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[JDoe2014]

Because the whole motivation for him versus Zeus is retarded. Kratos was just an Ahole killing people in Athens... and then when Zeus stops him, he's like "You've Betrayed MEEE!" ... I'm just like... "really?"

Worst plot device for any game I've ever liked.

His motivation for getting Aries in GOW1 was justified, for GOW2 and GOW3, defiinitley not.

Kratos was conquering and killing because he was still pissed over the gods not taking away the visions of his atrocities. He already felt betrayed. GoW 1 was actually about Kratos' final task (kill Ares) in his 10-year service to the gods, after which they promised to take away his nightmares, but then they didn't. It was only partially because of getting revenge on Ares, Kratos seemed like he had never entertained the thought of a man killing a god before Athena told him. Then, in 2, Zeus wiped out Kratos' army and killed him. At the end, Kratos accidentally killed Athena, a rare friend on Olympus, because of his rage towards Zeus. Kinda similar to the family incident, and another thing he mentally directed at Zeus

Ascension is pretty much 100% inconsequential, kinda pulled out of a team of asses. I think me and a lot of others, upon hearing about a preprequel, expected the game to hopefully expand on, if not let us live through, those crucial events in Kratos' life that they've told us about since the first game. But nah, furies

 

[BadAss2961]

Man, I just cannot beat the trials. Is there a warm up period for the R2+L2 or is my controller just wonky as hell?

Blah everyone.

Blah

You mean L3+R3? I did miss it a few times. I guess timing has to be exact.

For the trials... Harpies aside, each enemy type is special, and they all drop blue orbs when brutal killed. So don't hold back on the magic while there's still multiple enemies. Just make sure you get those R1 finishes to refill the magic bar.

Also use your L2 attacks, they're very useful and have short cooldown periods when upgraded.

 

[perineumlick]

I don't care what anyone says, the Trial on Hard mode is fucking brutal. The Gorgons will grapple you constantly, even during the evade roll, and from across the screen. It whittles your health down, and fucks up your tactics. I managed to parry their throw once, but the parry is so unreliable that I'm not sure if it was a glitch or not. If your not damn near perfect that first round, you can forget it. The other rounds are manageable, but that first one is a bitch. As per my tradition, I always play Hard mode first on GOW games, but I think I'm too old for that shit now, lol. This one was tough.

 

[Draper]

You mean L3+R3? I did miss it a few times. I guess timing has to be exact.

For the trials... Harpies aside, each enemy type is special, and they all drop blue orbs when brutal killed. So don't hold back on the magic while there's still multiple enemies. Just make sure you get those R1 finishes to refill the magic bar.

Also use your L2 attacks, they're very useful and have short cooldown periods when upgraded.

Oh god, I'm an idiot. I gave up on the game for a few days, and for some reason thought the magic move was R2+L2 when in fact it's just R2. No wonder it wasn't working half the time. And thanks for the advice.

 

[AAK]

Kratos was conquering and killing because he was still pissed over the gods not taking away the visions of his atrocities. He already felt betrayed. GoW 1 was actually about Kratos' final task (kill Ares) in his 10-year service to the gods, after which they promised to take away his nightmares, but then they didn't. It was only partially because of getting revenge on Ares, Kratos seemed like he had never entertained the thought of a man killing a god before Athena told him. Then, in 2, Zeus wiped out Kratos' army and killed him. At the end, Kratos accidentally killed Athena, a rare friend on Olympus, because of his rage towards Zeus. Kinda similar to the family incident, and another thing he mentally directed at Zeus

Again, Athena was the one who was supposed to free his memories, yet she didn't. So he decides to kill her people instead of her? Again, Zeus did what he did because Kratos was going apeshit, there is a reson for what Zeus did, but there was no justification ever given to why Kratos is adamant on killing everyone but Athena who made her promise to him.

Ascension is pretty much 100% inconsequential, kinda pulled out of a team of asses. I think me and a lot of others, upon hearing about a preprequel, expected the game to hopefully expand on, if not let us live through, those crucial events in Kratos' life that they've told us about since the first game. But nah, furies

So what if it's inconsequential? SoTC is inconsequential to ICO, doesn't make its story worse. At least Ascension had a setting with a protagonist, antagonist who's motivations and plot devices were clear and made sense and concluded. That's all I can really ask for. But again, GOW1's story is the only one that really shines in this series.

 

[JDoe2014]

Again, Athena was the one who was supposed to free his memories, yet she didn't. So he decides to kill her people instead of her?

I just wanted to point out, do you mean specifically at the beginning of 2? Cuz that takes place in Rhodes, I'm pretty sure. The colossus, and everything. Athena was just concerned for Kratos, more of a friend than Kratos deserved at that point, I don't think the concern was for those citizens so much. I'm assuming attacking a fellow god's host city is a big no-no, if Ares was targeted for death for it in the first game

But otherwise, I think I get what you mean. The story itself was not actually poor, just like the combat is not actually poor, and other things, but I think me and others are caught up in comparing it to the other games. But, I mean, our expectations were molded by past games and promises for this game. Not that I'd ever say we were deceived or anything, but seeing Kratos trying to be fit into this game that doesn't quite fit the series for me is weird, I guess

 

[ReturnOfTheRAT]

I feel like a broken record, but I am the only one who enjoys the smaller boss encounters? Cronos was a spectacle, sure, but all you're really doing is killing some goons on this body and occasionally stabbing at his fingers. Contrast that with the Hercules battle, or the Perseus battle, or the fight against Castor in Ascension. They're more intimate experiences, and I think they're stronger because of it.

That being said, I absolutely loved the end boss in Ascension, but the constant need to create bigger and more ridiculous setpieces is not the way a game should be designed.

No, because of forcing you to use the Cestus, in a boring, one dimensional fight



Smaller bosses > large bosses

See: Vergil in DMC3, Murai in NGB, Jeanne in Bayonetta, Devil Hand in Godhand, everybody in Metal Gear Rising, etc. Hell, far and away the best boss fight in GoW3 was Hercules. They're just more interesting mechanically, while the big ones get by on mostly empty spectacle.

and the most you "fight" Cronos is smacking his fingers. Shit is wack as a boss, but pretty cool as a level.

Maybe I'm confusing my explanation. The thing I enjoy a lot, in addition to the combat, is the presentation of the boss battle. Just sticking with this generation; Cronos, Posedion, Hades, Alecto, Jeanne, Jubileus the Creator, Father Balder, Mistral, Monsoon, and Armstrong are presented in a way that was highly enjoyable. It's the evolving environment, the music, the strategy, and the relief of finishing them off that gets me going.

 

[BadAss2961]

Oh god, I'm an idiot. I gave up on the game for a few days, and for some reason thought the magic move was R2+L2 when in fact it's just R2. No wonder it wasn't working half the time. And thanks for the advice.

Yeah, L3+R3 is for the rage meter.

On a side note, I love double jumping before hitting R2 for magic. Looks really cool, and adds that extra oomph to the attack.

So what if it's inconsequential? SoTC is inconsequential to ICO, doesn't make its story worse. At least Ascension had a setting with a protagonist, antagonist who's motivations and plot devices were clear and made sense and concluded. That's all I can really ask for. But again, GOW1's story is the only one that really shines in this series.

This is why I think people are being unfair when they say that Ascension's story was meaningless. Yeah, it's a side-story in the overall picture, but a complete one that made sense and was easy to follow.

The Furies are after Kratos for breaking his oath to Ares. But dealing with Kratos, of course it isn't long before they become the hunted.

Spoiler

The Furies mind manipulation gives us some more depth into Kratos' past and family life.

 

[Draper]

Fuck yeah. Finally got through the trials!!

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Just finished it - thoughts:

PRO's:

-Best combat in the series
-Best graphics in the series (goes without saying. really remarkable work, arguably best on PS3)
-Great sense of adventure, the statue of Apollo section is probably encompasses the best level and puzzle design in the entire series, similar to the steeds of time.

CON's:

- Kratos really feels passive in this game's story. As such, there's really not a huge motivating factor to continue playing the game just for the story.
- Storyline presentation is very disjointed, and I feel it detracts from the game. Would prefer a more linear path. This is likely the series worst story, although the ending thankfully wasn't drawn out like in GoW3.
-While the adventure elements were great, there are still only two major locations in the game - Apollo and Hecatonchires (and I suppose the Snake section). As a result, it could have used a bit more diversity, perhaps one more major area would have done the trick.
-Boss were spectacular, but there weren't enough of them.
-No moments that lived up to the Titans.

Overall, 9/10 for me.

GoW II > GoW:A > GoW3 = GoW1

 

[Papercuts]

Maybe I'm confusing my explanation. The thing I enjoy a lot, in addition to the combat, is the presentation of the boss battle. Just sticking with this generation; Cronos, Posedion, Hades, Alecto, Jeanne, Jubileus the Creator, Father Balder, Mistral, Monsoon, and Armstrong are presented in a way that was highly enjoyable. It's the evolving environment, the music, the strategy, and the relief of finishing them off that gets me going.

A lot of people want an actual difficult battle to go along with it, and big bosses tend to be more spectacle over strategy. The main thing with Revengence in general was the way the fast paced action accentuated with the music to make the bosses feel even more hectic. The last boss of Revengence when I first played the game was one of the most genuine white knuckle fight I've had in awhile.

I got no relief whatsoever from stuff like Cronos in 3. Infact it was near the bottom of the series for me along with the scopion, due to the dialog and general actions made from Cronos himself. It's a visual feast but mechanically dull.

 

[Lion Heart]

If this keeps up, it just might be the second best GoW imo.

GoW3 isn't getting dethroned, thats for sure. So it will either surpass GoW1 or I think at least be equal to it. Followed by GoW2.

 

[RyanardoDaVinci]

I still don't care for the combat changes; in 3 playthroughs, I never once had that feeling of "combat mastery" that I've had in every previous title.

Though, after spending the time to Platinum the game, my view of it has risen from a 6/10 to an 8/10.

 

[Square Triangle]

Missed one of the damn broken chests, guess Ill have to wait on that when I replay on hard.

 

[Draper]

This game reignited my love for the series so I went out and bought the saga today. I've played them all except the PSP games. For 40 bucks, getting 5 games seems like a great deal.

 

[Lion Heart]

This game reignited my love for the series so I went out and bought the saga today. I've played them all except the PSP games. For 40 bucks, getting 5 games seems like a great deal.

Yeah same here. The weirdest thing happened, I was disappointed when the game was revealed (even though it looked good) because I desperately wanted to see SSMs new IP but after playing most of GoWA, I actually want GoW4 on PS4 now. Screw the new IP

 

[Draper]

Yeah same here. The weirdest thing happened, I was disappointed when the game was revealed (even though it looked good) because I desperately wanted to see SSMs new IP but after playing most of GoWA, I actually want GoW4 on PS4 now. Screw the new IP

I echo all your sentiments. The series is just a joy to play. Pure fun gameplay is at the root of it all. Solid mechanics.

And the final boss felt like some sort of next gen magic. Great stuff.

 

[LiquidSolid]

Because the whole motivation for him versus Zeus is retarded. Kratos was just an Ahole killing people in Athens... and then when Zeus stops him, he's like "You've Betrayed MEEE!" ... I'm just like... "really?"

Worst plot device for any game I've ever liked.

His motivation for getting Aries in GOW1 was justified, for GOW2 and GOW3, defiinitley not.

Rhodes. Hence the Colossus of Rhodes' appearance.

Didn't GOW2 come before GoS? Hence you can't blame me for thinking the motivation was stupid considering they didn't provide any at the time of release.

No. GoS was created to bridge the gap between the first and second games. Chronologically, it goes:

Ascension->CoO->GoW1->GoS->GoW2->GoW3

Anyway, I finished the game earlier and really enjoyed it. It started off really slow and is nowhere near the polished experience I expect from Sony Santa Monica at this point but the story was fantastic, the puzzles were probably the best in the series and the ending sequence was amazing. I can understand why people are getting frustrated by the bugs and just wanted more of a GoW3 experience, where it's just 100% action throughout the entire game, but I don't agree at all and appreciate a return to a slower paced GoW.

As far as the polish goes, I really feel like Sony Santa Monica suffered from the same problems that Naughty Dog did with Uncharted 3 (and, on a lesser note, Guerrilla did with Killzone 3). They're quickly and greatly expanding the studio, promoting a lot of people into new positions and it just takes them longer than usual to find their feet. If they'd been given another 6 months to polish the game up (mostly fixing the multitude of bugs, nerfing the Trials of Archimedes and fixing some of the idiotic camera positioning), I'm confident they would've nailed it.

 

[BadAss2961]

I can't wait to play this over again.

Quick question... Earlier in the thread, I read about your save being overwritten if you wanted to start a new game under a higher difficulty using the same profile. Is that true?

So if true, when upping the difficulty, I assume you're best off starting a new game on one of the other available profiles?

 

[rdrr gnr]

I can't wait to play this over again.

Quick question... Earlier in the thread, I read about your save being overwritten if you wanted to start a new game under a higher difficulty using the same profile. Is that true?

So if true, when upping the difficulty, I assume you're best off starting a new game on one of the other available profiles?

Yes.

 

[BadAss2961]

Yes.

Alright, cool.

I like how they were considerate enough to give 4 profiles, one for each difficulty. But for their next title, SSM really needs to prioritize building the game around new game plus. Different enemy placement on harder difficulties, maybe some unique enemies and items/weapons that you wouldn't see on normal, etc.

I think Papy said he wanted to do this, but that they didn't have the time.

 

[Sevket-Erhat]

Why is Kratos not talking ? This reminds me of DMC 2. Build up a character and make him speak very rarely. Not cool

 

[Sid]

If SSM continues with it's MP crusade and if Papy is directing the next one I hope they confirm that early,I'll keep my expectations terribly low in that case,not to say that Ascension isn't a good game because it is but the potential of an epic GoW prequel has just been destroyed by this entry and with the way it shaped up this could have easily been a Vita game.

 

[BadAss2961]

Why is Kratos not talking ? This reminds me of DMC 2. Build up a character and make him speak very rarely. Not cool

TC Carson must've spent 5 minutes in the booth for this one. lol

Kratos talks a lot more near the end. He isn't super angry all that much though.

 

[Pachterballs]

so I'm playing this game on hard to start and its quite difficult? I just defeated the first fury but I died a lot. :O

quite surprised at how difficult it was.

 

[rdrr gnr]

Alright, cool.

I like how they were considerate enough to give 4 profiles, one for each difficulty. But for their next title, SSM really needs to prioritize building the game around new game plus. Different enemy placement on harder difficulties, maybe some unique enemies and items/weapons that you wouldn't see on normal, etc.

I think Papy said he wanted to do this, but that they didn't have the time.

Stig said something similar. It really, truly feels antiquated.

 

[Spinluck]

Finally beat the game today, on hard.

The last 20mins or so was pure eye candy.

GoW3=GoW2>>Acensions>>GoW1. All great games though.

I think we're gonna see some big changes in the next GoW, I hope so for the franchises sake. I enjoyed it aside from some parts, but this game in particular made me realize there's some things that have to change up. I know some people won't keep an open mind and will be all like, "no you can't do that, that's NOT GoW, blah blah blah!!". But fuck that, the series needs more fresh ideas. I felt even with a few new things this time around, they played it extremely safe. I still love the level design, and I really really liked the puzzles in this game.

I also feel like this game was the hardest one on hard mode, from what I can remember, and this is coming from someone who beat GoW3 on Titan. But I felt it was mainly because of the overuse of the super armor, man was it brutal in this game. It actually forced you to think about every move you had lol, and I found that in a lot of cases I was using weapons that I rarely used to get myself out of some key situations. Anyway, I'm super bummed out that I never got to play pre-patch trails though, fuck. Still though, I enjoyed the game lots, and hope they can continue to impress us in the future.

I'd give the game a B-

 

[MrCookiepants]

The MP is really fun. So satisfying doing those iconic GoW finishers on actual people.

I'm glad this thread is a bit more positive now. It's such a flawed game, but I don't regret my purchase one bit.

 

[Spinluck]

so I'm playing this game on hard to start and its quite difficult? I just defeated the first fury but I died a lot. :O

quite surprised at how difficult it was.

A wise game named Dark Souls once said, "Prepare to Die".

No but really, it might add 1-3hrs on your play time lol, depends on you really.

I spent more time dying than I did on puzzles, and there are a couple of thinkers in this game.

 

[Seik]

I just beat the game, welp, it was a fun ride like always.

I'll try the multiplayer later this week, sounds interesting.

 

[xenorevlis]

Say hello to "Raytos"


Also, this is how you play God of War Ascension without having problems when the camera pulls back... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7-cas0jcN4

 

[Katana_Strikes]

Had a real nightmare with the Trails. Must have maybe taken me 5-6 attempts, possible more. I really didn't think I was going to be able to do it and I'm dreading a Hard play through now. I dunno about Kratos but I was in full RAGE mode last night.

 

[Big_Al]

This game reignited my love for the series so I went out and bought the saga today. I've played them all except the PSP games. For 40 bucks, getting 5 games seems like a great deal.

That's a cracking deal in the US, 5 games for $40 ? Fantastic.

I'm the same, I really really enjoyed Ascension to the extent I'm tempted to pick up the others again. Unfortunately there is no 'Saga' boxset in the UK, you have to pick up the collections/3 for around 10 quid each. Might have to import......

I watched videos of Ascensions multiplayer and I really want to try that now too....damnit.

 

[Jacob4815]

If SSM continues with it's MP crusade and if Papy is directing the next one I hope they confirm that early,I'll keep my expectations terribly low in that case

They always changed the director, so i think it's safe to assume that the director of the worst GOW chapter in the mainline saga won't be confirmed.

 

[Pachterballs]

Just got to the

Spoiler

lighting power up room where all the snakes are

... I had to take a breather. These rooms are tough!! I'm not blocking enough and am now reliant on grapples and throws to open room up for me to fight.

fantastic visuals just top tier (for PS3). lol. I am now super critical of the visuals.


there was 1 room with two crows on the ground and when you approached them, they flew off. Excpet it kind of bugged out and evaporated into thin up half way into the sky. I loled.

 

[Dave_6]

I beat the game Saturday afternoon on Normal and maxed out everything except the Blades; only needed ~5000 more orbs to do so (had all the Gorgon Eyes and Phoenix Feathers). Can I do a new game + and all that will carry over just so I can get the trophy?

 

[J-Rod]

Who was that guy

Spoiler

near the beginning that almost gets taken out by the bug hand? The one chained up that says, "gods give me strength" before disappearing in a flash of light. I don't remember him ever showing up again and I don't remember him from any other GOW, although I've only played I, II, & III.

 

[darkwing]

any news of this being available in the PSN?

 

[Sn4ke_911]

Who was that guy

Spoiler

near the beginning that almost gets taken out by the bug hand? The one chained up that says, "gods give me strength" before disappearing in a flash of light. I don't remember him ever showing up again and I don't remember him from any other GOW, although I've only played I, II, & III.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0Agsb_lXz...AvA/1roNFJafE20/s1600/god-war-ascension-4.jpg

 

[Sid]

They always changed the director, so i think it's safe to assume that the director of the worst GOW chapter in the mainline saga won't be confirmed.

They were coincidences,Jaffe had to move on so did Barlog (in this case mainly because the GoW 2 combat guys moved on) whereas Stig is now working on a new IP.

 

[Carnby]

I beat the game Saturday afternoon on Normal and maxed out everything except the Blades; only needed ~5000 more orbs to do so (had all the Gorgon Eyes and Phoenix Feathers). Can I do a new game + and all that will carry over just so I can get the trophy?

No. You can't earn trophies in game+ mode.

 

[WeAreStarStuff]

I finally beat this game. Overall I’m rather disappointed to be honest. The first few hours I was thoroughly enjoying myself and thinking “yeah; typical cynical GAF – this game is great.” After the first couple of hours though the game really seemed to just……drag. The game just did not feel ‘epic’ to me; I think that GOW 3 ruined me; I loved about every moment of GOW 3, while Ascension seems dramatically less memorable. My only complaint in regards to the combat system was the locking of so many moves behind the Rage meter. Didn’t care for the boss fights, nor did I find them memorable. The last boss was a technical marvel, but the fight itself was rather simple. With GOW 3, there were so many chapters I could show to my friends, the opening half hour, Hades fight, Cronos, hell most of GOW3 I could just sit down and show to my bros. With Ascension, the only thing there really is for me to show them is the final fight…..which doesn’t seem like a GOW game to me. The puzzles were done very well surprisingly though, and the graphics were nice. I’ve not tried the MP, but I will be selling this game back – the first PS3 game I’ve ever sold back.

Also, I was frustrated with the trials at first, but realized I needed to change the way I play. Up until that point I had mostly been rolling and jumping out of the way. I finally realized I just needed to hold the block button. Not being able to roll and instantly go into block is BS though.

P.S. The lightning magic attack on a good sound system is orgasmic.

 

[bumpkin]

Hmm, I know I could probably check a guide or walkthrough to find my answer, but I'd rather not accidentally see what's coming next... I just beat Castor the other night, how far am I in the game percentage wise?

 

[Diablo Rosso]

No. You can't earn trophies in game+ mode.

What the fuck? I think SSM are missing the point of that mode.

 

[ThisWreckage]

The game is too short. The Uncharted games are longer and with a deeper multiplayer. I don't see why this game couldn't have been longer given the development time. People keep on saying, "There's plenty of Greek mythology to explore," Well, if that's the case, they should have included some of that to extend the single player campaign. The puzzles were great, but there were a lot of puzzles. It seemed like a way to artificially extend the length of the game to me. It needed more boss battles and the game really should have been longer.

 

[WeAreStarStuff]

What the fuck? I think SSM are missing the point of that mode.

It's always been like that. It makes sense for certain trophies, but not for others.

 

[Waylon Drums]

Oy...is there no way to turn off voice chat? I'm allergic to stereotypical douche gamerz and there's a ton of them playing this game...with their mics on.

 

[Jigolo]

Who was that guy

Spoiler

near the beginning that almost gets taken out by the bug hand? The one chained up that says, "gods give me strength" before disappearing in a flash of light. I don't remember him ever showing up again and I don't remember him from any other GOW, although I've only played I, II, & III.

You'll know as soon as you start multiplayer.

 

[aparisi2274]

Not sure if this was mentioned or brought up, but I am trying to see if this is happening with anyone else....

I have a slim PS3 and when I first put GoW into the system, it was playing fine and I had no issues, but when I shut down my system and then turned it on the next day, it would not play the disc. All I heard was clicking noises like the drive was bad, so I exchanged the disc, thinking that perhaps the system couldnt read it anymore.

When I got the new disc, I popped it in and it worked again, no issues. Shut down the system, turned it on again, and it started clicking again.

I gave the game to my friend who has a launch day system to see if it happens to him, but I am curious if anyone in here who has a slim unit might have had the same issue?

 

[Jigolo]

Oy...is there no way to turn off voice chat? I'm allergic to stereotypical douche gamerz and there's a ton of them playing this game...with their mics on.

Dude there's always mute