Ghost of Yotei (PS5)

Background

I really enjoyed Ghost of Tsushima. It was the right amount of open world exploration/checklists and relaxing exploration. Went into this game with optimism.

Offline Play / Game Preservation / DRM

I bought this on disk and tried initially to play it 100% offline without an account or internet connection. I'm tired of DRM and companies tracking and analyzing my gameplay for metrics. 

According to the Does it Play page, this game gave a good experience offline when they tested it. 

There was a day one patch though, which I did end up downloading. I found fixed a couple bugs and improved the UI.

On PS5, I didn't need to make an account, just connect to download the patch. That was a nice surprise and different from Xbox which forces accounts.

Graphics and Performance

The game ran at a locked 60 FPS, looked as good as Ghost of Tsushima. Wouldn't call it a better looking game though.

Gameplay Systems

Slightly more complex and in-depth relative to Ghost of Tsushima. They added a fun gambling game. Also, loadouts were helpful to quickly switch equipment in different situations.

Exploration

Fun. If I wanted to slow travel I could. Lots of fast travel points as well were a nice option.

Progression / Storytelling

I preferred the previous game here. The story was simple and effective enough to drive the gameplay, but I didn't find it as compelling.

Difficulty

The final boss I found to be very easy, relative to Ghost of Tsushima. I'm not sure if this was because I did more exploring for items in the game before the final fight.

Conclusion

A relaxing and great looking game. Really enjoyed it. 9/10.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch 2)

Background

I started playing this on the original Switch when it was released. I was enjoying it, but I got about 15 hours in before the framerate drops made it less enjoyable. Decided to wait until the next iteration of Switch came out to finish it.

Graphics and Performance

The game ran at a locked 60 FPS. Graphics were the same as the original Switch.

Extra Switch 2 Features

The re-release wasn't free, but came with some online features. I did like the stats on the Nintendo app.

Gameplay Systems

Overall more complex and in-depth relative to Breath of the Wild. No negatives here. I just wish they didn't keep the durability system.

Exploration

The map was different enough from Breath of the Wild to give it a new feel. The sky and underground sections weren't as fun to explore, too many obstacles to just pick a direction and see what is out there.

Progression / Storytelling

Great, more of the same. My only complaint is the fifth sage quest - I didn't do a side quest, and ~50 hours into the game was expected to remember an area that wasn't accessible. Had to look this up.

Conclusion

It's fine. I personally took a lot of notes while playing, enjoyed most of the gameplay systems and had a fun time exploring. 7/10.