Support NeoGAF

[Low Moral Fibre]

I've played quite a lot more than I had yesterday and have the same opinion in that I'm equal parts impressed and disappointed. I think if I'd gone completely dark and ignored the hype I maybe wouldn't feel this way but I let myself get overhyped as per usual.

I mean it's a great game don't get me wrong. I want to play more and I wish I was playing it right this minute instead of pretending to work but there is enough nagging at me that it's not a 10/10 for me.

You are constantly reminded that this is a PS4 game. Invisible walls, crawling through tight spaces, small combat arenas, tiny FOV etc. I'm sure they could have removed some of the very artificial feeling barriers and opened the exploration bits up on PS5 without changing the gameplay like mods do for Elder Scrolls games on PC to remove the load screens for cities and stuff. There was some dev talking about the crawling through gap stuff being something other than to hide load screens but there are a million ways to keep a player in a combat arena without making them move slowly for 15 seconds beforehand. It would be less of a problem if you never had to backtrack but the game does a great job of rewarding exploration so it can get annoying. I think the one shot camera stuff is holding the game back as obviously the PS4 needs time to load or unload stuff and the PS5 suffers as a result.

It feels so similar to GOW 2018 that I don't get that new game feeling of wonder that you get as you are still working stuff out. I guess don't fix what isn't broken but unlike some sequels where it's hard to play the first game after playing the second as so much has been improved this virtually feels like the same game. Even with stuff like the Arkham Asylum to Arkham City they opened up the world enough that it felt like a totally different experience.

I guess I'm more disappointed for what could have been if they went all in on PS5 rather than the fact there is anything wrong with Ragnarok. 95% of studios couldn't make a better game even with unlimited hardware resources but not many studios have this talent or budget and it feels completely hamstrung by the last gen machines.

It's a bit like how I feel about the Amazon LotR show - not bad but not anywhere near what it could have been and it means we won't see it again for years/decades.

There aren't many things that are just plain bad but luckily those that are there should be easy fixes if enough people complain.

The UI is hideous. It looks like a mobile game and everything is unnecessary huge and cluttered. The accessibility stuff is great and it's good that people with less than stellar vision can read stuff but the font size choices are ginormous or slightly more ginormous. The subtitles are like 1/3rd the way up the screen for some reason.

I don't love the vignette and can't see how to turn it off.

The transmog is apparently locked to max level gear only so you go through 90% of the game with ugly gear until you can unleash the nipples.

The puzzles aren't exactly hard but any difficulty there is is removed thanks to Atreus basically telling you what to do. This is a problem with lots of modern games and it should always be a toggle but the only toggle I can see seems to offer more help if such a thing is possible.

I need to play with the HDR settings as the dark stuff looks perfect with inky blacks but the bright stuff can look over exposed but I can hopefully improve this.

The side quests are way better and worth doing now while the ones in GOW 2018 were basically just a way to level up if you were struggling.

Set pieces and voice acting are top notch and zero complaints there.

This all sounds very critical but if you loved GOW 2018 there's no reason you won't love this even if it does feel dated in places. It's still one of the best action adventures ever made and a lot of the stuff won't bother many (probably the majority) of people so I can see why people are so positive about the game.

 

[BadBurger]

Haven't had much of a chance to play this. Just two sessions. Having a difficult time relearning the combat but that will come. That first boss fight? Wow. Reminds me of how wild seeing the first boss fight in GoW 3 was back in 2010.

 

[Topher]

I think he's talking about Odin, who totally talks like a New Jersey wiseguy. It's an interesting choice that does feel a bit out of place with the other characters.

Eh....thought it was fine. Certainly didn't find it "grating".

 

[8BiTw0LF]

 

[Doctor Hades]

I only played around 90 minutes of the game yesterday due to the lengthy disc install and the fact that I had to then move some games from the expansion SSD to make space for the Day One patch.

I enjoyed what I played even if the game feels very familar. The acting is top-notch as are the impeccable cut-scenes. Visually the game is stunning but I was undecided as to what the best mode was to play it at: 4K 'Quality' 120 Hz at 40 fps looks noticeably sharper than the 60 fps 'Performance' mode (using VRR and an unlocked framerate) but doesn't feel or look as smooth in motion on my LG B9. In the end, I settled on the Performance mode as it just looks and plays so much smoother that way.

Personally, I am happy that this is a cross-gen game because it has allowed the developers to refine and polish the PS5 version. Not sure how this would have been much better if it had been PS5 only as loading times are pretty much non-existent once you start playing and this isn't a game that needs ray-tracing as the rasterised effects look almost perfect anyway. I mean as a PC gamer, I am used to playing console ports at higher graphical quality, resolutions and framerates so this is no different. I am not convinced that every game needs to be 'next-gen' as long as the core gameplay/graphics/performance are solid. Yes, this game seems to have a lot of moments where Kratos is squeezing slowly through gaps but it works well enough as these moments allow the characters to talk and that in turn fleshes them out and allows the player to soak in the atmosphere.

 

[Certinty]

Can't say I'm surprised that people who came straight into this after (re)playing the first game are getting incredibly burnt out. Gameplay wise and even visually for the most part it's the same game as many others have said.

 

[Gudji]

These takes from people saying "it's just like gow 2018" are something else. It's a fucking sequel you fucking dumbasses not a reboot.

 

[Kupfer]

I've played quite a lot more than I had yesterday and have the same opinion in that I'm equal parts impressed and disappointed. I think if I'd gone completely dark and ignored the hype I maybe wouldn't feel this way but I let myself get overhyped as per usual.

I mean it's a great game don't get me wrong. I want to play more and I wish I was playing it right this minute instead of pretending to work but there is enough nagging at me that it's not a 10/10 for me.

You are constantly reminded that this is a PS4 game. Invisible walls, crawling through tight spaces, small combat arenas, tiny FOV etc. I'm sure they could have removed some of the very artificial feeling barriers and opened the exploration bits up on PS5 without changing the gameplay like mods do for Elder Scrolls games on PC to remove the load screens for cities and stuff. There was some dev talking about the crawling through gap stuff being something other than to hide load screens but there are a million ways to keep a player in a combat arena without making them move slowly for 15 seconds beforehand. It would be less of a problem if you never had to backtrack but the game does a great job of rewarding exploration so it can get annoying. I think the one shot camera stuff is holding the game back as obviously the PS4 needs time to load or unload stuff and the PS5 suffers as a result.

It feels so similar to GOW 2018 that I don't get that new game feeling of wonder that you get as you are still working stuff out. I guess don't fix what isn't broken but unlike some sequels where it's hard to play the first game after playing the second as so much has been improved this virtually feels like the same game. Even with stuff like the Arkham Asylum to Arkham City they opened up the world enough that it felt like a totally different experience.

I guess I'm more disappointed for what could have been if they went all in on PS5 rather than the fact there is anything wrong with Ragnarok. 95% of studios couldn't make a better game even with unlimited hardware resources but not many studios have this talent or budget and it feels completely hamstrung by the last gen machines.

It's a bit like how I feel about the Amazon LotR show - not bad but not anywhere near what it could have been and it means we won't see it again for years/decades.

There aren't many things that are just plain bad but luckily those that are there should be easy fixes if enough people complain.

The UI is hideous. It looks like a mobile game and everything is unnecessary huge and cluttered. The accessibility stuff is great and it's good that people with less than stellar vision can read stuff but the font size choices are ginormous or slightly more ginormous. The subtitles are like 1/3rd the way up the screen for some reason.

I don't love the vignette and can't see how to turn it off.

The transmog is apparently locked to max level gear only so you go through 90% of the game with ugly gear until you can unleash the nipples.

The puzzles aren't exactly hard but any difficulty there is is removed thanks to Atreus basically telling you what to do. This is a problem with lots of modern games and it should always be a toggle but the only toggle I can see seems to offer more help if such a thing is possible.

I need to play with the HDR settings as the dark stuff looks perfect with inky blacks but the bright stuff can look over exposed but I can hopefully improve this.

The side quests are way better and worth doing now while the ones in GOW 2018 were basically just a way to level up if you were struggling.

Set pieces and voice acting are top notch and zero complaints there.

This all sounds very critical but if you loved GOW 2018 there's no reason you won't love this even if it does feel dated in places. It's still one of the best action adventures ever made and a lot of the stuff won't bother many (probably the majority) of people so I can see why people are so positive about the game.

Thanks for sharing your experience, you confirm a lot of what I feared.

Elsewhere I wrote :


GoW 1 & 2 looked almost identical on the PS2.
GoW GoS & CoO looked almost identical on the PSP
GoW 3 & GoW Ascension looked almost identical on the PS3
GoW 2018 & Ragnarök look nearly identical on the PS4


The only new thing about this model is just that they are now selling it as a PS5 game on the side.


If God of War 2 had been released on the PS3 at the time of the PS2 release in the same form with a bumped up resolution, PS3 version buyers would have been disappointed as well, I'm sure, even though it's still a great game. But from a game of this caliber, if there is a native version of the game for it, you just expect more on the current gen.

Maybe they should have just released the PS4 version of Ragnarök and put a PS5 patch on it, and not sold a PS5 version in the first place. Then everyone would have been amazed at how well this game runs on the PS4 and would have been happy that it runs & looks even better on the PS5.

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

These takes from people saying "it's just like gow 2018" are something else. It's a fucking sequel you fucking dumbasses not a reboot.

I swear i don't remember this criticism when we went from Uncharted 2 to 3, each yearly COD / Fifa game, when Elden Ring was a Souls game but on an open world setting, etc...

Seems like nitpicking to me and it's a shame we've gotten to this point in gaming.

 

[Ulysses 31]

I swear i don't remember this criticism when we went from Uncharted 2 to 3, each yearly COD / Fifa game, when Elden Ring was a Souls game but on an open world setting, etc...

Seems like nitpicking to me and it's a shame we've gotten to this point in gaming.

Unless it's stated as a negative, it seems like a personally issue to see it that way.

 

[SF Kosmo]

Eh....thought it was fine. Certainly didn't find it "grating".

I wouldn't say grating, but jarring in the sense that it felt out of place to me, at least for the few minutes of screentime I've seen.

 

[El Pistolero]

Is everyone OK with this mafia boss new York "y'understand what's going on here" dialogue and delivery? I'm not saying then performance isn't class but I'm trying to shake how jarring it is to me in this norse mythology.....

It's just grating me....hope I get past it.

Because it takes place where it does, and involves gods, it has to be shakspearean, language wise?

 

[SF Kosmo]

Because it takes place where it does, and involves gods, it has to be shakspearean, language wise?

No, but it's not unreasonable to expect a father and his sons to have the same dialect as each other.

 

[Topher]

Maybe they should have just released the PS4 version of Ragnarök and put a PS5 patch on it, and not sold a PS5 version in the first place. Then everyone would have been amazed at how well this game runs on the PS4 and would have been happy that it runs & looks even better on the PS5.

If it looks and plays even better on PS5 then I don't see why Sony (or anyone else) needs to jump through all those hoops just to make people realize it.

No, but it's not unreasonable to expect a father and his sons to have the same dialect as each other.

I have two sons and one sounds exactly like me and the other sounds nothing like me. That isn't a different dialect. Just different voices. Same applies here.

 

[FrankWza]

Then everyone would have been amazed at how well this game runs on the PS4 and would have been happy that it runs & looks even better on the PS5.

This is already happening right now.

 

[vaibhavpisal]

I have two sons and one sounds exactly like me and the other sounds nothing like me. That isn't a different dialect. Just different voices. Same applies here.

This is not the thing you realise yourself.

Do you think people from your country have accent when speaking native language?

But a foreigner will feel they do if they learn to speak same language.

 

[cormack12]

You guys are WAY to spoilery with some of these early events. I don’t even want to keep reading because I know someone is going to spoil something soon that happens and it’s going to be ruined.

It's early on when Kratos rips Atreus head off because of his gingerness. After that it picks up

 

[Topher]

This is not the thing you realise yourself.

Do you think people from your country have accent when speaking native language?

But a foreigner will feel they do if they learn to speak same language.

I live in the US and I encounter a multitude of different accents on a daily basis.

 

[Punished Miku]

I swear i don't remember this criticism when we went from Uncharted 2 to 3, each yearly COD / Fifa game, when Elden Ring was a Souls game but on an open world setting, etc...

Seems like nitpicking to me and it's a shame we've gotten to this point in gaming.

If you're loving the game, just have fun. The game has gotten a mountain of HIGH praise, to the point that everyone is pushing for it to be GOTY. And here you are trying to make people's opinions seem extreme or illegitimate if they don't agree with that in every single aspect.

The amount of pressure you guys keep trying to exert to control this narrative is crazy to me. Countless threads declaring that this is the GOTY before it even comes out, and any other considerations aren't serious. And now posts about why any criticism doesn't count.

Just let people play the game and feel how they wanna feel about it. This has nothing to do with any "point in gaming" we've gotten to. Not to derail with talk of another game, but no one will ever levy this criticism against Bayonetta 3 due to the massive amount of game changing new additions they put in it, and that's a direct sequel. A lot of action games have done that in the past, like DMC 3 and the styles, or Ninja Gaiden 2 changing the whole game with the obliteration techniques, or Majora's Mask changing the entire structure of the game. The narrative that no direct sequels ever do anything different is false.

 

[MatrixReloaded101]

These takes from people saying "it's just like gow 2018" are something else. It's a fucking sequel you fucking dumbasses not a reboot.

Exactly

And yes It’s a PS4 game, get over it. The team didn’t want people to wait longer just to deliver a native PS5 experience and I get that. The game is still one of the best games available right now so it doesn’t really matter.

Eventually we will get native PS5 games but until then just enjoy what’s in front of you.

 

[zkorejo]

Wow. First two hours are jam-packed. So much happened in just two hours.

 

[SafeOrAlone]

These takes from people saying "it's just like gow 2018" are something else. It's a fucking sequel you fucking dumbasses not a reboot.

It’s really simple:

People were enticed to pay $500 to play this game. It was first announced as a PS5 game, alongside Sony claiming they believe in generations (as opposed to their competitors).
With that in mind, booting up the new highly anticipated God of War, to meet the sobering reality that this game is being held back by their previous console and they could have played it there is understandably deflating.

New consoles have always brought expectations of new experiences. That’s sort of the whole point, unless you’re simply a graphics whore.

Sequel or not, it’s disappointing to play a PS4 game on your PS5, two years into its life, when it’s coming from a flagship studio. This is THE PS5 game to get, and it’s a PS4 game.

Setting next gen consoles aside and focusing solely on sequels, look at the innovations past franchises have made…

Look at Metal Gear Solid’s legacy: each new game practically reinvented the mechanics while improving upon others substantially. Each sequel in the series was a brand new experience while maintaining what players came to MGS for in the first place. At least for a while.

Look at the Arkham series: we went from single player metroidvania, to an open world, to insanely beautiful graphics and vehicle implementation (polarizing but still something fresh). These are exciting big jumps that drastically alter the experience.

Look at Halo 1 to Halo 2 - a multiplayer component was attached that became arguably more popular than the single-player. Then in Halo 3, you could play the campaign with four people, back when that was pretty damn rare. Still is I suppose.

I’m just pulling random games out of my hat
Does every franchise execute on this level from sequel to sequel? No.
Should we hold Sony’s flagship team to as high a standard as the industry’s best? Of course.

I completely understand why people are bummed to play a PS4 game on their PS5, two years into the cycle, especially when it only innovates in small ways.

Not saying the game isn’t great or won’t be great. I can have a great time playing Tetris or Ninja Gaiden right now, graphics and modern innovation be damned. But that’s a different set of expectations.

 

[SlimySnake]

I've played quite a lot more than I had yesterday and have the same opinion in that I'm equal parts impressed and disappointed. I think if I'd gone completely dark and ignored the hype I maybe wouldn't feel this way but I let myself get overhyped as per usual.

I mean it's a great game don't get me wrong. I want to play more and I wish I was playing it right this minute instead of pretending to work but there is enough nagging at me that it's not a 10/10 for me.

You are constantly reminded that this is a PS4 game. Invisible walls, crawling through tight spaces, small combat arenas, tiny FOV etc. I'm sure they could have removed some of the very artificial feeling barriers and opened the exploration bits up on PS5 without changing the gameplay like mods do for Elder Scrolls games on PC to remove the load screens for cities and stuff. There was some dev talking about the crawling through gap stuff being something other than to hide load screens but there are a million ways to keep a player in a combat arena without making them move slowly for 15 seconds beforehand. It would be less of a problem if you never had to backtrack but the game does a great job of rewarding exploration so it can get annoying. I think the one shot camera stuff is holding the game back as obviously the PS4 needs time to load or unload stuff and the PS5 suffers as a result.

It feels so similar to GOW 2018 that I don't get that new game feeling of wonder that you get as you are still working stuff out. I guess don't fix what isn't broken but unlike some sequels where it's hard to play the first game after playing the second as so much has been improved this virtually feels like the same game. Even with stuff like the Arkham Asylum to Arkham City they opened up the world enough that it felt like a totally different experience.

I guess I'm more disappointed for what could have been if they went all in on PS5 rather than the fact there is anything wrong with Ragnarok. 95% of studios couldn't make a better game even with unlimited hardware resources but not many studios have this talent or budget and it feels completely hamstrung by the last gen machines.

It's a bit like how I feel about the Amazon LotR show - not bad but not anywhere near what it could have been and it means we won't see it again for years/decades.

There aren't many things that are just plain bad but luckily those that are there should be easy fixes if enough people complain.

The UI is hideous. It looks like a mobile game and everything is unnecessary huge and cluttered. The accessibility stuff is great and it's good that people with less than stellar vision can read stuff but the font size choices are ginormous or slightly more ginormous. The subtitles are like 1/3rd the way up the screen for some reason.

I don't love the vignette and can't see how to turn it off.

The transmog is apparently locked to max level gear only so you go through 90% of the game with ugly gear until you can unleash the nipples.

The puzzles aren't exactly hard but any difficulty there is is removed thanks to Atreus basically telling you what to do. This is a problem with lots of modern games and it should always be a toggle but the only toggle I can see seems to offer more help if such a thing is possible.

I need to play with the HDR settings as the dark stuff looks perfect with inky blacks but the bright stuff can look over exposed but I can hopefully improve this.

The side quests are way better and worth doing now while the ones in GOW 2018 were basically just a way to level up if you were struggling.

Set pieces and voice acting are top notch and zero complaints there.

This all sounds very critical but if you loved GOW 2018 there's no reason you won't love this even if it does feel dated in places. It's still one of the best action adventures ever made and a lot of the stuff won't bother many (probably the majority) of people so I can see why people are so positive about the game.

It's interesting that you brought up Arkham City because I wouldve expected a similar jump in scale. It was typical in PS3 games. Uncharted 1, AC1, Batman all made a huge leap forward. Even this gen, linear franchises like Uncharted added more open world elements while GG went from creating linear KZ games to full on open world games. It's definitely odd to see SSM stick so close to the original formula.

UI is absolutely terrible. No idea what they were thinking here. I hate being in that menu. The first one was fine and one aspect that didnt need changing.

Overall though, Im not too upset over the crawling through tight spaces. It is what it is. FOV though is going to be an issue because they have definitely increased the number of enemies and made them far more aggressive. I am enjoying the combat though, sucks that they took away all my upgrades, but thats normal for GOW. At least the enemies we are fighting arent copy pasta from the last game.

If you have an LGCX, you might have HGIG enabled which darkens the game. Might want to increase your ingame brightness setting to 75.

 

[Kupfer]

This is already happening right now.

Is that so? Most PS5 players I've talked to so far and read experience reports from are rather disillusioned by the non-current-gen-like presentation - which is not to take away from the goodness of the game. It's just an observation

 

[Cr1ptkeeper]

These takes from people saying "it's just like gow 2018" are something else. It's a fucking sequel you fucking dumbasses not a reboot.

Nah...
That would mean Uncharted 4 would look like UC3 but at 60 fps... or Gears 4 would've looked like Gears 3 but at 60 fps.

 

[Gudji]

It’s really simple:

People were enticed to pay $500 to play this game. It was first announced as a PS5 game, alongside Sony claiming they believe in generations (as opposed to their competitors).
With that in mind, booting up the new highly anticipated God of War, to meet the sobering reality that this game is being held back by their previous console and they could have played it there is understandably deflating.

New consoles have always brought expectations of new experiences. That’s sort of the whole point, unless you’re simply a graphics whore.

Sequel or not, it’s disappointing to play a PS4 game on your PS5, two years into its life, when it’s coming from a flagship studio. This is THE PS5 game to get, and it’s a PS4 game.

First of all it was announced as a ps4 and ps5 game so you can stop right there. Yes in 2020 showcase they didn't give any details other than it was coming in 2021. In the 2021 showcase they said it was coming to ps4 and ps5.

Setting next gen consoles aside and focusing solely on sequels, look at the innovations past franchises have made…

Look at Metal Gear Solid’s legacy: each new game practically reinvented the mechanics while improving upon others substantially.

MGS2 played just like the first one with improvements here and there. Which is exactly what ragnarok is doing comparing to 2018.

Look at the Arkham series: we went from single player metroidvania, to an open world, to insanely beautiful graphics and vehicle implementation (polarizing but still something fresh). These are exciting big jumps that drastically alter the experience.

And yet they all play alike. Ragnarok in the first few hour already shows the differences between both games and I'm sure that later on it will have even more differences (I'm still in the first 4 to 5 hours mark).

Look at Halo 1 to Halo 2 - a multiplayer component was attached that became arguably more popular than the single-player. Then in Halo 3, you could play the campaign with four people, back when that was pretty damn rare. Still is I suppose.

And yet we go back to the same point. They all played very similar.

I’m just pulling random games out of my hat
Does every franchise execute on this level from sequel to sequel? No.
Should we hold Sony’s flagship team to as high a standard as the industry’s best? Of course.

They're doing it.

I completely understand why people are bummed to play a PS4 game on their PS5, two years into the cycle, especially when it only innovates in small ways.

Not saying the game isn’t great or won’t be great. I can have a great time playing Tetris or Ninja Gaiden right now, graphics and modern innovation be damned. But that’s a different set of expectations.

Yeah crazy people expectations.
The fact remains they first 4 hours of ragnarok are on a level that only a few studios can reach while showing improvements over the predecessor.

 

[sloppyjoe_gamer]

Em no?
It’s very subtle and helps to fake detail and dithering. But it’s largely inconsequential
Don’t turn off motion blur too! It’s mainly on animations.

Btw is there hud opacity setting?

Em yes.

Not subtle at all at the full setting value of 10.....it looks off. I'll bump it up halfway to 5 later and see if that looks ok. I left motion blur alone.

 

[Psychostar]

Haven't had much of a chance to play this. Just two sessions. Having a difficult time relearning the combat but that will come. That first boss fight? Wow. Reminds me of how wild seeing the first boss fight in GoW 3 was back in 2010.

I'm in the same camp. I have only managed to get about an hour and a half in maybe? I replayed the previous GOW the day before I got my hands on the new one and it's still fresh in my head. Baldur was more exciting to play through but the fight at the start of this game is definitely better. I will say that I am enjoying the story play out. I think the decision to introduce certain people the way they did was a really nice touch. The game is just so enjoyable to watch in the moments where you are not hacking away at heads.

I agree with one of the other comments above that the voice acting, while extremely well done, is just so weird and kind of out of place.. I don't know why they went for those accents for Odin and Thor - All the previous midgardians we met had a different twang/ spoke their tongue differently to these two, so why make them so jarringly different? Yes the voice acting is marvellous, but it feels like whoever was in charge of the voice direction was watching way too many Sicilian mafia movies the day before casting and it takes away from the immersion slightly for myself so far - but hey it's a big game and it's the first scene so who knows? Maybe our opinions will change.

 

[Puscifer]

lmaaaooooo

My disc copy threw up in error during what I'm assuming is the last 1/3rd of the game, this is what I get for using my sources to get a copy a week early

Spoiler

 

[SlimySnake]

It’s really simple:

People were enticed to pay $500 to play this game. It was first announced as a PS5 game, alongside Sony claiming they believe in generations (as opposed to their competitors).
With that in mind, booting up the new highly anticipated God of War, to meet the sobering reality that this game is being held back by their previous console and they could have played it there is understandably deflating.

New consoles have always brought expectations of new experiences. That’s sort of the whole point, unless you’re simply a graphics whore.

Sequel or not, it’s disappointing to play a PS4 game on your PS5, two years into its life, when it’s coming from a flagship studio. This is THE PS5 game to get, and it’s a PS4 game.

Setting next gen consoles aside and focusing solely on sequels, look at the innovations past franchises have made…

Look at Metal Gear Solid’s legacy: each new game practically reinvented the mechanics while improving upon others substantially. Each sequel in the series was a brand new experience while maintaining what players came to MGS for in the first place. At least for a while.

Look at the Arkham series: we went from single player metroidvania, to an open world, to insanely beautiful graphics and vehicle implementation (polarizing but still something fresh). These are exciting big jumps that drastically alter the experience.

Look at Halo 1 to Halo 2 - a multiplayer component was attached that became arguably more popular than the single-player. Then in Halo 3, you could play the campaign with four people, back when that was pretty damn rare. Still is I suppose.

I’m just pulling random games out of my hat
Does every franchise execute on this level from sequel to sequel? No.
Should we hold Sony’s flagship team to as high a standard as the industry’s best? Of course.

I completely understand why people are bummed to play a PS4 game on their PS5, two years into the cycle, especially when it only innovates in small ways.

Not saying the game isn’t great or won’t be great. I can have a great time playing Tetris or Ninja Gaiden right now, graphics and modern innovation be damned. But that’s a different set of expectations.

To be fair, it doesnt feel as dated as I thought it would be. Graphics arent as good as HFW, Demon Souls and Ratchet, but the scale is arguably better. I understand the complaints about small arenas, and a lack of a bigger vision for this game, but I dont think the lack of ambition is the issue here. The game feels pretty ambitious as it is.

I think the biggest issue here is that they announced this as a PS5 game, their CEO refused to state if this was a PS4 game like HFW and Miles at launch misleading people into rushing out to buy a PS5 on Day one. I think the devs shouldve been honest from day one. They have been lately with several devs coming out and saying this was a PS4 game because they wanted to keep the Norse Saga tied to the PS4 which is a step up from ND and Insomniac whose devs misled the gaming audience in twitter. I remember how JStevenson on era would see all the chatter about Miles being a PS5 only game and kept his mouth shut for months until Sony decided to reveal it was a PS4 game all along. Obviously, he knew it was a cross gen game. ND devs were acting like they created a Matrix quality visual masterpiece in TLOU Part 1. Compared to those guys, SSM has been up front and I can respect that.

It will be interesting to see what Kojima does with Death Stranding 2 at the VGAs. I have a fear that he will make it cross gen. However, he made MGSV cross gen and it was still a drastic upgrade from MGS4 taking the series to another level. So it's not like you HAVE to make your game next gen in order to give it that Uncharted 1 to Uncharted 2 caliber leap.

So far, I feel they have done a good job keeping the game from feeling stale. From the opening setpiece to the new enemy typies and mini bosses, and of course the incredbile storytelling thanks to memorable NEW characters, it feels fresh. the new area feels new, looks way better than midgard and Alfaheim and while the core gameplay loop is the same, the enemies are different and the game is still fun unlike Ascension which was a chore to play through thanks to its disastrous combat loop.

 

[SafeOrAlone]

First of all it was announced as a ps4 and ps5 game so you can stop right there. Yes in 2020 showcase they didn't give any details other than it was coming in 2021. In the 2021 showcase they said it was coming to ps4 and ps5.

MGS2 played just like the first one with improvements here and there. Which is exactly what ragnarok is doing comparing to 2018.

And yet they all play alike. Ragnarok in the first few hour already shows the differences between both games and I'm sure that later on it will have even more differences (I'm still in the first 4 to 5 hours mark).

And yet we go back to the same point. They all played very similar.

They're doing it.

Yeah crazy people expectations.
The fact remains they first 4 hours of ragnarok are on a level that only a few studios can reach while showing improvements over the predecessor.

1. They revealed the game as the cap off to their PS5 reveal event after going around touting to the press that they “believed in generations”. The messaging was aloof at best and downright deceitful at worst. They knew what they were doing by not announcing it was a PS4 game at their PS5 reveal event. If they didn’t, they are clueless.

2. No, the sequels I mentioned do not play the same. That’s backed up by the innovations in gameplay I pointed out. When you take a game like Arkham from linear to open-world, it does not “play the same”. When you add a vehicle, it no longer plays the same.

I’m questioning whether you played Metal Gear Solid 1 & 2 if that is your takeaway. The innovation between those two games is leaps and bounds above what we see here. Sadly MGS1 is sort of tough to play these days while 2 holds up immaculately, as long as you can adapt to the admittedly archaic control scheme.

Halo’s online multiplayer is not the same experience as Halo campaign.
You are confusing base combat mechanics with any other type of design innovation in all of these instances. But even that doesn’t work for MGS to MGS2 because you had huge gameplay changers like going prone, hanging from ledges, tons of new gear and weapons, and more to go along with the smarter enemies and expanded level design.

 

[Punished Miku]

MGS2 played just like the first one with improvements here and there. Which is exactly what ragnarok is doing comparing to 2018.

Gonna have to veto this take. MGS2 was so futuristic in comparison to the last game that people famously played just the tanker demo for 20 hours or more, just to see all the changes in enemy AI, first person aiming, environmental interaction, and a gigantic graphical leap. Then the main game threw multiple other curve balls with the main character. Yes, it's a direct sequel - but it added a lot.

 

[Gudji]

1. They revealed the game as the cap off to their PS5 reveal event after going around touting to the press that they “believed in generations”. The messaging was aloof at best and downright deceitful at worst. They knew what they were doing by not announcing it was a PS4 game at their PS5 reveal event. If they didn’t, they are clueless.

Believe whatever you want. They announced 1 year before launch it was a PS4 game. And PS5 is the best way to play this game.

2. No, the sequels I mentioned do not play the same. That’s backed up by the innovations in gameplay I pointed out. When you take a game like Arkham from linear to open-world, it does not “play the same”. When you add a vehicle, it no longer plays the same.

They play the same, very similar experience overall. Combat is still the same with new stuff introduced just like ragnarok. It's called a sequel.

I’m questioning whether you played Metal Gear Solid 1 & 2 if that is your takeaway. The innovation between those two games is leaps and bounds above what we see here. Sadly MGS1 is sort of tough to play three days while 2 holds up immaculately, as long as you can adapt to the admittedly archaic control scheme.

I've played both when they came out and more than once. They're great games doesn't change the fact that the gameplay is very similar in both games while MGS2 definely does new stuff it doesn't play completely different. Again it's a sequel.

 

[Topher]

1. They revealed the game as the cap off to their PS5 reveal event after going around touting to the press that they “believed in generations”. The messaging was aloof at best and downright deceitful at worst. They knew what they were doing by not announcing it was a PS4 game at their PS5 reveal event. If they didn’t, they are clueless.

The messaging about cross-gen absolutely has been clueless. The "believe in generations" line had nothing to do with cross-gen games but the concurrent messaging about games confused people into thinking it did. Then you had the GT7 trailer which was PS5 exclusive and then it wasn't. You also had Demon Souls Remake announced initially for PC as well as PS5 and that was wrong. So yeah, messaging in general has been a shitshow for Sony.

Having said all that, I think this cross-gen controversy is the most contrived thing in gaming.

 

[Gudji]

Gonna have to veto this take. MGS2 was so futuristic in comparison to the last game that people famously played just the tanker demo for 20 hours or more, just to see all the changes in enemy AI, first person aiming, environmental interaction, and a gigantic graphical leap. Then the main game threw multiple other curve balls with the main character. Yes, it's a direct sequel - but it added a lot.

It was a PS2 game it did new stuff it played very similar to the first game. This is not even a matter of opinion it's factual.

 

[Punished Miku]

It was a PS2 game it did new stuff it played very similar to the first game. This is not even a matter of opinion it's factual.

Your take is not factual. The gameplay is similar since it's a direct sequel, yes. No one is disputing that. But as far as sequels go, MGS2 had so many substantial changes that it was seen as a huge advancement at the time. The new character alone was so disruptive that some people complained about the changes being too much. MGS3 also plays similarly, but they added the whole CQC system and survival mechanics.

 

[GymWolf]

What the fudge is wrong with people loving the fight with that skinny bitch of baldur over

Spoiler

the fight with thor??

That moment when he cardio shock kratos to keep him in the fight was hype AF.

Even challenge wise it's much better and more fun, baldur had 3 fucking moves ffs.

 

[Gudji]

Your take is not factual.

The gameplay is similar since it's a direct sequel, yes. No one is disputing that.

We're done here.

 

[amscanner]

After few hours of play, It feels like that Sony really want to be Marvel in gaming industry. Even their intro resembles Marvel's one. I mean it's not a bad thing.. It's extremely polished, high quality and at the same time insanely risk adverse.

 

[SafeOrAlone]

Believe whatever you want. They announced 1 year before launch it was a PS4 game. And PS5 is the best way to play this game.

They play the same, very similar experience overall. Combat is still the same with new stuff introduced just like ragnarok. It's called a sequel.

I've played both when they came out and more than once. They're great games doesn't change the fact that the gameplay is very similar in both games while MGS2 definely does new stuff it doesn't play completely different. Again it's a sequel.

1. It’s not about believing what I want. The responsibility is on Sony to have proper messaging to consumers. It’s completely reasonable to have expected this to be a PS5 game, given the statements they were making and the way they chose to reveal the game.
It was a surprise to the industry when they clarified it was a PS4 game, and rightfully so.

No one said PS5 isn’t the best way to play this game. That’s a goalpost move.

2. No, again, those games don’t play the same. You’re boiling down everything to base combat mechanics. Arkham City having an open-world fundamentally changes the game design and the experience in a way that is not present in this sequel. It’s a huge change.

But you can’t see that because you’re focusing simply the combat encounters. Thinking too narrow. Like the FOV in this game, which is probably so small because it has to run on PS4 and can’t process too much at a time. (Low blow, but true).

3. MGS one to two is not the same, no.

Graphics are noticeably improved in a way we don’t see here. No arguing that one.

Mechanically, going prone is a gameplay changer which I would not compare to being able to grapple hook to specific points in each combat arena, as we see them touting here.

Do you even dare claim MGS 2 and 3 play the same? Those are on the same console and there is more innovation.

 

[SafeOrAlone]

The messaging about cross-gen absolutely has been clueless. The "believe in generations" line had nothing to do with cross-gen games but the concurrent messaging about games confused people into thinking it did. Then you had the GT7 trailer which was PS5 exclusive and then it wasn't. You also had Demon Souls Remake announced initially for PC as well as PS5 and that was wrong. So yeah, messaging in general has been a shitshow for Sony.

Having said all that, I think this cross-gen controversy is the most contrived thing in gaming.

I agree with the first part obviously and you brought up some points I missed.

I don’t think it’s contrived controversy though. The entire reason we buy new consoles is to exploit their power in a way that allows us to have new experiences.

The most exciting thing about gaming is how quickly the medium innovates. We’ve been watching video games evolve all our lives in a way that other forms of entertainment aren’t necessarily doing. It’s damn exciting when a new generation of consoles come around because we want to see what they can do.

We remember the magic of playing Mario 64 for the first time, because it was new and exciting. It was electric. It couldn’t be done on the SNES. That’s just one example.

When a game is cross-gen, you just can’t get that electric feeling that we have come to expect from a new generation of consoles. Ragnarok isn’t showing us what the PS5 can do. Two years into the console’s life, that is understandably disappointing.

 

[Punished Miku]

We're done here.

Yes, it is now complete.

 

[Gudji]

1. It’s not about believing what I want. The responsibility is on Sony to have proper messaging to consumers. It’s completely reasonable to have expected this to be a PS5 game, given the statements they were making and the way they chose to reveal the game.
It was a surprise to the industry when they clarified it was a PS4 game, and rightfully so.

No one said PS5 isn’t the best way to play this game. That’s a goalpost move.

2. No, again, those games don’t play the same. You’re boiling down everything to base combat mechanics. Arkham City having an open-world fundamentally changes the game design and the experience in a way that is not present in this sequel. It’s a huge change.

But you can’t see that because you’re focusing simply the combat encounters. Thinking too narrow. Like the FOV in this game, which is probably so small because it has to run on PS4 and can’t process too much at a time. (Low blow, but true).

3. MGS one to two is not the same, no.

Graphics are noticeably improved in a way we don’t see here. No arguing that one.

Mechanically, going prone is a gameplay changer which I would not compare to being able to grapple hook to specific points in each combat arena, as we see them touting here.

Do you even dare claim MGS 2 and 3 play the same? Those are on the same console and there is more innovation.

Neither are GoW 2018 and ragnarok the same and here we are. Arguing about dumb shit and shitting on a masterpiece game because: a) it's not a PS5 only game; b) doesn't revolutionize the gameplay loop completely... but then proceed to say batman, mgs and halo were different in that department. I lmao

 

[SlimySnake]

What the fudge is wrong with people loving the fight with that skinny bitch of baldur over

Even challenge wise it's much better and more fun, baldur had 3 fucking moves ffs.

lol yeah. That moment was dope. I played it again for my son yesterday and it surprised me all over again. My son was like 'what is even happening'. lol. So cool.

I think the Baldur fight came out of nowhere and felt insane with all the destruction. This feels more of the same, but yes, it's a better fight mechanics wise.

 

[MatrixReloaded101]

It’s really simple:

People were enticed to pay $500 to play this game. It was first announced as a PS5 game, alongside Sony claiming they believe in generations (as opposed to their competitors).
With that in mind, booting up the new highly anticipated God of War, to meet the sobering reality that this game is being held back by their previous console and they could have played it there is understandably deflating.

New consoles have always brought expectations of new experiences. That’s sort of the whole point, unless you’re simply a graphics whore.

Sequel or not, it’s disappointing to play a PS4 game on your PS5, two years into its life, when it’s coming from a flagship studio. This is THE PS5 game to get, and it’s a PS4 game.

Setting next gen consoles aside and focusing solely on sequels, look at the innovations past franchises have made…

Look at Metal Gear Solid’s legacy: each new game practically reinvented the mechanics while improving upon others substantially. Each sequel in the series was a brand new experience while maintaining what players came to MGS for in the first place. At least for a while.

Look at the Arkham series: we went from single player metroidvania, to an open world, to insanely beautiful graphics and vehicle implementation (polarizing but still something fresh). These are exciting big jumps that drastically alter the experience.

Look at Halo 1 to Halo 2 - a multiplayer component was attached that became arguably more popular than the single-player. Then in Halo 3, you could play the campaign with four people, back when that was pretty damn rare. Still is I suppose.

I’m just pulling random games out of my hat
Does every franchise execute on this level from sequel to sequel? No.
Should we hold Sony’s flagship team to as high a standard as the industry’s best? Of course.

I completely understand why people are bummed to play a PS4 game on their PS5, two years into the cycle, especially when it only innovates in small ways.

Not saying the game isn’t great or won’t be great. I can have a great time playing Tetris or Ninja Gaiden right now, graphics and modern innovation be damned. But that’s a different set of expectations.

You got to keep in mind that the PS5 has been close to impossible to buy in stores until now. Cross gen sucks but you got to be reasonable and understand tons of people would not have been able to experience the game if it was a PS5 only game.

We knew for a while now that this was going to be cross gen so why complain about that now if we knew this already?

I agree that we do need more native Series X and PS5 games at this point but the supply issues has prevented that from happening quicker than we wanted it to and it’s just going to be a waiting game. It is what it is, but with that being said this is still a very good game and I don’t think it makes sense to judge it for not being a native PS5 game when it was never going to be.

 

[Gudji]

Yes, it is now complete.

You look very pretty with make up.

 

[Punished Miku]

You look very pretty with make up.

Your mom.

 

[SlimySnake]

I’m questioning whether you played Metal Gear Solid 1 & 2 if that is your takeaway. The innovation between those two games is leaps and bounds above what we see here. Sadly MGS1 is sort of tough to play these days while 2 holds up immaculately, as long as you can adapt to the admittedly archaic control scheme.

lol Exactly. I nearly had a brain aneurysm reading that. MGS2 was by the most advanced next gen game of the time of its reveal in 2000. Of course, GTA3 took the honors by the time it came out, but MGS2 was better than MGS1 by leaps and bounds. Even MGS3 which was the same gen had a drastically different level design and gameplay systems. Kojima is just in another league.

 

[Topher]

I agree with the first part obviously and you brought up some points I missed.

I don’t think it’s contrived controversy though. The entire reason we buy new consoles is to exploit the power their power in a way that allows us to have new experiences.

The most exciting thing about gaming is how quickly the medium innovates. We’ve been watching video games evolve all our lives in a way that other forms of entertainment aren’t necessarily doing. It’s damn exciting when a new generation of consoles come around because we want to see what they can do.

We remember the magic of playing Mario 64 for the first time, because it was new and exciting. It was electric. It couldn’t be done on the SNES. That’s just one example.

When a game is cross-gen, you just can’t get that electric feeling that we have come to expect from a new generation of consoles. Ragnarok isn’t showing us what the PS5 can do. Two years into the console’s life, that is understandably disappointing.

The problem is remembering the jump from SNES to Mario 64 and expecting to get that again. Those generational jumps are long gone. I think people keep expecting big advances and I think they are going to be disappointed. So maybe "contrived" is the wrong word. More like "misguided expectations".

 

[Gudji]

Your mom.