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Blessing Adeoye Jr.
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Greg Miller
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Tim Gettys
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Greg Miller
Potential savings will vary.
Tim Gettys
Not available in all states or situations foreign. What's up? And welcome to the Kind of Funny Games cast for Thursday, July 10, 2025. Of course. I'm your host, Tim Gettys. I'm joined today by Blessing. Adio. Yeah, Junior.
Greg Miller
Good day, Tim.
Tim Gettys
Greg Miller.
Andy Cortez
Good day, Tim.
Tim Gettys
And Andy Cortez.
Greg Miller
Hello, Tim.
Tim Gettys
We just watched the Ghost of Yote State of play. I was about to say sushi, but still in the head.
Andy Cortez
Yeah, that's understandable.
Tim Gettys
That's understandable. State of play. And we're about to tell you everything that we thought about.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Course.
Tim Gettys
This is the Gamescast. Each and every weekday we get together here live on YouTube and Twitch and then later on podcast services around the globe to talk about the latest and greatest in video games. Whether it's previews, reviews, prediction topics, or reactions to things that we just saw. Like this episode right now. If you love what we do, please support us with the Kind of Funny membership on Patreon, YouTube, Spotify or Apple podcasts to get all of our shows ad free and a daily exclusive show. Today's Greg Way is 19 minutes talking all about Greg's thoughts on AEW so Superman video games and Cole's closing. Really sad. Talk about this. Like, what a. What a bummer.
Andy Cortez
Cole's French dip down in LA announced the.
Greg Miller
I think the department store. Yeah, I also thought you mean the department store. I got real concerned.
Tim Gettys
That was your reaction.
Greg Miller
You were really upset about Kohl's.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
I mean that's. I mean that's. Every gift card from my mom is Kohl's.
Greg Miller
That was going to be like the biggest recession indicator of all time of like Kohl's can't make it.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Damn, dog.
Greg Miller
I started getting. I like my hard drops too, man.
Tim Gettys
For a chance to be part of the show.
Greg Miller
You talking about the local one or.
Tim Gettys
Just all super chat My mom.
Andy Cortez
Did you hear the news Kohl's. You rush off set, start calling families and friends.
Tim Gettys
Thank you to our producers. Jacobs Omega Buster D the saw twining. Little housekeeping for you. Like I was saying, we're 11 person business. All about live talk shows. Games daily was insane today. Talking about the Subnautica 2 story. What a what, what a trip that was.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Oh yeah.
Tim Gettys
And then in review was us talking about 2025 Superman. It was a great episode. Go there to check out all of our thoughts on the latest Superman movie. The beginning of the DCU today. We're brought to you by Shady Race, but we'll tell you about that later. Let's get to the topic of the show. Ghost of Yote. State of play just happened. What did we think? I would like to start.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Go ahead, Tim.
Tim Gettys
What a presentation that the level of confidence that sucker punch has to just do what they just did. Hey, we know the game's cool. Let's just show you it. It's a cool game. You're gonna think it's cool, you're gonna want to play it. Our job is done. I feel like that this is for a solo game. State of play this late. This is the final like marketing cycle push for one of these. It's always weird going in because it's like, what can they show us? What can they. They go above and beyond or what don't we know about this game? And it's a weird one where I feel like oftentimes like we're at this point where there's to be answered. It's like almost. We don't need this necessarily.
Andy Cortez
Sure.
Tim Gettys
The world needs this, right?
Andy Cortez
The world.
Tim Gettys
Having said that, I feel like there's a ton of announcements in there that I'm like, that's cool, that's cool, that's cool. Like it's just even cooler little things that I didn't expect. The samurai shampoo mode. I'm like, that's how I'm playing. That sounds freaking awesome. I love that they saw the success of the Kosawa mode in the first one and like what more can we do? It just seems like more in all the right directions. I also love again, going back to the confidence. Like it. Some of the words that they were saying there they repeated a couple times talking about player choice but really addressing kind of the open world fatigue of video games. And like they. They said things of like, it's not about just checking things off, it's just about enjoying the story put in front of you. I think we've seen a lot of games in recent times, kind of take that ethos and run with it. And I think that we are finally at a point that, you know, this game has been in development for many, many years. I think it's really kind of a time and place reacting to a lot of an era of video games becoming very samey over time. And I love that. This definitely seems like a sequel to what came before, but also was like, all right, let's take it up a notch in terms of freedom and not making it just be the video game, but instead being an experience. And it looks like a damn good experience. Bless. What do you think?
Greg Miller
Yeah, I thought this was fun. Leading up to this, I've been saying repeatedly that I don't necessarily even want to watch this. Right. Like I'm already sold on Ghostly ot. I loved Ghost of Tsushima and so there's not really much you need to tell me in terms of getting me excited for Ghost of Yote and like trying to really sell me on it. This feels like one of those things of. All right, let's talk more about what the game's about. People already know what Ghost of Tsushima is. They know what to expect. We've already talked about the openness and like the choose your own, you know, choose your own order of how you're going to tackle the Yotei six kind of situation. They've hinted at some of the stuff. It's cool to see it and I. I like the. What they showed off as far as like the card system when it comes to.
Andy Cortez
Very cool.
Greg Miller
Yeah, I think that's super cool because I think a lot of the time when it comes to trying to convey the player choice aspect of it or even like conveying simple mechanics of quest logs and multi step quests or whatever. Right. Like, I think how you contextualize things is really important and I think using the card system to contextualize, all right, you have these different types of leads or different kinds of topics that you can ask, interrogate people for and like choosing a card will then lead you in this direction. Right. And really color in your experience. For me, that's really cool and a really awesome way to kind of visualize and have your under your audience, your players understand the way in which they're going to play the game. Right. Or at least like be able to take in that information in a way that's fun, in a way that's cool, in a way that I think could work really well. You know, it's. I I think seeing some of the finer details as far as that. As far as like how they've taken some of the journal stuff from Ghost of Tsushima and turned that into what they have with like the character screen that shows you all the people that you're friends with that are part of your wolf pack, which the. The hangover kind of ruined wolf packs for me a little bit because now I have like this. Every time I hear the.
Andy Cortez
I know, right?
Greg Miller
Every time. Every single time I hear the word wolf pack, I think back to that movie now.
Tim Gettys
But I do not.
Greg Miller
But yeah, I love what they're doing with that screen in terms of showing you like here are the characters that you're working with. You're going to fall in love with them individually in the same way that you fall in love with the characters and Ghost of Tsushima. Right? Like all of those. I think small step ups to like or steps up to show you how we've improved, how we've tweaked things since Ghost of Sushima to make this a more engaging experience. I'm all the way in for. I think the thing that I'm most fascinated about and interested in is how they've tweaked combat here, especially turning the. What they had in Ghost Ghost of Tsushima with the stance system, which is how you would kind of like change stance to take on different types of enemies. Now they've made it so that you have different weapons that you're equipping right. To take on different types of enemies. But you can lose your weapons, you're picking up weapons and all that stuff. I have. I have questions about how that's going to work, but also I'm into it. Right. Like one of the things that I love in a combat system and this probably just goes back to like old school beat em ups or even something like Seafu where there is this flow of oh, there's a bottle on the ground. I'm going to pick that up, throw that at that person, pick this thing up. Like I don't know if it's going to be that kinetic as we talk about with the last was 2 or SIFU or those kind of games. Right. But I do like the idea of having to think on the fly a little bit. So if that involves switching weapons on the flyer, but finding weapons as I'm going through these different camps and stuff, I'm all in. I think that could be really fun.
Andy Cortez
Greg Miller Yeah, I mean I loved Ghosts of Tsushima. So to see this really does feel like, hey, here's everything you loved about it, but amped up, changed, cutting the fat, giving you. We talk about these kind of games and even what you're changing, it really is. I think new coats of paints are new way to contextualize things. And so, yeah, the wolf pack being your journal, I think super interesting, super cool. I think this card system of interrogation. I'm going to go in there and I'm going to. I can choose. I want to go after this, which will give me that, you know, stick to your lane as you build out a stealth character, as I will, or whatever. I think that's interesting. I. I start to wonder what that'll look like in game. Because when you go to the card screen and you see her interrogating it and choosing, it's like, you know, new weapon, new region, right? Well, eventually I've got to unlock every region you assume. So do I have eventually. If I take all the Kitsune cards will eventually have them all grayed out and I have to start taking these to get there. Like little choices like that I. I'm left wondering about. But those early first few hours, first 10 hours of any game, right. Really is trying to give you ownership over what you're doing with it. And so having that choice and building this character and building my atsu of how I want her to play what I want her tactics to be, what I'm interested in chasing, I think will be pretty paramount to be connected to the game. And that's what it's all about. I think we look through this and we watch it. Gorgeous, gorgeous environments. As you'd expect. Music's insane. You know, the stuff of run through the flower path to go faster, follow the wind is always do this. These cards, like, when I play this kind of game, I want to be immersed in it and I want to be immersed in that story. I think. You know, I can't remember it was Jason or Nate talking about, you know, in Ghost of Yote, we won't rush you through anything. Like, that's how I want to feel when I play this. I want to feel that samurai journey, that samurai, Samurai story here. A mission of revenge and going through and getting. And it looks like they're nailing that. And again to what Andy was joking around about. I appreciate that. Yet this time around, any fucking thing you can to get the upper hand do, you're not going to be guilted. Your uncle isn't going to be in your ear saying you weren't, you were dishonorable. It's about killing these six people and getting revenge. Like, I'm all on for that mission.
Tim Gettys
Andy Cortez.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
I thought it looked awesome. I mean, I don't know if there's anything you could have showed me that would have discouraged me from this necessarily.
Greg Miller
Boards.
Tim Gettys
Huh?
Andy Cortez
Hoverboards.
Greg Miller
Oh, I'll be hyped for hoverboards.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Yeah. Maybe possibly for Ghost 3. Yeah. I mean, I really just turned my mood around since the whole cold news. Like that was such disaster.
Greg Miller
Yeah. I'm so rattled by.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Yeah, that really, really, really threw me off.
Andy Cortez
Cold.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Yeah. I think it looks awesome. I think they're making a lot of great decisions here. I think that some things in theory might work out. They may work differently in practice. Like the whole seeing the screen of all the, the, the, the people, the new tasks like that can almost be even more overwhelming for me than seeing a map full of icons. Where if you're on a map full of icons and you're just Z closely, you're not seeing everything else. But when you're seeing that screen, it, you know, you open up your text messages, you see missed call from all these. And miss text from all these other people, you're like, oh, yeah, yeah, you have that sort of like a decision paralysis. But. So I don't. I think that's maybe just a different coat of paint, but I hope that those, like, they mentioned those situations happening a bit more organically with the NPCs kind of visiting your campsite. I think that's that those moments of emergent gameplay or whatever, like, I, I love having experiences like that. And to have a game that I already loved, the Ghost of Tsushima is a phenomenal experience and I, if anything, they could have just showed me more of the same. But in my heart of hearts, I'm like, if. But if they deliver on those impactful story moments and on those huge cool twists and turns, even. Or even these side quests that you could have missed, and suddenly you're bawling your eyes out because you. You couldn't believe how emotional this little story beat was. Like, that's the stuff that makes these moments really, really memorable for me. Even though I really loved the combat, I know I'm kind of an outlier there because the combat get can get really repetitive for a lot of people. For me, I enjoyed it so much that I was just seeking out everything I could fight, but I would have stopped playing and I would not have been as high on it if it weren't for these character interactions. If it weren't for these, these companion quests or again, these side quests that you could have easily not done. And you do it and you're like, whoa, dude, I'm a mess right now. This was so sad or so breathtaking, so emotional. Like, that's the stuff, that's the sauce for, for me. Right. And I just, you know, us having a very similar story outline to us as a creed Shadows of go hunt down the eight or the six or whatever. We've seen this before. But will you have the sauce to make this more meaningful and impactful? And I think they do. And I, I really look forward to the adventure.
Greg Miller
And there was a chat earlier from Bryce that was like, you know, the game won't rush you through it. Right. But like maybe your life is a content creator and you're, you know, wanting to feed the fans the reviews on time or whatever.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Will.
Greg Miller
And that's one of. One of the thoughts I was having during this state of play, which is.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Like I said, there's a lot of games we need to be rusted.
Greg Miller
Yeah. But I'm also like, what if I didn't beat this by review?
Andy Cortez
I mean, let's do it. Let's just make the thing. We can do it.
Greg Miller
Yeah. Because like my thing is I was having a conversation earlier today with Mike about. Oh fuck, I forgot about that training. Yeah. And like how I got through that training. Right. And like kind of went through it, you know, then I'm jumping through different games now and I'm kind of blowing through them. But right now I am back in the mood for an open world action adventure thing and not something like that's training that gets weird and like a different thing. Right.
Andy Cortez
Like I'm not one of these weird.
Greg Miller
Not one of these like a weird. I'm in the mood for a traditional action adventure, open world kind of experience. And Ghost of Yote is coming at kind of the perfect time time for that. And it's been a while since I just. Since I fudgeing.
Andy Cortez
Lived in a game.
Greg Miller
Lived like 100% of the thing.
Tim Gettys
Yeah.
Greg Miller
Right. Like probably since Spider Man 2 for an open world that I've like 100%. And so I'm kind of having the thought of as they're talking about. I'm like, this could be one of those.
Andy Cortez
I say you open yourself up to the experience. Because that's what I was thinking too of like, yeah, I want to do maybe not everything review, but I do want to follow that wind. I do want to follow that wild Hair. What do I want to do right now kind of vibe to it. Yeah, we can do that for review. We always can do that for a review. I mean, I did it for that training. Got yelled at a lot, but it's fine. Just didn't do that hour and a half where we got mad.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Ignore your notifications.
Andy Cortez
Tim, I have a question for you.
Tim Gettys
Yes.
Andy Cortez
You didn't love Ghost one, right?
Greg Miller
Oh, no.
Tim Gettys
I mean, I didn't play it. I played the first hour because Andy was like, dude, you got to give it a shot. And I loved the first hour. Years after the game came out.
Andy Cortez
Yeah.
Tim Gettys
But then just things kept popping up.
Andy Cortez
So I never see this being different.
Tim Gettys
Ghost 1 is always a game that when I'm like, I have nothing to do it, I'm gonna, like, start this up. And I always start it up again, and I'm like, I love this. And then I get distracted and stuff.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
The way that you looked at me and Blessed were like, you need to watch K Pop Demon Hunters or whatever. Like, this movie, this game is just filled with those movie sort of hype moments that Tim Gettys would lose his.
Tim Gettys
I'm very excited for this one. Like, this very much seems like its own thing, and it seems like it's addressing a lot of even the potential issues that I, I, I was turned off of. One, I was so hyped for it, and I was turned off because of you and Kevin both. You were like, the same for you, Tim. Like, very, very early during the review process. Not way too open, way too aimless or whatever. And I was like, I don't got time for that. That's the only reason I ever, like, fully got into it the first time around. But, yeah, seeing this now after hearing specifically Andy talk about it for years, about how Ghost 1 replaying it like, or finishing it or whatever it was, you're like, it would revise your 2019 game of the year or whatever year it was. 2020.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Yeah. I put it over the Last of Us Part two after beating it. Yeah. Because it was also just, you know, as much I love the Last of Us Part two, it just, it was fun to play and, you know, not a I wasn't dreading every moment, you know, but that's all just personal feelings.
Tim Gettys
Yeah, for sure.
Greg Miller
See, I don't get the vibe that Goes to yote is going to redefine that that much. Right. Like, as I watch this, I don't not. Nothing about Ghostly ote seems revolutionary on the side of, like, we're really changing how this is. And not. Not as like a disc to go see O.J. obviously. Because like I. This is exactly what I want.
Tim Gettys
Let me rephrase that.
Greg Miller
Yeah.
Tim Gettys
Redefine it in terms of like, there's a story here that seems like there's a. There's six kill. That's the story. I'm here for that.
Greg Miller
Okay.
Tim Gettys
You know what I mean?
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
I think the first one. I think the first one can be a little overwhelming with the politics and the regions and the waring factions and like, I. I think it's easy for a dummy like me to see terms that I don't recognize and be like, oh man, you're throwing a lot of terms at me. Right. I'm not. This is a story of revenge. This is so personal. This is so close to just your character and everything else will fill in those gaps. And I'm hoping to have. Again, I just. Anytime they show this bald with just the hair hanging down, he's all kind of skinny and freaky looking. He's talking to her. Yeah. The Snake. Anytime they show that dude, I'm like, oh my God. I hope all of these characters have these very distinct personalities and they are. It is a. Almost a Kojima like experience of every one of these bosses is going to be so definitive, much like Sifu was with how those bosses are.
Greg Miller
I think that's going to be the test. Right. Like, if we're still quite a few months away from this game releasing. I hope if you. If you have one more marketing beat, I want to get a bit more of the. All right, here's. Here are some of the characters you're working with.
Tim Gettys
Right.
Greg Miller
Like here are two of the targets and like what their gimmick is or what their story is. And I want like, I. I want to be more into this world as far as like the actual bones of who. What's the story foundation of these characters that I'm going to be chasing after or even like the characters that are going to be part of my wolf pack that I'm making friends with. I think that's like the last. The last thing too. Sweet.
Andy Cortez
You're not part of this.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Let's would have been so into the wwc. WCW Wolf Pack.
Greg Miller
Yeah. I don't know what this is.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
WCW Wolf Pack.
Greg Miller
Yeah.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
WCW wrestling.
Greg Miller
Like, I didn't watch any wcw. No. Yeah.
Andy Cortez
But I definitely looked over thinking it was gonna be a wolf pack.
Greg Miller
Who was in it? Was it. Would it be a wrestler?
Andy Cortez
NWO Red? Pretty much.
Greg Miller
Oh, okay then. Yeah, I know. I guess I. Well, Like I don't.
Andy Cortez
You never saw it.
Greg Miller
Yeah, I never saw it.
Andy Cortez
You never did the Too sweet.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Too sweet, man. Dude.
Greg Miller
Oh, yeah. Managed by Dusty Rhodes.
Andy Cortez
Yeah.
Greg Miller
Randy Savage. Okay.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
What a time. What a time.
Greg Miller
Lex Luger. Sting. I know these guys.
Tim Gettys
What a time. Everybody. We're gonna keep talking about Ghost of Yote and all of your super chats after a word from our sponsor.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Red Sting was So this episode's brought.
Tim Gettys
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Greg Miller
I. I think I agree with it. Even though I come out of that positive more than negative. Right? Like I think Ghost of Tsushima as it is. This I think comes back to the conversation for you, right? As far as what you look for, maybe why Greg was like, I don't know if this is a Tim thing is that is it is a traditional open world video game. It is not real. I don't think Ghost of Tsushima reinvents the wheel by any means, but I think it's a really good interpretation of what the wheel can be.
Andy Cortez
I think it's back to what we're talking about with Coat of Paint. You know what I mean? Like it's like, yeah, Ghost. Ghost works because it took the tradition. I shouldn't say ghost works for me. And I think stands out for me because it was like, oh, we're gonna hide the line on the ground behind flower petals flying through the air.
Greg Miller
Yes.
Andy Cortez
Okay, cool. We're gonna give you all these different things to do. But rather than just being collecting a piece of paper, it's doing this shrine or following this fox or whatever. Like, it was all in presentation. It was still doing the Assassin's Creed stuff. And that's why Kevin and I were like, oh, well, you don't vibe with that.
Greg Miller
I don't.
Andy Cortez
I don't think you could have Golden Path didn't find though.
Tim Gettys
Absolutely. Yeah. But I mean, it wasn't like it was until years later, Andy telling me like about specific story moments that I'm like, that sounds awesome. But even then you've told me it's like, it's not like the story's that good or like the overall, like the main plot, the Golden Path isn't necessarily like, oh, you gotta play this. Where I feel like that to me is the. I want the story for an open world.
Greg Miller
Exactly. Yeah. And I don't think. I don't need every video game to be revolutionary, right? Even the big.
Tim Gettys
Even the Triple A Sequels, man. Yeah, sequels be sequels. And I be more of the thing we liked.
Greg Miller
The thing that I liked about Ghost of Tsushima for what it added to the genre is what Greg was talking about as far as like, oh, yeah, follow the pedals. It doesn't have to be a thing of like put the objective indicator or like follow the line on the ground. It is that, right? It is how they go about combat. It is how they go about like, you know, even just the visuals of the world and like how. How good, how well the world sings and like, you know, like living in the Ghost of Tsushimo world, I think that is like top shelf. Like this is that good shit. When you're talking about like the Assassin's Creed inspired open world video game. If you can give me like those small things to make me go, oh snap, y' all stepped it up like in this small way, right? Or y' all stepped it up in this other small way. And then also gave me a story that I. That I care about in a setting that isn't often explored, even though nowadays it is often explored. Right. But I think still to this day, out of the different open world samurai games that we've gotten in the last five years, they're not better than Ghost of Tsushima, you know, like, I'm sorry, the Ronin and Assassin's Creed Shadows. But, like, no.
Tim Gettys
Yeah, no.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
So I will say this, Tim. I. I think that this. The story is, like, I would say really good, but there are hype moments throughout that. Throughout the whole journey.
Tim Gettys
Like, you're.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
By the end of it, you won't be like, I regret sticking with this. You will not. Because, like, the final sequences are still like, this is awesome right here. And yeah, I mean, I'll go against that super chat tour. Like, I know they weren't even super negative on it, but I think if they changed too much, I probably wouldn't have been stoked on it. I think if they try to change too much of what the formula is, I'd be like, well, that's not. What goes to Tsushima is. That's not what I wanted from this journey. I want this beautiful, lush experience with great combat and cool characters and remember, memorable villains and things like that. I. For me, it's the biggest change is. I think it is a pretty big change that there's more than one weapon to use, you know, like, yeah, I.
Andy Cortez
Like the movement from stances to this.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Me too. Because I. I was not a huge fan of the stances in the instant.
Andy Cortez
Switch of the weapons. That's cool, too.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
I don't think there was enough visually there to. For me to. To wrap my head around, like, and decipher what the right call even was in the certain moment. Because this enemy is weak to this stance, and that stance is. Looks like this, but it's called the water stance.
Tim Gettys
Like, all.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
It was, like, a little too much for me in that moment. I think there's a lot more. There are a lot more visual indicators for me here to go, oh, this dude's weak to a spear. Let me bust out my spear or let me bust out these weapons. And the stances just were not my favorite part of the combat, even though I still really, really enjoyed that aspect or I still enjoyed the combat. But, I mean, you're getting more than one sword. That's a pretty damn big change. You're getting the dual blades, the spear that. One of the chain that I always blank on, whatever its name is.
Andy Cortez
Knife.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
And the giant and the gigantic katana. Like, that's.
Greg Miller
I think. Freak.
Tim Gettys
Unleash kunai.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
No, throwing blade.
Greg Miller
Kusari gama Kusarigama.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
No, the kunai is like, just like the blade part of it doesn't have the. The chain attached to it. We went.
Tim Gettys
Sorry.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Oh, I mean, I think that's a pretty massive change, you know, because that's. Not only are you kind of doing the same thing with Santas, but you're having to account for a lot of different weapons you also have to make and that you can collect for your character. And I'm with Bless. I'm so pumped to see exactly how the hell things will change whenever you drop your weapon. Yeah, I. I don't know what that mechanic is and how you sort of work your way around it, but it.
Andy Cortez
Seems super back to it.
Greg Miller
Yeah. Yeah. And I think. I think we're underrating like the, like the clue structure, like the non linear structure of. Of the missions. I think to the super Chat. I think the one thing that's tough for a Ghost of Yote to do to like get people hyped is look different than Ghost of Tsushima. Because I will say that is the one thing where I look at this game and I'm like, I could. I would have thought this is Ghost of Tsushima if you showed it to me and didn't tell me. Right. Aside from the main character being Asu instead of Jin. But like, I also don't know how you make Ghost of Sushima look that much better aside from bringing it into a more powerful console, which they've done here. Right.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
I think those differences will be very noticeable for you when you're playing on a screen that's not a YouTube video.
Andy Cortez
Sure.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
12Ft, 15ft long.
Andy Cortez
Also, if you went and played Ghost again, Ghost 1, and came back to.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
This one, for sure. I. I'm really kind of pumped about this whole cards thing because it. When they mentioned new modes of playing, I think they were talking about the lo fi stuff and all this sort of things. The cards thing almost rings to me like a roguelite sort of randomization thing where I don't know if every one of these enemies are gonna have their set sort of two options of things that they're giving you if they are randomized. You know, if I do pick all of the location stuff, well, I only get all of that. And how does that change? Not the run, but, you know, it feels like this sort of choose your own adventure thing in the way that when you're done with the Hades Room, you go, all right, do I want to go for that or do I want to go for this room or whatever?
Tim Gettys
I don't think it's gonna be random. I didn't get that vibe I got. But I do get the vibe of choice. Right. Of just like here Are the.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Yeah.
Tim Gettys
Options. And I would really love that if.
Andy Cortez
When we sat down to review so far, it was like, oh, we've all done. Not all of us, but there are dramatic differences in how we. What we did. Because I went full stealth and you guys went Perry Poppy stuff and yada yada, yada.
Greg Miller
Yeah. I would wonder. Yeah. Like, I have the same thought, Andy. But I wonder if they're tier. If they tier out. Hear them out. Like a specific class of NPCs carries this amount of cards. And then you have another class of NPCs that have like a rotation. So it's not completely random, but it's somewhat contained so that there's a progression to your story. Because that would be wild if it was like, oh, I talked to this guy and fuck, they told me where this guy is all the way over here.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Yeah.
Greg Miller
I'm so fascinated because I think there's. For some reason I get like deathloop vibes in terms of trying to solve that puzzle and figure out, okay, if I do this, this, this and this, that seems like a big undertaking as far as creating a game that's going to deliver the main content to you in a way that makes sense, in a way that's fun for the player, but also in a way that makes my experience original from Greg's, which is original from Andy's.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
And my OTS is going to look so sick with all these customization options.
Tim Gettys
Cool ones in there.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Really, really pumped up about that.
Tim Gettys
Kebab says, I Hope there's a 219 mode like outlaws and Shadows. I imagine they will. I mean, this isn't coming to PC day one.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
So it looks like we already. I mean, they showed us. We had the bars on the top.
Tim Gettys
And the bottom, but wasn't that. That all seemed kind of like predetermined, like you are. Yeah. Doing this. Then something else would happen and it would change the aspect ratio. Yeah, it just happened there. I'm trying to find a transition.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
I mean. But they showed the name of the location above the bar.
Tim Gettys
Yeah. Interesting. I feel like it might just be like in the render area throughout the whole time. It's just like going back and forth between them style wise.
Greg Miller
This Kurosawa mode, is that not 21 by 9 the whole time?
Tim Gettys
No, I don't think so.
Greg Miller
Oh, okay.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
I think it is.
Greg Miller
I thought it was.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
I thought it was.
Tim Gettys
Oh, you know what I'm thinking about 32.9.
Greg Miller
Yeah. Cross on mode, I think is 21. I mean, all this. I mean, a lot of what we're seeing here. I feel like. I see that's a menu option you make for, like, all the different ways you allow people to play the game in terms of visual modes and like the Watanabe mode and all this shit. Like, I feel like that'd be a slam dunk. Just put 21 by nine on there.
Tim Gettys
Yeah. Yeah, it probably will.
Greg Miller
Oh, that was a transition that happened.
Andy Cortez
In the last game where it would bring up the black bars and then fade them away.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
They're still there, baby.
Tim Gettys
Bulk Dasher says game looks amazing. Admittedly, it might be one of those games that truly shines when you actually play it. The first didn't showcase well either, in my opinion, until I played it and I was blown away.
Greg Miller
It's like a punch.
Tim Gettys
Got this.
Greg Miller
Yeah. Like, I know, like, obviously before the Ghost of Tsushima in the previews and in the trailers looked great, but I think the gameplay stuff. I remember seeing the first gameplay trailer. This might have been the one where they had to E3 in church, where they move people. All that was. I remember seeing the gameplay trailer being like, oh, I don't know. This moves kind of weird. But like, playing the game, it played fantastic.
Tim Gettys
Yeah. And that was a weird one too, because remember, Ghost one was like one of the biggest games to not have a preview cycle because of the pandemic.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Oh, yeah.
Tim Gettys
Warren. Like, people talking about how it felt and everything until it came out like a month after Last of Us.
Greg Miller
Right.
Tim Gettys
So it was like. Or before.
Andy Cortez
I think it might have been before.
Tim Gettys
Yeah. Just crazy timing all around with us.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
What do you think was after. What do you think's up with a little gambling?
Andy Cortez
Who pushes the coins in?
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Or whatever little game you're playing?
Andy Cortez
Yeah, something like that.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Time to play the game. I mean, that's. That's going to be perfect for collectibles. Like, immediately I'm like, oh, those are BNA Collector's edition. Or maybe it'll be a couple of coins in the cards.
Andy Cortez
The coins, yeah. 100%.
Tim Gettys
Yeah.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Real currency.
Andy Cortez
It was after. It was after.
Greg Miller
Yeah. June versus July.
Tim Gettys
Yeah. Jeremy Snow says. Waited to react to this with y'. All. Thanks for what you do. What are you hoping will set Yote apart from Sushima? Or does it even matter? It's still a great first party experience.
Andy Cortez
Less repetitive. Open world is my big thing. You know what I mean? As somebody who went through and Platinum Ghost 1, it was. I really loved that game. I still love that game. But I was burned out on chasing foxes and finding shrines and doing Bamboo by the end of it. So I hope it's a more varied world or fewer of the. More activities, fewer number to do to get whatever I need to get with.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
How open and free this world is. I'm going to need chat to remind me about this because you all know I don't remember shit. Yeah, it's still one of my favorite games. I don't remember a whole lot of. I. I don't know if there were. If I'm mixing this up with another open world game, but if there were areas on the map that said, like, hey, this is probably too hard for you right now or this area of the map is. You know, there'll be tougher enemies here. I don't know if. If Tsushima did that sushi.
Greg Miller
I think it just had.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Maybe Rise of the Ronin had it.
Andy Cortez
Maybe it had a gated system.
Greg Miller
Yeah.
Andy Cortez
Where I was. Remember you were in the first area and you had to do something story related to finally get to the second area and then get to the third area.
Greg Miller
It was like very deliberately designed in like a vertical way. So if you're in the bottom third, I think yeah, it would.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
It was gated by story moments.
Greg Miller
Okay.
Tim Gettys
Yeah. BG2580 says the last major PlayStation first party, new narrative single player title was Spider Man 2. I'm happy to see a project firing on all cylinders. Yeah, that context, that's important there.
Greg Miller
Right.
Tim Gettys
Like we were getting so many of these Sony games back to back. It's been a while since we've gotten one of these because Spider Man 2 at this point was years ago to Piggyback Training 2.
Greg Miller
Like a month ago or like a few weeks ago.
Tim Gettys
Yeah.
Andy Cortez
To piggyback off that though, and bring you, Tim and you, Andy into this conversation. What is your vibe on Legends? This is a conversation Bless and I had on games daily with the announcement of this data play of Will there be legends 2. When would they talk about it, et cetera, et cetera. Would it be standalones? Where's your head with that, Andy?
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
I don't. I mean, have they talked at all about any. Yeah, I don't think it happens at this point. I think that would have been the point to say and future modes in the future. And then we all go, oh, just like we all got excited. The Metal Gear Saw Delta thing, like, oh, is that multiplayer or not? I don't think that it happens if something wasn't mentioned here.
Tim Gettys
I think it happens as a standalone thing. Like I think that's a separate game. Like I Feel like anecdotally, Legends felt like a success. So I don't see them getting rid of that. And with where we're at currently with PlayStation Studios, like, they need games coming out and I would see that as a smaller thing, especially with their live service multiplayer push. Like if they have something that they've proven people like and actually works, why not? I always thought it was weird that it was like part of the first game anyways, like, but I feel like that was a very experimental era of PlayStation in terms of how they release smaller titles. Like when you look at the differences between Uncharted, Lost Legacy, Miles Morales, Ghost of Tsushima Legends, like all those had a slightly different like release strategy, you know?
Andy Cortez
Sure, yeah. Interested to your point. Remember that this was Legends was announced after Ghost came out. Like that was.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
I just think. I think it's a different Sony.
Andy Cortez
I agree.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
I agree.
Andy Cortez
100. Which is why I'm surprised they're not pushing it harder as some kind of weird live service.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
If God of War Ragnarok releases today, I don't think we ever get the Roguelite mode later. I don't think we ever get a Last of Us Roguelite mode later. Like I think.
Tim Gettys
I mean, look at Astrobot. I know it's different, but Last of.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Us just got the reordering, the chronological cut, you know, return. No, I'm talking about that Roguelite mode though. Like I. I think that they're just in a different spot right now with like, I'm. First off, I was shocked that God of War, what was it called? Valhalla, was free to play. Like that was a crazy sort of free edition. But I, I just. I don't. I don't know, man. I. I feel like they're think vibes and just mentality is different around the. The business of what we're doing and is that really worth it to do right now?
Greg Miller
You know, I feel like we're putting too much stock on like PlayStation versus the autonomy of the studios. Like, I don't think Ghost of Tsushima Legends was like a PlayStation push or a PlayStation idea.
Andy Cortez
I think that's definitely Sucker Punch begging them to let them do it. We have a whole idea, can we do Sucker Punch?
Greg Miller
Working on a thing and being like, yeah, we want to release this. And I think the same with God of War Valhalla. I don't think PlayStation. I don't think that was like as. As much in conversation with PlayStation where it was like, hey, we have this really cool idea that we want to do like of course they're talking to PlayStation. Right. But I don't think, I don't think the buck ends with PlayStation as far as whether or not God of War Valhalla is allowed to release or gets released. I think that it's more so like, hey, it's on, y'. All. If you, if, if this is something that you think is going to make your property or you think is going to make your game more successful, then like, go for it.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
But I don't know if that's the mentality now of like, yeah, you. Do you. Yeah, go ahead. I don't know if Sony's like, no.
Andy Cortez
Come back to that.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Hopefully. Hopefully.
Greg Miller
Wait, I'm 5050 on. On legends. I think there's a good chance that happens, but I think if it happens, I do see it as a standalone thing. Like I, I very much see it akin to like how Elden Ring Night Reign came out where it is. Like, like, hey, we're putting it out. It's not treated like a live service thing. It is a 20 to 30, probably $30 kind of experience. And like we support it for like a year and then we're done with it. Unless it gets super successful, then we keep going with it. But it's not, it's not like we're fishing for the next five years of the game here.
Tim Gettys
Yeah. Dan says. I love that they're addressing open world burnout DOSA Tsushima. I see.
Andy Cortez
Got.
Tim Gettys
I think Game of Thrones was perfectly paced. Never felt overwhelmed by its open world. Happy they're continuing that. Flyla says the wolf has gin spirit and I'm calling it now.
Andy Cortez
Yeah, I was wondering what. There's gonna be something gin related to this game somewhere. Right. Whether it's an Easter egg, whether it's a full blown plot line. That's an interesting way to do it.
Greg Miller
I could see it being winked at like a little. Yeah.
Andy Cortez
Little Easter egg where the wolf, he goes in a. He goes in the onsen.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Really on.
Tim Gettys
The nose expecting to be like CJ splits on. Says this being its own story means new fans can jump in. Yeah. I think that it being titled the way that it is and like that's definitely them understanding that like they, they have a potential hit franchise on their hands that doesn't need to be actually sequelized. You know, you got to play the last one.
Greg Miller
They could just be standalone, which the wolf being Jin. I don't know if you guys ever played Twilight Princess, but like Twilight Princess had a thing where it's like they had a Tutorial character that's like this undead dude who ends up being. It's very heavily implied that he's the link from, I believe, Ocarina of Time.
Tim Gettys
Hero of Time. Yeah.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Majora's mask as well.
Greg Miller
Yeah.
Tim Gettys
What's the hero shade?
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Something like that.
Greg Miller
Yeah.
Tim Gettys
Sick.
Greg Miller
I feel like that's the way. Yeah. If you have the wolf in the gin, it's not. It's never heavily implied or it's never like, you know, explicitly said.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Until the dream sequence and you get him.
Tim Gettys
Vander S and says they close. They showed the PS5 SSD flashback mechanic. I'm predicting they'll use it for other characters and at some point you'll play as Jin. That's interesting, that flashback mechanic. Very cool.
Andy Cortez
Yeah.
Tim Gettys
I wonder how limited it's going to be. Like, can you do it literally anywhere, or is it only going to be during, like, prescribed moments? Knowing how PlayStation and Sony teams have done this in the most recent pastimes, I don't think it'll be everywhere. I don't think it'll be like Ratchet, where it's like, specific places.
Andy Cortez
Go back. Like, nothing. You have no memory here. There's nothing happening.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
I could have sworn that during the last Theta player, whatever it was that was that had a lot of Yotei focus that me and Greg were talking about. I was like, yeah, can you. I mean, surely you can't use it anywhere. And then I could have sworn that we read right after them being like, no, yeah, it is.
Andy Cortez
I remember what it. No. Well, yes and no. So the conversation was. I was like, oh, look. And they did this in the trailer, which makes me think it's going to be a thing you can do in the game. And then it was like, no, idiots. They've confirmed that in the blog that you. Yeah, okay, gotcha.
Tim Gettys
Mr. Fuzz says, Go see. OT looks dope, but the world looks just as empty. Your thoughts on that, Andy?
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
I mean, I don't know. That's just something you can't really help without putting a cityscape in there or something. Yeah. I don't really know how you fix that issue without completely changing what the area is and whether they're going for super historical accuracy. Like, I don't know if you're gonna see the Cyberpunk City Towers, you know, like, there's no real way to address that. I don't think. Like, I think once you're playing, it is about that Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, meditative experience of seeing a thing off in the Distance. And there will be much like sushi mad.
Tim Gettys
They.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
They had their towns, they had their little enemy encampments. They had sections where it's like a couple of city blocks of houses. There will be that here. I just. I don't think it looks empty because I. Maybe I don't. I'm not looking for sprawling something. It's nature world. Yeah.
Andy Cortez
Yeah. I didn't. I didn't find ghost one empty. Like, I thought there was lots of going. Things going on, especially as I went from one place the other, whether it be a bandit encampment or somebody trying to take me down or just an animal to chase or whatever. But I feel for open world. Yeah, it should be open.
Greg Miller
Yeah. And I also don't think. I don't think empty is inherently a bad thing when you're talking about video game world. I think there's context to everything. There's context of the kind of world that you're making. My. One of my favorite worlds to exist in in a video game is Shadow Colossus, which is the most empty world. Right. But like, that served the vibe that served the story that served the kind of game that was, I think how empty this game is or how it. How empty it looks in these trailers. Right. And how empty it actually is. Right. Like, I think that's gonna serve for the. The type of game that Ghosts of Yote is, which is, I think a lot of times supposed to be serene, supposed to be meditative as you're going from point A to point B.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
And I also don't know if I want an enemy camp every 10 meters, you know, like.
Andy Cortez
Yeah.
Greg Miller
Yeah.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
It's a balance you gotta find and it won't work for everybody.
Greg Miller
On the flip side, some of the most annoying open roads I've been in have been the ones that are like. Yeah. Filled to the brim with people that.
Andy Cortez
Can'T move without something attacking.
Greg Miller
Yeah. Off me.
Tim Gettys
Let's just go through some of the. The highlights of what they showed here to kind of close this out. But it's us trying to punish the yotai. Yotai T6 16 years since the attack. And then with the push of a button, you can have little flashback stuff that all looks great. I feel like this is like such a simple basic premise of revenge, which I'm like, that's all we need to be in. When the presentation and styles this ridiculously off the charts. So very cool. Player freedom, more than we've ever had before. Obviously it's inspired by the samurai films. The. The clue system which was in the first one to an extent of like having, you know, the flower petals and all that stuff kind of guiding you. But this definitely seems, from my experience, a lot more in depth of like every mechanic of the game kind of feels like an alternate to how other games have done it and just like go out there and explore. Like, that is the point in it being open. Like the journey is the point of it again.
Andy Cortez
And then making the customization they talk so much about both in the blog. Like, that was one of the things they're calling out. And then here this idea of the interrogation to get the clue to the. The interrogation to pick the clue. That's interesting to you, right? And then you ch. Chase what you want to chase. Like, that sounds super fun in a way of getting the normal game stuff in there, but giving me agency and oh, this sounds like a mission. I'd be more interested. Or yeah, that guy I want to chase. Or that weapon seems more like the weapons I use. So yeah, I'd want to go do that.
Tim Gettys
Oh, if you're.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Or if you're overwhelmed, just kill the dude. I think that's super cool too. You don't have to interrogate anybody, you know, like, that is. It's an option, but you could just kill that dude and move on with the mission you're already on. So you don't add anything else.
Greg Miller
It reminds me a little Shadow of Mordor. Yeah, that's exactly. I missed the Nemesis System.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
That's exactly what I was thinking of.
Andy Cortez
Copyright. Be careful.
Greg Miller
Yeah, if you sprinkle in a little bit of Nemesis System on this thing. Oh, man.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Bear, can we edit this and blink?
Andy Cortez
You know, we don't want to get them in trouble.
Tim Gettys
And then, yeah, a lot of. A lot of modes. Just like the first one had. I love that. Having the Japanese VO mode available from the start, like not tied to a DLC or whatever. Like, that's part of the experience if you want to be. That's super cool. And obviously the. The different modes that they have are. Are awesome. But yeah, the lo fi beat story exploration, I'm very interested in that because I'm worried. That's the thing. It's either, fuck, you nailed this, or it's like, oh, you tried and this is cringy and just missed the mark.
Greg Miller
But when we were streaming Tony Hawk's Pro Skater three plus four yesterday, right. I was playing it and I had to put on the streamer mode, which brought up like their original soundtrack, which are just like beats and instrumentals to kind of give you the vibe of the Tony Hawk Pro Skater soundtrack. And like, granted, I think they actually did a better job than what I would have expected. But even still, there's nothing like the authentic thing if this is lo Fi beats. But they're like they didn't source these.
Tim Gettys
As well as they could. Here's the thing. Lo Fi beats are they all stem from New Jobis, which is Samurai Shampoo. And if you don't get that, it is just a pale invitation.
Greg Miller
Yes.
Tim Gettys
And yeah, sure, you might like it or whatever, but it's like it's not the thing. And I feel like with this.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
They did say they collaborated with him, right?
Greg Miller
With Watanabe?
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Yeah.
Tim Gettys
Yeah. Which I mean, but that's not the music. That's because I think that's just the one. Yeah.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
That's the director. But that still could have led to talking to the people who did the music for Champloo or something.
Tim Gettys
I mean, he's dead, but maybe like they're. They're the people. But yeah, it's like he's the wolf. Hesitation here. But I think it's awesome and I. I love that this is at least a choice that they make.
Greg Miller
Yeah. This better not sound like some copyright free, like lo fi beats to put in the background of your video essay.
Tim Gettys
Yeah.
Andy Cortez
Sounds like you're working from experience.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
I still really hate that gray on the controller.
Andy Cortez
Yeah.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Could have gone with anything else on it. I just leave it black like usual. I don't know.
Andy Cortez
Yeah, we're looking at the blog that has the shots up of the accessories they'll be selling. Yeah. I think it should be white. Yeah, just let it be white instead of that gray in the center. I don't hate it though, still.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Or just do the full black.
Greg Miller
Like you see the art in the background there.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Like just do that on the controller.
Tim Gettys
Yeah. Sick. October 2nd. Not that far away, everybody.
Andy Cortez
Pretty far.
Tim Gettys
Two and a half months.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Dude, this year's gone by like crazy. Are you kidding me? It was just January.
Andy Cortez
That's true.
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
It was just January 2022.
Tim Gettys
Well, everybody, thank you for hanging out. If you are interested in this game, let us know in the comments. If you're not, let us know in the comments. If you want to be mean to somebody, don't do it. Just don't do it. Be nice.
Andy Cortez
If you have to be mean to Nick, be mean.
Tim Gettys
You can be mean to Nick. That is true. That is definitely it.
Andy Cortez
He's our dark knight.
Tim Gettys
Until next time. I love you. Bye.
Andy Cortez
How long my arm is.
Episode: Ghost of Yotei State of Play Review & Breakdown
Release Date: July 10, 2025
Hosts: Tim Gettys, Greg “GameOverGreggy” Miller, Blessing Adeoye Jr., Andy Cortez
The episode kicks off with the hosts introducing themselves and setting the stage for an in-depth discussion about the recently held "Ghost of Yotei State of Play." After brief, light-hearted exchanges, Tim Gettys invites listeners to support the show via Patreon and other platforms, highlighting the community-driven nature of the podcast.
Tim Gettys opens the discussion by expressing admiration for the developers' confidence during their presentation:
"What a presentation that the level of confidence that sucker punch has to just do what they just did... Our job is done." [03:17]
He perceives the event as a typical final marketing push, aiming to generate excitement without delving into deeper revelations about the game.
Greg Miller shares a counterpoint, emphasizing his existing enthusiasm for the sequel based on his love for "Ghost of Tsushima":
"I've been saying repeatedly that I don't necessarily even want to watch this. Right. Like I'm already sold on Ghostly ot... we've talked about the openness... I like the card system..." [05:09]
This highlights a balance between new content and maintaining the essence that fans loved in the original game.
Tim Gettys discusses the shift from the stance system in "Ghost of Tsushima" to a weapon-based approach in "Ghost of Yotei," showing excitement about the potential for dynamic combat:
"They've made it so that you have different weapons that you're equipping right... One of the things that I love in a combat system..." [04:00]
Greg Miller elaborates on the new card system introduced for interrogations, comparing it to innovative mechanics in other games:
"Choosing a card will then lead you in this direction. Right. And really color in your experience." [05:45]
Blessing Adeoye Jr. notes a preference for the new weapon system over the previous stance mechanics, highlighting the increased complexity and customization:
"You're having to account for a lot of different weapons you also have to make and that you can collect for your character." [23:22]
The hosts delve into the novel interrogation mechanics, which allow players to choose "cards" that direct their investigative paths:
Andy Cortez finds the system intriguing, likening it to a "choose your own adventure" style:
"The cards thing rings to me like a roguelite sort of randomization thing." [25:18]
Greg Miller expresses fascination with how this system fosters player agency and narrative variation:
"You’re trying to solve that puzzle and figure out, okay, if I do this, this, this..." [26:03]
Customization remains a focal point, with the hosts appreciating the depth and flexibility it offers:
Andy Cortez praises the visual and functional enhancements, ensuring a more personalized gaming experience:
"The kamasura screen showing all the people that you’re friends with... much like Sifu was..." [06:52]
Blessing Adeoye Jr. emphasizes the importance of impactful story moments and character interactions in maintaining engagement:
"If they deliver on those impactful story moments... I’m just ... I believe in this adventure." [12:00]
The narrative of "Ghost of Yotei" is often compared to its predecessor, with discussions centered around its evolution and deeper storytelling:
Tim Gettys appreciates the standalone nature of the sequel, which allows new players to enjoy the game without prior knowledge of "Ghost of Tsushima":
"That being its own story means new fans can jump in. Yeah. I think that it being titled the way that it is and like that's definitely them understanding that like they have a potential hit franchise on their hands that doesn't need to be actually sequelized." [35:50]
Blessing Adeoye Jr. hopes the story remains personal and focused, reducing the overload of political and regional complexities:
"This is a story of revenge. This is so personal... and everything else will fill in those gaps." [16:50]
Greg Miller underscores the significance of character development and relationships, drawing parallels to memorable interactions in "Ghost of Tsushima":
"You’re going to fall in love with them individually in the same way that you fall in love with the characters in Ghost of Tsushima." [06:52]
Andy Cortez anticipates distinct and memorable villains, essential for an engaging narrative:
"Every one of these bosses is going to be so definitive, much like Sifu was..." [16:00]
The hosts discuss the challenge of maintaining player engagement in an open world without causing fatigue:
Tim Gettys highlights the developers' approach to combat open world fatigue by emphasizing story enjoyment over checklists:
"They said things like it's not about just checking things off, it's just about enjoying the story put in front of you." [04:00]
Andy Cortez relates to personal burnout from the previous game’s repetitive tasks and hopes the sequel offers a more varied experience:
"I was burned out on chasing foxes and finding shrines... so I hope it's a more varied world." [30:03]
Blessing Adeoye Jr. addresses concerns about the game world appearing empty, stressing the importance of a balanced and immersive environment:
"They had their towns, they had their little enemy encampments... I don't think it looks empty because I... Maybe I don't..." [38:29]
Greg Miller defends the open world design by comparing it to intentional emptiness in games like "Shadow of Colossus," which serves the game's narrative and atmosphere:
"There's context to everything... that served the vibe that served the story." [39:30]
Greg Miller reminisces about the Nemesis System from "Shadow of Mordor," expressing hope for similar dynamic NPC interactions:
"It reminds me a little Shadow of Mordor... I missed the Nemesis System." [41:19]
Blessing Adeoye Jr. concurs, suggesting that introducing a similar system could enhance repeatability and personal encounters:
"It's exactly what I was thinking of." [41:23]
The hosts draw comparisons with titles like "Deathloop" and "Breath of the Wild," analyzing how "Ghost of Yotei" stacks up in terms of innovation and player experience.
Tim Gettys notes the balance between maintaining traditional open-world elements while introducing fresh mechanics:
"Player freedom, more than we've ever had before... which is part of the experience if you want to be." [40:41]
Greg Miller emphasizes that "Ghost of Yotei" doesn't aim to reinvent the wheel but to offer a refined and elevated experience:
"I don't think Ghost of Tsushima reinvents the wheel by any means, but I think it's a really good interpretation of what the wheel can be." [20:09]
Throughout the episode, listeners' comments are addressed, offering diverse perspectives:
Method suggests the sequel doesn't significantly evolve the combat formula, likening it to "Ghost of Tsushima Remastered."
BG2580 appreciates the handling of open-world burnout, believing the game's pacing effectively mitigates overwhelm.
Flyla humorously predicts the inclusion of a "wolf with Jin spirit," sparking discussions about Easter eggs and narrative depth.
These interactions provide real-time engagement and highlight community sentiments towards the game's development.
The hosts conclude by reflecting on the imminent release date, October 2nd, expressing excitement and anticipation:
Tim Gettys mentions the enhancements brought by new console capabilities, ensuring the game's visual and gameplay elements shine upon release:
"It's on, y'. All. If you... then like, go for it." [34:30]
Greg Miller voices cautious optimism, hoping the final product delivers on its promises without overcomplicating the experience:
"I hope if you have one more marketing beat, I want to get a bit more of the... The last thing too. Sweet." [17:40]
Andy Cortez and Blessing Adeoye Jr. echo the excitement, looking forward to immersing themselves fully in the game's expansive world and innovative mechanics.
The "Ghost of Yotei State of Play Review & Breakdown" episode provides a comprehensive analysis of the upcoming game, balancing praise for its innovative features with thoughtful critiques based on past experiences. The hosts' enthusiastic yet critical approach offers listeners valuable insights into what to expect, fostering anticipation and setting the stage for a highly anticipated release.
Notable Quotes:
Tim Gettys on Developer Confidence:
"What a presentation that the level of confidence that sucker punch has to just do what they just did... Our job is done." [03:17]
Greg Miller on Existing Enthusiasm:
"I've been saying repeatedly that I don't necessarily even want to watch this. Right. Like I'm already sold on Ghostly ot..." [05:09]
Blessing Adeoye Jr. on Combat Mechanics:
"You're having to account for a lot of different weapons you also have to make and that you can collect for your character." [23:22]
Andy Cortez on Interrogation System:
"The cards thing rings to me like a roguelite sort of randomization thing." [25:18]
Greg Miller on Character Interactions:
"You’re going to fall in love with them individually in the same way that you fall in love with the characters in Ghost of Tsushima." [06:52]
This detailed summary encapsulates the rich discussions and varied insights provided by the hosts, making it a valuable resource for both avid listeners and newcomers interested in "Ghost of Yotei."