Theories about the new God of War

[DaCosta]

It's an action-adventure, combining beat 'em up action, puzzles, platforming and (linear) exploration in epic environments. The zoomed OTS camera is still shitty for this kind of game.

Except when you optimize the action to suit the over-the-shoulder view, like Resident Evil 4, which is just as epic and balls-to-the-wall crazy as GoW. And that was a game with tankcontrols where you couldn't even move while aiming and that didn't have full 360 camera control.

Except RE4 is a shooter and not a hack n' slash.

Shooters are focused on where your perspective is, where you are looking at, that's why over-the-shoulder and first-person camera systems work well with them. Hack n' slash games are about where you are in relation to your enemies, that's why the camera is pulled back to give you the situational awareness to avoid attacks and land your own. That's why you don't find many melee focused games, or platformers really, with OTS and first person cameras.

There wouldn't be much of a point in calling it God of War in that case. Both Kratos and the chainblade action gameplay embody the series almost completely.

And they removed the chainblades and changed Kratos' character pretty much only keeping his name. There is no point to calling it God of War.

 

[Scapthat]

I never even considered God of War a hack and slash. I mean, I guess technically it is, but I would never compare it to Devil May Cry or Bayonetta. It doesn't have scored levels because getting high scores isn't the purpose. It's an action-adventure, combining beat 'em up action, puzzles, platforming and (linear) exploration in epic environments. The zoomed OTS camera is still shitty for this kind of game.

Kratos isn't gonna become a better character with this game. I would have changed the setting to Norse or maybe Egyptian mythology but have it star a new protagonist with his or her own weapons and controls.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_war_deities

It wouldn't have sold though. They would've had to call it something else completely and risk alienating the fanbase even further than they might already have. Sony would risk taking a loss on it because the majority of people would've cried out "Where's Kratos?! I don't want to play as some no-name!" Or even if they cast Thor they would've cried Marvel cash-in. There's no definitive "win" in these situations.

I'm reserving judgment until I play it. Regardless of what people think of the new formula, the old wouldn't have cut it anymore. Ascension solidified that point. I still enjoyed it, but it was certainly getting to be like how you feel about the Souls series; perhaps worse.

 

[Scapthat]

The over-the-shoulder camera is not befitting of fast-paced melee combat so expect it to be slowed way down and the enemy count to drop significantly. My sad theory is that the combat is above all a victim of the graphics. Instead of lowering graphical fidelity to support the gameplay, the severely limited field of view on the super zoomed in camera allows them to crank the graphics and almost keep the gameplay at a whopping 30fps for the duration, even if they have to sacrifice the gameplay in order to accomplish it.

I wonder how many more generations we have to wait until consoles are powerful enough that this stops happening. I used to have such hopes for gameplay, believing the worlds to become more interactive as the hardware improved, but every generation, the graphics take up all the priority. It's sad. AAA shooters, for example, should have far more destruction at this point, both minute and big.

Another point, God of War 3 was one of the best looking games of last generation, with 2048^ texture resolutions on main models. Kratos alone was 64MB which remained in RAM while on those titans. This was done with the PS3's gimped GPU and bottlenecked architecture, due to the last minute decision to scrap the 2x Cell/No GPU design.

The PS4 could easily handle a traditional God of War design and wipe the floor with most current gen game visuals. It isn't a question of SMS's talent, but the direction they chose for the game.

https://venturebeat.com/2016/06/20/...olent-series-is-growing-up-with-the-industry/

 

[Zhukov]

I just wish they'd gone with a new character.

Kratos has been shit since the beginning of the second game when they abandoned what little subtlety the original had and turned him into a goofy self-parody murder-o-matic.

Watching him be a lousy father with bad facial hair isn't going to improve anything. Hopefully the brat dies early.

I am interested to see where they take the gameplay though. The further way it gets from impactless anime-ish DMC-style enemy juggling the better.

 

[Casual Shinji]

When I was playing God of War and God of War II, I didn't think to myself, "Gosh, this is lonely. I wish I had a companion." I liked going out there on my own and brutalizing every creature in sight. Why would I want that kid helping me through my whole adventure? They have a button just for him. The level design will have to be limited to allow him to maneuver. It's pretty obvious they're doing it because of The Last of Us, rather than in the best interest of the series. They have no respect for the series. It's all about what's selling right now.

I don't doubt it is, it's pretty obvious where they got the inspiration from. And you know what, I'm totally fine with that. Not only because I like the slow walk-n-talk, 'look around you and drink in the environment' type gameplay of The Last of Us, but because at this point I'm more interested in anything new gameplay wise than just sticking to the established formula.

And the first God of War was already a giant rip-off of Devil May Cry, capitalizing on a popular type of gameplay.

You can claim they have no respect for the series, but there was little to respect when the third game rolled around the corner, apart from the fact that they managed to cram all that craziness on the PS3. It had become the most base, juvenile garbage that at points just became uncomfortable to sit through. With Ascension they realized how ugly things had gotten with Kratos and reigned him in to give him some humanity, making him the most likeable he's ever been. But by then the signature action gameplay had become completely stale. And this new game seems to want to continue this path of 'What if Kratos wasn't a giant shitlord, and actually tried to learn from his mistakes?'

The only point of concern is whether Santa Monica Studio can actually pull off a more narrative heavy game.

 

[Scapthat]

I never even considered God of War a hack and slash. I mean, I guess technically it is, but I would never compare it to Devil May Cry or Bayonetta. It doesn't have scored levels because getting high scores isn't the purpose. It's an action-adventure, combining beat 'em up action, puzzles, platforming and (linear) exploration in epic environments. The zoomed OTS camera is still shitty for this kind of game.

Kratos isn't gonna become a better character with this game. I would have changed the setting to Norse or maybe Egyptian mythology but have it star a new protagonist with his or her own weapons and controls.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_war_deities

It wouldn't have sold though. They would've had to call it something else completely and risk alienating the fanbase even further than they might already have. Sony would risk taking a loss on it because the majority of people would've cried out "Where's Kratos?! I don't want to play as some no-name!" Or even if they cast Thor they would've cried Marvel cash-in. There's no definitive "win" in these situations.

I'm reserving judgment until I play it. Regardless of what people think of the new formula, the old wouldn't have cut it anymore. Ascension solidified that point. I still enjoyed it, but it was certainly getting to be like how you feel about the Souls series; perhaps worse.

You don't know that. Alien continued to be a successful franchise after Weaver was replaced. Mad Max continued to succeed after Mel was replaced. The Force Awakens and Rogue One made huge bucks with new actors. Metal Gear Solid 2 was a big success without Snake as the main character. Nobody is complaining about the new Darksiders having a new protagonist.

I never played God of War III and Ascension. They could have kept it fresh while staying true to the series. One of the things I would have changed is assign dodge to a button instead of the stick, so that you can control the camera. Since my God of War would have featured a new protagonist, there also would have been different weapons and movesets.

True, I don't know but it wouldn't be at all surprising. Those are also all movies, other than MGS2 which pulled a bait and switch tactic. It's more a testament to how good it was in general that the only significant complaint was Raiden. Plus it was only the second entry in a different era. If that happened now people would lose their minds and complain to no end across the interwebs. Kinda like how they are now with God of War changing its formula and thinking it will be crap based on 15 minutes of deliberate story-driven gameplay.

We'll also have new weapons, be able to control the camera now and have a dodge button! The camera work of old God of War games was an art form in itself.

 

[Scapthat]

If no one likes Kratos anymore then how is there almost unanimous positive response to the new game? I seem to remember hearing a wave of cheers from the audience the moment he showed up on screen. A lot of people also said they never cared about God of War or Kratos before this latest reveal. They're taking an established character with a very flawed past and going into a completely new direction with him. There's bound to be some cynical response whether they used him, Thor, Odin, or some random, but trying to redeem a bad history is still more intriguing than starting with no history.

There is also no efficient user-controlled camera for melee combat, hence why in the old games they automated it. The aim of this one is to make him front and center of everything to minimize the need to fumble with a camera at all. During exploration it'll be worthwhile to use, but during combat less is more.

 

[DaCosta]

If no one likes Kratos anymore then how is there almost unanimous positive response to the new game? I seem to remember hearing a wave of cheers from the audience the moment he showed up on screen. A lot of people also said they never cared about God of War or Kratos before this latest reveal. They're taking an established character with a very flawed past and going into a completely new direction with him. There's bound to be some cynical response whether they used him, Thor, Odin, or some random, but trying to redeem a bad history is still more intriguing than starting with no history.

First of all, I strongly disagree on "almost unanimous positive response". Second, it's an E3 crowd, lapping up the bullshit publishers feed them is what they are there for. Third, he doesn't have a "very flawed past", he pretty much destroyed the whole world at the end of 3 while searching for revenge, if you will treat that as a generic dark past backstory you might as well change the character's name because you're already writing a new character anyway.

There is also no efficient user-controlled camera for melee combat, hence why in the old games they automated it. The aim of this one is to make him front and center of everything to minimize the need to fumble with a camera at all. During exploration it'll be worthwhile to use, but during combat less is more.

How is a super zoomed in camera going to "minimize the need to fumble with" it? If anything the super small FOV will require players to constantly adjust it.

 

[Captain Marvelous_v1legacy]

Kratos becoming Odin would definitely be interesting, but I'd honestly prefer to fight him. The Norse Pantheon may just be trying to take Kratos out before he can ruin everything again, after they filled the hole the Greek Pantheon left. You know, after Kratos killed them. It could also be that Kratos seeks something in Valhalla, but the Norse pantheon refuse to let him in, maybe because it'll be another Pandora's Box incident. The kid may be his key to get in.

Hopefully the brat dies early.

I, for one, hope the brat lives. I'm starting to get sick of companion characters dying.

Also, it makes no sense to move to a different mythology but keep Kratos. It's like a bad joke. He's killed the gods and made Greece his *****, so he goes north and finds another world to ruin. Mythologies and religions don't coexist. They have opposing explanations for the nature of the universe. They HAD TO replace him.

Wouldn't exactly be the first time multiple pantheons have been tossed together with no real rhyme or reason. The series already did change a few things about the Greek Pantheon, but don't remember how they handled the creation myth. Regardless, since it's an adaption I'm sure they'll just slightly edit the Norse creation myth or replace it all together, to fit in with the series' continuity.

 

[stroopwafel]

I think God of War is more famous for the impressive setpieces at the time like fighting on the back of a huge giant even if that fighting itself was pretty flimsy(yet serviceable) hack & slash. Visual spectacle worked in the previous generations but I don't think it will impress people as much now(that and the fact the formula has worn increasingly thin) so I'm actualy glad they moved the series away from 'sore thumb' action to something that looks to have more weight and depth behind it.

Pretty lukewarm about God of War in general so atleast for me the only way is up.

 

[Scapthat]

If no one likes Kratos anymore then how is there almost unanimous positive response to the new game? I seem to remember hearing a wave of cheers from the audience the moment he showed up on screen. A lot of people also said they never cared about God of War or Kratos before this latest reveal. They're taking an established character with a very flawed past and going into a completely new direction with him. There's bound to be some cynical response whether they used him, Thor, Odin, or some random, but trying to redeem a bad history is still more intriguing than starting with no history.

First of all, I strongly disagree on "almost unanimous positive response". Second, it's an E3 crowd, lapping up the bullshit publishers feed them is what they are there for. Third, he doesn't have a "very flawed past", he pretty much destroyed the whole world at the end of 3 while searching for revenge, if you will treat that as a generic dark past backstory you might as well change the character's name because you're already writing a new character anyway.

There is also no efficient user-controlled camera for melee combat, hence why in the old games they automated it. The aim of this one is to make him front and center of everything to minimize the need to fumble with a camera at all. During exploration it'll be worthwhile to use, but during combat less is more.

How is a super zoomed in camera going to "minimize the need to fumble with" it? If anything the super small FOV will require players to constantly adjust it.

I was only contrasting Ezekiel's comments about anyone still liking Kratos and the YouTube votes being "almost unanimously positive". The E3 reveal clearly resonated enough to determine they made a good call on keeping his character in the game, though of course there will still be people saying they should've used someone else. Like him or hate him, Kratos has an established history to build off of, whereas anyone else would've been like starting at ground zero. I know I wouldn't have been as intrigued if they went that route, especially if they still used the God of War name.

Jaffe's comment really says it all, "God of War explains, or ultimately will explain, why there are no more Greek myths." Kratos is SMS's take on why this happened, and people are free to make of it what they will. Not sure how destroying the Greek pantheon equates to destroying the world though.

Barlog talked about how each culture's mythological belief system coexisted with one another and were all "separated by geography." That suggests Kratos likely took a trip from Greece to Norway, where new gods and mythology thrived. However, despite its Norse setting, Barlog notes that Kratos isn't in "the viking era".
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ga...kratos-is-in-norse-mythology-no/1100-6441051/

I don't have a crystal ball or anything, but when people already comment that he's just going to destroy everything again...kinda defeats the purpose of what the dev's are going for this time around. They've alluded to this several times in interviews.

The zoomed in camera never bothered me during for example TLoU melee, so I doubt it would here either. SMS also has a track record of virtuoso-level camera work so I don't expect that to change for the worse. We don't even know yet what exactly they're doing for a camera anyways. Most people still don't even understand the type of camera system the previous games used, so why everyone's rushing to conclusions about how this one will work is beyond me.

 

[BrawlMan]

Like him or hate him, Kratos has an established history to build off of, whereas anyone else would've been like starting at ground zero. I know I wouldn't have been as intrigued if they went that route, especially if they still used the God of War name.

An established history? They changed the character. Besides, if they cared about his history, they wouldn't give the game the same name as the original. I would be more intrigued by a new character with new motivations, quirks and flaws.

Barlog talked about how each culture's mythological belief system coexisted with one another and were all "separated by geography." That suggests Kratos likely took a trip from Greece to Norway, where new gods and mythology thrived.

What a dumbass.

We don't even know yet what exactly they're doing for a camera anyways.

Yes, we do.

I think God of War is more famous for the impressive setpieces at the time like fighting on the back of a huge giant even if that fighting itself was pretty flimsy(yet serviceable) hack & slash. Visual spectacle worked in the previous generations but I don't think it will impress people as much now(that and the fact the formula has worn increasingly thin) so I'm actualy glad they moved the series away from 'sore thumb' action to something that looks to have more weight and depth behind it.

How about giving the combat weight and using a camera that compliments third-person fighting and platforming? Then again, I didn't even see any platforms. The environment in the trailer looked like typical boring realism instead of God of War.

edit: Finally; somebody that gets it. The new God of War I would have been interested had they dropped Kratos entirely and used any of the other Norse gods of war. The whole let's be like LoUs/Tomb Raider 2013 feels-a-thon angle does not help matter. I already did this rant last year, so not much as changed with me. I'll let Gaming Brit express most of my thoughts for those interested.

<spoiler=Gaming Brit's God of War 4 Rant>