A year after its original release Sucker Punch’s samurai game gets a new lease of life with Ghost of Tsushima Directors Cut.

It’s good to return and continue the adventures of wayward samurai, Jin Sakai in a quest to rid his home of the invading Mongols. But, the truth is I never put the game down.

Four months after the game’s release, I swapped out the PlayStation 4 for a PlayStation 5, running Ghost of Tsushima in backward-compatibility mode on Sony’s new console. Earlier this year the PS4 version of the game got a patch that unlocked 60 frames-per-second on PS5.

Ghost of Tsushima Directors Cut includes the original game, a director’s commentary video, digital art book, some in-game goodies, and the Iki Island DLC. PS5 owners also get some extra enhancements that take advantage of the controller’s haptic feedback. These are on top of the quality-of-life improvements included in the recent patch.

For the uninitiated, Ghost of Tsushima is set towards the end of the thirteenth century during the first Mongol invasion. Jin Sakai is a conflicted samurai that realises that he must forsake honour and fight from the shadows, like a ghost, to defeat powerful enemies and free the island of Tsushima.

The game is played in a third-person perspective with an emphasis on exploration and combat. Jin has several stances each of which is most effective against different classes of enemy. The combat is all about striking, blocking, and evading. There’s also the opportunity to trigger standoffs, which require perfect timing to deliver a killing blow.

The combat and associated abilities offer more than the usual button-mashing fayre but without the brutal and unforgiving gameplay found in the likes of Dark Souls. Stealth also plays a big part in the game, which shares more than a few similarities with Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed games.

Returning players seeking to further their adventures on Iki Island will likely find themselves rusty and faced with a bit of a learning curve. I last played Ghost of Tsushima about a month ago and I had forgotten everything. It took a good few hours wandering around Tsushima before I dared start the mission “Journey into the Past” which sends Jin on a fateful boat crossing to Iki Island.

As always, Ghost of Tsushima is a breathtaking game. The visuals are crisp (perhaps too crisp) painting a snapshot of history that is both beautiful and dangerous. The look and feel of the game is clearly inspired by Japanese cinema, notably the works of Akira Kurosawa. There’s even a black and white “Kurosawa mode” filter.

The Iki Island DLC adds a whole new and very beautiful area to explore. A Mongol tribe lead by the Shaman Ankhsar Khatun has taken Iki Island. Jin must return to the island that he visited with his father long ago. In seeking to liberate the island, Jin must confront his past and conquer deep-rooted fears.

Players familiar with the main game will find a familiar selection of missions, side quests and challenges, as well as new settlements. On top of that, Jin gets some new abilities, my favorite being horse charge which can take out a whole group of enemies in one go. The opposition also gets a new unit in the shaman who can buff the other enemies in their group.

The new content can be accessed as soon as players reach chapter two of the main game. After that, it doesn’t matter at what part of Jin’s journey players embark across to Iki Island. The DLC story is self-contained and the tale “Jin from Yarikawa” needs to be completed to unlock fast travel back to Tsushima. The DLC difficulty scales, so even if players are at the endgame, they will still get a challenge, similarly, newer players will not be overwhelmed, either.

The digital extras are a bonus and downloaded separately from the digital edition of the Director’s Cut. The director’s commentary video adds some background to the development of the game and its inspiration from real events. The 50-page mini-artbook offers a glimpse into the development of the game with excerpts from the Dark Horse Art of Ghost of Tsushima book.

Ghost of Tsushima Directors Cut is available as a standalone title or as a premium DLC update from the original PlayStation 4 version for both PS4 and PS5 players.

For fans of the original game, this upgrade is a no-brainer. For new players, Ghost of Tsushima Directors Cut offers an exciting and original experience in a beautiful setting that contrasts this very violent period in the history of Feudal Japan.

The post Ghost of Tsushima Directors Cut (PlayStation 5) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

NOW CLOSED – Popularity insights released from the fully impartial price and product comparison site, PriceSpy can reveal Ghost of Tsushima (PS4) has once again been found to be the overall most-popular game PriceSpyers were looking to buy across the months of April and May 2021, despite launching almost one year ago, in July 2020.

In fact, Ghost of Tsushima (PS4) is so popular, the makers behind the game are reportedly looking to team up with Sony Pictures to launch a movie.

Another firm favourite amongst PriceSpy users that has appeared multiple times across the top five most-popular games, is Nintendo Ring Fit Adventure (Switch),placing second.

Liisa Matinvesi-Bassett, New Zealand country manager for PriceSpy, says: “It’s great to see some of the firm favourites continue to hit the top placement spots in our overall most-popular game listings across the months of April and May,.

“And it seems age is just a number, with four out of the top five games released in 2020.

“Interestingly, the only 2021 release that made the top five listing was for the PS5, despite the console still having little to no availability in the country.”

Liisa concludes: “Whether you’re looking to buy a new game that’s been released this year or one that’s a little older, we strongly suggest people conduct important price research before they buy.

“Using a price comparison website or app like PriceSpy can help shoppers keep a close eye on the price of games every day to help save hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in the long run.

“Gamers should also bookmark our gaming daily deals page, for all the latest offers and set up price drop alerts, to make sure they are always getting a good deal. ”

PriceSpy has teamed up with us here at STG to give away the two top games across April and May 2021 – Ghost of Tsushima on PS4 and Nintendo Ring Fit on Nintendo Switch.

To stand a chance of winning, enter our giveaway by answering this question:

Who is the developer of PlayStation 4’s Ghost of Tsushima?

A: Insomniac Games

B: Ubisoft

C: Sucker Punch Productions

You can give us your answer by placing a comment below, hitting us up on Facebook, Tweet to us, or Email Us.

Important stuff: Winner(s) will be randomly selected from those that Comment below / Facebook Comment / Email in accordance to the above Question. Winner(s) will receive a physical copy of Ghost of Tsushima for PlayStation 4 and Ring Fit on Nintendo Switch. Ghost of Tsushima is rated M15+ in New Zealand, Ring Fit is age rated at G  in New Zealand. You MUST be over the age of 15 years in order to enter this promotion. STG may ask for verification. Competition ends on the 4th of July 2021. Only New Zealand entries are accepted for this promotion.

Download the PriceSpy app here.

www.pricespy.co.nz

The post PriceSpy Reveals 2020 Games top the popularity charts appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

NOW CLOSED – If you’re twiddling your thumbs waiting for the next shipment of the PS5 to land on New Zealand shores, PriceSpy has released the latest games Kiwis are going all-out for to help pass the time and keep busy.

According to the fully impartial price and product comparison site – for a third consecutive month, Ghost of Tsushima (PS4) has been found to be the most-popular game shoppers were looking to buy across March 2021.

Liisa Matinvesi-Bassett, New Zealand country manager for PriceSpy, says: “Ghost of Tsushima (PS4) continues to be the most-popular game people are looking to buy. When we look as to why this may be, our pricing data found the game recently underwent a huge drop in price.”

In June last year, PriceSpy data found Ghost of Tsushima (PS4) sold for $95. Now it can be purchased for $57.69, offering a significant saving of over $37 (61%).

Liisa continues: “The price a game is being sold at can play a huge factor as to whether shoppers go on to purchase.

“For shoppers that are looking for bargain prices and discounts, we encourage them to set up a price alert for the games they are looking to buy.

“The handy price alert feature automatically sends shoppers a push notification when the price point of a game or product they are wanting to buy drops below a certain point, so it can save lots of money and time.

“Another helpful tip we suggest gamers do is look at our price trend feature. This offers shoppers a free, automated prediction as to what the price of a product will do in the future. In the case of Ghost of Tsushima (PS4) for example, the price trend feature suggests the price point could drop even further across the next few months, which is great news!”

PriceSpy’s popularity data also found games from Nintendo Switch were rising up the ranks, with Monster Hunter Rise, Nintendo Ring Fit Adventure and Super Mario 3D placing second, third and fourth most-popular across the month of March.

Liisa concludes: “No matter what your gaming platform preference is, our key recommendation to shoppers looking to buy is to price compare. This important buying step is free, quick and easy to do with a price comparison site, like PriceSpy – and it could send hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in the long run.

What’s more, PriceSpy has teamed up us here at STG once again to give away the TWO most-popular games from March 2021.

To stand a chance of winning, enter our giveaway by answering this question:

PlayStation’s Ghost of Tsushima is set in which country?

A: China

B: Japan

C: Philippines

You can give us your answer by placing a comment below, hitting us up on Facebook, Tweet to us, or Email Us.

Important stuff: Winner(s) will be randomly selected from those that Comment below / Facebook Comment / Email in accordance to the above Question. Winner(s) will receive a physical copy of Ghost of Tsushima for PlayStation 4 and Monster Hunter Rise on Nintendo Switch. Ghost of Tsushima is rated M15+ in New Zealand, Monster Hunter Rise is age rated at PG in New Zealand. You MUST be over the age of 15 years in order to enter this promotion. STG may ask for verification. Competition ends on the 27th of May 2021. Only New Zealand entries are accepted for this promotion.

Download the PriceSpy app here.

www.pricespy.co.nz

The post Enter to Be in to Win Games of March w. Pricespy! appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

PriceSpy finds Ghost of Tsushima to be most-popular game in February 2021

NOW CLOSED – To celebrate the recent drop in Alert Levels, New Zealand’s biggest impartial price and product comparison site, PriceSpy, has teamed up with us here at STG once again to give away the two of the most-popular games PriceSpyers were looking to purchase in February 2021.

So, what are the most-popular games?

Well, according to PriceSpy, for a second consecutive month, Ghost of Tsushima (PS4) ranked overall most-popular game across its entire site.

Attributable to Liisa Matinvesi-Bassett, New Zealand country manager for PriceSpy: “Without a doubt, Kiwis have been looking for ways to keep busy and entertained as a result of the recent lockdowns – and our insights suggest the most-popular game people were looking to buy last month was Ghost of Tsushima (PS4).

“Interestingly, despite stock availability for Sony’s latest flagship console, the PS5, being in very short supply across New Zealand, shoppers still appeared to be looking to buy games for it – with
Demon’s Souls ranking as second most-popular.”

With many gyms closing their doors due lockdown restrictions, PriceSpy data found Nintendo Ring Fit Adventure continued to rank within the top five most-popular games.

Liisa concludes: “With gyms having reduced access due to the change of alert levels, many it seems were still looking to stay active, even if this was from the confine of their own homes, as Nintendo Ring Fit Adventure placed an impressive fourth position. No matter what games you’re looking to purchase, our key piece of advice to gamers is to always carry out important pricing research before they actually buy. Shoppers can set up a quick and easy price alert on PriceSpy, and this automatically sends them a push notification if the price point drops below a certain point. It’s really easy to do”.

To stand a chance of winning, enter our giveaway by answering this question:

Demon Souls on PS5 is a remaster of the original title that released in PAL (ANZ / UK) territories in which year?

A: 2010

B: 2005

C: 2018

You can give us your answer by placing a comment below, hitting us up on Facebook, Tweet to us, or Email Us.

Important stuff: Winner(s) will be randomly selected from those that Comment below / Facebook Comment / Email in accordance to the above Question. Winner(s) will receive a physical copy of Ghost of Tsushima for PlayStation 4 and Demon Souls for PlayStation 5. Ghost of Tsushima is rated M15+ in New Zealand, Demon Souls for PlayStation 5 is age rated at M15+ in New Zealand. You MUST be over the age of 15 years in order to enter this promotion. STG may ask for verification. Competition ends on the 1st of April 2021. Only New Zealand entries are accepted for this promotion.

Download the PriceSpy app here.

www.pricespy.co.nz

The post Enter to Be in to Win Games of February w. Pricespy appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

NOW CLOSED – If lockdown 3.0 caught you off guard and you didn’t have chance to stock up on toilet paper or the latest must-have games, PriceSpy has got you covered. Well, for the latter at least…

Based on what PriceSpyers clicked on PriceSpy can reveal the most-popular game across January was Ghost of Tsushima (PS4).

Attributable to Liisa Matinvesi-Bassett, New Zealand country manager for PriceSpy:  “Despite launching in Winter 2020, Ghost of Tsushima (PS4) has risen back through our popularity rankings and is now placing impressively at number one.

“We believe this increase is most probably a direct result of a big price drop that took place towards the end of December, offering shoppers the opportunity to save $30 on the cost of purchase.

Liisa continues:  “We tend to see these bigger price drops for new game releases three months after they first enter the market, but this one seems to have taken place a little later than expected.

“To always make sure gamers aren’t paying over the odds on games they are looking to buy, we always recommend shoppers carry out important pricing research.

Shoppers can even set up a quick an easy price alert on PriceSpy which automatically sends through a push notification if a price point drops below a certain point. It couldn’t be easier.

Teaming up with us here at STG, PriceSpy is offering one lucky person the chance to win the two top games from January 2021 (Ghost of Tsushima for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Ring Fit for Nintendo Switch.

To stand a chance of winning, enter our giveaway by answering this question:

Ghost of Tsushima is an open world action RPG title (see our review here), what is the name of the main protagonist?:

A: James

B: Jin

C: Jim

There is no wrong or right answer and you can give us your answer by placing a comment below, hitting us up on Facebook, Tweet to us, or Email Us.

Important stuff: Winner(s) will be randomly selected from those that Comment below / Facebook Comment / Email in accordance to the above Question. Winner(s) will receive a physical copy of Ghost of Tsushima for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Ring Fit for Nintendo Switch. Ghost of Tsushima is rated M15+ in New Zealand, Nintendo Ring Fit is rated G in New Zealand. Competition ends on the 7th of March 2021. Only New Zealand entries are accepted for this promotion.

Download the PriceSpy app here.

www.pricespy.co.nz

Everyone that works on STG is a volunteer. If you like the site and its contents please think about donating. Even a small amount helps keep the servers running.

The post PriceSpy Report Nintendo Ring Fit Adventure Outperforming New Releases appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Sucker Punch Productions’ highly anticipated samurai action-RPG, Ghost of Tsushima, is now out in the wild. We go for a walk amongst the cherry blossom, katana at the ready.

There are not enough games that draw on the legendary warriors of feudal Japan for inspiration. The tales of noble, honour-bound warriors are almost made for video games. Apart from Bushido Blade, with its unforgiving combat, no third-person game has really done the era justice.

Ghost of Tsushima propels players into the conflict between the inhabitants of the Japanese island of Tsushima, and the invading Mongol army. With the defeat of the samurais at the hands of the Mongols, players take on the role of the lone surviving samurai, Jin Sakai. In order to liberate the island, Jin must learn to forgo the proud fighting style of the samurai and adopt techniques that conflict with the teachings of his master.

The developers have cited legendary Japanese film-maker, Akira Kurosawa, as one of their inspirations. I couldn’t tell you if they have succeeded or not, as the closest I’ve come to a Kurosawa movie is Battle Beyond the Stars.The game does have a certain cinematic flair in the set-ups for duels and stand-offs.

The plot is epic and advances via missions referred to as Jin’s Journey. There are also other tales that players can partake in. These side-quests are not only fulfilling stories on their own, but also reward players with ability points and upgrades.

The game features a unique and very clever method to allow players to follow set waypoints to missions and areas of interest. Swiping up on the touchpad generates a breeze that, if followed, leads to the waypoint.

During his journey, Jin will come across inhabitants that disclose additional tasks for him to investigate. The appearance of a yellow bird also signifies the nearby presence of and activity. Following the bird will lead Jin to the location.

Completed activities unlock fast travel points. These are very useful to cross a world as large as Ghost of Tsushima’s. It is fun, however, to take in the scenery whilst riding on horseback, and dealing with the random encounters on the way.

The island of Tsushima is peppered with Mongol occupied territories. These areas can be liberated by eliminating the Mongol garrison. Most important, are the Mongol leaders. Observing Mongol leaders during training and killing them grants Jin a point towards unlocking extra stances. These stances, Stone, Water, Wind and Moon, are most effective against swordsmen, shieldmen, spearmen and brutes, respectively.

Combat is the core of the game. The game does a good job of slowly introducing players to the difference stances, moves and weapons.

As well as upgrading stances, technique points can be spent on new samurai abilities, allowing new strikes and parries. There are also ghost weapons, which are more like those of a ninja than a samurai, like smoke, sticky bombs and throwing blades.

Jin has a choice on how to engage enemies. The samurai way, to honourably and directly approach the enemy allowing for the opportunity for a standoff, I found to be the most rewarding. The alternative is to sneak up on the enemy and dispatch them from the shadows, which is in some cases safer, if done properly.

The standoff mechanic requires players to press and hold down the triangle button, only releasing as the enemy goes to strike. Mis-time the button release (enemies sometime feign their attack) and Jin will take damage and have to fight as normal. Get it right and the opponent is killed with one strike. Later on, these one-hit kills can be chained after a successful initial standoff.

Health is dealt with by resolve indicators which are refilled with each successful kill. Jin heals himself with a very samurai-like beat of his chest. Performing bamboo strike activities increases the amount of resolve Jin has.

Equipment upgrades are reliant on collecting the raw materials which can be found in buildings and on the bodies of fallen enemies. The various settlements have craftsmen that can used collected materials to improve Jin’s weapons and armour.

I was expecting the combat to be a little more disciplined, something either like For Honor or (dare-I-say-it), Dark Souls. Combat in Ghost of Tsushima mainly involves blocking and countering, dodging unblockable strikes and carrying out heavy and quick attacks. The reality is a lot of rolling, backstabbing and copping hits.

I’m not say that the combat isn’t fun, but I’d say that it wasn’t as fun Assassin’s Creed or even Shadow of War, for that matter. The addition of the bows, smoke and bombs make things a bit more interesting. It’s only by the end of Act I that the combat really starts to gel and enemies get tricky enough that you have to start thinking a bit more about your strategy.

At its heart, Ghost of Tsushima is Assassin’s Creed: Samurai. If you like Assassin’s Creed games, especially the later, more open-world entries like Assassin’s Creed: Origins and Odyssey, you’ll probably like Ghost of Tsushima.

The game does suffer a bit from the same open-world “lame activity fatigue” as found in Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creedtitles and Sucker Punch’s other franchise, Infamous. A lot of the activities and challenges, away from the main quests and side misisons, are a bit samey.  As with the Infamous games, though, the story is good, the cast of characters is interesting and the world very nice to look at.

The landscape is full of flowered fields and vividly-coloured trees that make for a beautiful backdrop to the ensuring carnage. This, along with some wonderful environmental effects makes the game stand out.The included photo mode is a massive distraction as you’ll want to capture a lot of these idyllic scenes for prosperity.

Ghost of Tsushima does a very good job of bringing the legend of the samurai to life. The visuals are great and occasionally breathtaking.

This is a game most definitely worth a punt, it’s fun to play and looks nice, but it is not perfect. Go in with this in mind and you’ll have a great time in Feudal Japan, fighting back the Mongol Horde.

The post Ghost of Tsushima (PlayStation 4) Full Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

The year is 1274, you are Jin Sakai, a Samurai.

your clan is outnumbered as your protect both your heritage and land against the ever encroaching Mongol army.

Your Uncle, who has been your sensei since childhood is at your side. The leader of the Tsushima Samurai, but victory on the battlefield is not in your favour.

You fall, left for dead.

That is until some short time after when you awake – you had been rescued by a villager whose encampment is under siege from the Mongols.

But she didn’t rescue you to preserve the Tsushimi clan, she needs you to help her find her brother. She also informs you that your Uncle, refused to surrender and was taken as prisoner.

And this sets the premise and main narrative for the massively open world game Ghost of Tsushima exclusive to PlayStation 4.

An RPG third person action title made by Sucker Punch, who have spared no expense at the level of action, tasks on hand and detail to this game.

There are three main areas on your map which is accessed via the touchpad.

As you undertake your main mission you will encounter alot of side objectives. You can set way points and pin the next task on your map.

To know where to go in this incredibly detailed game you will harness the power of the wind.

A left swipe across the DualShock4 controller sets the wind blustering. Follow its direction.

There are a lot of collectables to be found. Every village you encounter, inhabited or abandoned is likely rife with supplies. Some have merchants where you can upgrade or get new equipment by trading supplies or the game’s currency for the most part, flowers.

Jin uses his Samurai skills and his finely tuned senses to get through this Mongol infestation his lands and his people are now faced with.

You will acquire a horse and this is yours for the entire of the game. This saves Ghost of Tsushima from being a walking simulator as there are parts where you’ll need to traverse great distances. Your horse is always on immediate call.

If you need to or want to visit an area where you have completed an objective you can fast travel there via the map.

Initially you will start out with only your Samurai sword and dagger. Soon though you’ll be mastering the bow and arrow and more.

Again these can be upgraded.

Yourself will also upgrade in the sense you will learn or earn new skills some Jin has issues with in the sense that it goes against his Samurai teachings, such as stealth (which happened to be my favourite).

You’ll also take on differing stances that aid you in your combat and overall wellbeing. The more melee combat you take on, the better off you are health wise aswell as nearing the next character level, as it were.

Often you’ll come across Mongol bandits or just general naughty countrymen who will challenge you to a stand off. Where you can, take them on as it is usually rewarding.

Ghosts of Tsushima is a game that keeps on giving.

It’s gritty, raw and mystical. The only true spiritual Samurai game that has ever been made to date.

There are flashbacks throughout play which give you insights to Jin’s relationship with his Uncle, the emotional history surrounding his father and these flashbacks are payable.

Environments are beautifully crafted, narrative so engaging that playing an hour of Ghost of Tsushima ends up being 10 hours in the blink of an eye.

As the sun slowly begins to set on the almost seven year old PlayStation 4 we are seeing a spectacular send off with titles such as The Last of Us Part 2 and this one, Ghost of Tsushima.

It’s up to you now Samurai. The last warrior of your clan. Save your lands against tyrannical rule, uncover more about your family and don’t let them see you coming.

Submerse yourself in to the Japanese Samurai lore.

You are the Ghost of Tsushima.

The post Ghost of Tsushima (PlayStation 4) Day One Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.