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God of War Ascension |OT| Gods up, Foes down

Aside from the boring intro (basically the first half from the 30 minute demo) and the glitches with sound and the time-manipulation thing, I'm loving this game.

Multiplayer has been a blast too! Even though matchmaking is horrible at times and I suck at FFA matches.

EDIT - Oh and the only real "downer" about all this is that I paid $60 day 1 and now GameStop.com has that deal where you get every other God of War game thrown in.
 

Chamber

love on your sleeve
Wow. This is what I call mixed reviews. You either hate it or love it. Which is it GAF?

You can hate it AND love it. The intro is really awful, can't believe anyone would compare it favorably to the Poseidon intro from God of War 3. The game is filled with bugs and the combat is not fun until you start unlocking more of the complete toolset.

That being said, the 2nd half of the game is fantastic and I have trouble putting the controller down once you reach Delos Landing. In fact, I'll say the second half of the game is the most fun I've had with a God of War game. Too bad this game doesn't have a proper Chapter select.
 

Chamber

love on your sleeve
Whats a proper Chapter Select? it has chapter select right in the main menu...

Only allows you to pick Chapters you've already completed on the current playthrough. Actually I just noticed New Game+ carries over to new profiles I can keep one at Chapter 30 and start a new game+ on another.

God damn, has that been the case with every GOW? I feel like an idiot. :(
 

Toppot

Member
Been playing this a lot.

I found the single player to be average, looks very pretty though. I really miss not having the big combos available all the time, which does make it more challenging I guess.

The online is AMAZING! Love love love it. Thanks to some double xp I have all characters level 30 now.

I do however suck at Trial of the God's xD Does anyone have any tips or guides that will give me good load outs to use?
 

Creamium

shut uuuuuuuuuuuuuuup
Started a second playthrough on hard, and it's a lot more fun than normal. The encounters are more intense, but never frustrating and I'm putting more variation in my combat. Once you can use slowdown, you can even grapple the heavy enemies in midair. Rage and grappling make the combat in this game stand out. This goes for bosses as well, the
Manticore and Castor & Pollux
fights are more fun and memorable on this setting. The latter in particular... It felt like the 'true' version of that fight.

If you haven't started the game yet, consider starting on hard. Combat really shines here.

I do find myself leaning more towards the Ares & Hades elements. Don't use Poseidon and Zeus that much.
 

Sorian

Banned
Started a second playthrough on hard, and it's a lot more fun than normal. The encounters are more intense, but never frustrating and I'm putting more variation in my combat. Once you can use slowdown, you can even grapple the heavy enemies in midair. Rage and grappling make the combat in this game stand out. This goes for bosses as well, the
Manticore and Castor & Pollux
fights are more fun and memorable on this setting. The latter in particular... It felt like the 'true' version of that fight.

If you haven't started the game yet, consider starting on hard. Combat really shines here.

I do find myself leaning more towards the Ares & Hades elements. Don't use Poseidon and Zeus that much.

Used Hades the entire game. The magic was a good knockback, the rage L3+R3 move interrupted everyone and let me cheese pretty good if I could get a full combo in during, and the random health drops made encounters much more manageable.
 

Mik_Pad

Banned
Used Hades the entire game. The magic was a good knockback, the rage L3+R3 move interrupted everyone and let me cheese pretty good if I could get a full combo in during, and the random health drops made encounters much more manageable.
I loved the soul power too, the first time I usedsquare,square,triangle and saw the arm coming from the ground I thought a Cyclops was spawning, lol.
Also when using square,square,triangle with the electricity power when the rage bar is full a thunder strikes the ground which I loved using.
 
What the HELL does it mean when an enemy gets ahold of you and the screen shows two arrows, pointing in opposite directions and flashing. What am I'm supposed to do?

  1. Hold in opposite directions at the same time?
  2. Alternate back and forth between the two directions?
  3. Push left on the left stick, and right on the right stick, at the same time? Or alternating??

I've just been killed three times in a row at the same spot because an enemy got ahold of me, the screen is flashing two arrows, and I'm trying everything, my life slowly draining away until I die.

Infuriating. This damn game is going out of its way to make me dislike it.
 

Mik_Pad

Banned
What the HELL does it mean when an enemy gets ahold of you and the screen shows two arrows, pointing in opposite directions and flashing. What am I'm supposed to do?

  1. Hold in opposite directions at the same time?
  2. Alternate back and forth between the two directions?
  3. Push left on the left stick, and right on the right stick, at the same time? Or alternating??

I've just been killed three times in a row at the same spot because an enemy got ahold of me, the screen is flashing two arrows, and I'm trying everything, my life slowly draining away until I die.

Infuriating. This damn game is going out of its way to make me dislike it.
Just move the left stick side to side until you liberate yourself.
 

Chamber

love on your sleeve
What the HELL does it mean when an enemy gets ahold of you and the screen shows two arrows, pointing in opposite directions and flashing. What am I'm supposed to do?

  1. Hold in opposite directions at the same time?
  2. Alternate back and forth between the two directions?
  3. Push left on the left stick, and right on the right stick, at the same time? Or alternating??

Quickly.
 
This game is losing its luster really quickly. Been marathoning it all day, and so many bugs. Now a flying enemy is flapping its wings high overhead and it won't come down. I can't reach it, just hear it. It's stuck. Restarting from checkpoint doesn't change it, will have to restart chapter.

Why all the Nathan Draking around in this game? Too much climbing. The time mechanic is shoehorned in, I don't like it. When this game is God of War, it's fun. All this extra crap (and bugs) is ruining it.

And the CONSTANT camera panning, good god!
 
This game is losing its luster really quickly. Been marathoning it all day, and so many bugs. Now a flying enemy is flapping its wings high overhead and it won't come down. I can't reach it, just hear it. It's stuck. Restarting from checkpoint doesn't change it, will have to restart chapter.

yea that glitch happened to me as well, just use the slowdown magic on it and it will come down
 

Endo Punk

Member
Im still having fun with original and yet Ascension just feels so uninspired. I guess 3 year break was definitely not enough for me, especially since they have zero to show for it. Anyway now the game is out I hope we get to see what Stig's been working on sooner than later.
 
I really just feel the need to vent some frustration here.

God of War Ascension is incredible, those that are unsure so far, the second half of the game is phenomenal whilst the first half is a bit if a slow burner. I really recommend sticking with it though. The visuals, the range of locales, the improved combat and gameplay through better use of puzzles and exploration. Absolutely fantastic.

That being said, through SSM's incompetence that is the most horrendous end game experience I've ever had. As many people have said, without spoiling it, the final section is breathtaking. However, the end cutscene for me has no sound, the characters disappear and now I'm sat here looking at a black screen with the only option being to quit out. For an end if generation game this isn't acceptable and had ruined what in my opinion could have been a fantastic game.

I have just had to watch the ending on YouTube.

Bravo, Sony Santa Monica.

lmao. can't you restart the last act? That's terrible.

I agree that its a buggy AAA game. I mean, I had a hard lock one when I press X to restart from last checkpoint and some sound drops. Nothing major. I also fell through the world in the final chapter when I jumped/got bounced off the
boat
and kratos fell and fell. He did eventually die.

Why all the Nathan Draking around in this game? Too much climbing. The time mechanic is shoehorned in, I don't like it. When this game is God of War, it's fun. All this extra crap (and bugs) is ruining it.

And the CONSTANT camera panning, good god!

lol. exactly my thoughts (I've beat the game). and the climbing here is WORSE. it rote and pointless.
 
FInished it this afternoon. The last boss was rad. Graphics throughout were amazing, but it didn't have nearly as many "oh shit" type set pieces as 3. Had fun though. Debating whether or not to dig into multiplayer. I like a little bit more focus on puzzles that Ascension had (makes me think that SSM could put together a pretty cool Zelda style game) but the lack of polish was evident. There was a number of occasions where, in the middle of a puzzle, I had to restart the last checkpoint because the game simply would not trigger a cutscene to let me advance. Game froze up on me a couple times too and a lot of the QTE's seemed way more "trial and error" than previous GoW games. A good game but it makes me think that this wasn't SSM's A-team (which hopefully means they are hard at work on PS4)
 

RoboPlato

I'd be in the dick
FInished it this afternoon. The last boss was rad. Graphics throughout were amazing, but it didn't have nearly as many "oh shit" type set pieces as 3. Had fun though. Debating whether or not to dig into multiplayer.

MP is pretty good and unique, although matchmaking takes forever. I don't usually like MP but I'm having some fun with it here.
 

Lord Error

Insane For Sony
Pollux battle was fantastic! Favorite part of the game so far, so much dynamism and creativity to it :)
Also the puzzle sequence that lead into it was great and moderately challenging. I really like the time rewind visual decay effect they had in there. So reach, meaty and detailed, they really did something very right to make that effect look so impressive.
 

Creamium

shut uuuuuuuuuuuuuuup
Im still having fun with original and yet Ascension just feels so uninspired. I guess 3 year break was definitely not enough for me, especially since they have zero to show for it. Anyway now the game is out I hope we get to see what Stig's been working on sooner than later.

Yeah, he shows up for a split second in the making of, and it made me wonder what he's doing now... Is there more info on this? I'd guess he stuck around as a consultant for a bit to help Papy out, then started a new project. But he's still at SSM right?

Watched every making of vid and it's another reason why I love this franchise so much: they always deliver with the behind the scenes stuff. I wish more games put this amount of making of stuff on the disc.
 

Nizz

Member
Just got back from the store with Ascension, going to jump into it right now. I thought access to the "The Last Of Us" demo was only through pre-orders but the copy I picked up at Walmart has a little sticker on the wrapper saying the demo access is included.

The mixed feelings on this game in this thread has me a little worried as a GOW fan, but I had so much fun with the demo and I'm a fan of the series I decided what the hell...
 

RoboPlato

I'd be in the dick
Just got back from the store with Ascension, going to jump into it right now. I thought access to the "The Last Of Us" demo was only through pre-orders but the copy I picked up at Walmart has a little sticker on the wrapper saying the demo access is included.

The mixed feelings on this game in this thread has me a little worried as a GOW fan, but I had so much fun with the demo and I'm a fan of the series I decided what the hell...

It's really good if you're a fan of the series. Much more of an emphasis exploration and puzzles and some of the best environments in the series.
 

Kambing

Member
Just beat the game on normal, pre the 1.03 patch. Went normal because of the complaints surrounding the "trials" but should have just played on hard like i normally do =(. I did not even know i passed the trials until i had to look it up on youtube lol.

On to the score of the game, for the SP portion only: 7.5/10

Pro:

- Level Design
- Environmental variety
- Interesting elemental concept
- Great puzzles
- Chain animation
- Last level

Con:

- Technical issues
- Lack of polish
- Combat design
- Story/Narrative
- Bosses
- Color pallet/art style

This game certainly did not have a sense of purpose, i was always thinking and or asking where and why i was going somewhere. Probably due to the fact that i am illiterate however haha. My biggest gripe with the game would be the combat, which was really just not fun, at least for me anyway. It really lacked depth and the elements were really under utilized, unlike in GOW3 where the weapon types were crucial in fighting different class types. I also hated how the camera would pan out so god damn far that i would not be able see shit. It also did not help that Kratos seemed to blend with the environment.

What i am most disappointed about are the bosses. Honestly, there is only one memorable boss fight in the game for me, and that's when you head to the oracle. After playing this game, i find my self placing GOW3 higher on my ranking of games. It is also not just about being epic, but boss fights such as Hades and Hercules in GOW3 really blend the combat mechanics and tools of the game and make for awesome memorable fights. And even though Ascension is technically more impressive than GOW3, i prefer the latter's art style wayyyyyyy more. I absolutely loved the contrast in 3. The game also as i mentioned seemed to lack polish.

But Ascension is not a bad game, and if you are a GOW fan or like spectacles, it will certainly entertain you. This is the first game where i felt like Kratos really wielded his blades, the animation on that shit was crazy. The puzzle and level design were great too, which when coupled with the level variety keeps everything fresh. And like its predecessor, the IQ is insane, and really does not look like a game running on PS3. Ascension and MGR look like a generation apart for real.

And seriously, if next gen games look like that last level, i'd be pretty happy.
 
Currently going through on hard. This certainly feels like the cheapest GoW yet. Enemies keep attacking even when you're hitting them and take ages to kill.
 

gadwn

Member
Just finished it, the last boss fight was jaw dropping. Possible the best looking sequence this generation. Liked all boss fights in fact, wish there were more of them though.

Overall... I don't know. The was really good, but it didn't really feel necessary I guess. And I thought the first few hours was pretty damn boring, dunno how some here (in demo thread) could even compare that to GOW 3's opening.

But oh well, it was worth my time and money. The series need a big overhaul next though.
 

Jacob4815

Member
Wow. This is what I call mixed reviews. You either hate it or love it. Which is it GAF?

More hate than love.
It's a good game but i'm an huge GOW fan and I'm disappointed.
First disappointment that i receive from SSM, they were gods-developers at my eyes.

Love:
- Beautiful environments.
- Well-designed puzzles.
- Elemental powers and rage meter.

Hate:
- Terrible story
- Useless global weapons
- Single player too short
- Worst soundtrack in the saga.
- The game is super-glitched.
- Reskinned enemy design from GOW3, no variety.
- Shitty parry system.
- Chaotic waves of enemies
- Camera in the first levels. GOW3 showed epic scale using a correct distance.

Ultra-hate:
- Lack of boss battles
- Focus on multiplayer

Waiting for redemption... waiting for GOW4.


GOW2 >> GOW 3 >> GOW >> GOS >> Ascension >> COO
 
- Single player too short
- Focus on multiplayer

these 2 things I will comment on. my playthrough was on hard and it was easily 12 hours which I think is pretty good for a game like this. not too short. Maybe if you played and breezed through on normal?

The multiplayer is a add-on. I wouldn't say it detracts too much (okay maybe it took resourcing away a little).
 

Lord Error

Insane For Sony
You guys continue to causally post spoilers don't you?
If you're thinking about me posting the name of the boss you fight, I don't think it's much of a spoiler. He just shows up and you fight him, there's no some overarching story about him. It's what happens during that battle that noone should have spoiled, but the name means very little.
 
All right well, I just finished it and these are my final thoughts.

With my wife out of town and nothing to do, I decided to do something I hardly ever do and that's play through a game in one day. In fact the only time I can ever remember doing this is with Killzone 3, two years ago. And by the end of that day, I HATED Killzone 3. I still do. I beat it in one day and never touched it again. That's another thread.

Anyway, this game leaves a much better taste in my mouth. Recently I bought God of War Saga. Over the past month I played through the first God of War in about 3 weeks and liked it. Then I played through God of War 2 in about a week and loved it. I played God of War 3 when it first came out but not since.

This game...is good. Some of it is great. The end really redeemed a lot of the crap along the way. It was short. On normal, I finished it in just under 8 hours. I'll never get to see how tough the Trials were pre-patch, but I beat the Trails on my first try today. It didn't even make an impact.

There were bugs. There was too much climbing. I didn't care for the decay/heal mechanic. I never once successfully parried an attack, though I gave up trying pretty quickly. Playing this game right after God of War 2 really shows how different the combat is; God of War 2 is parry city. The story was pretty sparse with Ascension, though it did make sense in the end. I like the way most of it was told through flashback.

I guess I'm just a sucker for God of War. I'm going to watch some of these making-of videos and then I feel like either starting this game over on hard, or playing God of War 3. I still have the PSP ones I downloaded but haven't touched, too. Never played them.

Overall I'd give it a 4/5. It's certainly better than the first God of War, but not better than God of War 2. As for 3, I haven't played it in 3 years so I need to refresh myself. I think part of the weakness of this game is that they're just out of ideas. They've already had 3 major games to use the best stuff the Greek mythology has to offer. You can kind of tell they're scraping the bottom of the barrel. I've never heard of most of the stuff in this game.

I don't really have any plans to touch MP but who knows, maybe I'll give it a shot.
 

Jacob4815

Member
these 2 things I will comment on. my playthrough was on hard and it was easily 12 hours which I think is pretty good for a game like this. not too short. Maybe if you played and breezed through on normal?

8 hours on normal, but after three years of full development I was expecting a long and astonishing Single Player experience.
GOW3 was short too, but it was their first work on PS3.
 
You guys continue to causally post spoilers don't you?

It's really hard to even think of spoilers for this game. It's God of War, and it's a prequel. I wouldn't want to watch a YouTube video of the last battle, because that's worth seeing wihtout knowing what it is. Other than that, there's not much to spoil with this game.
 
Finished the game earlier today my thoughts on the single player. Its a 7/10 game, no one likes a prequel, unless is a prequel to an awesome event in the past which you've hinted around on the previous games, this isn't it. Even though it has is high moments the enemies and the story can't compare positively with the heights to which we were taken in GOW3. It isn't the same killing gods in the most brutal fashion than fighting against these enemies, so from a conceptual standpoint GOWA is at a disvantage, maybe unfairly as these game is better than a lot of the games out there but it has to live up to the legacy of GOW3 and the single player can't surpass it for it's limitations.

Don't get me wrong this is a good game, the boss battles in the latter half are very good, but fighting the same monster 2 times and the main villains several times showed that SSM was constrained in what they could extract from the well of greek mythology. I think they should have scrapped the freaking bugs oponents as they were annoying and beneath scale on a GOW game and don't have multiple boss fights against the same enemies, the opening is better than GOW3, so is the ending fight, the puzzles were very well executed and the adventure feeling from it is very good. The story execution is memento style but it brakes continuity sometimes.

Reboot the franchise as the single player needs it go to a new mythology where you can keep the scale with fresh characters and you can overhaul the fighting system. Also the parry system sucks in the single player game.

Haven't played multi yet but from what I experienced in the beta it was great so I'll provide input after I play it.
 

mshlive

Member
lmao. can't you restart the last act? That's terrible.

I agree that its a buggy AAA game. I mean, I had a hard lock one when I press X to restart from last checkpoint and some sound drops. Nothing major. I also fell through the world in the final chapter when I jumped/got bounced off the
boat
and kratos fell and fell. He did eventually die.



lol. exactly my thoughts (I've beat the game). and the climbing here is WORSE. it rote and pointless.

I restarted the act three times, and same thing each time!
 

Helscream

Banned
Well I don't know if I am alone here, but anyone ever use a pick-up weapon in multiplayer where half the time you throw it its a dud? Like the player will get knocked back+stun but does like zero damage?

Also even if the lag is "hidden" I have many moments when I launch some in the air. Only to have the be immune to grapple. Or I grapple them and like fly past them all together. I am pretty sure its mainly lag-related, but its really starting to annoy me.
 

BadAss2961

Member
these 2 things I will comment on. my playthrough was on hard and it was easily 12 hours which I think is pretty good for a game like this. not too short. Maybe if you played and breezed through on normal?

The multiplayer is a add-on. I wouldn't say it detracts too much (okay maybe it took resourcing away a little).
Took me about 10 and a half hours my first playthrough on normal. 8 hours on hard since I knew all the puzzles and hidden chest locations.

Multiplayer is definitely more than an add-on. By now i've probably spent just as much time playing it as I did the single player.
 
Don't frequent an OT.

Loudninjas been a pretty important part of this OT there, fella. Plus it's pretty reasonable to be able to read an OT and not expect spoilers - those can be discussed in a separate story thread. In fact the OT is by definition going to be in part or mainly made up by people who haven't completed the game yet, especially two weeks from release.

It's not that hard to wrap some spoiler tags around shit. I've done it with every plot based post in the thread.

Edit:

Jeez guys I said I get it!

I though this was over with. ;)

Eh? I was on your side. *shrugs*
 
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