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God of War is probably the boldest, most radical reimagining of an established series ever
- Thread starter Master Chuuster
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Wow, really? I haven't kept up with any of it much, but I didn't know people were raging in the old games! 1-3 are classics!
OP
OP
Ocarina of Time is basically A Link to the Past in 3D. What're you on about
I mentioned Banjo Kazooie Nuts and Bolts earlier and I was half joking but seriously. A new entry in a series of HUGELY successful and industry leading 3D platformers. Make another one? No, let's have the new game be a build-vehicle/LEGO creations/racer/action/puzzler thing. It wasn't universally loved like GoW is (for some stupid reason - it's amazing!) but it was bold and very radical. While it didn't have the critical or commercial success of God of War, it's certainly more bold and radical.
Okay, I'm a huuuge fan of the three first games. I was highly anxious about the changing perpective, combat, tone and everything. If it wasn't Kratos' story, I probably would not have played it, or at least not at launch.
From the first three hours of the game, I can actually tell you that way more stuff from the previous games were carried over to this one.
The feeling and pacing of the combat are very similar, the light/heavy attacks pretty much do the same thing than square and triangle in the previous ones.
The puzzles are also a bit similar, although a bit simplistic in the first hours.
The (very confusing) upgrade system feels like a very improved version of the simple one we had before.
I'm not totally in love with the game as most people are. I like it but I hope there will be surprising and memorable scenes as I progress and not rely too much on the gameplay loop (GoW3 relly nailed perfectly the gameplay loop / boss fight / puzzle thing).
And above all else I hope the level design gets as smart as 2 and 3.
But IMHO it is untrue to say that nothing from the previous installments were carried over to this game, and fans like me will be glad to play it and recognize its legacy.
Yeah, Ocarina of Time literally had the same structure as LTTP. Gameplay wise it was innovative and very radical. But it wasn't a huge new direction.
OP
OP
In my fifteen hours so far, there have already been over half a dozen boss fights. It's even got optional bosses. And unlike bosses in older GoW games, which were more action set pieces (still loved em though), boss battles in this one are actual boss battles.
After thinking about it more I'm gonna have to actually go with Metroid Prime.
Took everything about Metroid and perfectly adapted it into a 3D environment. It was particularly bold given how much backlash it was given at the time, everyone was saying "ew what is this Halo shit".
Meanwhile God of War has been praised by critics and fans since release.
Took everything about Metroid and perfectly adapted it into a 3D environment. It was particularly bold given how much backlash it was given at the time, everyone was saying "ew what is this Halo shit".
Meanwhile God of War has been praised by critics and fans since release.
Give it a chance. The combat is a hell of a lot better than you're making it out to be.
I agree. Kinda. Metroid Prime and RE4 is also up there
Most arguments in this thread against OP's opinion are basicly 2D games turned 3D wich is not a bold change but instead a natural evolution.
Most arguments in this thread against OP's opinion are basicly 2D games turned 3D wich is not a bold change but instead a natural evolution.
Ahh, it's good to see we're still in that romantic phase with this game. That is not to say that what is felt is not valid, it's just the pendulum tends to swing hard on beloved games.
On topic, the legacy that Zelda was confronted with kind of dictates that it is probably the boldest departure, if only in mechanics. The formula for God of War has not really changed, just the execution.
On topic, the legacy that Zelda was confronted with kind of dictates that it is probably the boldest departure, if only in mechanics. The formula for God of War has not really changed, just the execution.
Someday. Or if they give me a demo so I can try it without paying full price. Nothing I've seen of the game gives me any reason to risk not liking it at a $60 price tag. People yelled at me to give Horizon a chance and I still find it beautiful to look at and take photo mode shots in but just about the antithesis of fun to actually play.
Except that it perfectly combines the tone of the last of us and the level design of bloodborne/dark souls.
But what do I know, I've only PLAYED the game, not watched a few vids and made an analysis on the game from that =)
It's bold for the series not the whole God damn industry. How hard is that for you to understand?
And the combat surpasses DMC simply because of how tactical it feels. Haven't played bayonetta so not sure about that one.
I think this new game is more GoW than people realize. The single most vital component of the old games was the punchy, intuitive combat; those sweeping strokes with the Blades of Chaos and the crunchy feedback after every hit. That philosophy is still present in GoW4. They moved the camera, they changed the weapon, they remapped the controls, but the gut satisfaction feels no different. Maybe even better.
It feels to me like Cory and his team diagnosed the GoW franchise in the same way that Aonuma and his team did on Zelda. What is God of War? It's not the camera. It's not Square-Square-Triangle. It's not even the Blades of the Chaos. It's feel. It's tactile. It has to be brutal and it has to be responsive.
It feels to me like Cory and his team diagnosed the GoW franchise in the same way that Aonuma and his team did on Zelda. What is God of War? It's not the camera. It's not Square-Square-Triangle. It's not even the Blades of the Chaos. It's feel. It's tactile. It has to be brutal and it has to be responsive.
OP
OP
Which games? Are you talking specifically about Super Mario 64? Because that game basically threw away how past Mario games worked and were structured and invented some crazy new structure (not to mention the seismic change in gameplay from the 2D>3D switch) that hadn't really been done before. Collecting stars? They were just for invincibility before. Level structure in previous games was just getting to the end of a level once. 64 had you exploring each stage again and again successfully beating small challenges. The progression was non-linear and you could move forward when you wanted, to a point. No getting mushrooms to become Super. No fireflowers. 64 was a huge change in Mario games and also in videogames in general. It essentially invented the genre (again) and dictated how 3D platformers would work going forward (as collectathons/hub level design games).
God of War, to use another posters words, is Dark Souls via Naughty Dog. It's a really fucking good modern AAA action game.
A lot of you seem to have reading comprehension fail.
No one is saying it's a bold direction for the gaming industry, but rather the series itself.
If you can't see that then there's no point in even wasting time arguing because there's no way anyone's changing your mind if the gameplay footage itself doesn't do that for you.
No one is saying it's a bold direction for the gaming industry, but rather the series itself.
If you can't see that then there's no point in even wasting time arguing because there's no way anyone's changing your mind if the gameplay footage itself doesn't do that for you.
This right here
Completely changed not only the viewpoint, but the core gameplay from a relatively simple actiony platformer into a flight based rail shooter/3rd person action game. Not to mention it completely reimagined the various characters in the series and gave them awesome VA performances
I feel like most posters are making good points why some games were radical shifts for their series (and sometimes beyond)? Why are you wanting to argue? It's a discussion.
Different developers, different game. Your comparison is useless.
Eh.
Super Metroid > Metroid Prime was bigger.
So big in fact that everyone thought the game was going to be garbage - there was no existing template that people could reference to justify the change as a good thing - and it was only compounded by the troubled production the game had gone through; yet the entire industry had to eat crow when the game came out to rave reviews and became one of the generation's most revered titles.
Super Metroid > Metroid Prime was bigger.
So big in fact that everyone thought the game was going to be garbage - there was no existing template that people could reference to justify the change as a good thing - and it was only compounded by the troubled production the game had gone through; yet the entire industry had to eat crow when the game came out to rave reviews and became one of the generation's most revered titles.
A lot of people in here are dismissing OPs post simply because this style of genre has been done before. You see the comments calling it last of us, dark souls etc.
OP is only saying that it's a radical shift for the SERIES, but people don't seem to understand that.
Ok, from someone who lives and breathes Stylish action games :- this is good. It's not DMC, it isn't even DmC, but once you get your fingers around the combat, there is a lot of combo creativity to be had.
Instead of combining dial up button combos, it's layering skills and managing space like a fighting game. The way the camera is more claustrophobic makes the action more immediate and your decisions are more real-time.
That's not to say the approach doesn't have it's flaws :- there is too much off screen attacks, even worse when it comes to projectiles, but the depth is there for those who seek it.
I feel people who play character action games, or fighters in general can make the games combat shine in a way that none of the pre-release materials ever did. I'd love to see what someone like saur could do with this combat system.
Someone in the review thread called this the game Darksiders 2 wanted to be, and no disrespect to tragic (DS2 combat designer) I feel that is true.
Metroid Prime changed genres and still felt very much like Metroid. Also when the predecessor was often in the convo of GOAT (Super Metroid) it takes some guts to make that change.
BotW
Mario 64/Yoshi's Island (both radical departures)
RE4
All of these were more radical departure. And I don't say BotW because I wasn't old enough to play LoZ (I'm 34). I say that because it had been 26 years since the formula had changed at all.
To put that in perspective, Zelda hadn't changed for twice as long as the God of War series had existed.
Mario 64/Yoshi's Island (both radical departures)
RE4
All of these were more radical departure. And I don't say BotW because I wasn't old enough to play LoZ (I'm 34). I say that because it had been 26 years since the formula had changed at all.
To put that in perspective, Zelda hadn't changed for twice as long as the God of War series had existed.
People have mentioned Metroid Prime and RE4 and a ton of 2D -> 3D stuff, but there's still plenty more examples.
Symphony of the Night changed what Castlevania was all about.
Donkey Kong Country changed "Donkey Kong game" into something totally different.
Doom 3 was basically a survival horror shooter compared to the straight forward originals.
Remember when The Bureau: XCOM Declassified was going to just be X-COM, a tactical FPS set in the 1950s with totally different alien designs?
Symphony of the Night changed what Castlevania was all about.
Donkey Kong Country changed "Donkey Kong game" into something totally different.
Doom 3 was basically a survival horror shooter compared to the straight forward originals.
Remember when The Bureau: XCOM Declassified was going to just be X-COM, a tactical FPS set in the 1950s with totally different alien designs?
I don't feel like Metroid Prime really changed genres. It went 3D/first person but the structure/gameplay was very much Super Metroid in 3D. I dunno, not seeing it with Prime so much. Was a massive surprise that they pulled it off for sure... Prime is amazing. As you said, especially coming off of Super Metroid and all of the expectations that brings.
I guess when I played it I was most surprised at how similar it really was to Super Metroid. I expected it to be new (and scarily different) when I first saw screenshots. I felt like they nailed the Metroid gameplay/vibe in it in the end.
I'll say this...I've attempted to play I-III plus the PSP offshoots and they never held my attention for very long. That's not a knock on them it's just not a genre I like very much. But this...this one is ticking all the boxes for me. I'm hooked. The combat is fantastic. The writing well done. The cinematography breathtaking. Brilliant game. For me, of all people, to feel this way means that yeah, they drastically changed course and it's nice to see it pay off! A bigger departure than BotW was for Zelda? Eh, that remains to be seen but it sure as hell is a close one. Haha I can recall seeing it announced at E3 and rolling my eyes at the thought of "yet another God of War". I was wrong. So wrong.
This right here is one of the things I KNEW would be an issue with the game as soon as they confirmed the behind-the-back camera was locked. I hate it when games have enemies attacking me from places when I can't see them, and having a really close camera always leads to that. It was a constant issue in Horizon, especially whenever you end up fighting multiple machines at once - only in Horizon it's doubly bad because Aloy absolutely sucks at dealing with anything that gets close to her.
I'm not comparing it to Horizon, I'm using Horizon as an example of why I don't trust other people's "you need to play this game I am really enjoying right now" urgings, because they don't know me and they don't know what I look for or enjoy in games. Especially not enough to pay $60 for a game that at every possible level of game design is screaming "NOT FOR YOU". When the hype-nado has died down slightly in the next few months I will talk to people and see how they feel about it after they've had time to let their "new shiny thing" reactions cool down and then, if it's on sale, I will give it a shot.
Ohhh yess Ok this is my Vote Kid Icarus Uprising definitely
Point proven. That's not what I'm saying at all. Read it again and come back
if you had told me that god of war would have the best combat system in a 3D action game ever, as well as doing exploration and rpg elements better than established series in said genre, i would have pulled a citizen's arrest on you. but here we are in 2018, and its all true.
These are absolutely great examples. Who could've seen SOTN or DKC after the earlier (hugely successful) entries in their series?
It's a very common thing, but GAF/ResetEra seem to take it to a whole other level. It's why I never trust first impressions around here.
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