• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

God of War |OT| Like Father, (Un)Like Son

TannerDemoz

Member
Should be able to go, found all the runes I think. Did I miss some favors? I've done 6 out of the 12, but can't seem to find anymore.

The runes are taking me ages to find, only got one left now though

hqdefault.jpg
 

Keihart

Member
I'm so baffled on comments like this and how this over-the-shoulder view/shoulder button/FPS style can be better then the previous games. GoW2 had multiple weapons with great movesets and various properties in terms of stuns, aerial attacks and specials. Each spell has special properties for different situations and all were effective so it was up to the player. You had proper block-cancels, jump-cancels, loads of i-frames that made sense, a pretty robust dodge system, good stun properties on enemies with non of them tanking hits, and inputs couldn't have worked better. It had a great variety of bosses with only a few environmental bosses with most as humanoid bosses that were fun to go at.

I can't imagine from what I've seen from this new one how it could possibly be some standard in terms of combat in games, especially with GoW2 was maybe the most perfect form of hack and slash that was made. I don't see how any H&S developer is going to change into the hybrid that nuGoW has become. Are we sure this isn't just early-reaction euphoria from people?...I'm just not seeing the level of detail the original games had.



Would have been nice had Sony promoted those past GoW titles as much as they did this one. Why this one got so much attention while those didn't is beyond me.

If old GOW tittles where your high standar for 3d hack and slash games, than maybe that's why you don't get it, while i enjoyed the series in the past, it was never close to being the achievement in combat systems that games like god hand or DMC3 or 4 or Bayonetta where.

Weirdly enough i think that this GOW is taking a very unique take on the stylish hack and slash genre, is not at all a copy of platinum style games and instead a fresh take on it marrying some elements from games like souls into the likes of Bayonetta while adding new things like a bounce system that interacts with the environment and stun gauge. The multitasking while fighting is real.
 

JCK75

Member
I've never been a huge fan of the series but man does this game seriously deserves every ounce of praise it's getting, I have high hopes of MS making a strong comeback but games like this make it clear why Sony is winning.
 
Last edited:

Wunray

Member
I don't know how you can throw a rating on the game without doing about half of the content...aka the side quests.

Some of the side quests have amazing character moments and a lot of humor, if that's your thing: also loot and boss fights galore!
Well i am still playing through it....I said that, I also said the score could possibly go up, but as it stands right now in my eyes 8/10 is what I would give the base story.
 

Neolombax

Member
I'm so baffled on comments like this and how this over-the-shoulder view/shoulder button/FPS style can be better then the previous games. GoW2 had multiple weapons with great movesets and various properties in terms of stuns, aerial attacks and specials. Each spell has special properties for different situations and all were effective so it was up to the player. You had proper block-cancels, jump-cancels, loads of i-frames that made sense, a pretty robust dodge system, good stun properties on enemies with non of them tanking hits, and inputs couldn't have worked better. It had a great variety of bosses with only a few environmental bosses with most as humanoid bosses that were fun to go at.

I can't imagine from what I've seen from this new one how it could possibly be some standard in terms of combat in games, especially with GoW2 was maybe the most perfect form of hack and slash that was made. I don't see how any H&S developer is going to change into the hybrid that nuGoW has become. Are we sure this isn't just early-reaction euphoria from people?...I'm just not seeing the level of detail the original games had.



Would have been nice had Sony promoted those past GoW titles as much as they did this one. Why this one got so much attention while those didn't is beyond me.

Maybe give this game a try first rather than judge from what you've seen? I'm more baffled that you could come up with such comments without even a hands on experience.
 

Varvor

Member
As soon as freya said that his axe wouldnt work in hel i was like yes, then kratos responded that he had another weapon...I was like Yes...then he said he had to go pick it up cause he left it home...i was like YES...then the boat...athena...the house...then the reveal of the blades...god damn, this game! I WAS LIKE YES!

Power of YES!
 
I'm so baffled on comments like this and how this over-the-shoulder view/shoulder button/FPS style can be better then the previous games. ...

Toward the end of the game it did feel a lot more like the old god of war games to me than I was expecting. It has a lot more in common than you realize; especially if you have only played or seen videos of early parts of the game.

Especially when I was doing the combat challenges. I started getting flash backs of the old god of war games... The rhythm and flow of the combat has some similarities to me. It has a dance like quality once you understand all the systems and the effective situational tools.

But that being said, I am actually certain the old God of War games were more forgiving about button mashing than this one. I mean I have the platinum trophies for God of War 1-3. But I never felt I had to learn the systems or all the weapons too deeply to beat it on the hardest difficulty and clear all the challenges. It's not a exaggeration to say "square square triangle" could carry you through the majority of the old game even on the hardest mode.

While this new GoW I feel is a lot more punishing timing wise about both button inputs and situational awareness. Getting interrupted during combat was a huge issue for me initially and it was frustrating. And it took me a while to get to grips with the systems and timings so that I could have a smoother combat experience.

Also I will say the default dodge move is not great. I feel the distance is too small. Combat got a lot smoother for me when I started using double tap X to roll instead of dodge. And as far as I can tell rolling, or blocking or parrying is basically always a better option than dodging.
 
Last edited:

Barakov

Gold Member
As soon as freya said that his axe wouldnt work in hel i was like yes, then kratos responded that he had another weapon...I was like Yes...then he said he had to go pick it up cause he left it home...i was like YES...then the boat...athena...the house...then the reveal of the blades...god damn, this game! I WAS LIKE YES!
I was nodding my head in anticipatation the entire time. One of the best moments in the game.
 

Vtecomega

Banned
Finished the game 100%

all side quests, all maiin missions, all Valkyries, all impossible challenges. It took me 4 days.

I loved the game but wish it had more content or a more meaningful end game. Anyone else agree? Then again I am home with a broken ankle so I have been playing god of war for 12 hours a day hahah.
 

Ar¢tos

Member
Another patch today. They didn't release a patch yesterday..... LAZY DEVS!
They are gonna make other studios look bad, they release an already very polished game WITH ALL THE CONTENT and then they release nearly daily patches to polish the game even more.
I wouldn't be surprised if they release a ps5 patch for the game to run natively with improvements instead of just BC (whenever the PS5 comes out).
I'm joking about the lazy dev comment.
 
Last edited:

Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
There is a quest that I'm wondering about.
In this quest it needs me to break Thor's statue but in order to get there I need get past huge golden door. Is there a way to open this door or I have progress the story first in order to get that door open?
 
Last edited:
There is a quest that I'm wondering about.
In this quest it needs me to break Thor's statue but in order to get there I need get past huge golden door. Is there a way to open this door or I have progress the story first in order to get that door open?

Just look at your Goals list in the menu's. It will be extremely clear which quests are required to move on and which are optional.

It even sets way-points to your active goal. It's nearly idiot proof.
 
Last edited:

DeadmanPhoenix

Neo Member
Played the game for about 5-6 hours and can't say that I love it. I do like it though. Here's a rundown of what I think about it so far:

Pros:
- Solid graphics
- Great writing for Father-Son dialogues
- Solid sound design so far
- Combat can be rewarding
- Son's progressive AI is really impressive

Cons:
- Narrative has too many omissions for my taste
- Environments so far are samey and not really impressive, the sense of scale is gone
- Boring sidequests
- Intrusive and I must say obscure tutorials
- Modifying your combat abilities needs spending minutes in the inventory
- Overcomplicated RPG system with little to go for it in terms of reward

- First three-four hours - very boring combat and spongy enemies, Kratos feels weak and miserable
- Norse mythology does not really have much going for it so far

I feel like the game is building up towards something, but it does so at a snail pace. I was about to stop playing it around the Lake of Nine section. When I got my first Rune I was glad that it will liven up the combat a bit, but then I got two more and then two more and now I don't even experiment with them, because it takes up too much time to do so.

The most of the combat skills are not very clear in how to pull off and what difference will they make in a fight. I find myself resorting to good old axe throwing and block/parry for the most of the combat and it's really not God of War experience for me. I want to tear monsters apart, I want to feel powerful and unstoppable, but instead I feel like it's Dark Souls-lite with a more useless AI Phantom that I am playing, wrapped up in God of War marketing and with much better writing.
 

nowhat

Gold Member
I loved the game but wish it had more content or a more meaningful end game.
I think the idea for the endgame is that you don't 100% the game before reaching the main story end, then continue to grind it out if you're so inclined. But if you're at 100%... up the difficulty and start over? Not the ideal solution, granted.

But apparently, this is what we're going to get, there'll be no DLC. Which makes the game (sadly) rather unique nowadays - you can buy the game and play the game entirely, without being pestered for any more money. It's a purely single-player experience, there's no tacked-on multiplayer or co-op (which, in a game like this, would likely be just a way to sell microtransactions). It was made by people who obviously have a passion for their game, with a big budget and enough resources (I was actually quite surprised that "only" about 300 people worked on the game at Santa Monica, but to compensate that the development took four years).

Many (most?) of the major publishers have been saying such a thing isn't possible anymore. And yet, I believe this will be a huge financial success for Sony - not only in terms of unit sales (I would expect this to reach HZD/UC4 numbers) but also by getting more people to buy a PS4 or at least consider one, that's where the big bucks are. So could this be a wakeup call to the industry, that games like this absolutely can be commercially viable and there's a market for them?

(Nah, who am I kidding, not gonna happen. But I hope SIE continues to publish them if others won't.)
 

Burdybundy

Neo Member
So ive arrived at the lake of nine..sailed round most of the islands which have put markers on my map ...did a favour quest on 1 island helping some dead dudes out....am i doing this right? Do i travel to all the islands? Or do i carry on with main story first then come back to them ? Im a bit confused 🤔
 

nowhat

Gold Member
Another patch today. They didn't release a patch yesterday..... LAZY DEVS!
Sarcasm aside, Santa Monica could really expand a bit their patch notes. Only 1.01 and 1.10 say anything else than "various bug fixes and improvements".

Reading the update history for the game is like reading a list of PS4 firmware updates. But on the plus side, I guess the game is really stable by now :)
 

Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
I just finished beating the
Dragon

And here I was thinking this GOW won't have big boss fight because of camera angle, how wrong I was!!!:D
 

DonF

Member
There is a quest that I'm wondering about.
In this quest it needs me to break Thor's statue but in order to get there I need get past huge golden door. Is there a way to open this door or I have progress the story first in order to get that door open?
no story related, its near the door
 

nowhat

Gold Member
is this 100% confirmed? I mean I almost never buy dlc, but this game could have an expansion like uncharted 4 and I would buy it.
I don't know if it's been really 100% officially confirmed, but Cory Barlog has said it in multiple interviews. I wouldn't mind a DLC or few myself (not a standalone expansion though, it would probably end up feeling too short/small), but on the other hand, maybe we'll get the (almost) inevitable sequel sooner then.
 

Ar¢tos

Member
I feel the game succeeded because it never aimed to do anything new, it aimed to do things well.
I can't stop imagining what a more generic ARPG would look like if done like this, but not with the one-shot camera. Something with the ability to create your own char, classes (sorcerer, warrior, paladin, etc) with an open or semi-open world.
 

LudicrouslyLiam

Neo Member
Anyone else here start the game on Give Me God Of War difficulty?

It has to be the most challenging game I've ever played, and I'm pretty good at gaming. Literally every fight, no matter big or small, could be 1-2 hours long with 30+ retries. There isn't even any room to cheese it by throwing the axe from a distance. Backing yourself up into a corner with multiple one-hit enemies is going to get you killed as you're likely to double dodge right into a one hitter. You have to be on the move, dynamic and always aware of your surroundings.

But that's what I love about it. It truly forces you to come up with your own strategies, using everything at your disposal. When I finally get how to beat a certain section I immediately want to talk with someone about how I did it like one of my great gaming stories.

I think I read Cory Barlog say somewhere that you either back down, start a new game on a lower difficulty, or you get good. Because you're not getting through this mode first time without mastering every system in the game. Kudos to SSM for including this, feels like a throwback to the old days of gaming.
 
Anyone else here start the game on Give Me God Of War difficulty?

I love hearing stories like this. I may give it a shot after I have beat it one time through to learn the systems a bit first. I generally suck at games on the hardest level though, lol.

Even though I suck at them I appreciate that they include it for those that have the time and patience to attack the challenge! I am loving this game so much that I want to master everything about the combat.

I would love to hear updates about your progress as you go!
 

RPGCrazied

Member
And beat. Probably 30 hours or so, no game time anywhere. The ending was bittersweet and holy shit
at Atreus's true name.
 

DonF

Member
I started on give me a challenge and the first 3 hours were the hardest. Then it felt typical for a souls game. I recommend it.
 

Blood Borne

Member
Just finished the game.

Awesome graphics.
Good gameplay, better than previous God of War gameplay.
Better story that previous games.
Better level design than previous games.
Worse boss battle than previous games.

Overall, best God of War game. Nevertheless, Bloodborne remains the best game this gen.
 
So I just got back from
the first realm of the elves and I received a sidequest from the blacksmith regarding a room full of treasure. The thing is I saw that on the map it's near the starting area of the entire game and I don't know if I can go there right now.
Should I carry on with the story or try to get back?
 

NovumAngel

Banned
So I just got back from
the first realm of the elves and I received a sidequest from the blacksmith regarding a room full of treasure. The thing is I saw that on the map it's near the starting area of the entire game and I don't know if I can go there right now.
Should I carry on with the story or try to get back?
You don't need to backtrack to the starting area, it'll be in an area branched off from the lake.
 

Dunki

Member
Finally had some time so play GOW. Just entered the hub world and I mus say I really like this so far. Charakters are great combat system is awesome which I really did not expect at all. Only complain I have is that it is a bit annoying when new enemies spawn out of nowhere. One Troll fight was a real pain so far since I had to flee constantly because of these new spawns^^

Otherwise really enjoy it.
 

Valonquar

Member
The fact there's multiple selectable areas marked unavailible in the tree tele room screams DLC announcement 3 or 4 months from now. That's what they did with Horizon: Zero Dawn's expansion. Announced Frozen Wilds 4 months after initial release, then released it 5 months after that. I mean otherwise are they going to re-use the hub lake in a second game years from now? That seems... weird.
 

Blood Borne

Member
Coming from you, this is a surprising revelation ;)
Loool.
No doubt I am biased. But I don't think I'm in the minority when I say Bloodborne has better boss battles, better weapons, better level design and better enemies.

God of War definitely has better story, characters and graphics.
 
The fact there's multiple selectable areas marked unavailible in the tree tele room screams DLC announcement 3 or 4 months from now. That's what they did with Horizon: Zero Dawn's expansion. Announced Frozen Wilds 4 months after initial release, then released it 5 months after that. I mean otherwise are they going to re-use the hub lake in a second game years from now? That seems... weird.

That would be my hope too. Maybe they just want the DLC to be a complete surprise or they didn't want to commit to DLC until they saw the public reaction and sales figures.

I hope they do release some DLC because I want to stay in this universe right now. I'm about halfway through I think but don't want it to end. lol
 

nowhat

Gold Member
The fact there's multiple selectable areas marked unavailible in the tree tele room screams DLC announcement 3 or 4 months from now.
Maybe... but on the other hand, if there is to be the rumoured "Norse trilogy", they can't visit all of the "areas"*) in the first entry, would make latter games quite repetitive/lacking discovery. I'm guessing that even if we do get any DLC (and according to Barlog, that's a no) at least
Asgard is off-limits - and *)realms would be the proper term in this instance
 
I wouldn't be mad if this was a one and done game. But there's definitely room for a sequel.

I'm ready for God of War Ragnarok on PS5
 

Northeastmonk

Gold Member
I wouldn't be mad if this was a one and done game. But there's definitely room for a sequel.

I'm ready for God of War Ragnarok on PS5

I had the feeling when I started the game. I wonder if it'll be the best or the game with the most critical acclaim.

I wonder if the same team will even attempt to make the sequel or if they'll just pass it to another team. They're basically handing the next creative director, artists, sound creators, and various positions a golden goose.
 

nowhat

Gold Member
I wonder if the same team will even attempt to make the sequel or if they'll just pass it to another team. They're basically handing the next creative director, artists, sound creators, and various positions a golden goose.
I've been watching quite a few Barlog*) interviews**) as of late, and he's been quite forward that he has a lot of content planned going forward, much of which is already foreshadowed in this game (and also cut from this game, not to make it too bloated). So if SIE has any sense, they'll continue to keep him in the lead. And with Santa Monica very deeply involved in the project by now, why would they change the team/studio either. If anything, much of the development of this game was on the technical side of things. But the engine seems pretty much done for what it's supposed to do, at least has a really solid foundation for building a new/improved game. So maybe (wishful thinking perhaps, but one can dream right?) a sequel is not so far off? I'm not saying next year, please do not turn this into an annual franchise. But two years? That could very well be possible.

*) Offtopic, but man is it hard to remember how his name is spelled. I'm always thinking "it's that thing from LOTR, but ever so slightly different". And it's been ages since I read LOTR, so that always takes time.
**) More offtopic, but he does really seem to come out as a very decent guy, to whom this game obviously means so much. I wish him all the best luck for the sequels, should they come.
 
If old GOW tittles where your high standar for 3d hack and slash games, than maybe that's why you don't get it, while i enjoyed the series in the past, it was never close to being the achievement in combat systems that games like god hand or DMC3 or 4 or Bayonetta where.

I've played all those games and they're all very good mechanically as well. I'd just like to hear what those games do that GoW2 didn't. I'll agree the series' mechanics got worse with GoW3 and Ascension but GoW2 felt like as close to the top as it gets. I'd put Bayonetta as the best but GoW2 is pretty close. I think it's getting a bad rap there since folks saw GoW as more flash than substance.

And thanks for the breakdown, PuppetMaster. Good breakdown by Deadman and wutnau too. Thanks for the detail, guys.

But that being said, I am actually certain the old God of War games were more forgiving about button mashing than this one. I mean I have the platinum trophies for God of War 1-3. But I never felt I had to learn the systems or all the weapons too deeply to beat it on the hardest difficulty and clear all the challenges. It's not a exaggeration to say "square square triangle" could carry you through the majority of the old game even on the hardest mode.

While I agree with this, this is certainly not the most efficient way to victory...but I'd say most H&S games have a few broken moves that can be used over and over to cheese your way through. But if there's options outside of that then that's all we need. I often bring up Kingdom Hearts 2 in these conversations...you'd never think a game like that would be well-made and you can easily beat it with button mashing...but the mechanics are pretty sweet and you can get a lot out of it if you explore them all. That's the kind of thing I'm hoping is intact with NuGoW.

But apparently, this is what we're going to get, there'll be no DLC.

If this is true, this is SO refreshing. But I'll believe it when I see it.

Anyone else here start the game on Give Me God Of War difficulty?

What changes do they make for the hardest mode? Is it just more HP for enemies and more damage? Or are they more aggressive or have different enemy layouts or more robust stuff like that? The fact that it may be a legit challenge looks like great news.
 
Last edited:

Ar¢tos

Member
I wonder why
the game never explains the source of the corruption in the land. Maybe in the next game...
 

Moneal

Member
I wonder why
the game never explains the source of the corruption in the land. Maybe in the next game...
If you went through all the Valkyrie fights, Sigrund mentions, as does Mimir when you first go to Helheim, that Helheim is overloaded and not accepting any more souls. This is due to the Odin imprisoning the Valkyries in mortal forms. They weren't able to escort souls to Valhalla.
 

Kagero

Member
Um...Holy crap! I got goosebumps. Serious spoiler below.

I just got the blades of Athena! I can't believe they did it and it controls like a dream! Cries....

How much of the game is left? I don't want it to end :(
 

Droxcy

Member
Um...Holy crap! I got goosebumps. Serious spoiler below.

I just got the blades of Athena! I can't believe they did it and it controls like a dream! Cries....

How much of the game is left? I don't want it to end :(

You have a good bit left after that.

I just finished the game may I saw one word. WOW! Just a brilliant game.
 

Atrus

Gold Member
so I saw on kotaku of Kratos wearing armor like that of a knights armor. Is there loot in the game?

Yes, but most aren’t significant departures style wise.

I don’t know how many but I’m guessing there are around 1-2 dozen sets you can mix and match, excluding unique items not tied to a set.

Beyond armour that are other types of loot like crafting materials, money, weapon and armour modifiers, and collectables.
 
Last edited:

Keihart

Member
Anyone else here start the game on Give Me God Of War difficulty?

It has to be the most challenging game I've ever played, and I'm pretty good at gaming. Literally every fight, no matter big or small, could be 1-2 hours long with 30+ retries. There isn't even any room to cheese it by throwing the axe from a distance. Backing yourself up into a corner with multiple one-hit enemies is going to get you killed as you're likely to double dodge right into a one hitter. You have to be on the move, dynamic and always aware of your surroundings.

But that's what I love about it. It truly forces you to come up with your own strategies, using everything at your disposal. When I finally get how to beat a certain section I immediately want to talk with someone about how I did it like one of my great gaming stories.

I think I read Cory Barlog say somewhere that you either back down, start a new game on a lower difficulty, or you get good. Because you're not getting through this mode first time without mastering every system in the game. Kudos to SSM for including this, feels like a throwback to the old days of gaming.

I started the game on max difficulty as well since i found that i enjoyed all previous entries more in this difficulty. But boy oh boy i was not expecting this. More than health the obstacle is almost always how to make the enemies stagger and no getting staggered, i'm truly impressed by the variety of enemies too, every time i find a new one i have to learn how to beat them and the find ways to apply that on mixed battles.
I've died a lot, but mastering the systems, learning types of enemies, unlocking skills that fit your strategies and multitasking in battle is pretty amazing, also i wasn't expecting for "boi" to be such an important tool in battle, he is basically your ebony and ivory and maybe even more essential since he can stagger enemies and interrupt transformations when Kratos is busy on some other animation.

I get frustrated sometimes when i get cornered by enemies on rage, they don't stagger for shit with my move set, but i see how that is not going to be such a critical problem once i get a couple more upgrades.
 

Hondo4

Member
Not sure if it really needed a spoiler tag

so i just got the magic chisel and was wondering how far am i in the game?
 

WaterAstro

Member
I'm not sure when I want to spend my materials. It's like I'm no upgrading at all because I want to use it on endgame gear, but I don't know what's the end game gear lol. I think my armor is trash now.
 
Top Bottom