nordique
Member
Just finished the game today on ps5.
Wanted to share this with GAF, and mods, please merge/delete if see fit. I dont mean to break any rules but I was simply so moved by this game and the journey that started with the PS4 game, and it hit me deep and personally.
(Some minor spoilers here from the 2018 game, but none from Ragnorok are shared.)
This is my Game of the Generation (so far, obviously this can change, but please hear me out)
God of War is one of my all time favourite franchises, but I was quite busy in my professional life such that I did not game much between 2012 to 2019, and as a result, I missed out at launch with the 2018 title (physician-GAF unite! man our lives suck sometimes.)
I was eagerly awaiting God of War (2018) but never got a chance until 2020 to play it. Kept putting it off due to professional but also private reasons.
Long story short, My absolutely incredible father passed away in 2019, in what was a drawn out and heart breaking way.
My grieving period was long (and, as I'm sure anyone who has lost a close loved one can attest, you're always still grieving in some way) but during the heights of the pandemic, I had extra time and was able to finally sit down and play some games that I had been putting off.
I picked up God of War on the PS4, had no fucking clue about anything in the game beyond the new setting and you have an axe, and sort of expected more of the same from the prior games I loved so much.
I was not ready for the massive shift in story telling I was about to undertake, and I fell in love immediately.
Given the "still fresh" emotions at the time, The whole father-son dynamic on a journey to honour their loved one's wishes strongly plucked away at my heart strings, amplified emotions and amplified my connection to the game.
Looking back, I truly do feel it helped me throughout my early grieving process as well.
Fast forward to 2022. This is the only game I had preordered all year. I even got the controller.
Emotions were amplified prior to starting Ragnorok:
First off, this past summer I had to travel with my father's ashes overseas to spread his ashes where he had requested they be spread. I will admit, because I knew I had to take this journey prior to the first game, when I played the first game I *really* became attached to spreading the ashes. I did think of the 2018 game and when I did my own journey this past summer (delayed spreading of ashes was due to Travel restrictions during the height of the Global Pandemic)
Second off, the release date was November 9, and this also happened to be my birthday
So I went into the game with amplified emotions already. And man, what a ride.
I have never become so emotional so many times, playing one game before. Possibly because of the deeper meanings for myself, possibly the impactful acting, but also because I felt that the development team and all those involved just understood the themes so well; grief, life, death; sharing and funneling their own personal emotions into a story that was so intricately crafted.
It just hit a different emotional chord for me than any other video game. Never mind the amazing gameplay and it being a solid gaming experience as a whole. I guess my point/opinion is that, for me, there was this deeper emotional chord that is struck, and no other game has hit it quite like this.
As a result:
It is my Game of the Generation.
It was a perfect storm of amplified emotions going into the experience, plus deeper, personal meaning mixed with placing myself in the eyes of both main characters, and projecting my own life experiences with my father, his influence on getting me into gaming (gameboy color, n64, ps1) and the cumulative 2018 game plus this incredible sequel coming together as a whole experience that I could relate with. Kratos, his evolution as a character, his relationship with Atreus, the echoing relationship with the deceased loved one....
I wanted to create a new thread to share this personal journey with this forum, because GAF has been so awesome to come to for news and laughs that im sure many people have been fighting their own battles and finding comfort with this or any other gaming community as a sort of refuge
Hopefully one of the developers or someone involved with this game can read this and see how much it impact me personally.
I also wanted to share in a new thread, because I wondered if there was anyone else who felt the same way with this game - any similar emotional chords strike you the way they struck me, and if so, is this your game of the generation as well?
Wanted to share this with GAF, and mods, please merge/delete if see fit. I dont mean to break any rules but I was simply so moved by this game and the journey that started with the PS4 game, and it hit me deep and personally.
(Some minor spoilers here from the 2018 game, but none from Ragnorok are shared.)
This is my Game of the Generation (so far, obviously this can change, but please hear me out)
God of War is one of my all time favourite franchises, but I was quite busy in my professional life such that I did not game much between 2012 to 2019, and as a result, I missed out at launch with the 2018 title (physician-GAF unite! man our lives suck sometimes.)
I was eagerly awaiting God of War (2018) but never got a chance until 2020 to play it. Kept putting it off due to professional but also private reasons.
Long story short, My absolutely incredible father passed away in 2019, in what was a drawn out and heart breaking way.
My grieving period was long (and, as I'm sure anyone who has lost a close loved one can attest, you're always still grieving in some way) but during the heights of the pandemic, I had extra time and was able to finally sit down and play some games that I had been putting off.
I picked up God of War on the PS4, had no fucking clue about anything in the game beyond the new setting and you have an axe, and sort of expected more of the same from the prior games I loved so much.
I was not ready for the massive shift in story telling I was about to undertake, and I fell in love immediately.
Given the "still fresh" emotions at the time, The whole father-son dynamic on a journey to honour their loved one's wishes strongly plucked away at my heart strings, amplified emotions and amplified my connection to the game.
Looking back, I truly do feel it helped me throughout my early grieving process as well.
Fast forward to 2022. This is the only game I had preordered all year. I even got the controller.
Emotions were amplified prior to starting Ragnorok:
First off, this past summer I had to travel with my father's ashes overseas to spread his ashes where he had requested they be spread. I will admit, because I knew I had to take this journey prior to the first game, when I played the first game I *really* became attached to spreading the ashes. I did think of the 2018 game and when I did my own journey this past summer (delayed spreading of ashes was due to Travel restrictions during the height of the Global Pandemic)
Second off, the release date was November 9, and this also happened to be my birthday
So I went into the game with amplified emotions already. And man, what a ride.
I have never become so emotional so many times, playing one game before. Possibly because of the deeper meanings for myself, possibly the impactful acting, but also because I felt that the development team and all those involved just understood the themes so well; grief, life, death; sharing and funneling their own personal emotions into a story that was so intricately crafted.
It just hit a different emotional chord for me than any other video game. Never mind the amazing gameplay and it being a solid gaming experience as a whole. I guess my point/opinion is that, for me, there was this deeper emotional chord that is struck, and no other game has hit it quite like this.
As a result:
It is my Game of the Generation.
It was a perfect storm of amplified emotions going into the experience, plus deeper, personal meaning mixed with placing myself in the eyes of both main characters, and projecting my own life experiences with my father, his influence on getting me into gaming (gameboy color, n64, ps1) and the cumulative 2018 game plus this incredible sequel coming together as a whole experience that I could relate with. Kratos, his evolution as a character, his relationship with Atreus, the echoing relationship with the deceased loved one....
I wanted to create a new thread to share this personal journey with this forum, because GAF has been so awesome to come to for news and laughs that im sure many people have been fighting their own battles and finding comfort with this or any other gaming community as a sort of refuge
Hopefully one of the developers or someone involved with this game can read this and see how much it impact me personally.
I also wanted to share in a new thread, because I wondered if there was anyone else who felt the same way with this game - any similar emotional chords strike you the way they struck me, and if so, is this your game of the generation as well?