I do not recommend: Ghostwire Tokyo

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Ghostwire Tokyo marries everything that's cool about Japan with everything that's boring about western open world game design.
#GhostwireTokyo #Review #GhostwireTokyoReview
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Edited by Austin @ausomehd
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Twitter: SkillUpYT?lang=en (@skillupyt)
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[@SkillUp]

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[@-Scrapper-]

Don't mind if I do

[@TheAlienwarewolf]

Ghostwire(s) Tokyo. 🤨

[@danielg8413]

How come you never mention the upgrade Amenotori X in your review? It changes traversal/platforming pretty immensely in the game, and it feels weird to me to have seen almost no reviews mentioning it, when the traversal changes affected my enjoyment of the game significantly. (Also, Ghostwire Tokyo is better with KB+M).

[@jaredlingle3623]

The rain is kanji.

[@GamingRobioto]

Shouldn't be promoting such a power hungry, overpriced card IMO Skillup.

[@ne90316]

The reason rain looks like this in game because they are not composed of standard rain particles. Instead, the rain particles features the japanese kanji "ame" meaning rain. Understanding this does make me appreciate the game a little more but yeah, over the grand scheme of things, this does get distracting.

[@MrChocodemon]

Wanted to say the same.

[@johnygiant]

what, did you expect him to actually notice something subtle in a game? Lol

[@kenteato]

@@johnygiant the intention is a subtle easteregg , but the result is a weird chonky rain particle. Just because the implementation is cool and quirky, doesn't mean the effect is cool or immersive.

[@royzed2039]

‘雨’

[@joelbecker5389]

I thought that I noticed the rain droplets looking like some kind of symbol in this video, but I had no idea what it was. Thank you for explaining it.

[@triplehelix3207]

I wish instead of being an Ubisoft Open world, they had made it a detective game where you fought spirits and solve cases, maybe have randomized outcomes like the 1997 Blade Runner game

[@gamerinatrance3618]

Yes, maybe something like Murdered: Soul Suspect or AI: The Somnium Files :)

[@TheForbiddenOne55]

That's what I was expecting. I didn't know it was gonna be open world.

[@lazypayday4476]

It's really one of the most disappointing aspects of the game. I really just played thinking the entire time that it makes no sense for the characters among the investigation team to run away or have been killed. I would've enjoyed the game a lot more if those characters were fleshed out and alive to be there among the story, instead of either being out of town or already dead.

[@TheLordMaker]

@@gamerinatrance3618 Hell, no. This game s*cked

[@gamerinatrance3618]

@@TheLordMaker You talking about Ghostwire or the games I listed?

[@ClipperFanW]

I definitely enjoyed the game in the beginning. But the more I played, the more I felt fatigued from the open world. This game would've benefited from being linear IMO.

[@pablonarcoboy185]

Yeah, the open world become kinda boring in the middle.

[@LaztstaNd]

Yeah, even before the reviews, the minute I saw the open world map filled with icons, I wrote this off as a "I'll wait until it's on GP" game.

[@jasonalv7436]

the way they treated the open world was awful. I'm not even one of those people that despises "Ubisoft" style open world but this was the worst I think

[@MADba111]

So basically Evil Within 2.

[@marcuskane1040]

@@MADba111 10x times worse

[@technocore1591]

"Ubisoft-style map marker driven" I remember when I fired up Watchdogs 2, played the opening sequence, and then when the map opened up and I saw what it was, I exited thinking, "Christ I can't do this anymore"

[@uglystupidloser]

🤣🤣 that "im too old for this crap" or "what am i doing with my life" moment?

[@Ranivus]

This was me when I played the Witcher 3 for the first time lmao

[@technocore1591]

@@uglystupidloser It's down to repetition. I'm sure if you haven't play a Ubisoft-style, map-marker driven type game before it's awesome. But when you've played more than 10 of them, it just takes all the wind out of my sails to realize a new game is one.

[@technocore1591]

@@Ranivus I had the same thing with Horizon: Zero Dawn. Played the intro and quit. Wasn't until so many others were raving about it, that I gave it a fair shot and fell in love.

[@GUIDE_Nico]

@@technocore1591 I'm still trying to get into Horizon Zero Dawn... I feel nothing special... what were the things that drew you back in? A certain Map area, different weapon combinations?

[@DeverHB]

This might be really dismissive criticism, kinda "Hurr just make it like that other game", but whenever I see this I wonder if it would have been better as a ghost-themed, Japanese Infamous game. Idk, parkouring on rooftops with ghost powers sounds cooler than slooowly walking through these empty streets in first-person. Or go full linear, first-person horror like SkillUp suggests here.

[@uglystupidloser]

japanese ghost themed Infamous? 🤔thats fire

[@hazim9529]

Goddamn that Infamous idea is pretty dope

[@trippybruh1592]

Dying Light parkour with a twist set in Tokyo. What are we waiting for?

[@J.bananas]

Dude... That's a game I didn't know I needed in my life, you might be on to something here

[@Skylancer727]

I feel like if they went with the Infamous route they would have had to lower graphics a bit as it would push the ideas of more outlandish powers which would mean moving faster or other effects that would be harder to set a smooth performance on consoles. Not to mention, they started with the goal of not following western games, that would be firmly going against that. But yeah, I definitely think it would have been a better game as a Japanese inspired Infamous game or just more linear horror. It really fell into the fallacy of adapt at everything master of none. It really needed a more focused push to either make it a competent open world game which can keep your interest, or to just go all in on the horror side of it.

[@bdbgh]

The world looks like it would have been great for a detective agency/ghost busting story inside a bustling city instead, dropping the "everyone got vaporized" (or at the very least don't do it until the very last arc to make it more impactful).

[@uglystupidloser]

that would have been SUCH a mood. the city of tokyo slowly disappearing and transforming as the game progresses?? maybe the open world checklists giving you incentive to check out areas for various reasons before it changes or something? and using information from characters along with new powers? but i think i heard from another reviewer that the development was kind of rushed after the original lead left... and the executives switched some stuff around, and they just wanted to push it out the door. so what we got was more or less half baked. i love your idea tho. awesome premise and progression.

[@Jidcruz1]

Ghostwire Tokyo should be the ground inspiration for a Hellblazer game if made by Rocksteady. The FPS Segments of Arkham City with combat elements of Ghostwire Tokyo in the shoes of John Constantine set in Los Angeles taking on cases such as Exorcism, Demon hunting, and more and even doing favors to other DC Supernatural Characters like Swamp Thing, Zatanna, Doctor Fate, and more.

[@ultimamage3]

@@uglystupidloser "the development was kind of rushed after the original lead left... and the executives switched some stuff around, and they just wanted to push it out the door." Damn. That's usually the death of good concept games.

[@anametoignore2286]

Character design can eat up a huge amount of development which is probably why they skipped it but it definitely would've been cool

[@RICHUNCLEPENNYBAGS77]

That would have cost way more to make I think.

[@SwedishSword]

Way back in The Division 1 I wanted to get every audio log and collectible. This was mainly an excuse to steep into the environmental design of that game and take in the details along each and mini puzzle hidden throughout NYC. I really, really wish there was more to do and interact with in that game because there's so much wasted potential. Environments were made with such surprising detail and intimacy, but the game didn't pair it with appropriate motivation to explore it. Especially given that this was in a looter, I understand why so many people walk away disappointed with the offerings on show. Ghostwire reminds me of those feelings. The game has this beautiful backdrop but doesn't know how to really leverage it alongside a core gameplay loop that doesn't befit it.

[@AJ-pc9gu]

yea cool style but a lack of meaningful interactivity

[@euclxd8033]

Facts. I remember roleplaying as a detective in my head as I roamed the streets of New York in The Division 1 a la Max Payne trying to find out what went wrong. It was a fun experience, but tragic as well.

[@danieldevito6380]

I enjoyed both Divisions, and I know EXACTLY what you mean when you said that you wish there was an incentive to explore the world. Sadly, though, you're never going to get something deep from Ubisoft. Every Ubisoft game, no matter the genre. You get an open map with a bunch of icons that two you where everything is. That's an Ubisoft game.

[@samcs06]

@@heralduk5839 played breakpoint on the ps5. I enjoyed my 40 hours with the game but it started to get old quick towards the end.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

I absolutely love the Division aesthetics, but they are not meant to be used. Indeed, very wasted.

[@Nikolas-Saenz]

Just finished this game the other day...........couldn't agree more that this is a unique game trapped in a ubisoft-like cookie cutter open world. Still surprisingly enjoyed it mainly bc of the Japanese lore and sparse unique settings in the game.

[@jasonalv7436]

I prefer AC Origins and Odyssey over this game. At least the content and combat in AC games are better than this and with a better story

[@Nikolas-Saenz]

@@jasonalv7436 the quality of ubisoft games was not in question. AC Origins and Vahalla were games I readily consumed and enjoyed. However, they are still cookie cutter open worlds in that they follow a formula without much change or innovation.

[@jasonalv7436]

@@Nikolas-Saenz I understand. But for me personally, while I find that formula to be used too much, I never thought of them like they were a bad thing, just executed improperly by some. The problem I have with Ghostwire Tokyo is not the fact that it follows a similar formula to Ubisoft games but it fails to avoid that repetitious content. If the side quests are compelling, I wouldn't care if they showed it on the minimap. If the combat is great, I don't care how many outpost or enemy encounters you put on the map. I played it for around 12 hours and I couldn't bring myself to finish it. The skill tree is underwhelming and the story is not it for me

[@Nikolas-Saenz]

@@jasonalv7436 agreed on the combat for sure. I had to put on hard to make it compelling. I found the story to be ok....I found the use of the Japanese lore more satisfying. I think we can both agree that if ubisoft would just do an AC game in feudal Japan we can all be satisfied lol

[@samw2670]

Go visit japan prob save money and have a better experience LOL

[@NL0Gwenster]

Regarding the rain: Each and every rain-drop is the actual kanji for rain. You're not seeing glitchy rain like you say in the review. It's kanji. Pause the screen for a second and you`ll see.

[@lunartic7367]

it still looks horrendous

[@chokedbybacklog5433]

@@lunartic7367 bruh...It's an artistic choice. It feels cool when you discover what it actually is, but you gotta be the type to appreciate things like that. Those are the type of people the devs aimed the design at. Not everything boils down to "muh super realistic triple A graphics".

[@vintageoriginallegit]

@@lunartic7367 go play that live service trash like destiny.

[@brilobox2]

@@vintageoriginallegit ironic, since Sony is planning on putting out like 10 live service games, and also bought Bungie.

[@MrTaylork1]

@@chokedbybacklog5433 people are allowed to not like certain artistic choices.

[@boxhead6177]

The CEO of Squenix says "If Japanese imitate Western Games they will not produce good ones" Then why is he trying to imitate the Metaverse, NFTs and Live Service game models.

[@uglystupidloser]

🤣

[@firzokkhan6443]

Plus their last mainline Final Fantasy(Final Fantasy 15) was very much inspired by western design using the same empty open world abundant in western games.

[@italianspiderman5012]

Because money,the answer is always money.

[@ryeb]

it is possible for a person to say things that you agree with, and then other things that you very much disagree with.

[@nolives]

@@ryeb yes, here in america we call those people hypocrites.

[@cypheru5]

The rain does look horrible, because it’s kanji, not water drops.

[@entysing6780]

Yet another cool design choice that was poorly executed. Kind of the whole message of this video lol

[@brandonthomas6602]

do you expect Shill up to have noticed that in between boat metaphors and selling graphics cards?

[@pennywisethedancingclown7139]

Well I guess the end result is the same either way. It looks horrible

[@Camad]

Perfect example of something that, just because it sounds cool and is technically correct to the vision, it shouldn't be the way it is.

[@ptrcrispy]

@@brandonthomas6602 Bruh what is it with the boat metaphors lmao

[@JustSkram]

Tango games is amazing at coming up with cool concepts and slapping them on mediocre products.

[@robovinefilms1811]

Very accurate, I would add: Cool concepts stretched over the framework of previously established (and tired) trends.

[@ptrcrispy]

They should make movies or animated shows.

[@user-gu5dv7vj8r]

The evil within 2 was so disappointing to me. Idk why they have to go for whatever trend. I would've preferred it to be like TEW1. a nice linear horror game.

[@daylonbouye8569]

Damn, that sounds like ubisoft

[@frankbasile3662]

Evil Within 1 and 2 are excellent in every aspect,and Ghostwire is such an atmospheric engaging game couldn't stop playing,..definitely nothing mediocre about them,only a delusional muppet would say as much...

[@Sartiz]

I found the rain effect pretty neat , every rain drop is actually ''rain'' in kanji

[@AxxLAfriku]

Don't talk to me! I am famous! Don't dislike my good good GOOD videos! Don't talk to me, dear sat

[@gregallan4291]

It's a neat idea, but it looks bad unfortunately

[@lunartic7367]

it looks horrible tho, no matter the idea

[@Partiton3]

I thought they looked like characters/symbols during this video. That makes sense.

[@chokedbybacklog5433]

Honestly, the fact that they did it that way makes me wanna play the game more now. I usually appreciate such ideas.

[@IAmMightyMike]

There's some really interesting and fun bits in this. Story is a little generic but I guess something can definitely be said about how it was designed. Love the concept and art design so it's a shame

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

Story-wise and gameplay-wise I just to say "you don't have to reinvent the wheel, you just have to make a good wheel" So it doesn't a super unique story or super unique gameplay. It's fine to take inspiration and maybe take it a bit safe, if it means the end result is using those inspirations the best way possible. After all, Star Wars is just Lord of the Rings in space, with WWII dogfighting and samurai fights. And LotR is just the same story as half of all ancient greek myths. But both Star Wars and Lord of the Rings are great stories that use these known elements in a great way.

[@tcomshere]

A good fix for the 'kanji' raindrops would be to just have good looking rain and occasionally you see it's "Ame" when it's as close as your hands. Sadly, that can be said for many of this game's idea- implementation

[@Akrymir]

An important callout here that you don't see often enough is the inconsistent levels of fidelity. This is the core concept that drives that feeling of uncanny valley, but is really applicable to every aspect of videogames. Making a game that looks great but doesn't react on the same level gives that feeling of inconsistency, and too large of a gap breaks the immersion.

[@cosmic2750]

Its actually quite good in the beginning but unfortunately over time it gets worse. The main problem here is that this game didn't *need* to be open world, there was no purpose to the open world. It feels as if the open world was thrown in later and not worked on from the get-go. Such a shame though, because it looked so good.

[@johnnyancientseed4357]

I feel like this is the kind of game people will look back on as an "underrated gem" twenty years later, but for now, it's nothing special, which is a damn shame.

[@entysing6780]

I hope that's the case, but I feel like it will be looked back on more like an Anthem. Not because it has the same kind of problems that Anthem had, but more that people will look back on it and say "Damn that could have been really amazing. Why did we never get a sequel?" Guess it depends on how Microsoft deals with the IP, not sure if they own it or just the rights to the game after the Bethesda purchase.

[@jasonalv7436]

I don't think it will but hey, maybe I'm wrong

[@spinyslasher6586]

I played it, and I think it's fairly rated. The game would've been way better if it was a linear story driven experience.

[@paris-ml1gy]

No shot lol. There’s absolutely nothing to go back to in the bland open world. Everything in the game is very barebones except visuals.

[@MacOnCrack86]

No they wont. In 6 months time everyone will forget this game ever existed like all the other bland and mediocre games that come and go.

[@eddieford9373]

Instead of gameplay, trailers should just show the map. Would be a better way of knowing what a game is going to be.

[@thegamerboy1000]

It's kinda sad how accurate that statement is

[@CODMWX]

The rain doesn't have a water bubble texture, the texture they use is the word 'rain' but then in Kanji.

[@Rehteal]

tbh, I *always* check out the videos on games not recommended because I think discussion of flaws is more engaging than highlighting successes.

[@BirdMoose]

We need more linear games, a very small number of games justify their open worlds, and when they do they're spectacular. (Elden Ring, Breath of the Wild, GTAV) But the other 95% of the time it adds very little or even detracts from the game.

[@m3nguele]

How does GTA V justify his open world? Its the game I've had the most displeasure to play

[@leeturton9254]

Gta5?...needs to die but won't... rd2 Witcher3 ghosts of tshushima... the best👌

[@Mohgenstein]

Gta v open world lmao

[@jedimouse619]

@@leeturton9254 gta 5 story is and always will be a masterpiece.

[@oystersoup3434]

It could've been perfect if it was a linear horror game. I became less interested in the game when I found out that it wasn't going to be "scary" and I don't think you can easily make an open-world game scary.

[@gamerinatrance3618]

I was definitely disappointed in the lack of scares, but it's more the very generic open world formula that I was (unpleasantly) surprised by. I had kind of figured it was a more action focused supernatural game but still linear, unfortunately not it would seem.

[@user-gu5dv7vj8r]

This is why I disliked The Evil Within 2. The open world felt so forced

[@gtx1650max-q]

@@user-gu5dv7vj8r couldn't agree more.

[@xSubParSaucex]

Me playing Ghostwire: “Alright god dammit time to buckle down and start knocking out this quest” **hears dog whimper in the rain** “….gotta go grab some more dog food from the store”

[@Steelpreyer]

If you pause the game in the right moment when it’s raining you can see it’s not real rain. It’s the kanji for rain

[@victorcharles27]

If only he knew

[@nolives]

@@victorcharles27 i knew and its still pretentious and awful looking.

[@saywhat9158]

“As the graphic fidelity of worlds improves it creates the implicit need for interactivity to keep pace”. Thumbs up. Very accurate insight as it is like giving your game Botox where it looks better but the loss of expression and movement just ends up giving an unsettling effect and feeling that something is off or missing. It tends to make me feel “trapped” in a picture rather than an open and realistic world.

[@bkblindside3884]

Are you telling me you can't spare a square? I don't have a single square to spare..

[@BardianAngel]

16:17 minor mistake here. He died in a car accident, just before the event that made everyone disappear. That's why he wasn't whisked off with everyone else.

[@lazypayday4476]

Eh I don't think that's true either, the reason he didn't disappear yet is the fog hadn't reached the area he was in before being possessed. Also I don't think it's true that he died but rather was on the verge of death, I think KK himself says that.

[@lightturner8913]

My interest in the game immediately died the second they showed gameplay

[@pennywisethedancingclown7139]

Agreed! Glad they tried something different. But ranged karate with ghosts? ( A small variety of them ) Nobody asked for this.

[@Plasmacat1]

I turned up the difficulty and turned off the map markers and my experience was way more enjoyable. That said it does not benefit at all from the Ubisoft formula. I do like some of the side quest stories though but this game really needed a more clear vision.

[@MrTaylork1]

The rain affect is a classic example of the devs so high on their own farts thinking they’re geniuses that they left it in, even though it’s obviously a cool idea that doesn’t work in practice.

[@iamjogun]

Right but you'll get people crying "My artistic freedom". Sorry but art isn't exempt from being bad.

[@uglystupidloser]

i could have appreciated the rain turning into japanese kanji when, like, i dunno, freaky stuff is about to go down. like a subtle, "oh wait, somethings off" kind of thing

[@JohnDoe-uf3lj]

I think it would work if it only showed up a few times, like if a powerful enemy was near and was affecting the world. But always having it on is just a bad idea.

[@LennardJaros]

Hearing of this game, I'd have NEVER imagined it'd be a ubisoft-esque map-marker chaser. Don't get me wrong, I actually still enjoy that aspect of games more than most, especially in Far Cry 5 to give an example. But it seems so completely out of place here, almost giving me whiplash from how tonally inconsistent it is with the actually outstanding parts of the game.

[@whit3devil]

>Hearing of this game, I'd have NEVER imagined it'd be a ubisoft-esque map-marker chaser. And its not. World design here is really tight and theres a progression to it, you dont have the whole map open from the get go. Map marker chaser? You dont even have to look at the map to find souls (main type of collectible), you can see them through walls by using ghost vision, it gives exploring really organic feeling. Just side quests starting locations are best to look up on map (and theres not much of them per area). I really disagree with this sentiment most of the people seem to have about this game being "ubisoft style". Ubisoft worlds are big af and to find stuff in them you actually have use a map lots of the time while this is literally not the case in Ghostwire and exploration is actually fun cause theres lots of verticality involved and collectibles often feel like mini puzzles. Its engaging imo. Skillup describes the map as mess of map markers but... why? Cause shops and save points are marked? It doesnt make sense. And collecting stuff is optional. And combat in it is fun imo.

[@mick9707]

@@whit3devil combat is shallow as hell. It looks cool, but mechanically it is mostly run backwards and shoot. Very shallow combat that gets super repetitive.

[@whit3devil]

@@mick9707 and what do you expect? in literally 90% of shooters you do excatly what you described just in different permutations, like stay in cover and shoot. and its done well there imo and theres this certain weight/ cool slowness to it

[@mick9707]

@@whit3devil I expected some depth to the combat system. Most shooters are not this shallow, and most shooters like any genre aren’t good anyway. Only the cream of the crop are worth your time, and the best shooters like Doom, Titanfall, halo etc are leaps and bounds better than this. They’re not even in the same stratosphere in terms of depth. The depth for this game comes from two places, how quickly you can shoot the enemy, and how accurately you can shoot the enemy (ie. saving ammo). This is let down by the very limited weapon roster for offence and limited and repetitive enemy design. 16 enemy types which are almost all very similar mechanically. Similar melee attacks. No real defensive minded strategy. Shamble slowly towards you making them highly predictable. Every fight feels the same, walk backwards, strafe and shoot. To top this off, the environments you fight in are poor for shaking this feeling up. Just open empty spaces. No interesting arenas with circular movement or positioning. This is exacerbated by your limited movement abilities. You have no dash, jumping and sprinting are pathetic and give you limited ability to zip around and dodge attacks at the last second. This means it’s unwise to fight close to groups of enemies and again leads to walking backwards and keeping the group in front of you. Your other defensive option, blocking, is also a poor option. Some damage still gets through, unless you perfect block which has a really tight window. Enemies also have hard to predict attack timings and parry windows, making this strategy of staying close and attempting to perfect block everything not worth the time or effort. Running backwards and shooting is way faster and way easier. So the need to jump and sprint is rare, blocking is not worth it at all unless you’re just trying to play it like a souls game for no real reason. Your offensive options are limited, your enemy variety is limited and the encounter design is limited. Combat sucks once you get past the cool looking animations.

[@willwunsche6940]

I really like how this game strikes a balance between action and survival horror. Being spooky and creepy without actually being too scary makes it special as Shill Up said, I agree 100%. It's a shame the gameplay isn't quite on the same level and it's too repetitive. The animations look stellar and the game looks so incredibly beautiful. The idea of a first person magic shooter spooky ghost game set in Japanese Tokyo is such a masterpiece idea

[@lorexmusic1067]

I really like the fact that it isnt full of jumpscares every 3 secs but can be still scary

[@willwunsche6940]

@@lorexmusic1067 Same. I don't really enjoy horror games but I love shooters and having it combined with scary+cool stuff sounds really fun

[@frickthefuckoff]

I saw the gameplay and I kinda just knew it would be as mixed/alright as it was received overall. Looking forward to checking it out on GP when it's out on that.

[@WildArmsV]

BTW the rain droplets is actually the Kanji chatacter of rain in Japanese 雨 (ame) falling, thats why it looked so strange haha, they had to make it bigger to fit it

[@nolives]

It is and looks dumb

[@Brindlebrother]

15:53 "I don't play games to kill time; I play games to feel something." Skill Up is truly a modern philosopher and is living his best life and I agree with that sentiment.

[@emulation2369]

Wish he would be a good reviewer tho...

[@PoorEdward]

@@emulation2369 how is he not

[@Exotac]

Absolutely loved this game. Played it when it came to PC and it's one of the few games I've ever ended up 100%ing. That said, I'm a huge enthusiast for Japanese culture and mythology, so that carried me through a good bit of the repetition and padding. It's definitely a game that is going to be very subjective in who likes it and who doesn't. If you're a Japanophile like me (an ACTUAL Japanophile, not just a weeb/otaku) than it's a fantastic romp with nice movement flow through an absolutely GORGEOUS rendition of Shibuya, and a lot of homages to old folklore, particularly that of Yokai. It also just has an absolutely captivating art style for things like the generic visitor enemies. If you're NOT that into Japan, its a really really easy (And I say that having played on the second highest difficulty) far cry clone set in a city where someone find/replaced lighthouses/watch towers/vantage points/whatever with Tori Gates and a LOT of side activities that end up being recycled several times over to pad out the run time and some seriously underbaked gameplay decisions and elements. Like, the few bosses in the game are giant memes and if you're actually trying to do all the side content you will inevitably get to a point where it just becomes tiresome that the payoff is YET ANOTHER 1v1 with a Kuchisake-onna with absolutely no tactical variance.

[@bryceshawgo7696]

I think a really good combat system for this would be power up based, different combinations and layouts of power ups on the map that give you different combat abilities temporarily, tuned per combat scenario to make for some interesting map design and movement, pair this with a dodge and you could have a really fun speed/movement based push forward style of combat where you have to weave between enemies and different parts of the level to get different abilities to be strong enough to take on the increasing challenge. put some permanent upgrades and abilities around the map too and you could have some better exploration and over arching progression.

[@SquashyButton]

I was super intrigued with this game when it was first revealed, but as soon as they had the gameplay reveal a few months before launch, I could just tell that the game wouldn’t be fun from a gameplay perspective. It looks cool and flashy, but that gets old pretty quickly

[@lazypayday4476]

I honestly wished I put more research into the game, the premise and few seconds of gameplay I saw made me buy it a few days after launch without researching it.

[@SquashyButton]

@@lazypayday4476 I really need to start doing that too. Over the years I’ve had way to many disappointing impulse buys based off flashy trailers

[@sheahon1179]

I'd love to see this studio approach a game in the Jujitsu Kiasen universe. It seems like they'd be amazing at that visually. Though maybe I really just want the next Fromsoft game to take this aesthetic and do that

[@bartandaelus359]

this is a real 'they should put pizza and ice cream in a blender because they're both great so must be better together' kinda comment.

[@raer5373]

I really like the enemy design, sadly I was hoping for a more linear even horror game.

[@gamerinatrance3618]

Same here. Tbh even if it was still more action focused but more linear like say The Evil Within 1, then it probably would have been able to focus on its great aspects and avoid the issues it currently has.

[@monkeymayEH]

Nothing about this game said horror idk why you would expect that

[@SS-sg4eg]

@@monkeymayEH it's not scary but a lot of the enemies are creepy

[@lazypayday4476]

Honestly I really don't like the enemy design. Not only are they not creppy whatsoever, they all have such similar movesets that it pretty much boils down to them being put in categories of offense, defense, ranged attacker, and air attacker. The main difference between the early version and late version of them is mostly their health too.

[@jaradsmethers3601]

the parkour got me through this game til I was almost done collecting everything just to realise I had a massive parade grind to get through cause I spent like none of my time on the ground were the parades were so had done like one of them

[@pancaket4302]

One small detail, the rain is actually the character 雨, rain in Japanese, raining down. Perhaps the slow-motion is trying to highlight that the situation is entirely artificial.

[@neighborofthedevil]

I understand why Tango wanted to both push away from their pigeon hole and also to hand the reigns over to a newer generation of developer; those are both really admiral things to do. This is the risk you take when you do both of those things within the same project. If you handover a project to a younger, less experienced team it's a good idea to have them working within a framework that is familiar (to them or to the company as a whole) so the more experienced leaders can set them up for success while allowing them to play around and experiment within that framework you know works well. If you're starting a project that is a departure from the norm for the company as a whole, you need to make sure your whole team develops a deep understanding of what is needed to be successful in that new environment and that often includes a lot of decision making from experienced leaders. There is nothing wrong with mixing East and West game sensibilities into a single experience. It just seems that in this instance they lost some of the best parts of Japanese games and added some of the worst parts of Western games.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

But the good thing is, they now have the experience with the game and what people like and dislike about it and can use that knowledge for their next game. Which could be a sequel, or just a game with the same mechanics. And their idea of not orienting on western games was spot on. Look at the DmC Devil May Cry. They aimed it at the western market and it bombed. You won't get a new audience of people who aren't interested in the type of game, and you won't keep the existing audience that enjoy the games for what they are. And with making a western DMC they basically lost both. Good that DMC 5 went back to form.

[@arkhive506]

Honestly... they really should just cut about 30% of the total area of the game but pack as much unique yokai/ ghost/ folklore sidequests in as many off the beaten path locations.

[@willropa4226]

Lol, you called me out, I am that completionist you mentioned. Played the game on XBox game pass, so I was a little late to the party, but I enjoyed it. Shibuya was vibrant and I actually loved how empty it was since the theme of the game is that the dead now rule the city and Id did get that feeling that the city is just dead. I enjoyed the Yokai characters too, seeing the Nekomata wear some of the collectables I sold them, the Oni being grateful for protecting its dog, or the Tanuki just being some of the silliest of creatures makes me smile. My only real gripe with the game were the controls and the number of souls I had to ghostbust. The souls were the minor part, but I agree that 270 thousand was a tad much for me to stomach having to run around desperately to find that one cluster who was hiding in the most random of places, the related beads did help but not by much since they could only point me to the closest at any given time. The controls were the bigger part though, in the beginning it felt like I always had a half second delay in anything I did, I felt so sluggish just by simply walking. Also, who's bright idea was it to make floating the way it was? I would spam the float button but never get it or it would seemingly make me float before I hit the button so that when I hit it, I would cancel floating. Then comes combat which felt like it somehow had both too much and too little autoaim, it would snap to an enemy but if they sidestepped it would just forget to follow them, or if I accidentally scoped onto the wrong enemy when another is breathing down my neck, best I could do was unscope and try again instead of shifting my aim. Honestly, I never mess with the controls, I would mess with sensitivity if it felt too fast or slow but would otherwise learn how to get comfortable with the default controls, Ghostwire made me break that track record, I had to look up how to tighten my controls just so I could get it into a semi-comfortable position. It was annoying while it lasted, but it was something I could fix. Overall, I'd still say that completionists should give Ghostwire Tokyo a shot, I got my platinum trophy and I'm happy with it.

[@kozak1432]

Personally for me it felt a bit like the first Crackdown, where you jump, fly and run around the city collecting mini powerups that would equate in leveling.

[@pablonarcoboy185]

I personally enjoyed the story, but the open world gameplay is kinda boring. It make me put the game down off like 3 days before continuing it. What I think about it is that Ghostwire Tokyo is like an combination of aspect from other games.

[@mandrews6282]

I generally havw a high tolerance for games that other people don’t think are great and I’ll generally play all kinds of games, especially one that looks as beautiful as this one does. I actually preordered this game, I loved The Evil Within series and Tango, I was hyped for it, and I wanted to love it. I’ve only played a few hours since launch, a rarity as once I start a game I’m all in for it to the end usually. But I just haven’t been interested in going back. And that makes me sad. I will finish this at some point coming up, and I get the intent behind it, so hopefully we see more survival horror from Tango soon. There are very few devs that do it really well and I don’t think being typecast in this space is necessarily a bad thing. With the rise of survival horror again with RE leading the charge once more, and a Dead Space remake on the way, I have to think a Tango survival horror game instead of Ghostwire would have really been a missed hit right now. But, sometimes that’s just where the cards lie. This game would even be forgivable if the combat was enjoyable at all or the enemies threatening or having any kind of variety. A game that starts to feel like a slog 3 hours in is just not one a lot of people will end up finishing sadly.

[@nolives]

Hopefully you learned your lesson about pre-ordering.

[@elibeeblebrox1084]

NO PREORDERS

[@tchanthaphaeng]

I would be absolutely devastated if I couldn’t hold my Wii remote anymore..

[@Noobphobic]

I always look forward to your vids :)

[@chantimothy]

This game had me in a mixed emotion like no game ever did. I remember the first time I reach the kagerie I was so mesmerized by the visual and was just walking around like I was actually there. then as I slowly scale up the building and did the objective I just felt so empty because a big part of the building was actually empty. Also for the small dungeon section that was the metro underpass.... and also the part where you got send to another dimension when chasing rinko. Those part when i was first inside... I was like "this is so fucking cool!!! I want a whole chapter in this area"... and then it basically ended as soon as it started... it just left me feeling so disappointed. I feel like the dev was like ..." oh... we have finally created the shibuya we really wanted" and then realize there was no gameplay in it so they quickly went through all the check boxes and snap together a game

[@piyusharya3511]

Skill Up just demolished Tokyo GW but in a gentle way

[@nickbono9186]

Hey skill up, do you have a steam deck? Would love to see your thoughts even if it’s a shorter review.

[@moonraven6145]

Yeah it felt like quite a missed opportunity in terms of the magic combat, I thought maybe you might have to combine your elements together on enemies, breaking their resistances or staggering them, like using Water with wind to create Ice, or Fire and Earth to create Lava but then i'm just thinking of the indie game Magicka at that point.

[@jewelsdragonfly]

Discussing about open worlds, there's an underrated setting that needs more love because the amount of layers it has: Stillwater from SR and SR2. For a 2008 game, it has a lot to offer, stores have different items, locations to explore, along with a hidden mall that's not on the map.

[@nicksampson538]

i really enjoyed it, but see your criticisms for sure. Just a game i wanted to keep coming back to, i think because of the setting!

[@uglystupidloser]

yakuza and ghostwire tokyo is pretty good for virtual tourism for japan, for sure

[@kingrobotnik6950]

From the trailers and stuff, I expected this to be the horror version of The World Ends With You, with various powers ranging from fireballs to mind control and a cavalcade of Yokai ranging from the more well known to the obscure, with areas taking you from the streets of Shibuya to the seedy underbelly of Kabukicho.

[@ttrop]

the rain droplets the problem might be is that they are not really rain but a whole img and letters of tori gate

[@JKSNsensei]

There’s no reason to explore, unless you have visited Tokyo and stayed for an extensive amount of time, or better yet, live(d) there, then this game really feels like someone took your entire neighborhood and dressed it up for halloween. Every corner, every shop, even the tiny paths between houses becomes a magical spot to visit. I really do agree with the lack of interactivity though.

[@florianpetersen5144]

lol the rain looks like it does because every "drop" is a japanese character^^ but i agree, didn't like the rain effect as well!

[@jakebrady7426]

I love the helpfulness of markers though. I like know at least the jist of where a cool collectible/weapon/chest/etc are/is.

[@UberNoodle]

The toilet paper thing is a reference to a very popular urban folkloric ghost in Japan called hanako-san.

[@totallyncf]

Damn shame, game looked cool as fuck when I first saw it. Was tryna decide between this and Wonderlands, glad I went for Wonderlands it's been a while since I had such fun on a game.

[@frankbasile3662]

Glad I went with Ghostwire,much better then wonderlands,didn't enjoy the cartoony cheese and bad jokes at all in wonderlands

[@deltaone2837]

Oh this gon be interesting because I've just seen a video where someone recommended it. Nice to have both visions.

[@gustavohuehue7460]

Who that was? I want to see that video too

[@deltaone2837]

@@gustavohuehue7460 It's by The Sphere Hunter and while she doesn't hide the problems she had with the game, she speaks about how she enjoyed it a great deal.

[@gustavohuehue7460]

@@deltaone2837 oh right, i watched this video when she released, i'm really interested in this game for the art design alone.

[@deltaone2837]

@@gustavohuehue7460 me too. Frankly, the mixed review make me both want to play and not want to play that game. The environment looks so awesome I'm still very tempted. But as it is, Gamepass in 4 months is not that far away. So I guess I'll wait to play it. If it's good, I'll buy it on PC. As simple as that.

[@gustavohuehue7460]

@@deltaone2837 i hoping for it to be on gamepass too but i guess it will only be out on march 2023, since thre contract with sony is for a one year.

[@LeonidasGGG]

I think that if it had more monster running around, specially with us being so overpowerful, it might have worked a bit better. Also, I thought this title was going to be VR and THAT would definitelly be awesome imo.

[@vicapple6663]

I feel like the hand symbols could be a pretty fun mechanic with VR gloves. I think there's a Skyrim mod that does that

[@alazandanga]

I noticed that you dont get hit by foes. Not once. ...thats not a good sign.

[@crashzone6600]

I wasn't expecting open world with this I suppose. I thought it was gonna be like resident evil 4 where it is mostly linear, but with a little exploration elements.

[@EvilReaperZ]

With all the hand gestures, i can imagine this game to perform really really well as a VR title.

[@UnicyclesGameRoom]

The context you gave at the start of the video really helped me understand this game. Great review.

[@frogstare947]

I ended up enjoying the game a lot and got the platinum trophy, though I definitely understand why people wouldn’t like the game. I appreciated how much effort it went to portraying Japan and its mythology. Details like enemy designs representing different aspects of their culture or urban legends like kuchisake made it stand out more to me even when the open world structure is very familiar. Would love to see how they could expand on it in a sequel, but I doubt it’ll do well enough to warrant one.

[@elchancho8432]

Can’t wait to try it out on Game Pass whenever that is

[@johnbishop2536]

Probably a year after the ps5-PC launch.

[@SS-sg4eg]

It's a Sony exclusive with PC port so no way it's coming to a Microsoft service..

[@elchancho8432]

@@SS-sg4eg it will it’s owned by Microsoft now so most likely after a year of exclusivity

[@jei3970]

@@SS-sg4eg It's coming to Xbox

[@blazelightzero595]

10:08 I'm glad someone remembers Midnight Club

[@DeanT1987]

This game is so artistically charming and unique, not the most polished game on console but I really love it has me hooked yes repetitive at times but what open world game isn’t? Its the nature of these types of games

[@XDarkEcho]

Open world games, hopefully, will change into more of what Elden Ring and BotW has done for the genre. Because, honestly, I don't think I can handle another Open World game that's the size of an ocean, but has the depth of a puddle. I'd rather have a semi-open experience, free to go where I please, and the world just be dense with activities to do; and a simple narrative that doesn't overshadow the player's journey throughout. Though, in the case of this game, it could've done with just segmented areas, that you choose from in a overworld map. Thus giving players a fairly sizeable and dense level with enemies a plenty, and each level/area could have their own theme. Kind of like what SIFU did.

[@MrSkullMerchant]

Botw was mostly empty space though lol all there was was shrines, korok seeds and ubisoft towers...

[@AndJusticeforAll567]

I was scared/already not interested after X-Play's review but this was the final nail of even picking this one on a sale. This is giving me "free ps+ game" kind of vibes too. Thanks for the good reviews as always!

[@zikarisg9025]

This is a perfect definition of a 7/10 game if I ever seen one. Nothing in it is bad and it is build on a good idea with distinct visual style and gameplay. But it is very very repetitive and the combat kit only feels fun at the very end when you have all powers maxed, but then there is no enemies that require these powers. I do not regret buying and playing this. However I have zero desire to completely clear the map or platinum it. Especially playing this right after Elden Ring had me roll my eyes at the map markers a couple of times. So yes, I would recommend it at a budget, play through the story and then never look back!

[@bruhder5854]

It's 5/10 worthy simply because it doesn't have anything unique about its mechanics nor does its identity have anything concrete to it. It's just plain average.

[@zikarisg9025]

@@bruhder5854 Let's settle on 6 then, it is still fun to play through though and is completely working as intended. But that is more a discussion on the rating scale. The setting and enemy design raises it above pure average, where the gameplay would put it.

[@jerryandersson4873]

Sad that they messed it up so. But perhaps they can re use the "set/setting" in more games. I got no idea why everyone seems to re invent the wheel for a new cart/car. When you already got wheels done, and just need to make a new cart/car ontop of it, and it would just be fine and time as well as work saving.

[@benisapp155]

Cannot say i am surprise. Considering it's history and miss-direction, it was bound to fail. It feels more like a show case demo game....nothing else. Good review.

[@zain1smith]

In any game if you need to collect an item for more than 30 times is just WHYYYY. Imagine in hundreds; Bloated, repetitive, doesnt add anything to the game other than makes you feel like doing a boring chore

[@lordmolag45000]

This reminds me of AngryJoe's Outlast 2 review, where he said "it's both really good, and really bad at times". He didn't recommend it, but the parts he praised he said were near excellent, just like Skill Up with Ghostwire: Tokyo.

[@nolives]

I didnt hear the word excellent once here. Its mediocre at best and thats being generous.

[@kierraellis6570]

I hope the studio can learn from their mistakes like Sifu's developer did. Have amazing concepts but not a full execution of it but give them another chance and they can make something great.

[@JCity17]

It will be the best 7/10 of the year. Worth playing in my humble opinion

[@pixiedemon9470]

Ya it's great

[@jibblerino]

It has a lot of issues but I really enjoyed my time with it. I'm bias though, being a fan of Japanese folklore & mythology, plus just having a map this detailed was incredibly immersive. I also think this experience benefits a lot from mininal HUD elements. The combat I found was pretty compelling on hard, mastering the parry & remembering to use your lock on kept it engaging. The main issue I have with that is your powers don't actually get stronger , so I lowered the difficulty at the last act of the game just to feel more powerful which is unfortunate. The side stories were short & sweet for most of the game, always touching on some folklore but then chapter 4 just turns into a lot of open world generic activities sadly. If you know what you're getting into I think it's a solid title with some flaws but for your average customer is not going to resonate with this.

[@witheringbird]

I didn’t have to much of a problem with the de sync issue because, at least for me, it only happened in the first pre rendered cutscene

[@timtoomuch]

On 3080ti and 12900k it looks amazing in 4k I got a locked 120hrtz and didn't have any audio issues

[@warsp1te]

I feel like the first person camera hinders the gameplay quite a lot. In third person the combat could have been way more dynamic, and some form of parkour could have helped the traversal as well.

[@Pupsker]

I was excited about this game when I first saw it but sadly not gonna bother to pick it up. Such a great aesthetic and visuals bored down with meh gameplay :( Probably a game I will catch on streams here/there.

[@James-yz4cc]

ok

[@boss862]

Give it a try on a good sale and pump that difficulty all the way up. It's a blast for a short campaign. The soundtrack is also really good.

[@welowee7610]

Hello fellow Tenno

[@maineman5757]

you might like it if you play. I find myself enjoying a lot of games that SkillUp doesn't recommend.

[@lazyvoid7107]

Still playing midframe?

[@TheTigerSpot]

I'm not sure if it has been brought up or not. The rain is actually the kanji (雨) for rain. So it shouldn't be a technical issue but a design choice. Great review Skill Up and have a wonderful day.

[@Copain88]

The rain isn’t rain. It’s rain kanji, and I think that’s cool

[@arashnabavi5932]

How is it that I look forward to shill up's reviews of video games more than thing itself?😀😂

[@uglystupidloser]

true, very true

[@_9SadMaN9_]

Honestly this game would've been amazing as a linear story focused game instead of a jumbled mess of an open world

[@liamcollinson5695]

Some thing was missing from this that I cannot put my finger on. I think it would of Been better if it was more like a cross between yakuza and the evil within. Horror works better when its in a confined area like the halls in silent hill

[@Skateandcreate9]

Look forward to every review mate! Cheers!

[@s-clone8964]

When i first heard of Ghostwire Tokyo i thought "this is going to be a fast paced action version of Forbidden Siren". Different dev's i know but my initial impression of the reveal trailer made it *feel* like it was going in that direction... Such A waste.

[@malazan6004]

I think you were wrong about this game

[@Fuckingboredrn]

When you finish elden ring do you think you'd do a revised review or a general thoughts on the products as a whole?

[@marcjoseph3973]

Fairly excited to see more of this game in the future