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

[Paperclyp]

17 minutes ago, BloodyHell said:

The OG trilogy is on PS+. 1&2 from the HD collection, 3 is a remaster. Ascension is also there.

Oh damn! That’s great news. 

[SaysWho?]

12 hours ago, Paperclyp said:

If they ever made the first two easily accessible on the ps5 I would play those, 3, and MAYYBE one if the handheld ones. I feel bad I never played 3, I’ve heard it’s quite good. 
 

edit: got a new ssd for my ps5 and installed 3… maybe get to it soon 

 

I think if you did a handheld, do Ghost of Sparta. Honestly, it feels like a PS2 game, so you should have no trouble with that if you enjoy the first two.

 

And yes, second what @BloodyHell said: I'm actually replaying 1 & 2 on PS+ right now. Just finished 1, just finished the fourth boss on 2. Might play something else before I tackle 3 and then a nice replay of the 2018 game, which I've long thought elevated the story in the rest of the games since complaints about Kratos being too one-note are actually tackled and fleshed out as his character grows in the 2018 game.

 

Hell, the end of the 2018 game has a great callback to a Zeus line in GOW2, only done differently.

[SaysWho?]

Honestly, I wish they'd port this to PS5 or figure out PS3 disc BC.

 

 

Has all the GOW games minus Ascension prior to GOW 2018.

[Kal-El814]

I feel the same way about God of War 3 that I do about Season 2 of The Boys… it’s goes so far out of its way to be shocking and it’s so grim and depressing that I will never have a desire to replay it. The gameplay is good, I just think the aesthetic and vibes are the worst of the series after the very impressive opening fight.

[BloodyHell]

I'm not a huge fan of pre-2018 GoW at all. I played them, enjoyed them, and moved on in general. I never bought one full price on launch day or anything.

[Phaseknox]

God of War 1 and 2 are a couple of my favorite action games, but I didn’t really like God of War 3 for some reason. It failed to hold my interest, and I never finished it. I lost interest in the series after that until God of War 2018.

[SaysWho?]

On 7/16/2022 at 9:38 AM, Kal-El814 said:

I feel the same way about God of War 3 that I do about Season 2 of The Boys… it’s goes so far out of its way to be shocking and it’s so grim and depressing that I will never have a desire to replay it. The gameplay is good, I just think the aesthetic and vibes are the worst of the series after the very impressive opening fight.

tbh I don’t really think it tries harder than the first two games, though I know to which parts you’re probably referring.

 

Taking place mostly in one area is probably why it feels that way, though God, I love how Mount Olympus looks, and not just graphically.

 

I haven’t played in a few years, but if I had a complaint that’s not story related, it’s that the game’s first 40%/50% is much better paced than what comes after. And replaying that one part at the end that’s more an interactive cutscene.

[Pikachu]

 

Quote

To prepare for the upcoming release of God of War Ragnarök on November 9th, we’ve invited two of the best storytellers we know to recap the journey of Kratos and Atreus from God of War (2018): the amazing Felicia Day and the Smartest Man Alive, Mimir!

 

The new Myths of Midgard video is an animated storybook recounting the events of God of War (2018), with a goal of catching you up on the previous game.
 
Find out more: play.st/GOWR

 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

God of War Ragnarök's Combat Lets You 'Play With Your Food'

WWW.GAMEINFORMER.COM

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Two new arm shields and an added layer of verticality make God of War Ragnarok's combat grittier than ever.

 

Quote

 

Lead combat designers Mihir Sheth and Denny Yeh have over 17 years of God of War experience shared between them, and both played prominent roles in the previous game’s success. The series’ current direction is inspired by an old studio motto: Playing with your food.

 

“That’s an internal philosophy that we’ve had since back in the day,” Sheth says. “Kratos plays with his food. We tried to create systems you want to engage with that are fun, very playful, lots of different routes. And when we looked at the combat in the last game, we were like, ‘We can push this further; we can find new toys and ways of playing with enemies and strategies.’ That’s been the guiding principle more than anything else.”

 

 

[SaysWho?]

On 8/30/2022 at 9:37 PM, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

God of War Ragnarök's Combat Lets You 'Play With Your Food'

WWW.GAMEINFORMER.COM

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Two new arm shields and an added layer of verticality make God of War Ragnarok's combat grittier than ever.

 

 

 

The video:

 

 

[stepee]

If this is anything less than amazing it will honestly shock the hell out of me. This is about the most confident I’ve ever been about a game pre-release and I’ve hardly seen anything they’ve shown.

[best3444]

It will be good but I'm not a big fan of this series. God of War 2018 was solid to me but not amazing like everyone else thinks. 

 

Also, I despise Kratos as a protagonist. 

 

As usual I'll buy it day one. 😆 

[Phaseknox]

13 hours ago, best3444 said:

It will be good but I'm not a big fan of this series. God of War 2018 was solid to me but not amazing like everyone else thinks. 

 

Also, I despise Kratos as a protagonist.

I didn’t really like God of War 2018 quite as much as most people did, either. And part of that is because I also don’t really like Kratos. I don’t despise him, but I’m just not really into tank type characters in games in general. I almost always prefer to play as faster more agile and athletic characters in games which is part of the reason why I tend to prefer female characters because male characters are often big, bulky, slow and have angry attitudes and personalities which I’m not that fond of. Also, if I have to stare at the backside of a character for hours at a time while playing then I prefer it to be a female’s instead a male’s.  I still want God of War: Ragnarok, but not enough to buy it on day one for full price. I’m sure that it will be on sale Black Friday.

[skillzdadirecta]

I wasn't the biggest fan of Kratos but 2018 Kratos' character definitely had more depth than Kratos from the previous games which makes sense since he's been through so much more stuff at that point in his life than in the other games. That said, my personal feelings about his character didn't impact my enjoyment of the game at all. The game is brilliant despite any misgivings I may have had about Kratos' characterization. God of War is worthy of all the accolades it recieved in my humble opinion.

[Kal-El814]

On 8/30/2022 at 9:37 PM, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

God of War Ragnarök's Combat Lets You 'Play With Your Food'

WWW.GAMEINFORMER.COM

---

Two new arm shields and an added layer of verticality make God of War Ragnarok's combat grittier than ever.

 

 

 

I wonder if they'll work on the camera system at all. One of the few wrinkles in GOW was that in certain fights, the camera was pretty poop. It was perfectly fine most of the time but a couple Valkyries and at some of the rooms with the flying... things... (it's been a while) didn't play nicely with the POV, particularly vertically.

[skillzdadirecta]

30 minutes ago, Kal-El814 said:

 

I wonder if they'll work on the camera system at all. One of the few wrinkles in GOW was that in certain fights, the camera was pretty poop. It was perfectly fine most of the time but a couple Valkyries and at some of the rooms with the flying... things... (it's been a while) didn't play nicely with the POV, particularly vertically.

The camera would definitely go wonky when fighting those Valkyries. I think I still have two of them left to beat. @JPDunks4 you beat the game recently. How many Valkyries did you beat?

[Phaseknox]

23 hours ago, skillzdadirecta said:

I wasn't the biggest fan of Kratos but 2018 Kratos' character definitely had more depth than Kratos from the previous games which makes sense since he's been through so much more stuff at that point in his life than in the other games. That said, my personal feelings about his character didn't impact my enjoyment of the game at all. The game is brilliant despite any misgivings I may have had about Kratos' characterization. God of War is worthy of all the accolades it recieved in my humble opinion.

I definitely liked Kratos more in regards to who he was as an actual character in God of War 2018 compared to the previous GoW games, and he was admittedly kind of cool to play as. The whole father and son dynamic throughout the game made him more appealing in it, and of course he’s also a badass when it comes to combat.

 

My overall issues with the game had less to do with playing as him, and more to do with stuff like the faux semi open world design structure for the optional side content that kind of felt like artificial video game challenges shoehorned into the experience as opposed to natural and organic obstacles, and the overabundance of collectibles, enhancements, items and upgrades. Half of that stuff was throwaway IMO, and just made you spend way too much time tinkering in menus for slight variations to everything.
 

With that said, it’s still an epic and memorable third person action adventure game from beginning to end that was finely crafted and deserving of its accolades like you said. I definitely want Ragnarok, but not quite enough to buy it on day one for full price.

[SaysWho?]

7 hours ago, Kal-El814 said:

 

I wonder if they'll work on the camera system at all. One of the few wrinkles in GOW was that in certain fights, the camera was pretty poop. It was perfectly fine most of the time but a couple Valkyries and at some of the rooms with the flying... things... (it's been a while) didn't play nicely with the POV, particularly vertically.

 

They're called nightmares.

 

I just finished a replay, so I knew.  

[legend]

I really enjoyed Kratos as a character in 2018. He was deeply boring in the original games, but I loved the depth and growth they gave him in this one. I like to think of the former games as if they were the myth that was told about him, and in 2018 you get to meet the real him for the first time, with all his baggage.

 

The scene where he goes to get his blades of chaos back is such an awesome scene. It's one of my favorite narrative moments in gaming, and it really benefited from their "one long cut for the whole game" direction.

[JPDunks4]

23 hours ago, skillzdadirecta said:

The camera would definitely go wonky when fighting those Valkyries. I think I still have two of them left to beat. @JPDunks4 you beat the game recently. How many Valkyries did you beat?

 

None.  I didn't enjoy the combat much at all in this game, with the camera being a pretty big part of it.  Just never clicked for me, maybe because I played it right after playing every Souls game and then Elden Ring back to back where I thought the combat and gameplay was brilliant. 

 

I just ran straight through the main story stuff skipping all side content in this game to get it done.

 

*Edit - I also started the game on the hardest difficulty available on my first playthrough, and played up until shortly after the Lake area opens up.  After being told numerous times that mode is more for a New Game+ type playthrough, and some areas later on would be damn near impossible, I restarted, which may have soured me a bit too on some of the experience.

[Phaseknox]

26 minutes ago, JPDunks4 said:

I just ran straight through the main story stuff skipping all side content in this game to get it done.

I pretty much did as well, because most of the side content other than the actual side quests felt like unnecessary filler to me. It just didn’t fit with the story and world of the game IMO, and seemed like they just added it to check off a check list of modern action adventure game elements. The game would have been better if it stayed a more directed, linear and tightly focused experience like it started out as before it opened up becoming a semi open world game primarily for the sake of the side content. Thankfully the side content was optional and could be ignored so that you could just focus on the main narrative path, but its mere presence in the game seemed out of place IMO. I still really enjoyed the game, but they did Ubisoft it a bit which made it a little less appealing to me.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

I fairly certain that you're not supposed to "like" Kratos as a protagonist.  Or at least you shouldn't!

[SaysWho?]

6 minutes ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

I fairly certain that you're not supposed to "like" Kratos as a protagonist.  Or at least you shouldn't!

 

I liked him in the 2018 version!

 

His story about the tortoise and the hare is the best I've ever heard it.

[Brick]

Original Kratos was an adolescent's view of what it meant to be "badass"; just angry and being a dick (what more do you expect from David Jaffe?). No depth; hated him. 

 

2018 Kratos is still a dick, but you can see the regret and growth he's had, largely probably because the developers themselves have grown up, and are no longer late 20s, fratboy mentality bros, and have become fathers, and have more diversity within the team. 

[SaysWho?]

More morsels, but man, I want this game. We get to visit all the realms we couldn't in the first? Count me in.

 

 

[Kal-El814]

21 hours ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

I fairly certain that you're not supposed to "like" Kratos as a protagonist.  Or at least you shouldn't!

 

I’d agree with this. It’ll be interesting to see if they try to get him to have any comeuppance at some point. Talking about what fictional characters “deserve” can be dicey, but Kratos “deserves” a lot. The longer he’s beard dad, the fuzzier that becomes from a practical perspective from the POV of players. It’ll be interesting to see how the story in this one shakes out, which… is still a wild thing to think about a GOW game!

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

How God of War Ragnarök's Level Designers Made Dwarven Realm Svartalfheim Larger Than Life

WWW.GAMEINFORMER.COM

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Environmental puzzles might be more complex this time around, too.

 

Quote

 

The exclusive footage I watched of the dwarven realm, Svartalfheim, provided me with more than enough insight into the depth and complexity of Ragnarök’s world. Lead level designer James Riding and level designer Jon Hickenbottom spoke with me about their experience crafting the points of interest, with the former saying, “We wanted to evolve the gameplay in the level spaces – more variety and verticality. In Svartalfheim, you’ve got a lot of places that you go to all within one realm. It’s so much content.”

 

He’s right. As soon as the video starts, I’m thrust into a maze-like depot brimming with wooden machinery, a technical marvel even by God of War’s fantastical standards. Water sloshes down rickety ducts sectioned off by sluice gates. I spot towering wheels in the distance, and just overhead, an ore block, suspended in the air by a derelict rig, threatens to crush me. Atreus climbs to an elevated ledge, scouts the area, and offers a plan of action, but not before cracking a joke at the expense of his father’s aging knees. Suddenly, the clip jumps forward, and I’m standing on a cliff face with breathtaking views of the entire site. I barely make out the cloudy silhouettes of mountaintops along the horizon. A few feet away, a small chest sparkles, waiting for Kratos to burst in and snatch its well-kept treasure. An abundance of visual cues imply walls are mountable and structures can be acted upon, setting the stage for potentially intricate puzzles.

 

 

[best3444]

5 hours ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

How God of War Ragnarök's Level Designers Made Dwarven Realm Svartalfheim Larger Than Life

WWW.GAMEINFORMER.COM

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Environmental puzzles might be more complex this time around, too.

 

 

 

That's one beautiful pic right there. I'm looking forward to this for sure. Getting close too! Maybe Kratos will grow on me in this game. 

[best3444]

Well I just downloaded God of War 2018. I read reviews that it runs in 4K at 60fps on PS5. I only beat the game once but I figured I'd replay this now since I have a few more days off from work.

 

I'm in the middle of playing TLOU2 on PS5 and will mix GOW in my play time as well. 

 

Christ, reading the reviews makes it out as the very best game from last generation by a land slide. I remember enjoying it at release but wasn't blown away. Maybe now with it running in 4K 60fps and the sequel coming up shortly I'll appreciate this more.

 

Any of you guys play this on PC or PS5?

[Phaseknox]

3 hours ago, best3444 said:

reading the reviews makes it out as the very best game from last generation by a land slide. I remember enjoying it at release but wasn't blown away.

It’s a great game, but not the best game from last gen IMO. I like games such as Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Cyberpunk 2077, Days Gone, Ghost of Tsushima, The Last of Us Part II and Uncharted 4 more myself. 

[best3444]

1 hour ago, Phaseknox said:

It’s a great game, but not the best game from last gen IMO. I like games such as Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Cyberpunk 2077, Days Gone, Ghost of Tsushima, The Last of Us Part II and Uncharted 4 more myself. 

 

I agree. The best game from last gen is TLOU2. The games you listed are incredible games, too. 

[best3444]

Wow is all I can say about what God of War looks like. It's some of the most beautiful visuals I've ever seen. Did this game look this fuckin good in 2018 on the PS4? I played for almost an hour and absolutely loved the gameplay as well. I still can't stand Kratos but I'm going to beat this before I go back to work. 

 

Just in that hour I was blown away from not only the visuals but the gameplay, too. It runs at 60 frames-per-second with 4K resolution. It basically impressed me more than TLOU2. PS4 had some incredible looking games for sure.

 

I'm hyped to play this.

[best3444]

Played roughly 3 hours of GOW and it's pacing is on point. I put it on the easiest difficulty setting and that was an utter joke. So I bumped it up to the second easiest and then I started having a lot of fun. The challenge for me is perfect and not overwhelming. As much as I love games I really suck at them. 

 

"BOY" is really irritating though. Kratos sucks I'm sorry. The gameplay is keeping me playing because his son isn't any better. Always crying about something lol.

 

60fps when fighting is beautiful.

[BloodyHell]

10 hours ago, best3444 said:

 

I agree. The best game from last gen is TLOU2. The games you listed are incredible games, too. 

Best game from last gen was Witcher 3. TLOU2 comes in behind GoW and Ghost of Tsushima,with Spiderman as a close 5thth.

[BloodyHell]

11 hours ago, Phaseknox said:

It’s a great game, but not the best game from last gen IMO. I like games such as Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Cyberpunk 2077, Days Gone, Ghost of Tsushima, The Last of Us Part II and Uncharted 4 more myself. 

Its the best first party exclusive of the generation, and probably second overall behind Witcher 3.