do, only then to be admonished for doing so. Often these are contrived parts which compromise the integrity of the characters simply to facilitate certain plot points to get a desired reaction. As such they make decisions that are often fundamentally incoherent and illogical. The inconsistency of the treatment of certain characters performing the same actions during the second part is, at times, embarrassingly bad. The ending is a very good example of this – it’s laugh out loud ridiculous in its lack of logic. The plot is clumsy, ham-fisted, and trite. Subtle this game is not and comes across as a series of cheap parlour tricks. In terms of beautifully drawn out characters to help progress a plot, Druckmann is no Jane Austen. What made the previous game special is just gutted out to the point of being disrespectful, leaving few positives in its place. Naughty Dog clearly has a dim view of its own fanbase. The terminal problem with this game for me was I just simply stopped caring. Supposed tense moments no longer mattered, nor did the story nor the violence. We are supposed to empathise at certain points, but I couldn’t and with that the rest of the game quickly falls apart. I’m glad the game was spoiled for me because if I had played this not knowing I would have felt I was a victim of a bait and switch. This wants to be judged on its character and story in the same way as its predecessor. And judging on that basis it is a complete let down. I’d view this as average at best, with a point added for its accessibility. If nothing else I hope this is the game’s actual legacy. I’ll leave the final word to a Joel quote in the game; ‘See there was a sequel. It wasn’t as good.’ EDIT: Don’t Waste You’re Time On This Just Wait For New Games To Come