Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut (PS5)

There was a lot of hype and praise for this game, so I blindly bought it when it was on sale.Personally, it didn't hook me in like other games like God of War or Spider-Man - those games are 5 stars for me.I feel the enemy A.I is dumb and not highly intelligent/or have natural human movements, like you see in the enemies for Spider-Man. The characters move kind of clunky too.I mean, I think most games are just similar and just reskinned for different themes, like Batman Arkham Knight, or even Mad Max. I actually enjoyed Mad Max (underrated game) more than this game.If you love Samurai themes, then I guess you will instantly love this game.The black and white Kurosawa theme mode is pretty cool addition.

I'm about 25 hours in and it gets even better! Not only is there plenty of multilayered combat and amazing exploration, there's also quite intimate moments. From trailing sweet foxes to secret dens to following golden birds to secrets. Many being quite places to create your own haikus. There are markers but you aren't guided there by a yellow line. You're guided by the wind. At first I didn't like it but now it's second nature. There's also little details that if you aren't looking you'll miss. Like ants on trees, lighting actually striking trees, little crabs scurrying and burrowing into the sand and leaves and dirt/pebbles kicking up as you walk. It's impressive and helps sell the immersion so much more. Also being able to go into any building is nice. Loved this ... MoreI'm about 25 hours in and it gets even better! Not only is there plenty of multilayered combat and amazing exploration, there's also quite intimate moments. From trailing sweet foxes to secret dens to following golden birds to secrets. Many being quite places to create your own haikus. There are markers but you aren't guided there by a yellow line. You're guided by the wind. At first I didn't like it but now it's second nature. There's also little details that if you aren't looking you'll miss. Like ants on trees, lighting actually striking trees, little crabs scurrying and burrowing into the sand and leaves and dirt/pebbles kicking up as you walk. It's impressive and helps sell the immersion so much more. Also being able to go into any building is nice. Loved this in Days Gone by the way. The horse (which you can name) is a joy to ride. I've grown quite attached to him myself.

One of the best games I’ve played in a long time, A totally immersive experience the combat was great and did not get stale due to the difference stances for each type of enemy, even late in the game switching fluidly from one stance to another while fighting multiple different enemies fun and rewarding. Also traveling the map didn’t feel like a chore like other games (red dead redemption) there was always different side quests and collectibles that weren’t just wastes of time but improved your various character stats and then turned in to fast travel points so you never had to spend long periods of time traversing the map. Those things aside the story is what stood out the most, the story of jins journey was very touching between the flashbacks when he was a child ... MoreOne of the best games I’ve played in a long time, A totally immersive experience the combat was great and did not get stale due to the difference stances for each type of enemy, even late in the game switching fluidly from one stance to another while fighting multiple different enemies fun and rewarding. Also traveling the map didn’t feel like a chore like other games (red dead redemption) there was always different side quests and collectibles that weren’t just wastes of time but improved your various character stats and then turned in to fast travel points so you never had to spend long periods of time traversing the map. Those things aside the story is what stood out the most, the story of jins journey was very touching between the flashbacks when he was a child sparring with his uncle to fighting side by side with a grieving mother looking for justice for her family. They did a good job not to flood the game with to many characters that are forgotten as soon as the missions over butinstead focus on a core few that you build your relationship with throughout the game through their side missions, so by the end of the game you really feel for these characters who have been by your side from the beginning. I’m so glad I ended up reading a few reviews on this game then ultimately buying it, worth every penny probably put over 50 hours into it. I never write reviews but this game was that good.