10 "Assumed To Fail" Video Games That DESTROYED Expectations
8. Ghost Of Tsushima
Originally, the most memorable thing about Ghost of Tsushima’s reveal at E3 was the really weird and cringy flute player, who many quickly called out for being cultural appropriation.
In fairness that flute player is actually one of the few humans on earth that is properly trained with that instrument and could actually play it. But nonetheless, the damage was already done, and from that shaky announcement opinions of the game only grew more doubtful.
Many viewed the game as another Assassins Creed clone. At that time everyone was so burnt out from Ubisoft’s open-world copy-and-paste way of game development, that few were actually excited about the game. Even the setting of Feudal Japan did little to deter people from saying this was just "the Japanese Assassins Creed game Ubisoft didn't want to make".
Thankfully, however, when the game came out and people actually gave it a chance, everyone was blown away by how truly special this game was. It wasn’t an Assassins Creed clone, it was Ghost of Tsushima.
Ghost of Tsushima had a clear love and respect for Japan, balancing unique sword fighting with optional stealth, and side quests that were actually engaging and fun to engage with.
This surprise hit had its own feel, gorgeous visuals, and a story that was better than anything since the God of War reboot. Ghost of Tsushima became a game of the year for many people and with really good reasons.