this is one of those games that honestly i kinda wanted to dislike, especially after how mediocre the first game was, but i cannot deny it. sure, this game (and series as a whole) suffers from painfully bad storytelling via male power fantasy narrative with little depth. but, much like when i play a capcom game, the feminism leaves my body when i play this and i have fun with the game's combat.
in a funny way this game is sort of the opposite of paper mario ttyd (which i just recently replayed, hence the comparison) in that with ttyd, i liked everything BUT the combat, and here, i basically dislike everything BUT the combat. the level design might be spared from "everything" to a certain extent, and it does feel like gowii takes advantage of its mythological setting to much greater effect and variety. the level design hits higher highs but much lower lows, and good god some of these lategame obstacles are frustrating. but! as frustrated and mad as i could get, i still could get into it each time i sat down with it.
i want to go back to gowi and see what exactly was so drastically changed, because i do not recall having nearly as much fun in that game. combat is more fluid, juggling is a lot easier and more viable to do, your moveset feels more padded out so you have a lot more options for each situation, and the enemy variety keeps you on your toes while also presenting problems with answers. nearly every time i was struggling with a boss or enemy encounter, i would realize i wasn't using something in my kit enough, and every time i was able to problem-solve the situation, it felt nice. whether it be "you can use eurydale's gaze kill the heavies easier/quicker" or "parrying zeus' lightning balls gives you HP", it was always a nice little organic catharsis.
i don't want to dwell on the negatives with this game because i feel like i've already shown my cards. i find the dialogue to be really corny and hackneyed, the story is loosely threaded with "go here to do [thing]!" for most of the plot and kratos will just encounter random mythological figures along the way like prometheus, perseus, atlas, etc. i don't hate any of it and none of it is like, objectionable, but it leaves me wanting. also, i know 2007 feels like a long time ago, but why the hell did this game not have subtitles as an option?
fun game if you can get past the brainless, meathead nature of playing a game JUST for its gameplay. golly. what a weird and novel concept.
in a funny way this game is sort of the opposite of paper mario ttyd (which i just recently replayed, hence the comparison) in that with ttyd, i liked everything BUT the combat, and here, i basically dislike everything BUT the combat. the level design might be spared from "everything" to a certain extent, and it does feel like gowii takes advantage of its mythological setting to much greater effect and variety. the level design hits higher highs but much lower lows, and good god some of these lategame obstacles are frustrating. but! as frustrated and mad as i could get, i still could get into it each time i sat down with it.
i want to go back to gowi and see what exactly was so drastically changed, because i do not recall having nearly as much fun in that game. combat is more fluid, juggling is a lot easier and more viable to do, your moveset feels more padded out so you have a lot more options for each situation, and the enemy variety keeps you on your toes while also presenting problems with answers. nearly every time i was struggling with a boss or enemy encounter, i would realize i wasn't using something in my kit enough, and every time i was able to problem-solve the situation, it felt nice. whether it be "you can use eurydale's gaze kill the heavies easier/quicker" or "parrying zeus' lightning balls gives you HP", it was always a nice little organic catharsis.
i don't want to dwell on the negatives with this game because i feel like i've already shown my cards. i find the dialogue to be really corny and hackneyed, the story is loosely threaded with "go here to do [thing]!" for most of the plot and kratos will just encounter random mythological figures along the way like prometheus, perseus, atlas, etc. i don't hate any of it and none of it is like, objectionable, but it leaves me wanting. also, i know 2007 feels like a long time ago, but why the hell did this game not have subtitles as an option?
fun game if you can get past the brainless, meathead nature of playing a game JUST for its gameplay. golly. what a weird and novel concept.
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1 year ago