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God of War Ragnarök – Hands-on gameplay report

FunkMiller

Gold Member
The thing that doesn't make sense to me is how people are either critical of GOW Ragnarok's visuals saying "That's not true next gen", but seem to completely forget about that when it comes to Elden Ring. :messenger_tears_of_joy:

Different set of expectations for each game. Elden Ring is a cross platform game. Ragnarok is the sequel to a console exclusive. Elden Ring was never going to be able to push graphical fidelity boundaries, but Ragnarok could, and should have.

I don't think the two games should be compared at all, but people insist on pitting them against one another for GOTY, so there you have it.
 

8BiTw0LF

Banned
Can't wait to play it in glorious 120fps

Happy Crying GIF
 

Represent.

Represent(ative) of bad opinions
The thing that doesn't make sense to me is how people are either critical of GOW Ragnarok's visuals saying "That's not true next gen", but seem to completely forget about that when it comes to Elden Ring. :messenger_tears_of_joy:
Amen.

GOW being cross gen is disappointing as fuck... But you better keep that same energy when it comes to Elden Ring.

I don't want to hear a peep out of you about this
giphy.gif


And then completely ignore, or better yet, praise this

elden-ring-opening-area.jpg
 

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
Different set of expectations for each game. Elden Ring is a cross platform game. Ragnarok is the sequel to a console exclusive. Elden Ring was never going to be able to push graphical fidelity boundaries, but Ragnarok could, and should have.

I don't think the two games should be compared at all, but people insist on pitting them against one another for GOTY, so there you have it.
Elden Ring doesnt get enough hate imo. I think finally experiencing a true open world in a souls game made it feel fresh and gamers and critics alike simply forgot that it doesnt do anything new aside from taking place in a bigger world. And im not talking about the visuals which look worse than Bloodborne and even Dark Souls 3.

The problem GOW will have isnt the first 5 hours, those will feel fresh after a 4 and a half year gap. The problem will be to keep things fresh after you realize you're technically in the 45th hour of the game with the same set of combat moves, enemies and level design. I think HFW suffered from this because it simply didnt bring many new additions and settled for more of the same.

GOW can have more setpieces and enemy variety but it will need that new hook to keep it from feeling samey half way through the 40 hour campaign. So far, i didnt read anything from the previews that talks about that x-factor the sequel is bringing.
 
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Amen.

GOW being cross gen is disappointing as fuck... But you better keep that same energy when it comes to Elden Ring.

I don't want to hear a peep out of you about this
giphy.gif


And then completely ignore, or better yet, praise this

elden-ring-opening-area.jpg

The difference is one vista is solely to look at from that one angle and the other vista (a relatively small part of a much larger area) is one that you can actually jump down and explore, while fighting enemies.
 

RyRy93

Member
Yeah gotta love how Ragnarok while looking this ridiculously good is being "held back" by crossgen and it's "the same" as the previous one. I don't remember any of this on any Elden Ring topic...the big GOTY contender that had plenty of performance issues in every platform from any gen.

Must be something only a PS exclusive goes through i guess.
It's because Ragnarok is a cinematic game and Elden Ring couldn't be further from that when it comes to third person action games, it needs to have cutting edge graphics if it wants to win the big awards this year.
 
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A.Romero

Member
Have they said anything about enemy variety? It was one of the weakest parts of the first ones IMO.

Regretfully despite pre-ordering since July I won't get my copy on release they but a week later. I wanna be mad at Amazon but at the same time I don't want to pay 10 USD more and buy somewhere else.
 

Swift_Star

Banned
It's because Ragnarok is a cinematic game and Elden Ring couldn't be further from that, it needs to have cutting edge graphics to compete with something like Elden Ring for the big awards
ER don't have that because From is incompetent in that department. They could achieve more if they really wanted to. And (GoW) Ragnarok gameplay is tighter than ER's. ER is better in other aspects though.
 

Represent.

Represent(ative) of bad opinions
Elden Ring doesnt get enough hate imo. I think finally experiencing a true open world in a souls game made it feel fresh and gamers and critics alike simply forgot that it doesnt do anything new aside from taking place in a bigger world. And im not talking about the visuals which look worse than Bloodborne and even Dark Souls 3.

The problem GOW will have isnt the first 5 hours, those will feel fresh after a 4 and a half year gap. The problem will be to keep things fresh after you realize you're technically in the 45th hour of the game with the same set of combat moves, enemies and level design. I think HFW suffered from this because it simply didnt bring many new additions and settled for more of the same.

GOW can have more setpieces and enemy variety but it will need that new hook to keep it from feeling samey half way through the 40 hour campaign. So far, i didnt read anything from the previews that talks about that x-factor the sequel is bringing.
Im just going into it expecting more of the same, but with improved visuals, improved combat, more epic bosses, and an even better story. Not going into it expecting an earth shattering, medium-enhancing moment like TLOU 2. And if I get anything more than that, its candy. Im expecting a 9/10 whereas with ND games I go in expecting 11/10
The difference is one vista is solely to look at from that one angle and the other vista (a relatively small part of a much larger area) is one that you can actually jump down and explore, while fighting enemies.
No excuse, Elden Ring just looks bad. Having an open world is no longer an excuse for shit looking graphics, it used to be in like 2010. But since GTA 5 we've had amazing looking open world games. From just doesn't give a shit about visuals/tech. They should be getting more hate. I cant ignore how bad ER looks.
 

RyRy93

Member
ER don't have that because From is incompetent in that department. They could achieve more if they really wanted to. And (GoW) Ragnarok gameplay is tighter than ER's. ER is better in other aspects though.
It is definitely From's biggest weakness but it doesn't matter much given the type of game that it is, a great and diverse art direction helps too.

Gameplay is tighter? Are we talking about controls because Kratos feels like shit to maneuver when you compare him to The Tarnished.
 
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Have they said anything about enemy variety? It was one of the weakest parts of the first ones IMO.

Regretfully despite pre-ordering since July I won't get my copy on release they but a week later. I wanna be mad at Amazon but at the same time I don't want to pay 10 USD more and buy somewhere else.
Can you not buy it on the store, digitally?

Totally understand if you want a physical copy, just thinking you'll be able to pre load and be ready as soon as it goes live.
 

Swift_Star

Banned
It is definitely From's biggest weakness but it doesn't matter much given the type of game that it is, a great and diverse art direction helps too.

Gameplay is tighter? Are we talking about controls because Kratos feels like shit to maneuver when you compare him to The Tarnished.
Actually, The Tarnished feels like completely shit and sluggish to me, the input delay is ridiculous. Kratos is fast, tight and responsive.
 

Thief1987

Member
The difference is one vista is solely to look at from that one angle and the other vista (a relatively small part of a much larger area) is one that you can actually jump down and explore, while fighting enemies.
I will take smaller handily crafted map over the large, dull and barren openworld filled with trash ubisoft-tier filler content any day of the week, thank you.
 

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
Im just going into it expecting more of the same, but with improved visuals, improved combat, more epic bosses, and an even better story. Not going into it expecting an earth shattering, medium-enhancing moment like TLOU 2. And if I get anything more than that, its candy. Im expecting a 9/10 whereas with ND games I go in expecting 11/10

No excuse, Elden Ring just looks bad. Having an open world is no longer an excuse for shit looking graphics, it used to be in like 2010. But since GTA 5 we've had amazing looking open world games. From just doesn't give a shit about visuals/tech. They should be getting more hate. I cant ignore how bad ER looks.
Great to see you mention GTAV because that was the first PS3 era open world game that went toe to toe with the linear games ND, SSM and GG were creating. Great lighting, draw distance, character models, and level of detail. Everyone caught up thanks to 8GB of vram in the last gen consoles, but I look back and what GTAV did on PS360 was amazing.

DS2 had to be severely downgraded due to being held back by PS3 era hardware. Bloodborne looked great. DS3 looked a bit worse but still stunning in castle areas. The castles in ER look like DS2 level to me. There is zero light bounce. They feel empty lacking any character or atmosphere. Looks a bit better outdoors but nowhere near other open world games like Horizon, Assassins Creed, Red Dead etc.
 

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
More forced walking and going through cracks?

Lol fuck this shit. I absolutely hated that in the original game. In fact, that is a bigger crime than the fact the graphics look the same. To make this game on the PS4 is the worst decision ever.
What sucks isnt the mandatory hidden loading sequences. They are whatever. A price you pay for fancier graphics in the next room. WHat sucks is that the level design and boss fights will be held back. I remember them talking about kratos and baldur throwing each other into mountains but the PS4 hardware held them back. The realm switching setpiece with Baldur and the dragon was split up by two long cutscenes. It was epic but essentially a cutscene. As soon as Mark Cerny showed that Jak 2 screenshot, I immediately thought of how Kratos and Thor could have a fight where they throw each other into different realms like in Thor Dark World using Ratchet style portals. Just go balls out.

I am interested to see how they implement realm travel in the PS5 version of this game. If they make you go to that realm travel room and only then switch realms by going through that tree. Removing the tree realm shouldnt be hard but i hope they just let you skip that room altogether and let you switch realms from fast travel stations.
 
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Not to be too negative, but it's a pretty sad list of bullet points. Looks very similar to the last one, other than some added verticality.

Luckily the last one is great, so even if it's just more of that - that is going to likely be awesome. I pre-ordered, but still not hyped at all. I'm sure it'll be good though.

I do think the story and spectacle elements really need to deliver though to truly hit GOTY. The gameplay seems very similar to the last one.
This. Lately I’ve been feeling that console gaming is stuck in sequel/franchise hell and it’s all we get. Repackaged, reheated sameness. I’m probably being a bit harsh because there’s some new and interesting stuff around, but every major release of the year seems to be characters, a world and mechanics we’ve played before.
 

RyRy93

Member
Can't wait to walk through cracks, slowly climb walls with no risk of falling and throw my axe at wooden boards to progress. I'm sure we'll fight all the remaining major Norse Gods with memorable OSTs and the level design will be clever and intricate rather than funneling you down a "wide-linear" corridor.

Hopefully it doesn't take an eternity for the camera to focus on characters during cutscenes due to its one-shot style.
 
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HTK

Banned
Never crossed my mind that I would base my purchase decision on whether or not this game was cross-gen or not. Would it have been cool if it was PS5 only and they pushed the console to the limits, sure. Will I not buy this game because it's a cross-gen title, absolutely fucking not.

Cross-gen or not, the game looks great but more importantly it seems the gameplay is there along with a solid story. Day 1.
 

SLB1904

Banned
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Funny how ow much cross gen is coming up in this discussion when just earlier this year Elden Ring was all the rage being every bit as much of a cross gen title as everything else this year. Not only was it cross gen is was badly optimized and it wasn’t half as nice looking.

There is a weird double standard when it comes to sony games.
 
Great to see you mention GTAV because that was the first PS3 era open world game that went toe to toe with the linear games ND, SSM and GG were creating. Great lighting, draw distance, character models, and level of detail. Everyone caught up thanks to 8GB of vram in the last gen consoles, but I look back and what GTAV did on PS360 was amazing.

DS2 had to be severely downgraded due to being held back by PS3 era hardware. Bloodborne looked great. DS3 looked a bit worse but still stunning in castle areas. The castles in ER look like DS2 level to me. There is zero light bounce. They feel empty lacking any character or atmosphere. Looks a bit better outdoors but nowhere near other open world games like Horizon, Assassins Creed, Red Dead etc.
Ds3 had better graphics than BB. If it looked better to you it had to be due to artstyle. If for no other reason because they improved their AA.
 

Jimmy_liv

Member
The thing that doesn't make sense to me is how people are either critical of GOW Ragnarok's visuals saying "That's not true next gen", but seem to completely forget about that when it comes to Elden Ring. :messenger_tears_of_joy:
Not for me, Elden ring didn't look current gem either.
 

Justin9mm

Member
Not to be too negative, but it's a pretty sad list of bullet points. Looks very similar to the last one, other than some added verticality.

Luckily the last one is great, so even if it's just more of that - that is going to likely be awesome. I pre-ordered, but still not hyped at all. I'm sure it'll be good though.

I do think the story and spectacle elements really need to deliver though to truly hit GOTY. The gameplay seems very similar to the last one.
You realise it's literally just a continuation of the last one, they started on this as soon as they finished the last one, its not a newly built game per say. It's essentially going to play and graphically look very similar if not the same with minor improvements and obviously some different character, enemy and boss varieties.

I don't understand what you are expecting? You should be expecting more of the same thing.
 

yurinka

Member
Anecdotal evidence. Almost all my friends are PC gamers, some extremely hardcore, and from my experience the idea that console exclusives will somehow trick a PC-only gamer to buy a console is flawed. I have not once seen it happen. Tbh some don’t even realize the console IPs exist until they pop up on PC, and some can’t even play/aim with a controller.
Anecdotal evidence is what your friends do. AAA dev budgets skyrocking so publisher needing new revenue sources, causing many of them releasing games in more platforms, Sony reaching more players in other platforms and mentioning they won't publish all their games on PC, and PS being the main market for AAA games (and particularly the best selling ones) are all facts.

Regarding PC gamers loving Sony games and later going to buy a PS5 is a very secondary reason compared to the other ones I just mentioned, but it's one that won't happen now because many PC fans are desilusional thinking Sony will release all their games on PC and day one, and may take a handful years until they realize that Sony wasn't lie when explaining their plans: Bungie games and maybe some GaaS may be on PC day one, but regarding all their other games will release on PS5 only and only a few old ones will be released every year on PC, most of them several years after their original PS release, being the most lucky at least a year late.
 
No excuse, Elden Ring just looks bad. Having an open world is no longer an excuse for shit looking graphics, it used to be in like 2010. But since GTA 5 we've had amazing looking open world games. From just doesn't give a shit about visuals/tech. They should be getting more hate. I cant ignore how bad ER looks.

First off, an Action RPG like Elden Ring does not have "shit looking graphics."
Action RPG's like Star Ocean The Divine Force, Babylons Fall, etc have relatively shit graphics in 2022.

Second, the vista comparison you put up wasn't GTA VS Elden Ring it was Ragnarok vs Elden Ring..so what I said, comparing those two images, still stands.

And sure Ragnarok looks prettier..but we're not gonna pretend it doesn't look crossgen as hell also. It just simply looks like a prettier cross gen game.

Also ATTN:
To whomever is reading this..just ban all the characters names in Ragnarok on social media if you don't want anything spoiled. Shit is out there now.
 

A.Romero

Member
Can you not buy it on the store, digitally?

Totally understand if you want a physical copy, just thinking you'll be able to pre load and be ready as soon as it goes live.

There are two reasons why not:

- It's more expensive to buy online (price has actually gone up around $10 USD since July and Amazon does maintain the price from when the preorder was made)
- My PSN account was created back during the PS3 launch and it's Canadian. Since then I relocated to Mexico and Sony doesn't allow me to use my Mexican credit card. There is a workaround for this but I try to avoid spending on the PSN because no region changing is bullshit haha
 
The difference is one vista is solely to look at from that one angle and the other vista (a relatively small part of a much larger area) is one that you can actually jump down and explore, while fighting enemies.

How exactly do you know that we won't be able to explore all that in GOW?
 

Putonahappyface

Gold Member
So does anyone know what resolution 60fps locked performance mode will be on the ps5? I'm expecting dynamic 4k, but what will be the lowest resolution?
 
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