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Ghostwire Tokyo | Review Mega Thread

fart town usa

Gold Member
Finished this in 8 hours, doing a fair chunk of the sidequests too. Not worth £50 imo. Extremely repetitive, and even though the city is fairly big it ends up looking very samey, with a lot of copy paste buildings. The combat is very simple and gets boring really quickly. Quite disappointed as I thought there would be more depth to this.
It's honestly one of those things where you're either gonna love it and feel compelled to get as much out of it as you can or find it boring and underwhelming.

I hit 24 hours game time last night and am still on Chapter 3. Combat keeps getting better to me as I try new tactics and whatnot.

Clearly different strokes for different folks but I'm glad you bought it and played through it. Just helps with the sales numbers :messenger_grinning_sweat:
 

GymWolf

Member
Have to agree that it looks kind of boring.... The reviews says the combat is very simple and you can use the same strategy on all enemies. Asked my cousin who is playing it and he called it "A boring collect-a-ton open world experience".

Alot of people in here seem to enjoy it though so i might give it a chance after a price drop.
This is one of those games where the right coat of paint on familiar mechanics do a lot of heavy lifting.
There is literally zero unique things in the game and gameplay mechanics are just acceptable\ok, but the japanese folklore\naruto coat of paint is enough to make the game better than it really is.
 

Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
Good thing I watched GeGeGe no Kitarō anime, I recognize some of the Yokai I encountered so far.

7713a484020bbda472b0872d10f010ee.png


7aAiqzkUauO8xew_ohsUP_3.png

naruto coat
I don’t know why people say this, KK is not a ninja and abilities Akito is using is not shinobi abilities, they are monk exorcising Yokai.
 
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GymWolf

Member
Good thing I watched GeGeGe no Kitarō anime, I recognize some of the Yokai I encountered so far.

7713a484020bbda472b0872d10f010ee.png


7aAiqzkUauO8xew_ohsUP_3.png


I don’t know why people say this, KK is not a ninja and abilities Akito is using is not shinobi abilities, they are monk exorcising Yokai.
Tomato tòmato, i was just trying to express a concept.

Naruto does a lot of that hand weawing shenanigans so it was the first thing that comes my mind.

But sure, monk exorcising coat of paint.
 

TwinB242

Member
I enjoyed the game but agree with the ~75 aggregate score. The combat is far too simple and repetitive, and the skill tree doesn't help it much. Most of the unlocks and upgrades are too subtle to make much of an impact, which also hurts the sense of progression.
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
I'm continuing to play this but I think I'm gonna start main lining to the ending of the story. The controls are just too floaty and I'm not really fond of playing games on keyboard + mouse even on PC.

The one thing I love though is the vibrant city. It feels like Kamurocho (which, yes I know is inspired by Shinjiku) and I'm always down for that
 

fart town usa

Gold Member
I'm continuing to play this but I think I'm gonna start main lining to the ending of the story. The controls are just too floaty and I'm not really fond of playing games on keyboard + mouse even on PC.

The one thing I love though is the vibrant city. It feels like Kamurocho (which, yes I know is inspired by Shinjiku) and I'm always down for that
If I was rich I'd buy you a Dual Sense.
 
I picked this up and am enjoying it a lot. So put me in the camp that I’ll likely get the Platinum.

However the damn annoying sound of those birds you grapple to DRIVES ME INSANE. It’s so annoying and can be heard so loudly. It makes sense to have a sound to know it’s close and can be used but it’s so annoying. Awful.

Also is there an OT or a better thread to post in? Did the game bomb this hard?
 
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Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
However the damn annoying sound of those birds you grapple to DRIVES ME INSANE
I’m also enjoying this game but I have agree, those Tengu sound are obnoxiously annoying, there must be better way tell us where they are without those cries driving you insane.
 

hollams

Gold Member
For context I'm actually playing via Dualshock 4 and DS4windows. Not a crappy third party controller.
Did you try turning up both acceleration and deceleration to 100 it made a big difference for me. It does sound strange to do that, but once I did, the controls didn't feel floaty anymore.
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Did you try turning up both acceleration and deceleration to 100 it made a big difference for me. It does sound strange to do that, but once I did, the controls didn't feel floaty anymore.

Yes I did, definitely a big improvement over the default settings, but still this is one of the .. for the lack of a better word .. poorest implementation of a controller config on a game with 'shooter' mechanics I've played in a while.

Maybe it's better on a native console, maybe it'd be different if I plug in an XB pad so I don't have to use DS4Windows, but still.
 
I’m also enjoying this game but I have agree, those Tengu sound are obnoxiously annoying, there must be better way tell us where they are without those cries driving you insane.

Yeah it’s seriously obnoxious and clearly the game wasn’t play tested much at all as it easily would have been feedback given by players. Oof
 

fart town usa

Gold Member
Yes I did, definitely a big improvement over the default settings, but still this is one of the .. for the lack of a better word .. poorest implementation of a controller config on a game with 'shooter' mechanics I've played in a while.

Maybe it's better on a native console, maybe it'd be different if I plug in an XB pad so I don't have to use DS4Windows, but still.
Do you use the L2 lock on at all? It's not really lock on, more like insanely generous auto aim but I rarely ever just manually aim and shoot. I'm always spamming L2. Only time I manually aim and shoot is when I'm sniping with the bow.

Yeah it’s seriously obnoxious and clearly the game wasn’t play tested much at all as it easily would have been feedback given by players. Oof
I've been gradually adjusting the SE. Have it all the way down to 25 now, Tengus aren't really there in the mix but everything else is for the most part. SE is really high in the mix, try turning it down if you haven't already. I also play with headphones.


I'm level 42, playing on Hard. Just started chapter 4 last night, 35 hours in. I'm still absolutely loving this game. It's definitely repetitive but I just think it's damn fun and I love the songs you can buy, 'Theory of Eternity' is so damn chill and makes me zone out while exploring, super relaxing. I'm determined to get the platinum, reached 50% total souls last night and have most of the ones that you need to go out of your way for.
 
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OZ9000

Banned
Extremely repetitive game and feels very Ubisoft inspired with the generic open world format.

The trailers and gameplay previews looked more interesting than the final product.

Unfortunately most games which are released nowadays lack genuine quality. I think I'd rather replay games which I have thoroughly enjoyed than to try average/generic titles.
 
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fart town usa

Gold Member
Extremely repetitive game and feels very Ubisoft inspired with the generic open world format.

The trailers and gameplay previews looked more interesting than the final product.

Unfortunately most games which are released nowadays lack genuine quality. I think I'd rather replay games which I have thoroughly enjoyed than to try average/generic titles.
Only thing I can comment on with the Ubisoft comparison is that I've never liked Ubisoft open world titles. The few I've tried I really disliked, enough to make me avoid Ubisoft games.

I wouldn't say Ghostwire lacks genuine quality. PC issues aside, the game itself feels insanely thought out and well polished. It's just kind of basic.

Too often people associate a game being boring with low quality. There's plenty of games that are doing much more than Ghostwire but I find them unappealing for other reasons. Too much scope, ambition, etc. Just bogs down the experience for me and feels bloated. I don't think they're "bad" games though. There's something appealing about the simplicity of Ghostwire for me.

Enemy AI is the weakest part of the game IMO, they're not aggressive enough.

It is what it is. I just hope it sells decent enough for Tango.
 

OZ9000

Banned
Only thing I can comment on with the Ubisoft comparison is that I've never liked Ubisoft open world titles. The few I've tried I really disliked, enough to make me avoid Ubisoft games.

I wouldn't say Ghostwire lacks genuine quality. PC issues aside, the game itself feels insanely thought out and well polished. It's just kind of basic.

Too often people associate a game being boring with low quality. There's plenty of games that are doing much more than Ghostwire but I find them unappealing for other reasons. Too much scope, ambition, etc. Just bogs down the experience for me and feels bloated. I don't think they're "bad" games though. There's something appealing about the simplicity of Ghostwire for me.

Enemy AI is the weakest part of the game IMO, they're not aggressive enough.

It is what it is. I just hope it sells decent enough for Tango.
You're right.

I just found the game boring. There is nothing that is compelling me to play it.

The basic gameplay is very repetitive.

On the other hand, when I was playing the God Of War campaign, all I ever thought about was 'what is next'. I could not put that game down. Same with Doom 2016 and Doom Eternal.
 

Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
I personally liked the combat in the game, it feels good to parry and take out group of enemies at once but the problem is there is not that many enemy types.
 

rofif

Can’t Git Gud
I still didn't pull a trigger on it.
Evil Within 2 is one of my favs but this is not speaking to me just yet.
PC versions looks like the one to go with. Or are there some exclusive features on ps5 ?
 

fart town usa

Gold Member
you should buy multiple $60 copies of this game to maximize your enjoyment
Maybe PS6 will get a remaster. And then PS7 will get a remake.

I still didn't pull a trigger on it.
Evil Within 2 is one of my favs but this is not speaking to me just yet.
PC versions looks like the one to go with. Or are there some exclusive features on ps5 ?
Just Dual Sense but PC is compatible with that too, so not exclusive. I like mouse & keyboard but can't imagine playing this game with it. I dunno, it might work for you just fine but this game really comes off as being designed with a controller in mind, especially the Dual Sense features.

I'm in the process of uploading a no commentary 'exploration' video right now. I'll tag you in it once it's done. The game flow is essentially; cleanse a tori gate to reveal parts of the map, side missions unlock and those usually put you in a more confined spooky/atmospheric section of the game. Side missions are sometimes completed in a matter of minutes, some take 20 or so minutes. Story missions sometimes get atmospheric but so far they're just a tool that triggers events that allow more tori gates to be revealed. The bulk of the game is exploration and that's why I mentioned the video I'm uploading. As someone who really enjoys the game, I feel like I'm playing it in the best way possible, the mechanics are limited but you can definitely have fun just fucking around with different combat styles and the vertical platforming is just damn fun. It's basic stuff but it's also just pure video game entertainment to me. If the footage looks fun to you, I say go for it. If it doesn't, I'd wait for a sale cause otherwise you're just gonna plow through the story and probably feel like you wasted money. I will say though, some of the side missions are effing awesome, the atmosphere and visual tricks are really great, especially the sound design. I haven't been capturing those scenes though cause they're honestly worth experiencing as blind as possible.
 
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Hydroxy

Member
You're right.

I just found the game boring. There is nothing that is compelling me to play it.

The basic gameplay is very repetitive.

On the other hand, when I was playing the God Of War campaign, all I ever thought about was 'what is next'. I could not put that game down. Same with Doom 2016 and Doom Eternal.
Yeah it is simply boring. The story is boring, combat is repetitive, and the city is samey with almost similar locations. The main character is boring. There isn't much redeeming features about this game.
 

TwiztidElf

Member
I can't understand the 6-8 hour campaign comments.
I'm at chapter 4 with 12-13 hours. I don't rush point to point, but I haven't really done much side stuff either.

I'm enjoying it, particularly the insanity effects mix things up nicely stylistically.
Not going to deny that it is repetitive, but it doesn't matter to me as I'm enjoying it regardless, soaking in the world and atmosphere.
 
I can't understand the 6-8 hour campaign comments.
I'm at chapter 4 with 12-13 hours. I don't rush point to point, but I haven't really done much side stuff either.

I'm enjoying it, particularly the insanity effects mix things up nicely stylistically.
Not going to deny that it is repetitive, but it doesn't matter to me as I'm enjoying it regardless, soaking in the world and atmosphere.

Agreed here. I’m at 20 hours starting chapter 3.
 

fart town usa

Gold Member
rofif rofif , couple things to keep in mind.
  • This is literally as boring as the game gets. It's a mostly cleared out area, I was just searching for souls. Main purpose of the video was just to get that song on YouTube in a lengthy format.
  • The music that's playing, it doesn't normally play. It's a song I bought from a vendor. I usually listen to vendor songs when I'm just exploring and dicking around. The regular OST is ambient sounds with spooky music sprinkled in, there is also a battle theme and it puts me on edge. I always play with head phones and in the dark. This is a type of game to play in the dark, with headphones, and minimal distractions. I mean, most games are like that in a way but this one especially. Sound design is super absorbing.
  • The city usually doesn't look so dull. It's usually night and atmospheric. The game was gradually getting lighter but something happened at the end of a Chapter and it got dark again. I much prefer when the city is dark, it looks and feels much better.
  • The map is pretty damn big and there are a good deal of side quests with some great stories, some of them are pretty spooky. The game isn't outright scary but it puts me on edge with ease, mainly due to the sound design.
  • There are a lot of confined and spooky set pieces with some awesome visual designs and there is plenty of character growth between the two protagonists. The story, to me, is really intriguing. It's a total mystery that involves a private paranormal detective agency called...Ghostwire: Tokyo. No clue how the story will wrap up but it's intriguing so far.
  • There are a shit ton of files to pick up if you're into that. There's also great world building with how clothes are strewn about and some of the relics you pick up (there's clothes everywhere cause everyone in Tokyo turned to ghosts). For instance, you find a knife that's linked to serial killers within a bathroom stall. Clearly the guy in there was a serial killer. There's another relic you find, it's an old instrument that can also be used as blow dart weapon, you find it on the edge of the rooftop overlooking a public area, clearly the guy was going to snipe some people.
  • There are so many cool details in this game but they aren't worth showing. It's like, yea I can upload all kinds of videos of the really cool shit and be like, "see, the game does all kinds of stuff" but then that would completely ruin it for people who might really enjoy the game.
  • The game is definitely basic in it's mechanics but it's also really easy to play and allows for lots of experimentation in how you go about things. I've said it before but the game is as exciting or as boring as you want it to be. In the video I fight 3 girls on a rooftop. Yea, I could have just pew pew pew'd 'em but I opted to mostly go melee and work on parrying. The AI is kinda shit at times and the video shows that, but I'm also doing what I can to engage myself with the game. It's fun to me.
  • The world itself isn't that interactive, most doors don't open, if a door can be opened it shows on your map.
  • The map can get really messy but you can turn off whatever you want to clear things up.
Clearly I'm a big fan but not trying to argue with people on here about a videogame. Just sucks to see something that, to me, is damn fun and well designed get trashed by so many people. You'd think the sales figures must be in the millions cause apparently everyone has played it and determined that it sucks, lol.

If this looks remotely entertaining to you, you're in for so much more. If not, save your money for a sale. Just avoid spoilers in the meantime. This footage is stuff that's totally optional for the most part. 1st video is time stamped to some exploration. 2nd is time stamped to an arena type fight, 3rd is OST music showing the atmosphere that the game has.

This will be my last post in Ghostwire threads until I platinum the game.





 
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Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
I just finished and overall I enjoyed the game, it’s not perfect far from it, as much as enjoyed the combat, I wish it had more enemy variety and its open world had nice detail but still its very much your typical checklist design.

But at end of the day the game had AMAZING atmosphere and visual style, especially some of the levels in main chapter.
 

Bartski

Gold Member
Credits rolled.

Combat is definitely its strongest point, especially after making it up the skill tree to improve each skill's weapon archetype function. Too bad it gets old rather fast as most of the time you fight 7 slightly different types of dudes with an umbrella and some headless children. The occasional or late-game bigger foes and bosses are where it's at, good stuff. Not sure why people have issues with aiming I hear, it works ok like COD with L2 lock on. Ripping out multiple cores at once with haptic feedback felt good 'till the very end.

Just makes me think how much better Ghostwire could be if all the budget went into expanding combat mechanics and enemy variety, rather than the truly piss poor open-world aspect of it. There is simply not enough meat on the bone here to keep things interesting at this scale, resulting in a huge city environment that looks great and definitely delivers the vibe but feels barren and pointless to explore. The side quests aren't even that bad at squeezing out a very limited pool of mechanics. NPC being ghost shades with zero personality doesn't help, perhaps the Japanese VO makes a difference but I hate reading subtitles so after switching to English it just barely does the job.
It's clear the game went through many re-works with remnants of systems that seem totally redundant in their current shape like the inventory.

Also, this is not a horror game. Switch to "Hard" for any sense of threat from the mobs, switch back to "Normal" on bosses for a smooth sail through the story.

I can't say I didn't enjoy it, just much less I thought I will. Much less than Evil Within 2 which IMO was very underrated. I respect Tango for going for something risky, different and unique but now I'm worried about them focusing on smaller non horror games moving forward.
 

Erdrick

Member
I'm on chapter 3 with some 30 hours playtime since release day back on March 25. While definitely flawed and plenty could be done to improve certain things... (The incessant sqwaking of Tengu, the limited enemy types and the kind of repeated play when coming to new areas, for some examples.) I'm still really enjoying the atmosphere and overall feel of the game. I really appreciate that a game like this exists.

I am curious if some DLC is in the works or something? There seems to be so much that is going on with K.K., Ed and the rest of the crew that we don't really know. (At least where I am in the game so far.) The visual novel freebie adds some much appreciated context for many mentioned characters. However, I still feel like stuff is missing, storywise.

Again, no regrets buying this day one. I'm having a fun time chilling with Nekomatas in stores while finding random treasures for them. I'm also using the Japanese dub and can't un-hear Kars from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure whenever K.K. speaks. It's a flawed but still fun open world first person game that will hopefully reach enough of an audience so more fans like myself can appreciate Tango's quirky creations.

I'm eager to play more later tonight. If only to see where this ends up all going.
 

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman


Ghostwire: Tokyo is filled to the brim with creativity and unique ideas. It's too bad it doesn't quite land on its execution.

Call it a cautionary recommendation - it's very much a steam sale kind of pickup.

Ghostwire: Tokyo has something special going for it, but it's fairly derivative open-world design that pulls heavily from the world of western titles holds it back, amongst other aspects.

Tango Gameworks are a talented studio - I'm curious to see what they take from Ghostwire: Tokyo in what they put out next.

Timestamps:
00:00 - Prelude
02:16 - Exploration in Ghostwire: Tokyo
03:56 - Quests in Ghostwire: Tokyo
06:48 - Combat in Ghostwire: Tokyo
09:01 - The Open-world of Ghostwire: Tokyo
11:33 - Plot of Ghostwire: Tokyo
12:34 - In Conclusion
 

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman


Review code provided by Bethesda Softworks.

My final review for Tango Gameworks' "Ghostwire Tokyo" (PC Version)

I received a copy of this game for free from Bethesda. Despite this - I have provided what I feel are my true and honest opinions of the product in its current state.

This review was created in a way that is intended to avoid any spoilers, and therefore will purposely avoid showing late game content.

00:00 Intro
01:40 Story (Spoiler Free)
03:06 Open World
07:27 Combat
10:30 Progression System
11:52 Presentation
14:38 Conclusion
 
I'm struggling to enjoy this due to the input lag of the controls on ps5 ..even 60 fps mode doesn't feel great though it's 10x more responsive than 30 fps, which like Cyberpunk, is truly unplayable at 30.

What's with some developers being so incompetent when it comes to: a) fps controls and b) fps controls at 30 fps?

60 is always going to feel better than 30 for am fps but like, can you at least make it someone responsive? I would normally not think of playing an fps at 30 but both cyberpunk and this have RT and look significantly better in fidelity mode.

Devs-If you're making an fps you've got to hire someone who knows what they're doing in implanting this stuff.
 

fart town usa

Gold Member
I'm struggling to enjoy this due to the input lag of the controls on ps5 ..even 60 fps mode doesn't feel great though it's 10x more responsive than 30 fps, which like Cyberpunk, is truly unplayable at 30.

What's with some developers being so incompetent when it comes to: a) fps controls and b) fps controls at 30 fps?

60 is always going to feel better than 30 for am fps but like, can you at least make it someone responsive? I would normally not think of playing an fps at 30 but both cyberpunk and this have RT and look significantly better in fidelity mode.

Devs-If you're making an fps you've got to hire someone who knows what they're doing in implanting this stuff.
I played on performance for a few dozen hours and then switched over to RT Performance.

I didn't notice input lag but that just might be my own sensitivity, or lack thereof.

Hope it clicks for you, I loved my time with the game. I'll probably do a 2nd playthrough in the winter. It was the total package for me, total surprise 10/10.
 

k_trout

Member
I'm struggling to enjoy this due to the input lag of the controls on ps5 ..even 60 fps mode doesn't feel great though it's 10x more responsive than 30 fps, which like Cyberpunk, is truly unplayable at 30.
I stopped playing on pc cause there was something off with the mouse look, even at around 80fps on gsync it felt wrong ruined the game for me
 

RNG

Member
Just finished the game on PC. I enjoyed it and thought it was great, the graphics were great too with all the settings maxed out + all raytracing settings on ultra. Gameplay got repetitive towards the end, all you have to do is walk backwards or side to side while whaling on the enemies, but I did enjoy the superpowers and feeling like a badass as I unlocked more abilities. Plus unlocking the ability to grapple anywhere on the rooftops and maxing out on the length to hover made traversing so much better.

My only nitpick on the technical side of the things was the default FOV was too damn small and there was no slider built-in. Thankfully you can use flawless widescreen to increase it.

Overall I'd give it a solid 8/10.
 
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boomcrab

Member
Just finished the game on PC. I enjoyed it and thought it was great, the graphics were great too with all the settings maxed out + all raytracing settings on ultra. Gameplay got repetitive towards the end, all you have to do is walk backwards or side to side while whaling on the enemies, but I did enjoy the superpowers and feeling like a badass as I unlocked more abilities. Plus unlocking the ability to grapple anywhere on the rooftops and maxing out on the length to hover made traversing so much better.

My only nitpick on the technical side of the things was the default FOV was too damn small and there was no slider built-in. Thankfully you can use flawless widescreen to increase it.

Overall I'd give it a solid 8/10.
It's a damn shame so much of the media ruined the perception of this game. So many people seem to think its bad, but it's actually pretty solid. 8/10 is exactly how I feel as well
 

tommib

Member
I finally managed to grab this from PSN and I think it’s wonderful. Also, the graphics and style are outstanding. I’m like 4 hours in so everything is still very mysterious which I find cool.

Anyway, what graphical option should I choose on a PS5 with a 60hz tv with no VRR of course. I find the options confusing. I’m playing on performance but there’s also a HFR quality mode with vsync which looks quite good and smooth to me? I have no idea what all these options do.
 

Krathoon

Member
I bought this game on Amazon in new condition and the key was already used.
It did look like it was re-shrink wrapped. It did not have that folded shrink wrap you normally get.
I asked for a replacement. We will see how this goes.

I always liked yokai. Japan has some great mystical folklore. Yokai Watch is also a great game series.
They took the english version of GeGeGe no Kitaro off of Tubi.
 
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tommib

Member
I bought this game on Amazon in new condition and the key was already used.
It did look like it was re-shrink wrapped. It did not have that folded shrink wrap you normally get.
I asked for a replacement. We will see how this goes.
And I thought this was a reply to my graphic options question…

crickets GIF
 
I finally managed to grab this from PSN and I think it’s wonderful. Also, the graphics and style are outstanding. I’m like 4 hours in so everything is still very mysterious which I find cool.

Anyway, what graphical option should I choose on a PS5 with a 60hz tv with no VRR of course. I find the options confusing. I’m playing on performance but there’s also a HFR quality mode with vsync which looks quite good and smooth to me? I have no idea what all these options do.

Glad too see you posting again man. Your one of the few posters that I respect here.
 

fart town usa

Gold Member
I finally managed to grab this from PSN and I think it’s wonderful. Also, the graphics and style are outstanding. I’m like 4 hours in so everything is still very mysterious which I find cool.

Anyway, what graphical option should I choose on a PS5 with a 60hz tv with no VRR of course. I find the options confusing. I’m playing on performance but there’s also a HFR quality mode with vsync which looks quite good and smooth to me? I have no idea what all these options do.
I played like 40 hours with performance mode and then switched over to HFR Performance (I think it's called HFR Performance), non VRR. edit- RT Performance is what I went with.

Stoked that you're playing it dude, give some updates as you progress further. I made it clear in these Ghostwire threads but I gotta say it again, I absolutely adored the game and got the platinum, first platinum for me. Put in roughly 67 hours and it was pure gaming bliss the whole time.

Hope it keeps your interest. Don't forget about the songs you can buy from vendors, the DJ Multiverse tracks are great for when you need a change of pace, really makes the game feel like an arcade game while fighting and gliding around.
 
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