Current Events > I'm so impressed with God of War (PS4) [SPOILERS]

(+) Yeah! (+)

If any game is deserving of a 10/10 is this game.

What an absolutely breathtaking experience through and through. A fantastic story with extremely interesting characters, remarkably well written and bursting with lore and personality.

It might just be because Im complete sucker for Norse mythology, but the way they handled was perfection.

My absolute favourite part is how it builds its world without showing its hand. Other than the tease at the very end you never see Thor and you definitely never see Odin. But seeing his sons and his brother, and getting all these different pieces of the history from Mimir...its a true epic. You know they say show dont tell but in certain cases like this theres definitely an exception. When you tell and dont show, and you continue to build this world and these characters, it elevates it far beyond what video games typically were.

Like try to imagine this God of War a generation or two ago. You would have got a cutscene explaining everything in the beginning of the game. You would have probably met a Thor and Odin a few times and maybe if they were a little smarter they would have saved Odin for the 5th game but you definitely would have been fighting Thor throughout the game probably similar to Baldur.

I havent even talked about how good the father and son dynamic is, the character growth. Fuck.

My only gripe is it could use a few more bosses. But in the grand scheme of things its a minor gripe. Its still a 10/10 in every sense imaginable.
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I definitely agree and have the only complaint that you have. The troll bosses are repetitive. Wish there were more types of bosses (the Valkyrie are nice though).
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Yep, excellent game but boss variety was pitiful. Can't wait to see the next game.
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Amazing game the bosses are repetitive tho
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It was my GotY by far

It's one of the few times where I legitimately felt a AAA game lived up to its lofty review scores.

They clearly put an incredible amount of love into that game and it shows on every level.


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Worth playing if I've never played any of the other games before?

fireball2020 posted...

Worth playing if I've never played any of the other games before?

Yes though there's a couple moments that have way bigger impact if you have played the others

fireball2020 posted...

Worth playing if I've never played any of the other games before?

It's nothing like the previous games and pretty much doesn't reference them.


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My only real issue with it was that the gear system did nothing to add to the game for me. The stats felt super arbitrary.

Other than that I enjoyed the hell out of it, really cool game.
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It was arguably more of a Zelda game than anything that resembles God of War.

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DarkRoast posted...

fireball2020 posted...

Worth playing if I've never played any of the other games before?

It's nothing like the previous games and pretty much doesn't reference them.

It absolutely does reference them but this is the best reboot of a games franchise bar none.

I didnt play the other games at all, they didnt interest me until this game. I had a very rudimentary understanding of those games, I mean they pretty much speak for themselves, just knowing that little you can enjoy this game completely.
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DarthAragorn posted...

Yes though there's a couple moments that have way bigger impact if you have played the others

DarkRoast posted...

It's nothing like the previous games and pretty much doesn't reference them.

Alright, thanks. I'll probably buy it later tonight then.

Never got the 'needs. More bosses " complaint.

Gow1 had 3 bosses. Hydra, Minotaur, Ares.
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DarkRoast posted...

fireball2020 posted...

Worth playing if I've never played any of the other games before?

It's nothing like the previous games and pretty much doesn't reference them.

Yeah which is disappointing really.

As a God of War game its awful, pisses on the franchise just to make a buck

As a generic walking simulator game its ok
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Hairistotle posted...

the way they modernized not just kratos, but the storytelling for GoW in general, was nothing short of genius. what a masterstroke. i love watching cory vids and seeing how overwhelmed with emotion he gets when looking at the reception to gow4. he and the team deserve every good thing that happens to them.

i was a diehard fan of the series before then, but with 4 they managed to get me to like it even more. bought it twice just to show my appreciation. god what a game.

Its be been watching a few making of videos and its one of those amazing feel success stories where the company literally put everything on the line and and took such a giant leap, it could have easily gone the other way.

Some very, risky but ultimately very smart decisions made for this game. These kinds of risks in a AAA industry are very rare to see. And even rarer to see them work so well.

I tweeted at Cory and the studio with my platinum trophy when I got it the other day, just to say thank you. I dont tweet. But I legit had to go out of my way to show my appreciation.
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SwayM posted...

Some very, risky but ultimately very smart decisions made for this game. These kinds of risks in a AAA industry are very rare to see. And even rarer to see them work so well.

wut

What risks did they take?

It's one if the safest games of this generation.

Not saying that's a bad thing or anything but the game didn't try anything new or different
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DarkRoast posted...

It's nothing like the previous games and pretty much doesn't reference them.

Uh, whut?

In Hel, kratos is taunted by visions of Zeus. Denial of who he is and in turn what his son is. That he killed his own dad, who was zeus. The blades of chaos. The athena scene on the boat.

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chrono625 posted...

DarkRoast posted...

It's nothing like the previous games and pretty much doesn't reference them.

Uh, whut?

In Hel, kratos is taunted by visions of Zeus. Denial of who he is and in turn what his son is. That he killed his own dad, who was zeus. The blades of chaos. The athena scene on the boat.

Those scenes don't reflect what happened in the games, ignore his brother and mother and ignore the entire consequences of Kratos actions by going

Kratos just walked off and got a new life. turns out theres other lands so none of the shit he did actually mattered, even if he Fucks up now he can just walk off and start again

Remember his daughter and beloved wife he killed and was tortured by? and whose ashes are fastened to his skin? well he doesn't

All that no more Gods age of man in a new world with Kratos' sacrifice is lost with Kratos being alive and fine and gods still bring around

Hell the fact he removed the blades of Chaos at all and went back to them willingly is kinda plot killing

Whether you like the reboot or not it completely dumps on the previous games entire lore , characters and presentation
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GoW is a good example of all the intangible qualities that turn a good game into a classic. at the end of the day stuff like level design, pacing, storytelling, atmosphere, difficulty, player freedom vs linearity etc is what really elevates a game to the next level & GoW nails just about all of these factors.
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My only gripe is the camera literally being in Kratos' ass
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UnfairRepresent posted...

SwayM posted...

Some very, risky but ultimately very smart decisions made for this game. These kinds of risks in a AAA industry are very rare to see. And even rarer to see them work so well.

wut

What risks did they take?

It's one if the safest games of this generation.

Not saying that's a bad thing or anything but the game didn't try anything new or different

This is type of posting that makes people call you out for being a troll in this very topic.

But let me humour for just a moment, not for your sake necessarily because I guarantee youll come back with some low level shit in response. But for anyone else in this topic with a proper head on their shoulders.

They reinvented the entire game. They did away with their storytelling structure for something extremely unique. Idk of any other game of this size there told from a single third person perspective and its zero cuts. Oh how easy would it be to just make a preamble cutscene in the beginning to explain who Krato is. Imagine studio execs being cool with NOT explaining who Kratos is for new players.

They moved far beyond their comfort zone of Greek Gods. They ended up perusing their second idea, Norse mythology. Instead of going with Egypt Like they initially wanted. They introduced a son into the game, which isnt just a throwaway character but an essential piece of the story and a companion through the entire game.

If you can sit there and tell me every game should just go ahead introduce a child NPC they accompanies you through the entirety of it then you definitely arent wide minded enough to see how easily that can go wrong.

They pushed the BIG reveals of Thor and Odin for the 5th game because they instead wanted to tell a smaller, more familiar story. They had no idea this reboot would do well or would resonate with audiences, there was no guarantee there would ever be a sequel to it. Imagine holding back and not blowing your load and hoping you didnt just miss your opportunity completely.

And then they completely redesigned the combat. Putting the spotlight on an entirely new weapon, and making a combat system so engaging with simply an axe and your fists that keeps being interesting and fun through hours. I think a lot of people would commend them for how well that axe plays. And yes they give you the chains back later in the game, but they didnt give up that information. A lesser company would have folded like dont worry theyre coming back fearful of alienating any super diehard fans

Dude do you want me to go on or is there any point with you?
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10/10 game and watching the creators reaction to the review scores when they dropped (theres a video) was 10/10 too.
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UR is like an energy suck

just ignore
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UnfairRepresent posted...

Those scenes don't reflect what happened in the games, ignore his brother and mother and ignore the entire consequences of Kratos actions by going

Kratos just walked off and got a new life. turns out theres other lands so none of the shit he did actually mattered, even if he Fucks up now he can just walk off and start again

Remember his daughter and beloved wife he killed and was tortured by? and whose ashes are fastened to his skin? well he doesn't

All that no more Gods age of man in a new world with Kratos' sacrifice is lost with Kratos being alive and fine and gods still bring around

Hell the fact he removed the blades of Chaos at all and went back to them willingly is kinda plot killing

Whether you like the reboot or not it completely dumps on the previous games entire lore , characters and presentation

He said this game doesnt reference classic GoW. Which is false. Which was the point of my post.

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SwayM posted...

They reinvented the entire game. They did away with their storytelling structure for something extremely unique. Idk of any other game of this size there told from a single third person perspective and its zero cuts. Oh how easy would it be to just make a preamble cutscene in the beginning to explain who Krato is. Imagine studio execs being cool with NOT explaining who Kratos is for new players.

Dungeon Siege did that in the early 2000s. Other games didn't because no one cared. Plus it wasnt even done well. Look at the long periods of nothing you have to sit through when fast travelling or going to a new realm.

I mean it's cool if you liked that but to me , running in circles waiting for nothing as it loads is no different to a loading screen.

But even if you disagree and loved it, how is that a risk? "Man this game has no loading screen ? no way I'm playing that"

They moved far beyond their comfort zone of Greek Gods. They ended up perusing their second idea, Norse mythology. Instead of going with Egypt Like they initially wanted.

So the risk they took was going from Gods to Gods and shitting on the lore?

Again I dont see how that was a risk

hey introduced a son into the game, which isnt just a throwaway character but an essential piece of the story and a companion through the entire game.

3 had a daughter surrogate
and look at The Last of Us, Amy, etc

A kid to look after is the new damsel in distress

Again, nothing wrong with that but not a risk. Its the standard and again, shit on Kratos' past

They pushed the BIG reveals of Thor and Odin for the 5th game because they instead wanted to tell a smaller, more familiar story. They had no idea this reboot would do well or would resonate with audiences, there was no guarantee there would ever be a sequel to it. Imagine holding back and not blowing your load and hoping you didnt just miss your opportunity completely.

That's called sequel hooking and the opposite of a risk. GOW2 literally ends with you going to fight the final boss but then credits before you reach him

This is crazy common in media. Check out the ending of Mortal Kombat Konquest , it's hilarious

You're just describing things you like, not risks

And then they completely redesigned the combat. Putting the spotlight on an entirely new weapon, and making a combat system so engaging with simply an axe and your fists that keeps being interesting and fun through hours. I think a lot of people would commend them for how well that axe plays. And yes they give you the chains back later in the game, but they didnt give up that information. A lesser company would have folded like dont worry theyre coming back fearful of alienating any super diehard fans

Again not only does that shit on the lore, its not a risk and also not new, the older games have multiple weapons

Also personally the combat was worse imo, gone is the fast paced combos and skill. In is slow paced and no enemy in the game including superbosses can withstand the ice blast /electric wolves combo.

Even the valkeries

Dude do you want me to go on or is there any point with you?

Please go on.

You're not naming risks, you're just saying 'well I liked it' , naming really safe AAA options and insulting me

GOW was one of the typical middle of the road safest riskless non sport games of this generation
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I actually really hated how Gow3 ended but I'm very thankful I was wrong on that one otherwise we wouldn't have this great game.

I didn't want it to end the game was a joy to play from start to finish.
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It's the only PS4 exclusive I really thought deserved its praise
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DarkRoast posted...

fireball2020 posted...

Worth playing if I've never played any of the other games before?

It's nothing like the previous games and pretty much doesn't reference them.

This is a blatant lie.
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ViewtifulGrave posted...

DarkRoast posted...

fireball2020 posted...

Worth playing if I've never played any of the other games before?

It's nothing like the previous games and pretty much doesn't reference them.

This is a blatant lie.

Not really.

It doesn't reference them in any meaningful way and destroys a lot of the lore.

It references them In the sense of mentioning pronouns but it's pretty much a reboot
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UnfairRepresent posted...

Also personally the combat was worse imo, gone is the fast paced combos and skill. In is slow paced and no enemy in the game including superbosses can withstand the ice blast /electric wolves combo.

It's slow-paced if you want it to be.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayMn-y_FsMk" data-time="

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqCRGKTDmJE" data-time="
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Amazing game. My only gripe was the lack of cool boss fights too. Other than that, one of the best games.

The weapon upgrade rpg thing was unnecessary and the same troll bosses got old. With that said yeah it was my GOTY for 2018, until i played RDR2. Very close though.
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DarkRoast posted...

fireball2020 posted...

Worth playing if I've never played any of the other games before?

It's nothing like the previous games and pretty much doesn't reference them.

That's a lie. There's an entire mini arc referencing the main games. Plus the a big reveal between Atreus and Kratos spoils the fuck out of the ending of the original trilogy.

The other 3 aren't necessary though.
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Captain_Qwark posted...

Plus they cut out content which kinda ruined the boy's character develooment

Huh, that's the first I heard of that.
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Hairistotle posted...

yeah, how many did 2 and 3 have?

also i think the bigger complaint is that most bosses in 4 are either cut and paste valks or trolls

God of War 2 had 15 bosses
God of War 3 had 9 bosses

Captain_Qwark posted...

When I first played it, it was super awkward so I looked it up and they did cut out some content that removed scenes or dialogue that would have helped slowly transition him from loving child to edgelord and back instead of that process happening almost immediately both times

Ah, interesting. I did find that part a bit jarring.
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Romulox28 posted...

GoW is a good example of all the intangible qualities that turn a good game into a classic. at the end of the day stuff like level design, pacing, storytelling, atmosphere, difficulty, player freedom vs linearity etc is what really elevates a game to the next level & GoW nails just about all of these factors.

This is a short, great way to describe the game. I beat it myself about 2 months ago. Going in I heard nothing but overwhelmingly positive responses to the game and I had doubts going in it would live up to the hype, but it really did live up to the hype. Easily a top game this gen and a perfect 10/10 for me. I even almost got the platinum which I never do. I would have were it not for the ravens and artifacts.

I might even do a new game + run one day which is rare with my adult gaming schedule these days. Hell GoW5 will be a system seller for me too assuming it comes out on PS5 and maintains that quality.

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Hairistotle posted...

he's going to break your post apart piece by piece and disagree with every aspect of it, probably not even read it fully

i appreciate that you typed it up and i will enjoy reading it

but that's what's gonna happen

No worries. I love talking about this game, and again it really wasn't for him. You called it to the tee though.

My favourite part is he says the game is one of the safest games out there and took zero risks and then goes on to say

UnfairRepresent posted...

shitting on the lore

UnfairRepresent posted...

shit on Kratos' past

UnfairRepresent posted...

Again not only does that shit on the lore

Clearly just has a vendetta out for the game but that just makes me laugh. No risks taken, evidently can miraculously take a big fat steamer all over the lore...in the safest, zero risk way possible.
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lol UR
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Banjo2553 posted...

It's slow-paced if you want it to be.

I like how

1. those were edited videos.
2 they were still slower than the previous games
3. they were still less effective than ice blast and wolves

says it all really

SwayM posted...

My favourite part is he says the game is one of the safest games out there and took zero risks and then goes on to say

Clearly just has a vendetta out for the game but that just makes me laugh. No risks taken, evidently can miraculously take a big fat steamer all over the lore...in the safest, zero risk way possible.

wut.. The game disregarding lore is a vendetta?

and how is ignoring lore and gameplay design to make it super safe, super popular and super mainstream a risk?

Personally I think it says a lot that you didn't actually reply to any point I made. You just insulted me.

What do you think risk means? To me it means personal or artistic choices that mean there is a decent chance of crippling the games sales or popularity

Sequel hooking, toning down the violence/sex, being more childish, bringing a child to protect, focus on graphics over substance, making it super easy etc

These are all safe choices

MGS2 replacing Snake with Raiden was a risk
This War of mine was a risk
SHENMUE was a risk

Again theres nothing inherently good or bad about being safe vs taking risks other than artistic integrity, but why lie about it?
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