Umulamahri
I use to have a certain distaste for this franchise, for as much as these games want to be movies I was never very convinced of their storytelling. Yeah the moment-to-moment dialog can be entertaining, but it always feels like their idea of cinema is just Indiana Jones running from a boulder. Nathan Drake in particular has always come across as this Duke Nukem-esque chimera of different quippy action stars, he hardly feels like a real character. Doesn’t help Uncharted 2’s case that Lazarovic is a really generic antagonist. My girlfriend and I have been watching through the Indiana Jones movies and, in the case of Raiders and Last Crusade, making the villains Nazis is such a quick and effective way to make you understand what they’re after and why you want to see them fail. With Lazarovic it’s just a vague hunger for power, not much to go on. In my God of War 3 review I mentioned how that game was more successful at being a movie-game than Uncharted 2. While the writing in God of War 3 has some glaring issues, I’m still able to appreciate the cinematic presentation because its telling a story unique to itself, wheras the Uncharted series never quite escapes being a facsimile of film.
After replaying it again, I’ll admit I had way more fun than I was expecting to. Combat kinda carries this game. It’s easy to look at chest-high walls and groan at how ubiquitous they were in the 7th generation, but the game loop here is never static. Enemies throw too many grenades for you to stick to the same piece of cover for longer than five seconds. You are always moving around, firing everything you have in your arsenal, narrowly rolling past shotgun blasts, sniper lines, and grenade launchers. Watching it in motion, you really do feel like an action star which, at the end of the day, is the whole goal of this franchise.
After replaying it again, I’ll admit I had way more fun than I was expecting to. Combat kinda carries this game. It’s easy to look at chest-high walls and groan at how ubiquitous they were in the 7th generation, but the game loop here is never static. Enemies throw too many grenades for you to stick to the same piece of cover for longer than five seconds. You are always moving around, firing everything you have in your arsenal, narrowly rolling past shotgun blasts, sniper lines, and grenade launchers. Watching it in motion, you really do feel like an action star which, at the end of the day, is the whole goal of this franchise.
In fits and sputs I see why it took off as one of the leading exclusives for the PS3, but platforming and combat feel sloppy and unrefined.
2011
I feel like this was the start of open world games increasing in size for little gameplay benefit. This world is 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 big enough to be tiring to get across, made worse by frequently stumbling across riddler trophies that require equipment you haven’t unlocked yet.
Last thing I remember was going through Penguin’s section with the shark and thinking “why am I so bored by this?”
Last thing I remember was going through Penguin’s section with the shark and thinking “why am I so bored by this?”
2010
This review contains spoilers
A testament to digital sadism. So many gruesome moments that just stick to the brain like glue. This is one of the few games that benefits from a more realistic art style, I genuinely think that seeing every little hair and pore on a minotaur’s head as I drive my blades down its throat enhances the experience. Kratos works as this embodiment of the raging id; the only way for him dig himself out of a hole is to punch through the ground until he reaches the Earth’s core. His story is of atonement but no introspection, of looking to fate with blinding hatred that you’re unable to acknowledge your own choices. The only reason this isn’t the clear frontrunner for best in the series is that Pandora’s inclusion tries to garner some sympathy for Kratos too little too late. I think they wanted to have a moment where Kratos realizes that there’s nowhere else to go other than killing himself, but you can’t convince me that he is in anyway capable of hope at this point. This turn feels extra forced when Kratos tries to extend his paternal guilt to Pandora considering prior to this he kicked a giant spike through her father’s head immediately after fucking her mom (immediately after tying Posideon’s topless wife to a lever and letting her get crushed. This series’ reputation for misogyny is well founded). Even when the game tries to throw Kratos a bone it’s still drenched in a layer of ick that makes him unsalvageable.
I played the previous titles on the Vita, so I forgot that these games are perfect for blasting the fuck out of your stereo. Looking back, God of War might have been the start of Sony’s obsession with trying to make games that are also movies. I can definitely sense Naughty Dog’s influence on the series start to germ here, Pandora even helps you out briefly in the way Ellie would in The Last of Us. I will say that cinematic approach fits organically here considering the franchise’s penchant for distant camera angles that show the full scope of the carnage unfolding. All things considered, God of War 3 actually functions pretty well as a playable movie, and serves as the ideal version of the game Sony’s been releasing for over a decade (okay that point applies more to Uncharted 2 but I like this game better).
Some additional notes: the intro level on top of Gaia is the best setpiece in the series, that the rest of the game still finds ways to up the ante is equally impressive. Despite this segment of the franchise ostensibly having the same core, the tiny altered details between games go a long way to prevent them from blurring together. The Blades of Chaos were your bread and butter for the previous games, and God of War 3 manages to shake things up by making them mostly worthless compared to the three other weapons due to them being cheaper to upgrade, having better magic powers attached to them, and have functionally the same moveset. With that said, tying magic to your arsenal is a neat change of pace and does encourage switching between weapons. While I am loathed to praise QTEs, their integration into combat is surprisingly elegant. Them being positioned to the sides of the screen teaches the player to rely on gut instinct and as a result I hardly ever missed a QTE. Lastly, I love that even Zeus’ immediate family are like “ENOUGH WITH THE FUCKING PUZZLES”.
Really glad to have had marathoned this original run of games. I’m torn between the consistency and challenge of God of War 2 or the messy but glorious fatalism of 3, but I’m glad I played all these games. While these games are definitely the go-to example when picturing male power fantasies, there’s something cagey about the way Kratos’ story is told. My girlfriend was trying to figure out why anyone would be invested in Kratos as a character, and I think she hit the nail on the head when she viewed his tale from the perspective of “man this fuckin guy just won’t die’”. Yes you’re supposed to think his actions are in some way cool, but as he becomes as ravenous, cruel, and misanthropic as the gods throwing him around as a pawn for their futile grasps for ultimate power, the tone gradually becomes “oh wow he’s really going through with this” as the series progresses.
I played the previous titles on the Vita, so I forgot that these games are perfect for blasting the fuck out of your stereo. Looking back, God of War might have been the start of Sony’s obsession with trying to make games that are also movies. I can definitely sense Naughty Dog’s influence on the series start to germ here, Pandora even helps you out briefly in the way Ellie would in The Last of Us. I will say that cinematic approach fits organically here considering the franchise’s penchant for distant camera angles that show the full scope of the carnage unfolding. All things considered, God of War 3 actually functions pretty well as a playable movie, and serves as the ideal version of the game Sony’s been releasing for over a decade (okay that point applies more to Uncharted 2 but I like this game better).
Some additional notes: the intro level on top of Gaia is the best setpiece in the series, that the rest of the game still finds ways to up the ante is equally impressive. Despite this segment of the franchise ostensibly having the same core, the tiny altered details between games go a long way to prevent them from blurring together. The Blades of Chaos were your bread and butter for the previous games, and God of War 3 manages to shake things up by making them mostly worthless compared to the three other weapons due to them being cheaper to upgrade, having better magic powers attached to them, and have functionally the same moveset. With that said, tying magic to your arsenal is a neat change of pace and does encourage switching between weapons. While I am loathed to praise QTEs, their integration into combat is surprisingly elegant. Them being positioned to the sides of the screen teaches the player to rely on gut instinct and as a result I hardly ever missed a QTE. Lastly, I love that even Zeus’ immediate family are like “ENOUGH WITH THE FUCKING PUZZLES”.
Really glad to have had marathoned this original run of games. I’m torn between the consistency and challenge of God of War 2 or the messy but glorious fatalism of 3, but I’m glad I played all these games. While these games are definitely the go-to example when picturing male power fantasies, there’s something cagey about the way Kratos’ story is told. My girlfriend was trying to figure out why anyone would be invested in Kratos as a character, and I think she hit the nail on the head when she viewed his tale from the perspective of “man this fuckin guy just won’t die’”. Yes you’re supposed to think his actions are in some way cool, but as he becomes as ravenous, cruel, and misanthropic as the gods throwing him around as a pawn for their futile grasps for ultimate power, the tone gradually becomes “oh wow he’s really going through with this” as the series progresses.
2009
oh my god they made a game based around my ADHD habits.
Was curious if this could distinguish itself from the rest of the franchise, and it does so by stripping most of the fat. It also contains some of the handiest magic weapons in the series, as a result no combat encounter ever felt like a slog, which is quite the feat. The opening set piece in Atlantis is one of my favorite moments from these games, not only is it impressive for a handheld, it also showcases Ghost of Sparta’s unexpectedly rich atmosphere. While the story is nothing special, I liked that even as a child Kratos was never not this ball of fury and bloodshed.
2009
Improves upon everything from the first game. Better sense of scale, a more satisfying difficulty curve, and some surprisingly intricate puzzles. Only big knock against it are the two weapons that aren’t the blades of chaos are worthless.
After playing the first one, a more simplified God of War experience actually has a certain appeal. A strong application of what works about these games and not much else. The shield is satisfying to use, and it’s nice to find that the gauntlets made their first appearance here.
2009
Starting off with positives, because there’s a reason I played through four of these in the span of a week. I liked how often the level design looped back into itself, and the health and magic upgrades do a lot to make the levels feel more branching than they actually are. There’s also something innately satisfying about its combat, gleefully gory presentation keeps these games exciting even when it’s monotonous. In form, not that different from the other entries, but it’s the finer details that make this game a miserable slog compared to the others. I’m sure the menu telling you to drop down to easy mode after dying so much was intended as a taunt, but it doesn’t work when 95% of the deaths are from shitty platforming. Combat encounters get incredibly tedious past the halfway point, they just keep throwing more and more damage sponges at you. It may not be entirely fair for criticizing this for peaking early with the hydra fight, considering the big setpieces weren’t a mainstay compared to the others, but it bothers me immensely that after the hydra you spend most of the game dealing with goons. While I can’t be too harsh for providing a solid foundation, I can safely say this is the entry I’m the least interested in returning to.
2020
Loses track of its own premise. Jaws Unleashed may be clunkier mechanically but it better understands the appeal enacting shark carnage than this, which despite reaching for Sharknado absurdity gets inundated with generic upgrades. Ends up feeling like a worse Prototype game. Also, for all the writing dedicated to Chris Parnell’s smarmy narration, nothing in this game is as funny as grabbing a scientist with your mouth and slamming him against a card reader to open a door.
2006
Incredibly flawed but in terms of shark simulation this is still satisfying. Body slamming boats and then tail flipping people until they explode never gets old.
2007
I beat this in one sitting
2015
one of my favorite rougelikes but minus 1/2 a star for the bats
2008
Every single game of the 360 era desperately wanted to be this game
2009
Everything in this game feels just a little bit wrong