Gaming

Ghost of Yotei review: A tale sharpened by vengeance

Cold steel, quiet moments, and the heavy cost of revenge

Published

September 25, 2025

Revenge doesn’t leave room for ceremony. It doesn’t wait for drums to roll or banners to rise. Revenge is quick, sharp, and personal—like a blade pressed against the throat of the one who wronged you. That’s the story Ghost of Yotei tells, and it’s the story you live the moment you step into Atsu’s sandals.

If Ghost of Tsushima was about honor, legacy, and the soul of a nation under siege, Ghost of Yotei takes a different cut. It strips away the grandeur of armies clashing on fields and the dilemma of fighting as samurai or ghost. Instead, it focuses on something more primal: one woman’s burning need to reclaim her home and carve justice into those who tore it from her.

This shift makes Yotei a different kind of ghost story. One less about how history remembers you and more about how vengeance consumes you.

First impressions: A premier PS5 experience

Within the first hour, Ghost of Yotei asserts itself as a premier PS5 title. That’s almost a given these days, but here it’s worth pausing to appreciate. Yotei is breathtaking, from snowcapped peaks to dense villages, rendered with such clarity that you find yourself slowing down just to look.

Even the act of riding your horse feels cinematic, the camera pulling back ever so slightly to give you a wider, painterly view of the world. It’s a quiet but effective touch that makes exploration feel grand without losing intimacy.

The DualSense controller adds another layer, not with flashy gimmicks but with quiet, mundane moments. You feel it in the strain of building a fire, the tension of stringing a shamisen, the rhythm of cooking, or the delicate strokes of sumi-e side missions.

They don’t change the game, but they draw you into its quieter spaces—the stillness between battles where Atsu is more than her vengeance.

The opening sequence also sets the tone. Forget the sweeping invasion of Tsushima, where armies clashed and honor hung in the balance. Here, Atsu’s journey begins with something far smaller and more personal: a confrontation with one of her primary targets. No soldiers at your back, no sprawling battlefield—just you, your steel, and the first taste of revenge.

Combat and exploration: Sharpened and reforged

If Tsushima made combat dance-like with its flowing stances, Yotei changes the rhythm. Stances are gone, replaced instead with switching weapons tailored to enemy types.

On paper, it’s a neat twist. In practice, it can feel clunkier. Switching mid-fight, I often tried to chain an attack only to end up swapping weapons instead. Some of that might be muscle memory, but even after adjusting, the mechanic occasionally broke the flow.

That said, the expanded arsenal adds versatility. You’re no longer bound to katana-only duels. Since Atsu isn’t weighed down by samurai honor, every tool at your disposal is fair game—even in duels.

Throwing kunai, other ghost tools, and heavier weapons all come into play, making fights unpredictable and deeply satisfying when you string the right combinations together.

Loadouts are another standout addition. You get five customizable sets of armor and charms, and you can switch between them mid-fight. It’s a system that rewards experimentation, letting you prepare builds for stealth, brute force, or balanced encounters.

Progression feels organic, too. Yotei doesn’t spell out what you can or can’t handle. It’s only when you test yourself against strongholds that you discover just how outmatched you are.

That trial-and-error loop—failing, upgrading, returning stronger—feels like a lesson taught through scars, perfectly in line with Atsu’s path of vengeance.

And then there’s exploration. You’re free to roam after the prologue, but the game gently nudges you toward key areas first. Along the way, incidental encounters teach mechanics without overt tutorials.

Birds and foxes still guide you, but less intrusively than before. Often it’s NPCs whose chance encounters point you toward bamboo strikes, hot springs, or vanity items, making the world feel more lived in.

Story and side quests: Revenge with depth

What surprised me most about Ghost of Yotei is how well story and gameplay hold each other. The cohesion here is tighter than in Tsushima — which was already tight to begin with. Every side quest, every diversion, flows back into Atsu’s journey.

On the surface, Atsu is a mercenary and bounty hunter, her blade guided by vengeance. But the side quests are where cracks show. You see her warmth, her compassion—the humanity she tries to bury beneath her steel. It’s this duality that shapes pivotal story beats. Atsu isn’t just a vessel for revenge; she’s someone who struggles with how much of herself she’s willing to sacrifice to see it through.

That’s what makes her story resonate. You aren’t just dishing out cold steel—you’re watching someone wrestle with the very cost of vengeance.

It’s also where the game sneaks in moments that make you smile. Twenty hours in, I switched the dialogue to Japanese and noticed NPCs calling Atsu rurouni. That’s “wanderer” in English—a reminder that while the localized anime Rurouni Kenshin was branded as Samurai X, its truer translation is Kenshin the Wanderer. It’s a subtle cultural touch that grounded Atsu’s character even more, a drifter carrying vengeance but also a heart still searching.

Around the 60-percent mark, I switched to Watanabe mode, where the creator of Samurai Champloo lends his signature lo-fi beats to exploration and combat.

After 40 to 45 hours, the change in music breathed new life into the experience. Still, the tracks lacked variety. A handful more would have gone a long way toward making the mode feel as dynamic as it deserved.

Variety and challenge

Combat and exploration may carry the game, but variety keeps it fresh. Early hours separate puzzles, platforming, and raids. Deeper in, the game starts blending them.

Solve a puzzle, it opens into a platforming section, which then rewards you with a raid. It’s a satisfying escalation that prevents fatigue from setting in.

Photo mode is fun as always.

And of course, the Easter eggs are back. Just as Tsushima tucked little surprises for fans to find, Yotei does the same. They’re never heavy-handed, always small delights for those paying attention.

The price of vengeance

By the time the credits roll, Ghost of Yotei leaves you with something sharper than spectacle. Where Tsushima gave you the weight of history, Yotei carves its mark with intimacy. Revenge doesn’t need armies or nations to matter—it just needs a blade and a target.

That’s why Ghost of Yotei stands on its own. It may lack the grandeur of its predecessor, but it’s more cohesive, more personal, and more daring in how it tells its story. Atsu’s journey isn’t about how the world remembers her; it’s about how far vengeance will take her—and how much of herself she’ll lose along the way.

In the end, Ghost of Yotei is less a story about honor and more a reminder of the cost of revenge. And it’s a price you’ll feel, long after the controller is set down.

I highly recommend this game. It’s a swift Swipe Up—as swift as Atsu unleashing a katana strike.

Ghost of Yotei was reviewed on a PlayStation 5. The Publisher provided the review keys.

Related Topics:Ghost of Yotei PlayStation PlayStation 5 PS5 Sucker Punch Studios

Gaming

Now Playing: Elden Ring Tarnished Edition

Is the Switch 2 port worth the price?

Published

September 4, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

How do you review one of the greatest games of all time?

Elden Ring is one of those games that needs no introduction. Launched in 2022, the difficult fantasy RPG rapidly skyrocketed into the year’s top spot. Then, it got even better with 2024’s Shadow of the Erdtree, a sizable DLC that packed in a new map with new challenges. Now, I’ve reviewed both and found them well worth the price of admission. So, what else is there to say?

Well, late last month, Elden Ring launched its much-awaited port for the Switch 2 through a Tarnished Edition, a bundle that conveniently pairs the base game with the DLC in one package. In an instant, there are now two new things to talk about: How well does the game perform on a Switch 2? What does the Tarnished Edition add?

Is Elden Ring worth getting for the Switch 2?

Compared to the original Switch, the second Switch features a way better processor. Games aren’t locked to the limitations of yesteryear: 720p resolution, 30fps. However, the Switch 2 still isn’t the best console for chasing performance. Personally, I’ve been using it almost exclusively for first-party Nintendo games and older (and smaller) titles.

That said, Nintendo has grandiose dreams for its latest console. Starting with Cyberpunk 2077, the console wants to be a home for modern games, too, and Elden Ring is the perfect candidate for that.

Naturally, a Switch 2 port can fill fans with consternation especially after they’ve experienced the legendary game on more powerful consoles. Is the Switch 2 a good match?

Yes, if you don’t mind playing at 30fps. Unfortunately, Elden Ring is locked to only 30fps on the console. Though a good chunk of the population is clearly fine with the framerate, it’s a bit of a struggle for me especially in handheld mode.

Maybe it’s my aging eyes, but having a game so close to my face but locked at 30fps doesn’t make for a good time. I got dizzy pretty quickly. It also didn’t help that the handheld mode had several stutters.

As with other games on the platform, docked mode had significant improvements. Sure, it’s still locked at 30fps, but a consistent framerate is much better than a stuttering one. Despite the downgrade, the Switch 2 can handle the game well.

Is the Tarnished Edition worth getting?

Most FromSoftware games will get a complete edition eventually. All of the Dark Souls titles got one, and Elden Ring is no exception.

The biggest difference here is that the Tarnished Edition is technically exclusive to the Switch 2. It’s the only package available for the console. It includes the base game, the expansion pack, two new starting classes, new skins for Torrent, and new armors. It’s the most comprehensive way to play the entirety of Elden Ring, excepting Nightreign.

If you’re on another platform, the Tarnished Edition updates — the new classes, skins, and armors — are available only through a Tarnished Pack purchased separately. Is it worth the price?

The most exciting part of the update is the addition of two new classes: Heavy Knight and Idus Knight. For me, I prefer the Heavy Knight, a hardy class focused on heavy armor, endurance, and strength. It’s a very straightforward class for those who prefer direct damage. Idus Knight, on the other hand, focuses on dexterity and faith, if you prefer playing with quicker attacks and miracles.

The rest, in my opinion, is just cherry on top. The new armor and customization options are nice to have, but I don’t have a strong feeling that it’s worth the price of an extra DLC.

Is Elden Ring Tarnished Edition your PlayMatch?

As I said, it’s hard to review the special edition or a port of a universally acclaimed game. Focusing on the minutiae of performance and slight upgrades doesn’t feel like it does Elden Ring justice. The game earned 2022’s Game of the Year for a reason.

That said, I can’t recommend Elden Ring and Shadow of the Erdtree enough. If you haven’t played it yet and only have a Switch 2, the Tarnished Edition gets a Swipe Right and a Super Swipe.

However, if you’ve already finished the game and have no intention of playing it elsewhere (especially on a potentially weaker platform), this gets a Swipe Left. You can shell out a few bucks for the Tarnished Pack, though, if you really want to support the game.

Gaming

The original PlayStation gets the LEGO treatment

The original PlayStation is now a LEGO set.

Published

September 4, 2026

Rodneil Quiteles

Remember the original PlayStation? The gray box that introduced an entire generation to 3D gaming is now getting rebuilt — one LEGO brick at a time.

LEGO and PlayStation have revealed the LEGO PlayStation, a 1,911-piece set that recreates the original console and its controller in near 1:1 scale.

The set celebrates more than 30 years of PlayStation history. Once built, the console measures over 6cm high, 26cm wide, and 19cm deep.

It isn’t just a static display piece, either. You can press the Power and Open buttons, while the included original-style controller can plug into the front of the console.

And if that wasn’t nostalgic enough, there’s more hiding inside.

There are two games inside

Opening the LEGO PlayStation reveals two miniature dioramas inspired by classic games from the original PlayStation era.

The first pays tribute to Gran Turismo, which debuted on PlayStation in 1997. It recreates a miniature racing scene with tiny cars and customizable elements.

The second takes inspiration from Ape Escape, which launched in 1999. Its island-themed diorama includes the game’s iconic monkey helmet, complete with a swappable blue or red light.

Both dioramas can be removed from the console and displayed separately.

LEGO also opted for the original PlayStation controller instead of the later DualShock. That makes sense for a set centered on the hardware that launched the PlayStation brand in 1994.

Coming this October

The LEGO PlayStation carries product number 72306 and is designed for builders aged 18 and up.

LEGO Insiders get early access starting October 1, 2026. Everyone else can pick it up beginning October 4 through LEGO.com, LEGO Stores, and select retailers.

The set costs $179.99 in the US, €159.99 in Europe, and £139.99 in the UK.

PlayStation will also sell it through PlayStation Direct starting October 1 in select markets, including the US, UK, France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, and Portugal.

At nearly 1:1 scale, with working buttons, a plug-in controller, and two games hiding inside, the LEGO PlayStation is more than another piece of gaming memorabilia.

It’s basically a tiny reminder of where PlayStation started — just don’t expect it to play your old discs.

Gaming

NBA 2K’s MyCAREER needs to play the long game

The next level of NBA 2K27’s MyCAREER?

Published

September 4, 2026

Rodneil Quiteles

Six or seven hours into NBA 2K27’s MyCAREER, I found myself thinking about what happens next.

Not just the next chapter of Fire & Concrete. I mean what happens after I make it to the NBA. What kind of career can my player actually have?

That question kept getting louder the more I played.

NBA 2K has spent years refining the fantasy of building your own player. We’ve had different stories, progression systems, and ways to get into the league. Now, MyCAREER Eras lets us drop that player into some of the most iconic periods in NBA history.

But I think there’s a bigger idea hiding in there.

What if MyCAREER actually let me live a career?

I don’t mean making the mode longer for the sake of it. Give the basketball enough room to tell the story.

I don’t want less basketball. I want the basketball itself to become the RPG.

Fire & Concrete has a good foundation

I’m still making my way through Fire & Concrete, but the fact that I was itching to get back to it tells me something.

It’s nothing too new or major, but it’s engaging enough. There’s more basketball this time, too. For the most part, you’re watching cutscenes or playing basketball.

I get why 2K has gone in that direction. Most NBA 2K players probably want to spend more time hooping than walking around doing side activities.

Still, there is room for more.

I’d love for the story to stretch into the NBA portion of MyCAREER instead of ending once you make it there. Give me choices that actually shape my career.

Even the little things could use more personality. I miss the days of Freq and Prez. Calling everyone MP for years just doesn’t have the same personality.

Give me less SGA and more Great Barrier Thief.

Let me earn my way into the NBA

The Draft could also be a much bigger part of the fantasy.

I haven’t reached it in my own playthrough yet, but I’ve seen that you can choose where you play anyway. That’s convenient, but I’d rather have more of a process.

Give me target teams. Let teams express interest. Put me through workouts and interviews, then let my performances influence where I land.

Maybe I dominate a workout and move up a team’s board. Maybe I struggle and fall to the second round. And maybe I don’t get drafted and have to fight through the G League.

Multiple paths would make each MyCAREER feel different.

More importantly, my path to the NBA should affect the career that follows.

Make the basketball part of the RPG

I don’t want NBA 2K to become a giant RPG where I’m spending hours managing menus and relationships instead of playing basketball.

The basketball itself should be the RPG.

Start me somewhere. Maybe I’m a fringe rotation player or a second-round pick. Perhaps I’m a highly touted lottery selection.

Then let me play my way forward.

Year one could be about earning a rotation spot. Year two might mean becoming a starter. By year three, perhaps I’m an All-Star. Later seasons can bring bigger expectations, roster changes, injuries, championships, and the question of what kind of player I want to become.

That’s progression that means something beyond XP and VC.

Running Mate shows the potential

The Running Mate system gave me a glimpse of what this could look like.

At first, I found the objectives with Trace Miller annoying. Then I realized they were forcing me to be more deliberate and play better team basketball.

That’s a pretty neat tutorial for someone like me, especially since I built an Athletic Iso Savant who would rather create his own shot.

The co-op MyCAREER concept points in the same direction. I didn’t get enough time with a second player to properly judge it, but even the early objectives made me think about being a better teammate.

Imagine if those relationships evolved over several seasons. Your Running Mate could become a lifelong teammate, get traded, or force you to adjust your game as the roster changes.

The career itself can create the drama.

Let the progression breathe

The starting rating of 60 is rough. If you don’t want to spend extra, you can grind activities like Casual Corner to reach the 73–75 range, where your player starts feeling like an actual NBA prospect.

But I’m not convinced the answer is simply starting everyone higher.

A 60 rating can make sense. The bigger issue is balancing progression for different kinds of players.

Some people have time to grind every game. Others don’t. Some will spend to speed things up. Others won’t.

NBA 2K27 already has Key Games, which lets you move through a season faster. The tradeoff is slower progression if you only play those.

I think that can work.

Want to become a Rookie MVP? Put in the work. Play more games. Perform better.

Want a more realistic career? Take your time and build your role naturally over several seasons.

That’s where MyCAREER Eras could really shine.

MyCAREER Eras is the Hail Mary

Introducing MyCAREER Eras showed me a potential time-travel, player-locked sandbox that’s waiting to be expanded upon.

I look at those historical eras and immediately think:

How else am I gonna help Allen Iverson get a ring?

That’s the kind of fantasy I want from NBA 2K.

The problem is that I can’t simply take my leveled-up build and jump into another era without having to level that build again through grinding or buying VC.

That’s the part that really rubbed me the wrong way.

If MyCAREER Eras is supposed to be an offline historical sandbox, it feels like the perfect place to take some of the live-service friction away.

Let me pick an era. Let me pick a year. And then let me bring in my player at the rating I’ve already earned.

Then let me play.

The City can remain the online, competitive side of NBA 2K. That’s clearly what a lot of players want, and that’s fine. It’s just not really my thing.

Give me an offline MyCAREER Eras sandbox focused on playing basketball and building a career.

And make it long.

What if I could stay for five years?

This is probably the biggest change I’d want.

Let me play a full five-year NBA career with my player. Not because 2K needs to artificially stretch the mode, but because the career itself should evolve.

Maybe I start as a nobody and finish as a franchise player. Perhaps I get drafted by the wrong team and have to fight for a bigger role. Maybe I never become a superstar and instead become a sixth man who wins a championship.

Maybe I become D-Rose’s Running Mate to a championship or two.

That’s where the fantasy becomes personal.

My suggested tweaks still need work. I’m not pretending I’ve figured out the perfect version of MyCAREER.

But MyCAREER Eras showed me something bigger than the feature itself: 2K has the beginnings of a time-travel, player-locked sandbox just waiting to be expanded.