Another sequel to a game that was almost great. Sucker Punch is back with “Ghost of Yotei,” because apparently, we didn’t get enough samurai action the first time around.
Look, I’ll admit it: “Ghost of Tsushima” was good. It had its moments of brilliance, sweeping vistas that made you want to frame your TV, and combat that occasionally made you feel like a badass. But let’s not kid ourselves – it also had more rough edges than a poorly forged katana.
Now they’re dangling this shiny new sequel in front of us, set 300 years later with a fresh face and a new mountain to climb. How original. At least they’re not rehashing poor old Jin’s story, I suppose. Small mercies.
They’re promising all sorts of improvements for the PS5 – “massive sightlines,” fancy auroras, and grass that moves even more realistically in the wind. Be still, my beating heart. Because that’s what was missing from the first game – better grass physics.
And of course, it’s open-world again. Because why have a focused, tight narrative when you can have endless fetch quests and copy-pasted bandit camps? At least they’re aware of the “repetitive nature” of open-world games. Awareness is the first step to recovery, right?
Now, I’m not saying I won’t play it. Hell, I’ll probably end up sinking 60 hours into it like the sucker I am. But I’m keeping my expectations firmly in check. Sucker Punch showed promise with “Tsushima,” but they’ve got a lot of refining to do if they want to truly knock it out of the park this time.
So yeah, I’m cautiously optimistic. Emphasis on the “cautiously.” Wake me up when we see some actual gameplay that proves they’ve ironed out the kinks from the first game. Until then, I’ll be over here, sharpening my cynicism along with my virtual blade.
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