Sulphur on 13/6/2018 at 19:20
I think what Aja is trying to say is that the game is playing itself at points despite the appearance of interactivity. I think that's a slightly extreme view; every time the camera pulls back and it's not framed like a cutscene, it definitely seems like gameplay, with traversal at the very least being up to the player.
However, we're falling into the trap of picking apart a game from a very limited amount of information over it - literally one cinematically framed trailer with control and UI prompts removed. I think it's best to evaluate when a proper hands-on demonstration is available at some point in the future.
Aja on 13/6/2018 at 22:31
I don't feel like I'm picking it apart. I mean, they show us this stuff to give us an idea of what to expect, right? And this looks like a lot of waiting for animations to play out. It could be good still, but after watching the trailer for From's new game, that one looks a lot more direct in the control it gives the player.
Sulphur on 14/6/2018 at 05:12
I'm still not getting that, but you do you, man.
Starker on 14/6/2018 at 07:54
I don't know, I get the feeling the game grabs control from the player too. Like at 1:30, for example. Also, the way he snaps to enemies, the combat seems very Arkham Asylum.
henke on 14/6/2018 at 09:47
I don't see any reason why you wouldn't still be in control at 1:30, and it's just that when you enter a new area the name is displayed and the camera pulls out, for effect.
Starker on 14/6/2018 at 10:35
I see no reason why you shouldn't be able to be in control, but that's the impression I get from the way the character stays still while the game grabs control of the camera. And the way the camera moves back behind the character seems exactly like it was signaling giving back control to the player. It feels weird in other places too where the animations playing either don't feel like they are part of the regular movements a controlled character would make or seem too smooth and polished (i.e. automatic) in comparison to regular player-controlled jerkiness.
henke on 27/7/2020 at 18:31
Yeah so it's pretty much like every other open-world stealth-action game you've played except this time you're a samurai. One odd thing about it tho, is that it's a stealth-action game that really doesn't want you to do stealth. I've been informed by several characters that stealth is the tactic of the DISHONOURABLE THIEF! A Samuari must always face his enemies head on, lest he bring shame on himself! I'm assuming that at some point the story is going to tell me to go ahead and stealth my little heart out, but until then I'm doing my best to play along and suppress all my stealth-assassination-instincts. Tho when I have the chance to sneak past enemies, I do. Ain't nothing in the Samuari-rulebook against ghosting!
The sword combat feels very good, and has just enough complexity to feel tactical and cool. You dodge spear-guys and parry swordfighters. For shieldbearers, switch to Water Stance and bash their shields out of the way. The camera kinda sucks tho, in the heat of combat I regularly find myself pissed off that I can't see what's happening. I wish it would zoom out a bit and try to frame the player AND the enemies, not just center on the player.
[video=youtube;R_wp0WnK1cw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_wp0WnK1cw[/video]
As for the "How player-driven vs animation-driven is the stuff happening on the screen?" discussion earlier ITT: I'd say it's about the same as most games of this type. Less animation-driven than RDR2 and TLOU2. Maybe on par with Jedi: Fallen Order or yer average Batman.
demagogue on 28/7/2020 at 14:08
I guess I'm duty bound to bring this up. I don't have a PS4, and it's unlikely that a PC version will come out.
If you can make it to the place marked with the yellow circle and star (
https://i.imgur.com/f2pbowW.jpg) on this game map, in the area they're calling Hiyoshi, this is right where I lived (maybe a bit closer to the coast, but it was just on the west/left-hand side of the main road here); and my town/village was called Kechi, which should also be right around there. I'm curious if they have any village or anything represented there. (I don't know if the game hides the map from you at the start, but if it does and you don't want to be spoiled then you can look at it when you reach the bridge between the north and south island). If you go west of here all the way to the west coast, right at the top-left corner of the south island, there's also IRL a tiny fishing village called Imazato, which literally means like "This Here Village" it's so small. I taught there and it's one of my favorite tiny villages anywhere. It was so rural, unlike all the other villages around, the girls were allowed to wear their hair long, and they all grew it out really long too. So I was curious if that got in.
I also read that the game starts on the north shore, so that'd be around Kamitsushima. Or anyway, if you ever get there, that also makes me curious, if it has a day/night cycle, if you can see the lights of Pusan, Korea from the north beach looking north. You can today, but who's to say about this period.
Sorry, I don't mean to ask you to do any chores for me and there's no need to go out of your way, lol. But if you're going past these places in any event, it'd make me happy to know if there's anything there, and I wouldn't mind a screenshot if you see anything interesting. :)
henke on 28/7/2020 at 14:40
The game starts out on the southern-most region. That seems to be further up north, not sure how soon I can make it there but I'll be sure to check it out when I can. :)
henke on 29/7/2020 at 17:01
It was closer than I thought! :)
[video=youtube;uWFmXP-yC0s]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWFmXP-yC0s[/video]
Only a few houses here and, uh, they're not in great shape! I'll see if I can find Imazato next time I play.