A lot of people gave this game an unfair treatment simply because it was the follow-up to the amazing game that is God Of War 3. I believe it's hard for any game to follow that one up only a couple of years afterwards. It is a solid prequel that has fun boss fights as well. In my opinion this game is the equivalent of Batman Arkham Origins. As that game came out after Arkham City (arguably the best game in that series) and Origins like Ascension was also a prequel. If you enjoy the older God Of War games then Ascension is definitely worth checking out. If you're newer to the franchise I would actually recommend playing this in chronological order as you get to try out mechanics from 3 while also having your introduction to the franchise not be as dated as God Of War 1 is