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[Vick]

Taking a small break after the first "mini boss" with twist, two hours in I guess.

That opening was awesome, top tier stuff. The one-shot direction impressed me in one sequence:

Spoiler: Little Spoiler

Going in and out a dream while in the same shot was dope as fuck

Enemies attack pattern are not as easy as before, but still a walk in the park so far at GMGOW, even if that first mini boss wouldn't stop attacking. The game's holding my hand much more with dialogues and whatnot, but it's probably just a tutorial thing.

Graphics are great, it's a PS4 game yes, but not really comparable to other linear games since you could potentially unleash all hell of particles and VFX in every location (at least in the inevitable NG+), and framerate needs to stay stable at all times.

HUD and Menus, not a fan. Feels kind of "mobile-ish". I expected worse after some complaints, but still prefer the first one in this regard even though I also understand the need for devs to change it; they are reading "DLC" kind of complaints already, imagine if UI was the same.

It feels like what GoWII felt to GoW so far. Promising start.

 

[MatrixReloaded101]

Damn asgard got them thick

Thought the same thing, Kratos should have went to Asgard before he got with Faye. Asgard got them thick and fine Maidens …

 

[SafeOrAlone]

Seeing people play the first couple hours and say “it’s just 2018 again” is fucking hilarious as somebody who’s about 12 hours in. They have no idea what they’re in for lmao.

I’d have to see how it holds up on repeated playthroughs, but it’s already had multiple ALL TIME gaming moments. Just fucking unbelievable. It’s giving me that same feeling I got playing other all time greats for the first time. That feeling where you don’t want it end, because you only get that “first play through” experience one time obviously. But you also can’t stop playing because it’s that damn good.

No fanboy shit here. I’m just genuinely excited because I feel like games like this only come around once every few years or so. I didn’t even think GOW 2018 was THAT great. It was really really good. But not an all timer for me. Ragnarok though...my god.

Did the story just kick into high-gear for you, or is it the pacing? What changed? The first few hours are fine but since it's been pretty much confirmed that this generally plays the same as the first game, I'm just trying to get a better understanding of how you felt at the beginning vs how you feel now.

 

[Markio128]

Man when the combat clicks it really clicks. They have basically made runic attacks an afterthought by increasing their cooldowns to like 100 seconds or more for even light attacks. And you know what? thats a good thing. I basically abused runic attacks in the first game. Here they have added some of the runic attacks to normal gameplay and added a couple of other combo moves like holding R2 that really unlock the potential of this new 2018 combat system. I also got to upgrade one of my combat attacks with either Frost, Defense or Momentum attributes which is pretty cool. I swear when I start to get in a groove and start chaining together these axe moves, the enemies dont stand a chance. I am no longer just waiting for the

I still dont understand how parry works. I have the parry shield, i parry all the time, but what happened to the parry attacks? Pressing R1 or R2 after a parry no longer does a follow up parry attack. What am I doing wrong?

I also like how the incentivize you switching to your blades and back by giving you extra damage to burning or frozen enemies. Dont remember the first game doing this.

The only thing I dont like is the waves of enemies. Reminds me of Uncharted Drake's Fortune. I literally just got done fighting one long wave and they throw another. Thankfully, im having fun with the combat.

P.S Mini boss fights are cool.

It’s L1 to parry and you can also press it twice to counter the enemies blue moves. I went with parry and it was tough at first, but really satisfying when mastered.

 

[tommib]

Some random snaps (HUD off and performance mode):

 

[GymWolf]

Some random snaps:

Little shit looks so happy to murder protected animal species with his father

 

[DeepEnigma]

DeepEnigma you have a Sony x900h no? Or a TV with VRR disable the local dimming? Have you tried the VRR modes? Is it worth it? I have one. Been switching between 40fps and 60fps i think i will stay with 60fps. Will switch to 40fps today and decide. Horizon 2 and Miles felt good in 40fps but in GoW R not as good.

I don't use the VRR modes. I much prefer Favor Performance with High Frame Rate set to Off.

Looks amazing with fantastic IQ and locked framerate.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Just got to my 11 hour mark and taking a break - whooooooo boy

Spoiler: Progress so far

Generally much more fluid and responsive than the first game, but that's to be expected playing in HFR. I'm willing to take the visual hit for that. It feels a more complete and cohesive game as well.

Special enemies: I like how they are introduced similar to the old god of wars, the only downside is the mini bosses you see only once. Like the huntress. That was a pretty cool fight and I thought they would then start appearing like the centaurs did but smaller versions. Obviously a bigger variety of enemies and more attack patterns. Good improvemnent.

Progress: I'm up to just meeting Freyr

Boss fights: I think they've all been pretty unique and fun so far. I really liked the change of pace with Gryla as well. I like it when games throw some boss fights in which have a little cool mechanic like that. Thor opener was good but lost its impression when you kept falling through and his health bar just reset again. I really liked the surprise Freya fight - how fucking cool did she look? Not a fan of 'The Hated' draugr, just like the Pursuer from DSII.

Atreus: Probably the best you could have made his sequences. And Holy Shit at how fucking awesome Angrboda is when fighting, I love the effects she has and the paint being a reagent for thre arrows is just *chefs kiss*. Using his rage to turn into a wolf was a surprise but really cool, especially after using the runic stag just before. Brok helping out as a companion is cool too. This is companion content done well in my opinion.

Tyr: easily one of the most dislikeable thing about the game for me so far. The quest to get him was cool in the mines, but he's just moping about like a big fanny. Getting him out while he crouches and hides and then runs like he's wearing heels is just so out of tone with the rest of the game, it's jarring.

Side quests: Much better and more meaningful and diverse this time round. That Watchtower whale quest was great as well as the ending. And freeing the Hufga was just immense - when it was in the sky it reminded me of the Vegas lights in H:FW

Main story: Feels much stronger this time round, much tighter and compact. Pacing is good, some of the dialogue is a bit eyebrow raising - like when Thor moans about his 'ex'. Seems like he is channeling a daytime TV Robert Baratheon. Most of it lands, but the few parts that miss, miss big.

UI/Menus: Just to re-iterate - these are awful. Konami PES 2017 level awful.

Spoiler

I thought the giant grandmother in her kitchen was a dope set piece. Reminds me of Jack and the Beanstalk meets Hansel and Gretel, only the giant witch takes souls from innocent animals instead of kids. And man did I feel for Angrboda when she was slowly walking out and that barrage of verbal abuse from her grandmother, great job reflecting that in her face. "Should have tossed you to the wolves the moment I pulled you from your mother's body!"

Damn, Gma, ICE COLD!

I am still thinking Tyr has been dead and this is Odin in disguise (trying to keep Atreus as the Loki mindset and on prophecy), but that might be be too on the nose.

I just got to Freyr's camp as well before I logged. Will continue more later.

P.S. I did like the big "FUCK YOU" to the troll scene after the train car accident where Kratos just wastes that troll without you having to fight it. I think that was their subtle humor as to all the trolls you had to fight as bosses in the 2018 game, lol.

 

[kyliethicc]

boss fight just bugged out on me

edit got it. thankfully the bug didn't repeat

 

[Slothbeing1209]

Can anyone finished the game can tell me how far am i?
The last boss battle was epic, like old GOW. Fucking awesome.

Spoiler: Spoiler

Just fight that cute Doggo - Fenrir

 

[Gaiff]

Where are the improvements? They said they worked on enemy variety and I keep seeing the same ones, including reused ones from the 2018 game. I`m 8 hours in and not a single epic boss battle beside the one at the beginning and it was far too scripted.

The game is still good, mind you, it basically was built on the shoulders of a giant but thus far, I see absolutely no improvement. It suffers from the exact same flaws as its predecessor and does little to improve upon its qualities. The best part is probably the more vertical battlefields.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Where are the improvements? They said they worked on enemy variety and I keep seeing the same ones, including reused ones from the 2018 game. I`m 8 hours in and not a single epic boss battle beside the one at the beginning and it was far too scripted.

The game is still good, mind you, it basically was built on the shoulders of a giant but thus far, I see absolutely no improvement. It suffers from the exact same flaws as its predecessor and does little to improve upon its qualities. The best part is probably the more vertical battlefields.

Where you running in circles for 8 hours?

 

[GooseMan69]

Man when the combat clicks it really clicks. They have basically made runic attacks an afterthought by increasing their cooldowns to like 100 seconds or more for even light attacks. And you know what? thats a good thing. I basically abused runic attacks in the first game. Here they have added some of the runic attacks to normal gameplay and added a couple of other combo moves like holding R2 that really unlock the potential of this new 2018 combat system. I also got to upgrade one of my combat attacks with either Frost, Defense or Momentum attributes which is pretty cool. I swear when I start to get in a groove and start chaining together these axe moves, the enemies dont stand a chance. I am no longer just waiting for the

I still dont understand how parry works. I have the parry shield, i parry all the time, but what happened to the parry attacks? Pressing R1 or R2 after a parry no longer does a follow up parry attack. What am I doing wrong?

I also like how the incentivize you switching to your blades and back by giving you extra damage to burning or frozen enemies. Dont remember the first game doing this.

The only thing I dont like is the waves of enemies. Reminds me of Uncharted Drake's Fortune. I literally just got done fighting one long wave and they throw another. Thankfully, im having fun with the combat.

P.S Mini boss fights are cool.

Yeah, I had that dwarven armor in 2018 that made the runic cooldowns super short. So I would just spam the fuck out of runic attacks. It got me through GMGOW difficulty, but I definitely wasn’t utilizing the combat mechanics very much. It feels good to be on normal difficulty here, and taking advantage of all the different mechanics.

That said, wouldn’t be surprised if there’s some late game armor set that maxes out cooldown.

 

[Gaiff]

Where you running in circles for 8 hours?

So far the bosses I`ve faced have been:

Spoiler

Bjorn the Bear, The Huntress, Thor, and Dreki.

The first realm you visit is filled with the same trio of enemies and that mini-boss that spawns wretches. I just completed it and am going to the second realm.

 

[DeepEnigma]

So far the bosses I`ve faced have been:

Spoiler

Bjorn the Bear, The Huntress, Thor, and Dreki.

The first realm you visit is filled with the same trio of enemies and that mini-boss that spawns wretches. I just completed it and am going to the second realm.

You're still in the very early stages.

 

[SLB1904]

Man there is some areas I shouldn't be going. I'm getting my ass kicked

 

[GooseMan69]

Did the story just kick into high-gear for you, or is it the pacing? What changed? The first few hours are fine but since it's been pretty much confirmed that this generally plays the same as the first game, I'm just trying to get a better understanding of how you felt at the beginning vs how you feel now.

Hard to say without spoiling. You’ll see.

Granted, I loved the opening hours too. So we might just feel differently.

 

[Gaiff]

You're still in the very early stages.

I`m going for a completionist run and apparently it`s about 50 hours so still 40+ hours to go. Hoping

Spoiler

Alfheim is better than Svartalfheim.

 

[DeepEnigma]

I`m going for a completionist run and apparently it`s about 50 hours so still 40+ hours to go. Hoping

Spoiler

Alfheim is better than Svartalfheim.

Yeah, I tend to search every nook and cranny myself.

 

[FrankWza]

.

Where are the improvements? They said they worked on enemy variety and I keep seeing the same ones, including reused ones from the 2018 game. I`m 8 hours in and not a single epic boss battle beside the one at the beginning and it was far too scripted.

The game is still good, mind you, it basically was built on the shoulders of a giant but thus far, I see absolutely no improvement. It suffers from the exact same flaws as its predecessor and does little to improve upon its qualities. The best part is probably the more vertical battlefields.

Just put it down and play it later. This happens. Sometimes, for whatever reason, you’re not clicking with something and you should move on and play something else. Happens with movies and tv shows too.

 

[Gaiff]

.

Just put it down and play it later.

 

[GymWolf]

Yeah, I had that dwarven armor in 2018 that made the runic cooldowns super short. So I would just spam the fuck out of runic attacks. It got me through GMGOW difficulty, but I definitely wasn’t utilizing the combat mechanics very much. It feels good to be on normal difficulty here, and taking advantage of all the different mechanics.

That said, wouldn’t be surprised if there’s some late game armor set that maxes out cooldown.

Dude if you played the last on at max difficulty, this one should be easier from the feedback i'm reading.

Normal is probably too easy for you.

 

[FrankWza]

Now your meter is full. Just press l3r3 and rage your way through

 

[shubik]

I really love the animal/creature design in this game. Everything is so detailed and the animations are so smooth. This almost feels like a Star Wars level of detail. Absolutely fantastic world building stuff

 

[GooseMan69]

Dude if you played the last on at max difficulty, this one should be easier from the feedback i'm reading.

Normal is probably too easy for you.

I’ve been enjoying it. It’s been nice not getting one or two shotted by random shit lol. And it keeps the pacing tight since I’m not dying all the time. Will definitely crank the difficulty on new game plus though.

 

[Ulysses 31]

I’ve been enjoying it. It’s been nice not getting one or two shotted by random shit lol. And it keeps the pacing tight since I’m not dying all the time. Will definitely crank the difficulty on new game plus though.

Just wait, later on there will be ranged enemies that can do that on GMGOW in certain fights....

 

[GymWolf]

I’ve been enjoying it. It’s been nice not getting one or two shotted by random shit lol. And it keeps the pacing tight since I’m not dying all the time. Will definitely crank the difficulty on new game plus though.

You don't get one shotted this time, they better tuned max difficulty.

I just find bizzarre completing an entire game on max difficulty and then going on normal (that is really easy mode) for the sequel, the difference should be gigantic.

 

[GooseMan69]

You don't get one shotted this time, they better tuned max difficulty.

I just find bizzarre completing an entire game on max difficulty and then going on normal (that is really easy mode) for the sequel, the difference should be gigantic.

It hasn’t been a complete joke for me or anything. I’ve died a few times. But obviously it’s easier. As weird as it sounds, max difficulty on 2018 might have made me worse at the combat. I got so used to spamming runic attacks that I basically abandoned most of the other skills and combos. Now I only have two runic attacks and the cooldowns are way longer, so I’ve been getting used to actually doing other stuff again.

 

[SLB1904]

Lol devs indirectly asking for the player to read those scriptures

 

[GooseMan69]

Just wait, later on there will be ranged enemies that can do that on GMGOW in certain fights....

Oh lovely. Ranged attacks, my favorite. Especially when you’re getting mobbed by enemies.

 

[Vick]

Okay, just got to chose my shield and I'm not sure what to pick honestly as description is not very clear. Opinions please?

Spoiler: Boss

Thor battle was insane, but also much easier than Valkyries on GMGOW

That sequence at home, man it was masterful. All of it, so much tension and characters are top notch. From someone still in the tutorial this game is shaping up to be fucking insane.

Axe feels much lighter than before though, not as impactful as it was in the first game. Both a matter of speed, camera shake and sound. I guess they did this to maximaze the impact of Thor hammer, which we are surely going to get at some point, but the same is true for the Blades, I prefer how they sounded in the first one even if they feel a tad faster here as well. Maybe upgrades will improve they way weapons sound and feel as well this time?

On a last note, I kind of solved two little riddles at this point, and heard absolutely nothing from Boi nor Mimir, which was super surprising after the insane amount of complaints read. I guess they only start giving advices if you take too long.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Okay, just got to chose my shield and I'm not sure what to pick honestly as description is not very clear. Opinions please?

Spoiler: Boss

Thor battle was insane, but also much easier than Valkyries on GMGOW

That sequence at home, man it was masterful. All of it, so much tension and characters are top notch. From someone still in the tutorial this game is shaping up to be fucking insane.

Axe feels much lighter than before though, not as impactful as it was in the first game. Both a matter of speed, camera shake and sound. I guess they did this to maximaze the impact of Thor hammer, which we are surely going to get at some point, but the same is true for the Blades, I prefer how they sounded in the first one even if they feel a tad faster here as well. Maybe upgrades will improve they way weapons sound and feel as well this time?

On a last note, I kind of solved two little riddles at this point, and heard absolutely nothing from Boi nor Mimir, which was super surprising after the insane amount of complaints read. I guess they only start giving advices if you take too long.

I like the parry shield. I like to be an offensive beast when I play this game, so to just smack them around and give myself openings with the parry is so satisfying.

 

[GooseMan69]

On a last note, I kind of solved two little riddles at this point, and heard absolutely nothing from Boi nor Mimir, which was super surprising after the insane amount of complaints read. I guess they only start giving advices if you take too long.

I haven’t really experienced that too much either. I thought it was way worse in Forbidden West.

 

[DeepEnigma]

I haven’t really experienced that too much either. I thought it was way worse in Forbidden West.

I've been solving some so fast, they did not have time to tell me. Side quest ones, they don't say a thing it seems. I was hoping in some instances they would, but I ended up figuring it out myself.

 

[Auto_aim1]

Weapon spoiler. Around mid-game.

Spoiler

Draupnir man wtf hahaha so good

 

[Vick]

I like the parry shield. I like to be an offensive beast when I play this game, so to just smack them around and give myself openings with the parry is so satisfying.

Dauntless Shield it is then. I'm 100% going to regret this though, but GMGOW feels pretty easy so far.

I've been solving some so fast, they did not have time to tell me. Side quest ones, they don't say a thing it seems. I was hoping in some instances they would, but I ended up figuring it out myself.

If that's the case it would quite hilarious after all the shit read in the other Thread..

 

[DeepEnigma]

If that's the case it would quite hilarious after all the shit read in the other Thread..

If that's the worst people can come up with, with this game. We eating mmm mmm good.

 

[Ulysses 31]

If that's the case it would quite hilarious after all the shit read in the other Thread..

It's not just in puzzles the NPCs like to give you the answers, it's in certain boss fights too and you sure as hell won't kill those bosses too quickly before they talk about it.

 

[skit_data]

I don’t understand where this ”GoW” is only button-mashing opinion is coming from.
I just freed Tyr and these Einherjar requires much more than mindless button mashing.

I don’t know if it’s because I’ve played all Souls-games there are but I find that the combat in both this and GoW 2018 require much more focus than those games. Switching weapons, runic abilities, relic abilities, combos, dodging, blocking, parrying and moving around while avoiding pretty serious status inflictments is a lot to juggle.

Sure, you can probably breeze through the game on story difficulty but when facing enemies thay require some strategy on normal you definitely have to know what you’re doing and keep a certain pace while keeping your head cool at same time because if you fall off you quickly die.

Edit: Biggest difference is probably that the timing of your dodges are much less forgiving in GoW, effectively making it possible for enemies to punish you big time if you don’t time them right. Whereas in Souls-games you can often just keep dodging away because you rarely miss the window due to the i-frames being wider.

 

[Low Moral Fibre]

The side quests I've done are a huge improvement from 2018 - really worth doing for the story not just the free loot and xp.

The difficulty definitely feels a bit off compared to 2018 though - mostly much easier but there are random spikes where I suddenly have to concentrate. 2018 I felt was fairly balanced so I couldn't switch off for most of the fights but it's been 4 years since I played anything other than Ng+ so I may be wrong here.

 

[Vick]

I don’t understand where this ”GoW” is only button-mashing opinion is coming from.

From idiots/salty sad trolls brains. We are full of them on this Forum.

 

[SLB1904]

OK I'm blown away. So I'm in midgard again. Looked destroyed and empty. Decude to explore wtf it just keeps going and going. This game is massive like huge. I don't think I'll be able to finish anytime soon. And there is 3 realms locked still. What the hell

 

[GooseMan69]

One minor critique: I feel like Atreus’ character model isn’t quite as detailed as some other ones. I noticed it in scenes with the black girl (forgive me, some of these names are fucking wild), who is one of the most detailed character models I’ve ever seen. Super impressive. I feel like black characters have the best models. Like Die Hardman in Death Stranding.

 

[SLB1904]

-Kratos tell me about a foe from your land.

Kratos: medusa, her gaze turn men into stone. To kill her you have to use a mirror to turn her power against her, or the hard way... remove her head.

-Which one did you choose?

Kratos: the hard way...

-Forget I ask

 

[GymWolf]

Okay, just got to chose my shield and I'm not sure what to pick honestly as description is not very clear. Opinions please?

Spoiler: Boss

Thor battle was insane, but also much easier than Valkyries on GMGOW

That sequence at home, man it was masterful. All of it, so much tension and characters are top notch. From someone still in the tutorial this game is shaping up to be fucking insane.

Axe feels much lighter than before though, not as impactful as it was in the first game. Both a matter of speed, camera shake and sound. I guess they did this to maximaze the impact of Thor hammer, which we are surely going to get at some point, but the same is true for the Blades, I prefer how they sounded in the first one even if they feel a tad faster here as well. Maybe upgrades will improve they way weapons sound and feel as well this time?

On a last note, I kind of solved two little riddles at this point, and heard absolutely nothing from Boi nor Mimir, which was super surprising after the insane amount of complaints read. I guess they only start giving advices if you take too long.

Tanky shield can block many attacks without making kratos lose balance, small enemies lose balance like they are hitting something too heavy to move, after 3-4 hits you can release a shield stomp that make enemies fly and ready for juggling.

The parry one is shit for normal blocking but it has a large parry window and a strong attack after the parry.

I chose the tanky one because i'm not good enough to base my entire defense on parry, but it is probably the funniest choice to use.

Tanky shield is like having havel shield and parry shield is like having the small rounded counter shield in souls games but with a bit more flavour.

 

[DeepEnigma]

-Kratos tell me about a foe from your land.

Kratos: medusa, her gaze turn men into stone. To kill her you have to use a mirror to turn her power against her, or the hard way... remove her head.

-Which one did you choose?

Kratos: the hard way...

-Forget I ask

Rolling up to Dragon Beach with the Boy.

Boy: "What is that?"

Kratos: "Dead."

Some of his short quips are the best.

 

[GymWolf]

I don’t understand where this ”GoW” is only button-mashing opinion is coming from.
I just freed Tyr and these Einherjar requires much more than mindless button mashing.

I don’t know if it’s because I’ve played all Souls-games there are but I find that the combat in both this and GoW 2018 require much more focus than those games. Switching weapons, runic abilities, relic abilities, combos, dodging, blocking, parrying and moving around while avoiding pretty serious status inflictments is a lot to juggle.

Sure, you can probably breeze through the game on story difficulty but when facing enemies thay require some strategy on normal you definitely have to know what you’re doing and keep a certain pace while keeping your head cool at same time because if you fall off you quickly die.

Edit: Biggest difference is probably that the timing of your dodges are much less forgiving in GoW, effectively making it possible for enemies to punish you big time if you don’t time them right. Whereas in Souls-games you can often just keep dodging away because you rarely miss the window due to the i-frames being wider.

Enemy encounters are far harder in gow games, enemies are relentless and in big numbers and in various annoying combinations like 2 ranged, 3 normal, 1 tank and a couple of small\speedy\flying ones, main bosses are far harder in souls games (the harder ones) because they generally have more moves to learn and you can't really stunlock them that much.

queen Valkirye was on par with the hard boss but maybe not the hardest like gael or melenaa.

The BIG challenging feature for souls game is the stamina bar, that make everything more complicated.

 

[GymWolf]

One minor critique: I feel like Atreus’ character model isn’t quite as detailed as some other ones. I noticed it in scenes with the black girl (forgive me, some of these names are fucking wild), who is one of the most detailed character models I’ve ever seen. Super impressive. I feel like black characters have the best models. Like Die Hardman in Death Stranding.

Yeah, angrboda was a stand out in the reveal trailer (didn't meet her yet), by far the most realistic human face in the game, the others are still a bit stylized imo, atreus is downright ugly.

 

[Gudji]

Where are the improvements? They said they worked on enemy variety and I keep seeing the same ones, including reused ones from the 2018 game. I`m 8 hours in and not a single epic boss battle beside the one at the beginning and it was far too scripted.

The game is still good, mind you, it basically was built on the shoulders of a giant but thus far, I see absolutely no improvement. It suffers from the exact same flaws as its predecessor and does little to improve upon its qualities. The best part is probably the more vertical battlefields.

 

[GymWolf]

Rolling up to Dragon Beach with the Boy.

Boy: "What is that?"

Kratos: "Dead."

Some of his short quips are the best.

Everytime kratos grunt for something annoying it gives me life.

I can't believe how much i didn't cared about him until gow 2018, now he is one of my favourite protagonist.