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What can Ghost of Tsushima learn from Red Dead, The Witcher, and Spider-Man 2?

Mibu no ookami

Demoted Member® Pro™
I can't help but think that Ghost of Tsushima has a lot in common with The Witcher and Red Dead Redemption.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and really go against what I generally suggest is in good thinking, but Ghost of Tsushima 2 should be a Day 1 PC release. I'm not suggesting that for all releases, but definitely for GoT.

Hear me out.

Ghost of Tsushima sold REALLY well. The franchise has a TON of potential. Even as a PS4 (PS5) exclusive, it sold better than Witcher 2 and with a PC release could probably come close to matching Red Dead Redemption (1) sales over time (~23 million).

This game has more potential than I think the core PlayStation userbase can deliver and we know it's not really a system seller having come out at the end of the PlayStation 4's life cycle. If you look at the Witcher franchise, it didn't really hit massive success until the Witcher 3. First, they completely evolved the size and scope of the game like Red Dead 2 does, but it's not locked to Xbox 360 on console, which was definitely a mistake along the lines of Rise of Tomb Raider.

Sucker Punch could REALLY benefit from taking an evolutionary approach to Ghost of Tsushima 2 to size and scope that you see in Witcher 3 and Red Dead 2, but that comes at a great cost and the best way to absorb that cost and risk is to develop for two large userbases.

And in terms of longevity, you look at the really poor online aspect of GoT1, taking a larger approach like Red Dead Online so instead of missions that were in Legends. A more community-based online game for Ghost of Tsushima could be killer.

So why am I posting this and what about Spider-Man 2?

Sucker Punch isn't growing massively around Ghost of Tsushima. Their company size is relatively unchanged since the first game came out. I'm not sure we're going to see that evolutionary change in GoT2 that we saw in Witcher 3 and Red Dead 2. I think we're going to see largely what we saw in Spider-Man 2, which is just a game that largely plays the same is looks slightly prettier and I just think that's a missed opportunity. I think that works for Spider-Man because of the userbase/fanbase and the popularity of the character, not sure how well that works for Ghost.

One of the biggest complaints at least mine for GoT1 is how hollow the game feels, which has a lot of similarities with Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2. I think it would be much easier to build out NPCs and Villages in Ghost than it would be to build out a NY that feels lived-in and real.

I don't think there is any reason this franchise couldn't be as big as Witcher or Red Dead, but it'll take a lot more investment and headcount than we're seeing.
 

Markio128

Gold Member
I get where you are coming from with some of the emptiness in the game (improved visuals will go some way to make exploration more enjoyable), but I think they could liven this kind of thing up with a hunting element, similar to RDR2. Then use what you’ve caught to make better weapons and armour, etc., rather than just collecting stuff from dead bodies and sacks. Maybe throw in a sprinkling of mystery off the beaten track. Maybe even throw in a village defence system, where you can enrol certain allies (and improve their stats with training/resources) to protect villages from enemy attacks whilst you are out and about.
 

Saber

Gold Member
It doesn't need to learn from any of them, specifally from things like Spider-man 2. It just needs a bit of touch up on the characters quest, which mostly starts great but ended mediocre.
 

Nasigil

Member
In terms of gameplay mechanics Tsushima is probably much better than TW3, but what TW3 had over it was insane amount of high quality story content in main quest and side quests, and that's something you can't just "learn from". I don't see how Sucker Punch can really improve on this part without replacing it's entire writing staff.
 

StueyDuck

Member
Red dead.. only learn from red dead, make open world exploration like red dead. All open world games need to learn to craft open worlds like the gods of Rockstar open world design.

I haven't truly gotten lost in a world since
 

Vick

Member
From The Witcher 3 it could learn a whole lot, actually:
Better writing, attitude towards mature themes, as engaging and captivating narrative when it comes to side content (it kinda did already at times), more significant long term choices consequences..

From RDR: Its use of physics and better wildlife simulations.

From SM 2:
Haven't played it, but hopefully nothing. And hopefully nothing from Ragnarök either. GoT was my GOTY but I swear if they make us play as Yuna in the sequel..

 
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Mibu no ookami

Demoted Member® Pro™
In terms of gameplay mechanics Tsushima is probably much better than TW3, but what TW3 had over it was insane amount of high quality story content in main quest and side quests, and that's something you can't just "learn from". I don't see how Sucker Punch can really improve on this part without replacing it's entire writing staff.

A lot of that you can just grab from historical situations. History is some of the best writing out there. The problem with Ghost is how generic the main quest stuff is and how even beyond generic the side quests are. It doesn't help that the villages aren't fleshed out, which results in massive ground you cover to get from place to place only to be greeted with much of the same. You need size and scope, whole teams dedicated to building out individual villages. A large number of writers writing for individual characters and towns.
Red dead.. only learn from red dead, make open world exploration like red dead. All open world games need to learn to craft open worlds like the gods of Rockstar open world design.

I haven't truly gotten lost in a world since

They took 8 years of developing the game across studios. If you look at Rockstar San Diego, it's pretty much the same size as Sucker Punch. Nearly 2000 people ultimately worked on Red Dead 2.
 

GymWolf

Member
The game was a decent 7\10 with gigantic margin of improvement, from writing to challenge to sidestuff to combat to enemy variety to stealth to basically everything except the art style that was already on point.

Also like someone else said, other than faster, more fun traversal, i hope they copy nothing from spidey 2 :lollipop_squinting:
 
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FoxMcChief

Gold Member
Make it a two player co-op with a power couple

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StueyDuck

Member
They took 8 years of developing the game across studios. If you look at Rockstar San Diego, it's pretty much the same size as Sucker Punch. Nearly 2000 people ultimately worked on Red Dead 2.
Sony better get on it then haha. Just more Rockstar open worlds is what I need
 
Ignoring the "hurr durr woke" botspam, assuming the next game is set in the Home Islands, just RDR2 levels of people and animal simulation and interaction. I think they nailed the combat in GoT, the story and Tales quests were great.

Like Spidey 2 and GoWR, I just want an improved iterative sequel. I'd be fine if we got to play as both Jin and Yuna too.
 

GymWolf

Member
From SM 2:
Haven't played it, but hopefully nothing. And hopefully nothing from Ragnarök either. GoT was my GOTY but I swear if they make us play as Yuna in the sequel..



And i thought we had similar tastes :lollipop_grinning_sweat:
 
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Mibu no ookami

Demoted Member® Pro™
Sony better get on it then haha. Just more Rockstar open worlds is what I need

Rather than have Firesprite muddle around with a game, I'd put the entire staff on supporting a game like GoT2. Maybe throw Bend Studios and London Studios at it as well.
 

Punished Miku

Human Rights Subscription Service
All anyone should look at is Sucker Punch themselves, and their past games. They're one of the smaller studios at PS. Since infamous 1 came out they've largely stuck to making the same kind of game, and Ghost is a continuation of that. The gameplay loop, and structure of infamous SS and Ghost are almost identical, with haikus instead of graffiti locations.

They're going to stick to this formula, and they will have time to add in 1-2 new additions. What I'm expecting is something extremely similar to the first one, but maybe he'll be able to switch to a spear, and a couple other weapons now. Second Son had like 4 powers.
 

Killjoy-NL

Gold Member
I'd love to see a more densely populated and interactive living world, akin to GTA.

Also a more fleshed out multiplayer mode.
Really liked it, but it wasn't more than just a nice extra.

Not sure what else they could do. Probably need to expand their studio to do so anyway.
 

GymWolf

Member
All anyone should look at is Sucker Punch themselves, and their past games. They're one of the smaller studios at PS. Since infamous 1 came out they've largely stuck to making the same kind of game, and Ghost is a continuation of that. The gameplay loop, and structure of infamous SS and Ghost are almost identical, with haikus instead of graffiti locations.

They're going to stick to this formula, and they will have time to add in 1-2 new additions. What I'm expecting is something extremely similar to the first one, but maybe he'll be able to switch to a spear, and a couple other weapons now. Second Son had like 4 powers.
I would love another infamous instead of tsushima 2.
 

KaiserBecks

Member
I loved the combat system and how it kept adding new stuff, but the world felt empty and repetitive. Yes, the empty part makes sense regarding the story, but they still could’ve done more to give the player a better sandbox. I actually think it has more in common with dull Ubisoft games. Not saying it was a bad game though.
 

Vick

Member
And i thought we had similar tastes :lollipop_grinning_sweat:
What can I say, that year I displayed better taste. And I feel in good company:


Nioh 2 creator after picking the game as his GOTY:

"Ghost of Tushima really left an impression on me. They did a fantastic job with the highly polished gameplay. Here at Team Ninja, where we have worked on a lot of sword fighting action, we were really impressed with the game and strive to create a title with as much ‘honor’ as Ghost of Tsushima."

roasted-oh.gif
 
What can I say, that year I displayed better taste. And I feel in good company:


Nioh 2 creator after picking the game as his GOTY:

"Ghost of Tushima really left an impression on me. They did a fantastic job with the highly polished gameplay. Here at Team Ninja, where we have worked on a lot of sword fighting action, we were really impressed with the game and strive to create a title with as much ‘honor’ as Ghost of Tsushima."

roasted-oh.gif
GoT's massive success is why we have games like Like a Dragon Ishin and Rise of the Ronin coming to the West.
 

GymWolf

Member
What can I say, that year I displayed better taste. And I feel in good company:


Nioh 2 creator after picking the game as his GOTY:

"Ghost of Tushima really left an impression on me. They did a fantastic job with the highly polished gameplay. Here at Team Ninja, where we have worked on a lot of sword fighting action, we were really impressed with the game and strive to create a title with as much ‘honor’ as Ghost of Tsushima."

roasted-oh.gif
Strange to read that quote since i think nioh combat system and especially stance system is eons better and harder than tsushima and the honor thing was just plain fucking stupid and cringeworthy plot wise :lollipop_squinting:

But then again, i can't give less fucks about black and white samurai movies so i wasn't the right audience for the game most probably.
 
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mejin

Member
RDR, GTA, Witcher 3 is out of the question lol

a thousand devs work on those ips.

Sucker Punch is a tiny dev next to them. So, keep it real.

Anyway, Sucker Punch have some rooms to improve for GoT 2.
 

GymWolf

Member
Second Son is one of my favorite PS games ever, but we did get 4 games already. I'm not surprised at all they'd do at least 1 sequel for Ghost.
We had 3 games, the dlc was short and kinda crappy.

I vastly prefer the first 2 for everything except traversal and graphic.
 

ungalo

Member
I think that one of the main issue is that the setting will probably be very safe, just like the first game. Western developers already took a path of safe inoffensive writing, but western games about a foreign culture ? It's even worst.

For Ubisoft games it doesn't really have an impact since they are already generic but GoT bet a lot on its presentation and narration/story telling.

It's why i'm more interested in Rise of the Ronin, just the historical context seems very interesting and potentially deep. I expect something very bland for GoT 2 behind the amazing visuals.
 

Lupin25

Member
They’d be good games to aspire to.

The Witcher 3: Well written plot & side content

RDR2: Wildlife simulation, NPC interactivity

Spider-Man 2: Amazing Set Pieces, innovative traversal
 

Hudo

Member
From Red Dead, it can learn that player input takes precedence to animation (one of the reasons why I didn't finish RDR 2). But the first Ghost of Tsushima was already OK in that regard. And that you can design your narrative and missions with the open-world in mind (which RDR2 was really bad at).
From Witcher 3 it can learn that a good UI and fun combat loop (which the first Ghost of Tsushima had already) can take you a long way (the main reasons why I didn't finish Witcher 3)
Haven't played Spider-Man because I am not into superhero stuff. So I can't comment there.
 
Cancel it and make infamous 4.

I personally just find the setting dull as dishwasher. In remaining "authentic to the setting" it will remain dull.

Enemy variety will be dull, weapon variety will be dull, side quests will be dull. Traversal will be dull.

Infact all historical authentic games are dull! Assassins Creed is, Ghost is, even RDR2 is. Not even Rockstars infinite money can come up with interesting gameplay.

With Infamous they could go in any crazy direction but alas the money has spoken.

Thank God Rise of Ronin seems to be going in a Fantasy direction.
 

Yamisan

Member
Cancel it and make infamous 4.

I personally just find the setting dull as dishwasher. In remaining "authentic to the setting" it will remain dull.

Enemy variety will be dull, weapon variety will be dull, side quests will be dull. Traversal will be dull.

Infact all historical authentic games are dull! Assassins Creed is, Ghost is, even RDR2 is. Not even Rockstars infinite money can come up with interesting gameplay.

With Infamous they could go in any crazy direction but alas the money has spoken.

Thank God Rise of Ronin seems to be going in a Fantasy direction.
You find GOT dull yet like Infamous? Also complaining about enemy variety while Infamous has much less.
 
You find GOT dull yet like Infamous? Also complaining about enemy variety while Infamous has much less.
Yes! The traversal and powers are way more interesting than GOTs average melee combat.

In Hindsight Infamous enemy variety could definitely be better but you would occasionally still fight some crazy super villian or big monster.

In GOT your slapping about the same 4 or 5 boring twats for the whole game and it won't get any better in the sequel.

If Sony put a Budget behind infamous it could be crazy.
 

Gojiira

Member
Well the sequel wont be Ghost of Tsushima 2, more likely Ghost of Kyoto.
So with that in mind Im expecting more focus on interiors and traversal, grappling hook etc will probably have more functions for scaling walls and maybe trees. Maybe disguises will be more of a thing.
Ideally Id like them to just double down on interactivity and stealth, give us more interactive objects and places to hide, let us sidle up against walls or attach to the ceiling. Maybe this time let us have other main weapons besides the Katana.
I definitely want being able to scale trees and use branches for traversal and setting traps, hell maybe go all out and let us have a home base we can customise and hire for, make hunting a bigger part of the game, sailing, proper swimming, how about some system that lets us plan ambushes,heists,assassinations etc. Idk depends just how much and how far they want to go.
 

Skitso

Member
Well the sequel wont be Ghost of Tsushima 2, more likely Ghost of Kyoto.
So with that in mind Im expecting more focus on interiors and traversal, grappling hook etc will probably have more functions for scaling walls and maybe trees. Maybe disguises will be more of a thing.
Ideally Id like them to just double down on interactivity and stealth, give us more interactive objects and places to hide, let us sidle up against walls or attach to the ceiling. Maybe this time let us have other main weapons besides the Katana.
I definitely want being able to scale trees and use branches for traversal and setting traps, hell maybe go all out and let us have a home base we can customise and hire for, make hunting a bigger part of the game, sailing, proper swimming, how about some system that lets us plan ambushes,heists,assassinations etc. Idk depends just how much and how far they want to go.

So more bloat basically. No thanks.
 
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I actually replaying the game right now since I've never played the DLC. And I lost all save files from ps4.

GOT already has better combat than those three games. They need to improves the open world and writing. I know Sony's open world game is Ubisoft 2.0 but hope they can make it's more interesting.

Get rids or lower that stupid honor shit.
Maybe throw in some actually likeable female characters..

Better side missions and activities. GOT dlc had some interesting/goofy activities like sword tournament, shooting target,.. I haven't finished the dlc so I don't know if there're anything like that left. But it's a good start, should improve those activities more.

They does have interesting mythic tales/quests.

And they should have new moves and improve the combat system. Don't keep all the same old moves/animation like Gow Ragnarok...

Better animation overall. Proper climbing system like Ass Creed. Better cutscene when talking with Npc.

Don't give a shit about stealth gameplay. No opinion about that.
 
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