Does GoW get any better?

The real appeals of the game are the impressive visuals and the story. The combat mechanics, encounter design, and enemy variety all have significant issues and the RPG elements feel tacked on and pointless. The axe throwing mechanic and puzzles that result from it are a nice change of pace too, I suppose.

My girlfriend played it on easy just to enjoy the storytelling and I'm convinced she took the right approach, whereas I bounced off the game playing on hard.

krossj said:

Making it available before the end of the game isn't the best idea then but perhaps there was a message I missed stating it was post-game content.

My main gripe with the area was the timer/ track back mechanic but perhaps it is more fun after the game.

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Common misconception I see about the game. God of War doesn't have any post game content whatsoever, people just left things to do later. The only thing I needed to do after finishing the game to get the platinum was upgrading my weapons one last time, because that upgrade is locked to the post-game. No actual content is, though.

The only thing you even gain by leaving things to the post-game is that content being easier, because the final stretch of the game isn't really challenging either way for overleveling to be an issue. I speak from experience, played doing everything the first time around on Give me a Challenge, and then left most things to the post game on Give me God of War.

It's basically what most Open World games let you do, continue playing in the world to wrap up things you didn't do before.

IIFloodyII said:

Well, games which literally never break from gameplay or aren't action heavy/focused don't have that problem, so why would I include them? Like Stardew Valley farmer is as strong as he/she is in cut-scenes. But just because some don't doesn't mean it's not a flae with the medium.

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well plenty of games that break from gameplay don't have that problem so

it's still not a flaw with the medium. it's asinine to keep pretending that it is, especially when you have admitted several times that it's not.

Also, the old GoW games were gameplay Kratos struggles opening a chest, but can out strength Atlus and Cronus in a cut-scene? Or Bayonetta who can throw someone into the sun, but can be killed by a weak demon during gameplay? Don't have that inconsistency? Really?

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pretty much. I covered it in the post you quoted but basically it probably has more to do with the grounded self serious tone that god of war goes for so it just makes things like these stand out more so than other games. basically the video gamey aspects of god of war are at odds with the cinematic aspects because the disconnect is much larger than other games.

Ive said it since release but the game peaks in the first 10 minutes and never gets back to that again. If you're struggling at this point still you probably just dont like the game.

jviggy43 said:

Ive said it since release but the game peaks in the first 10 minutes and never gets back to that again. If you're struggling at this point still you probably just dont like the game.

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So it peaks after you burn Faye's body and take her ashes?


I wonder how they will top the combat of this game in the next one. I can't see them topping the Axe and how the camera is designed.

phanphare said:

well plenty of games that break from gameplay don't have that problem so

it's still not a flaw with the medium. it's asinine to keep pretending that it is, especially when you have admitted several times that it's not.



pretty much. I covered it in the post you quoted but basically it probably has more to do with the grounded self serious tone that god of war goes for so it just makes things like these stand out more so than other games. basically the video gamey aspects of god of war are at odds with the cinematic aspects because the disconnect is much larger than other games.

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Like? You keep saying it's not a problem for other games, but than say it just stands out more in GoW, which means it's a thing in other games too, you just don't mind them there, which is fair enough, but doesn't change the fact it's a common problem games face, which other mediums do not.

IIFloodyII said:

Like? You keep saying it's not a problem for other games, but than say it just stands out more in GoW, which means it's a thing in other games too, you just don't mind them there, which is fair enough, but doesn't change the fact it's a common problem games face, which other mediums do not.

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Honestly I never found that to be a problem in the game. Getting better at the game and learning combos make you feel the godly power of Kratos so I do not see how this game fits that description.

I mean they would have to make the game much easier to make you feel Kratos's power (like the past games).

Nintendo said:

Stranger boss fight is the best fight in gaming.

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Now this is hyperbole!

Are you being serious?

It's mostly about the action gameplay and the character developments. I haven't played a single action game this generation that feels as good as the Axe. The one-take cutscene into gameplay is just icing on the cake. That's an artistic choice, though. If you didn't like either of those things, the game isn't for you.

jrDev said:

Now this is hyperbole!

Are you being serious?

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Narratively, I think it nailed the entire scene. As it came out of nowhere and reminded you exactly what kind of powers you're dealing with. The gameplay itself was pretty vanilla, but despite that, I was left in wonder of the entire sequence of events. I can't think of another boss fight that did that recently.

IIFloodyII said:

Like? You keep saying it's not a problem for other games, but than say it just stands out more in GoW, which means it's a thing in other games too, you just don't mind them there, which is fair enough, but doesn't change the fact it's a common problem games face, which other mediums do not.

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you know what, I think we're good here. I already had to quote myself to answer your previous post (which was literally in the quoted post that you responded to) and I'd have to quote myself again here. I'm not really trying to waste my time doing that so I think we can just agree to disagree and call it a day no worries.

Gbraga said:

Common misconception I see about the game. God of War doesn't have any post game content whatsoever, people just left things to do later. The only thing I needed to do after finishing the game to get the platinum was upgrading my weapons one last time, because that upgrade is locked to the post-game. No actual content is, though.

The only thing you even gain by leaving things to the post-game is that content being easier, because the final stretch of the game isn't really challenging either way for overleveling to be an issue. I speak from experience, played doing everything the first time around on Give me a Challenge, and then left most things to the post game on Give me God of War.

It's basically what most Open World games let you do, continue playing in the world to wrap up things you didn't do before.

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Thought that but the other member mentioned it was post-game and don't remember any barrier to do it. I just remember one of the blacksmith characters saying you won't be able to get new gear for a while after that point (or something along those lines) so I tried out that section and found it tedious with the mechanics at play.

jviggy43 said:

Ive said it since release but the game peaks in the first 10 minutes and never gets back to that again. If you're struggling at this point still you probably just dont like the game.

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What? LMAO.

Richter1887 said:

Honestly I never found that to be a problem in the game. Getting better at the game and learning combos make you feel the godly power of Kratos so I do not see how this game fits that description.

I mean they would have to make the game much easier to make you feel Kratos's power (like the past games).

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Oh, I don't mind it either. As you said it'd be a very easy game if Kratos was always using he's full power or they'd have to power creep all the time to the point everything is as strong as cut-scenes Kratos. Which just takes away all the impressiveness of past events, which I actually don't like.

Just like BOTW a lot of complaints about the new God of War seem to boil down to "it's different from the previous games so I hate it".

hibikase said:

Just like BOTW a lot of complaints about the new God of War seem to boil down to "it's different from the previous games so I hate it".

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Just like BotW, there's a lot God of War sets out to do that it doesn't quite pull off as well as it could, and which could be improved upon in a follow up.

wondermagenta said:

Does presentation alone make a fight "phenomenal" when it's mechanically completely shallow?

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I find it helps to understand that this is interactive entertainment, not a pure game like chess or Spelunky. SIE: Sony Interactive Entertainment; ESA: Entertainment Software Association.

So, yes presentation is vitally important.

IIFloodyII said:

Oh, I don't mind it either. As you said it'd be a very easy game if Kratos was always using he's full power or they'd have to power creep all the time to the point everything is as strong as cut-scenes Kratos. Which just takes away all the impressiveness of past events, which I actually don't like.

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Yeah I mean just take the blades from the past games. They are really hot and can melt through everything if the gameplay was the same as the cutscenes.

The Blade of Olympus as well, Zues used that and killed the whole Spartan army with one swipe in God of War 2 so if they were going to make it as powerful the game would be as easy as pressing a button. As long as Kratos feel powerful when you master the game then it isn't a problem.

phanphare said:

you know what, I think we're good here. I already had to quote myself to answer your previous post (which was literally in the quoted post that you responded to) and I'd have to quote myself again here. I'm not really trying to waste my time doing that so I think we can just agree to disagree and call it a day no worries.

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Fair enough, it's kinda off topic anyway. But I'll put it this way, there's a reason Superman works in a comic, where the writer controls everything he does and what can damage him, but there's a big question on how to make him work in a game. Extremely overpowered characters are hard to balance in Gameplay, as they really should just 1 shot everything and be unkillable, but that'd get old fast.

On the other end, extremely weak characters, like humans, dying or being mostly immobile after a hit wouldn't be all that fun in gameplay, but if that doesn't happens in a cut-scene all stakes are gone.

I'd say if you're not having fun by that point, you very likely won't the rest of the way either.

Remember pre release when we were assured there would still be plenty of giant crazy bosses

Lol

MetalBoi said:

Based on what I'm reading in this thread, I made the right decision to skip this game.

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The game very well may not be for you, but I know if I based my buying habits on lttp resetera threads I'd have missed out on some of my all time favourite games.

jviggy43 said:

Ive said it since release but the game peaks in the first 10 minutes and never gets back to that again. If you're struggling at this point still you probably just dont like the game.

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I assume you mean the first 10 hours :p

If you don't like it, it's better to move on. Most of the best moments are still to come, but what would be the point? If you're not engaged/impressed by now, it's not like the game is going to suddenly turn into what you'd like to be experiencing.

Universal acclaim never meant it's for everybody.

Richter1887 said:

So it peaks after you burn Faye's body and take her ashes?


I wonder how they will top the combat of this game in the next one. I can't see them topping the Axe and how the camera is designed.

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The stranger encounter

Ragnar Ragnarbrok said:

What? LMAO.

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The stranger encounter is probably the most exciting part about that game barring the valk fights which are optional.

Nintendo said:

Stranger boss fight is the best fight in gaming.

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Now that's an over statement lol. Come on now dude.

Castlemadeofsand said:

It looked cool but the actual gameplay was not good. If you want to play engaging bosses with good gameplay try something like metal gear rising

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Was going to say something to this effect. The game is probably my GOTY but there's nothing amazing about that fight outside of the spectacle and story telling it does.

phanphare said:

pretty much. I covered it in the post you quoted but basically it probably has more to do with the grounded self serious tone that god of war goes for so it just makes things like these stand out more so than other games. basically the video gamey aspects of god of war are at odds with the cinematic aspects because the disconnect is much larger than other games...

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noticing the same thing with shadow of the tomb raider. having lara openly grabbing resources from the villages she comes across, basically the equivalent of link running around in people's homes smashing pots, feels completely different. as in, seriously offensive :) ...

Dragon1893 said:

The first boss fight against

Spoiler

the stranger

blew my fucking mind. If that is absolute garbage I don't know anything anymore.

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Yeah, that was pretty cool but also like 20 minutes into the game. It peaked early for me and others.

Not really. I think this game peaks at the beginning and post Alfheim really drags its feet. My main issue is the fucking combat man.

This perspective is absolutely awful. This kind of camera angle works for games like For Honor that are more centered on 1 on 1 encounters, but for God of War it throws so many enemies at you that you just cant focus on because Kratos takes up most the screen real estate.

The game does everything to remedy this issue from the shitty radar, to Atreus and Mimir telling you stuff, sans actually letting me see what the fuck is going on. And for a game with such a zoomed in camera, their are a lot of enemies with projectiles and their sound cues are surprisingly quiet and hard to hear, meaning that using the radar is necessary.

Add the flurry of slow-mo and effects and bad enemy telegraphs and it just feels like the game is fighting you on trying to have a good time. It feels like the game is more focused on keeping its one shot, zoomed in perspective over providing a readable environment for combat. And it wouldn't be a big issue, except GoW 2018 most involved portion of gameplay is its combat system as the puzzles are simple and easy and the platforming/traversal is pretty much non-existent with the lack of a jump button (seriously why can we not jump)?


There are just a lot decisions on the gameplay side of things that I just dont think worked out in the end, and the plot just feels like collecting a bunch of MacGuffins for propel the plot.

• We cant cross the mountain because the black smoke is covering it, we need a Bifrost to get the Light of Alfheim.
• We got it, and crossed the mountain, but this isnt the highest peak in all the realms, its another another place.
• Okay we got to go to Hel to get the thing cause Atreus is sick.
• Okay we got the chisel and found the gate to Jötunheim, but Baldur wrecks it. We got to find another way.
• In the end Mimir uses a rune or something a teleports them from Tyr Vault to Jötunheim.

Its just feels like a wild goose chase, and I really struggle to think of anything of interest that happens. This really didn't feel self contained at all, and the ending left me just as unsatisfied.
In the end I feel like this game is the very definition of a sum of its parts game. With exception of the art design and graphical fidelity, the parts of the game dont synergize into something truly great.

jviggy43 said:

The stranger encounter


The stranger encounter is probably the most exciting part about that game barring the valk fights which are optional.

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That's around two hours in.

Chronospherics said:

What did you expect? The game relies on its core gameplay for the fundamental gameplay of the boss fights. In that sense, yes, all of the 'cool shit' was scripted, cutscenes and quick time evens, however this is how God of War has always played. The boss fight gameplay has always just been, Kratos swinging his blades until you can press a button that initates a cool cinematic. It's always been scripted.

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that's fair, but it sucks to regress. like they progressed in making the cutscenes more natural, but there is now less gameplay. *shrug* i have my tolerance of the qte bs to a point ( hi bayonetta) but give me fun and challenge in between

One person's game of the year is another person's garbage... you don't have to enjoy every highly rated game so don't continue if it's not clicking with you.

Richter1887 said:

That's around two hours in.

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It took you two hours to get to the stranger??? How? It's literally like 10 minutes into the game, 20 at most.

Phantom Thief said:

Just like BotW, there's a lot God of War sets out to do that it doesn't quite pull off as well as it could, and which could be improved upon in a follow up.

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i think that's a perfect summary of the game

jviggy43 said:

It took you two hours to get to the stranger??? How? It's literally like 10 minutes into the game, 20 at most.

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It literally isn't. There's even a boss before him.

jviggy43 said:

It took you two hours to get to the stranger??? How? It's literally like 10 minutes into the game, 20 at most.

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Wasn't it after you go to the ruins meet the revenant and kill the deer?

The E3 demo itself took around 10 minutes and that was a very small part of the intro. It is way way longer in the first game.

Why do I have a feeling some of you rush to one area, kill all the enemies jump on boat, mute game, run off to next area. No time to relax and enjoy the lore. You also have a game with no big bad boss at the end just because that's what all games do but don't appreciate it.

jviggy43 said:

It took you two hours to get to the stranger??? How? It's literally like 10 minutes into the game, 20 at most.

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Uhhh, I don't think it's ten minutes into the game lol. You have a full chapter, with a whole separate boss fight (admittedly a troll) before you get to the Stranger lol. At least an hour, hour and a half into the game.

IIFloodyII said:

It literally isn't. There's even a boss before him.

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It is. Did it take you more than 5 minutes to run through the introduction encounters and then more than 5 to run through the introduction troll boss? Like what. Even if we call it an hour, my point still stands that the peak of the game happens in the first hour of a 20-30 hour game. Arguing over the precise time is stupid when you know that wasnt even my point.

Richter1887 said:

Wasn't it after you go to the ruins meet the revenant and kill the deer?

The E3 demo itself took around 10 minutes and that was a very small part of the into. It is way way longer in the first game.

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If you're counting cinematic scenes sure but straight gameplay it shouldn't take you more than 20 minutes max to get to the stranger.

Phantom Thief said:

Uhhh, I don't think it's ten minutes into the game lol. You have a full chapter, with a whole separate boss fight (admittedly a troll) before you get to the Stranger lol. At least an hour, hour and a half into the game.

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I guess if were counting the cinematics yes. I just meant straight gameplay wise. As I pointed out tho it's really not much of a difference given what my original point was

jviggy43 said:

It is. Did it take you more than 5 minutes to run through the introduction encounters and then more than 5 to run through the introduction troll boss? Like what. Even if we call it an hour, my point still stands that the peak of the game happens in the first hour of a 20-30 hour game. Arguing over the precise time is stupid when you know that wasnt even my point.

If you're counting cinematic scenes sure but straight gameplay it shouldn't take you more than 20 minutes max to get to the stranger.

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You can't skip cutscenes first playthrough so no it wouldn't.

Is this your first God of War? Not only is cinematics a huge part of the franchise but they are the one of the biggest reasons the game is as good as it is.

If all you wanted was seeing fight after fight for it to be the "peak" then I guess this game isn't for you. The peak for me was seeing a familiar face halfway through the game and getting a certain weapon.

Richter1887 said:

You can't skip cutscenes first playthrough so no it wouldn't.

Is this your first God of War? Not only is cinematics a huge part of the franchise but they are the one of the biggest reasons the game is as good as it is.

If all you wanted was seeing fight after fight then for it to be the "peak" then I guess this game isn't for you. The peak for me was seeing a familiar face halfway through the game and getting a certain weapon.

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Even if we consider the above true, saying it takes two hours to get to the stranger is just as off base as my original time stamp was. Maybe that's accurate only if you're playing ongive me god of war. Read my above post about exact time stamps not mattering as much as my point was the apex of the game comes in the first 1/8th of the game and never manages to recapture that moment again.

jviggy43 said:

It is. Did it take you more than 5 minutes to run through the introduction encounters and then more than 5 to run through the introduction troll boss? Like what. Even if we call it an hour, my point still stands that the peak of the game happens in the first hour of a 20-30 hour game. Arguing over the precise time is stupid when you know that wasnt even my point.

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Why would I run through a pretty big area with a lot of branching paths to check? But yeah, if I was skipping everything and very familiar with the game it's might be doable in 20 minutes on NG+ for the average Joe. The WR time took 10 minutes on NG+ to get to that boss, so it's technically doable, realistic? No.

IIFloodyII said:

Why would I run through a pretty big area with a lot of branching paths to check? But yeah, if I was skipping everything and very familiar with the game it's might be doable in 20 minutes on NG+ for the average Joe. The WR time took 10 minutes on NG+ to get to that boss, so it's technically doable, realistic? No.

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I'll concede that wasnt accurate. Doesnt change my argument however. .

That particular moment being the best is an opinion as any other. There's no doubt it is impressive, so there are other moments throughout the game. The climax is not a low point, precisely.

Just dropped it. The game has a lot of issues that do not get better over the length of the game.

jviggy43 said:

Even if we consider the above true, saying it takes two hours to get to the stranger is just as off base as my original time stamp was. Maybe that's accurate only if you're playing ongive me god of war. Read my above post about exact time stamps not mattering as much as my point was the apex of the game comes in the first 1/8th of the game and never manages to recapture that moment again.

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I read it, which is why I told you that the game does recapture that moment. Hell it even surpasses it.

If what you mean is the intensity of that scene then I still don't agree.

jviggy43 said:

I'll concede that wasnt accurate. Doesnt change my argument however. .

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I don't think it's even the best fight in the game, nevermind moment, but what I think is, is far too spoilery for me to wanna talk about here. It's imo 1 of the best moments in any game ever and just so perfectly done.

jviggy43 said:

If you're counting cinematic scenes sure but straight gameplay it shouldn't take you more than 20 minutes max to get to the stranger.


I guess if were counting the cinematics yes. I just meant straight gameplay wise. As I pointed out tho it's really not much of a difference given what my original point was

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If you're quoting an exact time for how long it takes to get to something, don't muddle your point. It takes longer than 20 minutes to get to the stranger. My guess is that 45 minutes is the absolute quickest it could be done.

If you dont even like the dragon boss you won't like the reat of the game

Nah, you can't get any better than perfection.