A redemption, a rebirth, and a reinvention.
There is no better example of a game I never knew I wanted. The ending of God of War 3 rung hollow for me, and the oversaturation of mediocre content and lack of creative ingenuity the franchise displayed afterward made me ready to hang up the blades of chaos and explore newer, more inventive titles. I'm pleased to report that God of War PS4 is everything a bad God of War title isn't.
The incorporations of Norse mythology are inspired, weaving a rich, unique world nothing like what we would see in the PS2 titles. The cinematography captures the strong facial animations and both the strong vocal performances and excellent score ensure the experience will be just as much a feast for the ears as the eyes. The excellent combat system allows you to fight iconic Norse monsters with satisfying weight behind your attacks, incorporating whichever approach to combat you would like. This game is a huge technical marvel and a bold advancement, not only for the franchise but for video games as a medium.
However, the game is not perfect. This game clearly took inspiration from the original Dark Souls, and much like that game, I think this game created an incredible framework that shook the foundation of video games as a medium, but the execution of that framework was flawed.
God of War PS4 is infamous for a lack of enemy variety, most notably among sub-bosses; the game should have taken more advantage of the pantheon of Norse characters, as there were only a few and some (most notably the villains) weren't as fleshed out as they should have been; the game also suffers from uncompelling side-objectives and some tedious travel and item collection; Oh, and I can't stand Nifelheim: it's my second-least-favorite location in any God of War game. I'm glad it's optional and I appreciate Ragnarök for completely changing it, but I would have preferred if it were removed altogether.
In summary, this game is still incredible. You don't need me to tell you to play it, but play it. Also, if you liked my review, be on the lookout for my review of the sequel, especially if you're mad that I don't consider this one of the greatest games ever made. It may take a while for me to compose all of my feelings about Ragnarök, having just finished it, but boy am I looking forward to talking about it.
There is no better example of a game I never knew I wanted. The ending of God of War 3 rung hollow for me, and the oversaturation of mediocre content and lack of creative ingenuity the franchise displayed afterward made me ready to hang up the blades of chaos and explore newer, more inventive titles. I'm pleased to report that God of War PS4 is everything a bad God of War title isn't.
The incorporations of Norse mythology are inspired, weaving a rich, unique world nothing like what we would see in the PS2 titles. The cinematography captures the strong facial animations and both the strong vocal performances and excellent score ensure the experience will be just as much a feast for the ears as the eyes. The excellent combat system allows you to fight iconic Norse monsters with satisfying weight behind your attacks, incorporating whichever approach to combat you would like. This game is a huge technical marvel and a bold advancement, not only for the franchise but for video games as a medium.
However, the game is not perfect. This game clearly took inspiration from the original Dark Souls, and much like that game, I think this game created an incredible framework that shook the foundation of video games as a medium, but the execution of that framework was flawed.
God of War PS4 is infamous for a lack of enemy variety, most notably among sub-bosses; the game should have taken more advantage of the pantheon of Norse characters, as there were only a few and some (most notably the villains) weren't as fleshed out as they should have been; the game also suffers from uncompelling side-objectives and some tedious travel and item collection; Oh, and I can't stand Nifelheim: it's my second-least-favorite location in any God of War game. I'm glad it's optional and I appreciate Ragnarök for completely changing it, but I would have preferred if it were removed altogether.
In summary, this game is still incredible. You don't need me to tell you to play it, but play it. Also, if you liked my review, be on the lookout for my review of the sequel, especially if you're mad that I don't consider this one of the greatest games ever made. It may take a while for me to compose all of my feelings about Ragnarök, having just finished it, but boy am I looking forward to talking about it.