Sony God of War Ragnarök - Information Thread, update: initial OpenCritic reviews of Valhalla DLC posted

[stepee]

I’m not saying that people are speeding through, I’m just going super slow I think.

[Best]

Just now, stepee said:

I’m not saying that people are speeding through, I’m just going super slow I think.

 

I honestly went really slow and explored my ass off. I have know idea how you're so many hours in and not really close to beating it lol.

[stepee]

1 minute ago, best3444 said:

 

I honestly went really slow and explored my ass off. I have know idea how you're so many hours in and not really close to beating it lol.

 

Me neither!

[atom631]

im LTTP and only up to the Dwarven realm. been so damn preoccupied with life that I havent had time to really sit down and put in a good solid session. I also had a media blackout on this game and basically going in blind….

 

so far my two takeaways:

 

1.) So far its fun. Feels like more of the same, which isnt a bad thing and pretty on par for all GoW games. Really enjoyed the 3hrs or so Ive played. 

 

2.) why are Thor and Odin and couple of 1950 NYC mobsters?? I was half expecting Thor to fly away in a Cadillac pulled by Mjolnir.  

[TwinIon]

Just finished the end of the main story, only leaving some ravens, berzerkers, and the crucible left undone. I just checked my time in game and I was shocked it was only at 23 hours. I would have guessed more than that. I'll probably spend a bit more time with it, but overall I'm extremely happy with the game.

 

Some initial thoughts on the end of the story:
 

Spoiler

The storytelling in the game is masterful, but I don't think they nailed the ending. Mostly, I feel like they didn't do the best job in justifying Ragnarok. Ok, so Odin was secretly Tyr in disguise (a great twist!), he wants the mask, he had previously threatened war, but other than killing Brock, it's not like we'd seen him gathering armies or anything. Yeah, he'd probably stop at nothing to get the mask, but Odin is very patient, and we didn't have any reason to think he'd invade anywhere right away. Some of these characters had spent literal lifetimes hiding from Odin, so no need to rush into the end of the worlds, right?

 

Still, only part of the problem was justifying Ragnarok. I feel like they jumped a bit quickly to that conclusion, but it's far from the biggest issue I had. The bigger issue is that I didn't feel like our excursions across the realms had been leading up to this great team up moment where now we can call on all of their armies at a moment's notice. They even joke about Freyr ending a centuries long conflict at the drop of a hat. While playing through Alfheim I enjoyed the story we got, but I didn't leave there thinking "yeah, I've definitely earned their trust, they'll come to war with me no problem." If anything, it made their conflict feel intractable, potentially even more-so thanks to my actions. The one realm that our story felt like could have been a rallying cry for was Svartalfheim, having done some work to clean up the environment and revive the Dwarven resistance, and they were the only realm that didn't come join us.

 

Throughout almost the entire game, I think the storytelling is superb. Switching perspectives, revisiting threads and repercussions from the last game, learning so much new lore from a diverse cast, so many wonderful character interactions, and some individual great arcs. It really is a masterclass in the small moments, and it's those smaller arcs that I think I'll remember, but I don't feel like it really all came together in the end in a satisfying way.

 

 

[Biggie]

I’m playing really slow and in short sessions. I explore everything I can in an area before moving to the next and been reading everything. 

[Best]

Beat it this morning. 34 hours it took me with one favor remaining that I didn't care about.

 

Overall, extremely good game. If it didn't slow down in the middle to later sections in the game it could have been a masterpiece. The ending wasn't as satisfying as I was hoping, either.

 

I stand my my score early that it’s a 9/10 game and is a bit better than 2018. It's my runner-up to Elden Ring for GOTY. Amazing characters and dialogue throughout. 

 

@Spork3245 which quest did you say I should do after beating this?

[Spork3245]

48 minutes ago, best3444 said:

Beat it this morning. 34 hours it took me with one favor remaining that I didn't care about.

 

Overall, extremely good game. If it didn't slow down in the middle to later sections in the game it could have been a masterpiece. The ending wasn't as satisfying as I was hoping, either.

 

I stand my my score early that it’s a 9/10 game and is a bit better than 2018. It's my runner-up to Elden Ring for GOTY. Amazing characters and dialogue throughout. 

 

@Spork3245 which quest did you say I should do after beating this?

Spoiler

Talk with Lunda at any of the smith shops and she’ll give you a quest to attend a memorial for Brock.

 

Also, go to Tyrs Temple in midgard and beat the asgardians there, you should get a note about a prison falling into Nifilheim. Use the portal that you would normally take to the Raven Tree and a new path should open up.

 

[SaysWho?]

I really love exploring in this game. GOW 2018 was excellent in this regard, giving us the Lake of Nine, the map that kept changing. Because this takes place in multiple realms, there are many areas to figure out, and sometimes I'll encounter a side quest just to help someone, not as story-oriented as some of the stuff concerning other major characters, and all of a sudden hey, they're the other half of the key I need for something else!

 

I really, really dig the story but there's so much to see that I actively want to see, and quests I'm actually interested in doing.

[Best]

50 minutes ago, Spork3245 said:

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Talk with Lunda at any of the smith shops and she’ll give you a quest to attend a memorial for Brock.

 

Also, go to Tyrs Temple in midgard and beat the asgardians there, you should get a note about a prison falling into Nifilheim. Use the portal that you would normally take to the Raven Tree and a new path should open up.

 

 

That's badass! Thank you very much for this information. 

 

Spoiler

I was wondering why they didn't fully finalize Brock's death at the end. I will say the particular scene with Atreus saying he must go to Kratos made my eyes water a little. That relationship is probably the best I've seen in a game. 

 

I will add, the music in this game is absolutely epic and touching. 

[Spork3245]

19 minutes ago, best3444 said:

 

That's badass! Thank you very much for this information. 

 

  Hide contents

I was wondering why they didn't fully finalize Brock's death at the end. I will say the particular scene with Atreus saying he must go to Kratos made my eyes water a little. That relationship is probably the best I've seen in a game. 

 

I will add, the music in this game is absolutely epic and touching. 

Just wait until you get the song after the first quest I posted.

[Kal-El814]

17 hours ago, Bacon said:

ugh

Spoiler

  Reveal hidden contents

What in the fuck were they thinking putting the crater into the game. Holy shit, this area is way too much, and this day and night shit is fucking awful. Who the fuck thought that was a good idea? Fuckin' Zelda got this right like 25 years ago in OoT. There is no good mechanical reason I should have to go to an alter to change the time of day. This whole zone is worth a 1 point deduction from any score. 

 

And also, I noticed it way earlier, but I am calling it out now, this game has done a very, very, bad thing. They made their game world like Dragon Age: Inquisition. And that new area I was talking about just makes it even more obvious. 

 

This section is the only real blemish on this game. The combat itself there remains fine, but...

 

1) It's one of the only places in both nuGoW games where the exploration isn't filled with interesting exposition, so you're just kind of derping around

2) It's one of the only times in both nuGoW games where it feels like the characters don't really have a good reason to do anything there. They seemed somewhat interested in what's going on there but like... I don't believe them? I don't know how to say it other than that the lamp shading here felt lazy as opposed to the usual, "hey we have time to look for loot." I concede that this one is mainly vibes for me, but the rest of the vibes here are generally rad so it sticks out

3) Like you said the mechanics of this area are over engineered. Too much sizzle, not nearly enough steak. The mechanics of this game aren't really set up for how the enemies and such are laid out. I don't think this game works when the stuff you have to do is at a greater distance than what you normally see in Nornir chests

 

It's largely optional so it's not a big deal. But to me it feels oddly out of place compared to the rest of the content in both games. It feels like an area where they dumped a bunch of ideas compared to how almost everything else feels really well tuned for the most part.

 

[Bacon]

11 minutes ago, Kal-El814 said:

It's one of the only places in both nuGoW games where the exploration isn't filled with interesting exposition, so you're just kind of derping around

Wow, I didn't even realize that I had this issue with the zone. What I mean by that is that I feel like I am just running around being bored. Like, nothing is even happening. I didn't even put it together how it oddly lacks the banter and such. Even Memer doesn't have much to say outside of the side quest portions. This place really feels like a side area. Or hell, it probably would have made a decent post-game exclusive area. It has no right being in my path of the main story. 

 

It really does feel like I am playing the desert portion of DA:I all over again. 

[Brian]

Don’t watch if you have not beat the game. It contains spoilers

[Dodger]

Never got that mystic gateway to show up so I deleted my save data and started over. I’m going to rage if I have the same problem again.

[Best]

44 minutes ago, Dodger said:

Never got that mystic gateway to show up so I deleted my save data and started over. I’m going to rage if I have the same problem again.

 

Are you on the PS5? I didn't encounter one single bug/glitch in 34 hours. I found this game to be extremely polished. Sorry to hear.

[Dodger]

2 minutes ago, best3444 said:

 

Are you on the PS5? I didn't encounter one single bug/glitch in 34 hours. I found this game to be extremely polished. Sorry to hear.

Yes playing on PS5. Had zero problems outside of that but I literally could not progress the game. I better not run into it again.

[SaysWho?]

Phew! Helheim spoilers and don't click unless you're finished finished finished with it.

 

Spoiler

I am so glad I not only didn't have to kill Garm, but we got Fenrir back. That hit me.  

 

[TwinIon]

I went and did the gravestone battles today and in those I really felt some camera issues that didn't bother me much during the rest of my play through.

 

There were two things that bothered me most. The first is when bosses have attacks that you almost cannot avoid if you have the camera lock on. This definitely came up with story bosses, but it was much more noticeable on the berzerkers. It's a bad feeling when you're desperately trying to get away from a boss charging up an AOE, but you can't get away fast enough because you're strafing around them instead of running away.

 

The other problem was how poorly the camera handles multiple serious threats at the same time. On balanced it basically never mattered if a few ads got left out of sight for a bit, even if they hit me I'd be fine. With the gravestone fights that have multiple targets, it was a real pain to keep track of things and it felt like I was really fighting the camera to see what I needed to in order to survive.

[Best]

Tonight I'll do the quests that spork told me about then move on. I see myself replaying this in the near future.

[SaysWho?]

I'm going away for an extended Thanksgiving weekend seeing family and eating with them and wrapping gifts and watching Glass Onion: A Knives Out Story, so because of this heartwarming shit, I won't be able to play for a few days starting either tonight or tomorrow.  

 

Fucking holidays with their cheery memory-making shit.  

[Spork3245]

1 hour ago, best3444 said:

Tonight I'll do the quests that spork told me about then move on. I see myself replaying this in the near future.

I really want to know your reaction 

[Best]

1 minute ago, Spork3245 said:

I really want to know your reaction 

 

I'll post impressions. Mainly for @BloodyHell so that he can rip me a new asshole when I say it's really good and not a MASTERPIECE. 

[Spork3245]

36 minutes ago, best3444 said:

 

I'll post impressions. Mainly for @BloodyHell so that he can rip me a new asshole when I say it's really good and not a MASTERPIECE. 

 

But... is your post going to be really good or a masterpiece? 

[Bacon]

Spoiler

 

[Best]

24 minutes ago, Bacon said:

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Lol, she was a MILF for sure.

[BloodyHell]

Oh yeah, Sif is one of the hottest character in gaming. That booty was perfect.

[CastlevaniaNut18]

I think I'm around 10 hours in and I made it to Alfheim last night. I'm taking my sweet time. Sad that I can't play for a couple days due to work.

[Bacon]

Beat it. Total BS that you can't get to level 9 before the end. 

 

Ending was... pretty good. Have some issues with it but not too many. 

[Bacon]

I'll get platinum tomorrow. I agree with some of the stuff @TwinIon said, and also @Kal-El814 but I'm a but more negative and unforgiving. I really think I'm going to give this a 7.9 despite my enjoyment. Like, oh man, the "final chapter" got me hard while playing thru it, but the moment all the excitement ended I was left thinking how much better the actual ending could have been. The final chapter is a blast when you don't get time to think about it.

 

[Kal-El814]

11 minutes ago, Bacon said:

I'll get platinum tomorrow. I agree with some of the stuff @TwinIon said, and also @Kal-El814 but I'm a but more negative and unforgiving. I really think I'm going to give this a 7.9 despite my enjoyment. Like, oh man, the "final chapter" me hard while playing thru it, but the moment all the excitement ended I was left thinking how much better the actual ending could have been. The final chapter is a blast when you don't get time to think about it.

 

I will say the last chapter has strong JJ Abrams vibes on hindsight. 

 

[Spork3245]

8 hours ago, Bacon said:

Beat it. Total BS that you can't get to level 9 before the end. 

 

Ending was... pretty good. Have some issues with it but not too many. 

 

Your weapons? I did.

[Best]

@Spork3245 I got high on marijuana and tried playing GOW and beat the quests you suggested. Holy shit, I couldn't even grasp how to follow the compass in how to proceed because I was high af! Dead ass, I haven't used weed in like 8 months and I took major hits yesterday at like 4pm.

 

I was litteraly knocked out at 6pm and slept like a baby just now at 9am. Haha, I'm about to try this again right now. 

 

Weed rules btw. Mine is medical so it's strong and good shit. I got it to relax this Thanksgiving weekend. I usually stay away from it because then I start abusing it.  😆 

[Best]

Beat that section.

 

Spoiler

That should have been included in the ending immediately. The music at the funeral was absolutely beautiful and it obviously hit home for me so I teared up. They even have credits after that. It's a shame you have to look for that to see it. It makes the ending better for sure.

 

I stopped the game after that. I accomplished everything I wanted to in this playthrough. I know you told me another quest but I moved on to A Plagues Tale Requiem for now. 

 

I'll absolutely play and beat this game again so I'm sure I'll see what you told me about some day.

[Spork3245]

7 minutes ago, best3444 said:

Beat that section.

 

  Hide contents

That should have been included in the ending immediately. The music at the funeral was absolutely beautiful and it obviously hit home for me so I teared up. They even have credits after that. It's a shame you have to look for that to see it. It makes the ending better for sure.

 

I stopped the game after that. I accomplished everything I wanted to in this playthrough. I know you told me another quest but I moved on to A Plagues Tale Requiem for now. 

 

I'll absolutely play and beat this game again so I'm sure I'll see what you told me about some day.

The other quest takes about 5 min too. Trust me, do it real quick.