Ghost of Tsushima
E3 2018 Games that Nailed Facial and Motion Capture
Original video game IPs are a dangerous proposition in the current market. Plenty of gamers would rather fall back on what they know and love rather than risk being disappointed by a new idea. That’s why most games these days are sequels, reboots, or remakes. It’s not impossible to make a successful new IP (just look at Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice and Overwatch), just difficult. Drawing players in with expressive animations created thanks to face and motion capture can make the process easier, though.
In Ghost of Tsushima, players will take the role of a Japanese samurai as they fend off invading Mongols. The developers at Sucker Punch seem to have been watching old samurai movies, because the animations are almost ripped straight from those classics. From the way the main character holds his sword aloft after slicing a Mongol in two to said Mongol staggering around before realizing he’s dead, every inch of the game feels like a tribute to those films. It’s one thing to emulate a samurai movie’s style, but requiring each motion capture artist to meticulously copy all the mannerisms and movements synonymous with samurai films is bound to turn Ghost of Tsushima into a must-buy for any Akira Kurosawa fan.
