PlayStation 2020: PS5 Exclusives

Last year, Seattle-based developer Sucker Punch Productions celebrated the 20th anniversary of their first game release, Rocket: Robot on Wheels for the Nintendo 64, which has likely become the developer’s only title to release on a non-Sony platform. After signing a deal with Sony in 2000, Sucker Punch went on to produce two prominent PlayStation-exclusive trilogies, starting with the stealth platformers of Sly Cooper on PS2, and followed by the open world super-powered adventures of InFamous that spanned across PS3 and PS4. The largely-positive receptions of the six games has led Sucker Punch to become one of Sony’s predominant first party developers alongside Naughty Dog and Insomniac, but since releasing Infamous: Second Son (and its spinoff First Light ) in 2014, the team has slowed down their release schedule as they work on their most ambitious game to date, Ghost of Tsushima. Originally revealed near the end of 2017, Sucker Punch has returned to the realm of open world journeys but turned the clock back to the 13th century, as one of the last samurai of ancient Japan looks to defend his people against the invading Mongols. With Sony yet to provide any hands-on opportunities with the title despite it being less than three months until release, one would be better suited to look back at Sucker Punch’s history and the strongest elements of their games to potentially determine the key lessons that went into developing Ghost of Tsushima.

Although Sly Cooper 2 and 3 explored less linear sections and had a greater sense of freedom in their level design, Sucker Punch’s first true open world title was 2009’s InFamous, which featured a fully-realized metropolitan area known as Empire City. The sizable environment featured plenty of optional encounters, side missions and collectibles to entertain the player outside of campaign missions, all of which helped boost Cole MacGrath’s super-powered abilities and sense of morality. Sucker Punch continued to explore large cities in the form of New Marais and Seattle in InFamous 2 and Second Son respectively, all the while expanding the ways players could traverse the city in quick manners, such as grinding on electric wires or levitation. While Jin’s ability to traverse via horse is significantly less outlandish, the sparse environments that have been shown off so far drastically contrast the hustle and bustle of the cities of InFamous, but still retain that same attention to detail and natural reactions that result from the player’s actions, from the blowing leaves in the wind to the mud and blood flying through the air during a combat encounter. Through a focus on transportation and immersive details, Sucker Punch is utilizing the smaller elements that bolstered InFamous’ reputation to enhance Ghost of Tsushima’s take on a completely different type of civilization.


Following protagonist Jin Sakai, one of the only remaining samurai out for revenge following the Mongol invasion of his homeland, Ghost of Tsushima is a dramatic story loosely based on the real-world events of the Mongol invasion of Tsushima Island in 1274. In an attempt to thwart the oncoming invasion, Jin's comrades are overwhelmed and massacred, leaving Jin to haunt the Mongol invaders who took everything from


It's hard to know where to begin when bringing up the excitement swelling around the Final Fantasy 7 Remake . Square Enix has toed the line of controversy and excitement, by adding new story beats , an episodic release, and character redesigns. However, no matter how many controversies hit this game, nothing is going to stop the hype train that is ready to plow right through March when Final Fantasy 7 Remake is set to hit shel

While the InFamous games gradually incorporated more stealth components as they progressed, their anthropomorphic PS2 adventures made silent avoidance a key mechanic of the experience, as the titular raccoon and his cohorts primarily relied upon thievery as their main career choices. As Sly Cooper 2 and 3 explored new ways to push the gameplay forward, players ultimately got the opportunity to not only control other characters outside of Sly, but utilize more gadgets to gain the upper hand on a given situation, including smoke bombs for quick escapes, paragliders for quiet traversal and disguises to blend in and fool the enemies. While the combat of Ghost of Tsushima guide|https://tsushimagame.com/ of Tsushima looks to focus on efficiency and a touch for the dramatic, protagonist Jin Sakai will also have the opportunity to utilize stealth to reduce the amount of enemies in a given area, which is strengthened by his tools including a grappling hook and smoke bombs, among others. As Sucker Punch refined their stealth gameplay through three Sly Cooper games, one can hope that the same reliance on verticality and quick reflexes will provide the same sense of satisfaction that made the classic games stand the test of time.


From a historical perspective, Khotun Khan appears to be based on Kublai Khan, who was the Great Khan of the Mongol Empire during this time. Although he was technically the fifth Khagan of the Mongol Empire, Kublai's reign is known for his founding of the Yuan dynasty in China after conquering it and ruled until his death in 1294. He was able to expand the borders of the empire from the Pacific Ocean all the way west to the Black