I never really thought the story was good (well okay, it was pretty stupid, but so are FF story lines), I focussed on the interesting puzzles and AMAZINGLY tight controls.Grimm91 said:
Why was God of War so great?
- Thread starter Grimm91
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I love GoW. But I just like it for it's mindless hack n' slashing...and it's QTE were a nice touch I thought...
You're right. GoW didn't focus AT ALL on ranged weapons, and there was really only 2 weapons, and neither did elemental damage.Indigo_Dingo said:
Give it a shot. You'd probably like it. God of War that isHellion25 said:I think we are forgetting that the Dynamite Cop games did them before Shenmue. Not that they even came close to popularityDarkrai said:
As for Shenmue vs Resi in popularising QTE, I'd say Resi popularised it with the public, but it was Shenmue that probably popularised it with developers and showed a new way to interact with cutscenes, which was then morphed into including it in action sequences like we have today. That's just my thoughts though.
As for the topic at hand, I can't really comment as I have never played a GoW game unfortunately (I will one day), but it strikes me as looking like a cross between DMC and Greek mythology which strikes up my interest and leads me to presume that the challenge of the game and desire to master the battle system would play a large part in its popularity.
To be fair, DMC doesn't do a whole lot with ranged weapons anyway. There are several of them, sure, but it's either little guns that shoot tissue pellets or massive guns that have too much recoil. There's a reason the Gunslinger style in DMC3 is widely regarded as the least useful style.peterwolfe said:
That said, DMC at least has GoW beat in keeping demons airborne with bullets. Never gets old.
From what I can tell, the mark of a great game (and this could even be extended to many other venues of entertainment, like movies) is that throughout the whole, almost everyone* finds enough about it to like that it overshadows what faults they do find.
God of War acts as a perfect example in this case: I just got both games of the series, recently finished the first one and have started on the second. So far I'm enjoying God of War II much more than the first one, mainly because of the additional weapon choices (though I liked the magic of GoW better). What I like about GoW: The graphics, the story (simple enough to ignore if you wish, deep enough to look for more in symbolism throughout the game), epic scenery (running through a city and seeing a giant god in the background wreaking havoc...that sells the game to me on its own), and the hack-'n-slash combat. Brutal and elegant at the same time. What I don't like: quick-time events. or to put it more specifically, randomized-button QTEs. They make me feel like I'm playing a hell-spawned version of whack-a-mole. I have to focus so much attention on which specific button I have to press that I miss half the epic kill. Nevertheless I still love the game because I have the choice not to use it in the average fight, and in boss fights there is usually enough of a chance to regain the health lost in failed attempts that it doesn't make for endlessly-frustrating "you would have killed the boss, but since you hit X instead of O, he killed you instead" events. Well, not all the bosses are so unforgiving, luckily. I also don't like how easy it is to not use magic, but that's probably just a result of my play-style: Why use magic? Carving off the flanks of minotaurs doesn't use any mana! That I might need if a boss comes up soon! Instead of an inevitable blue-orb chest >.< oops.
Anyway, the point of all this is that some people love the QTEs, and fire lightning into enemies faster than previously-mentioned blue orbs can fly, but couldn't care less about the story or the glowy (awesomeness of) dual-wield swords chained to your wrists, but still find the game to be deeply enjoyable. It doesn't have to be universally and unanimously loved to be a great game, if enough of the angles one may view it from form a good shape that doesn't fall apart at the seams.
*not including people who just plain don't like whichever genre is in question. I can't stand sports video games, for instance. Or suspense-horror movies.
God of War acts as a perfect example in this case: I just got both games of the series, recently finished the first one and have started on the second. So far I'm enjoying God of War II much more than the first one, mainly because of the additional weapon choices (though I liked the magic of GoW better). What I like about GoW: The graphics, the story (simple enough to ignore if you wish, deep enough to look for more in symbolism throughout the game), epic scenery (running through a city and seeing a giant god in the background wreaking havoc...that sells the game to me on its own), and the hack-'n-slash combat. Brutal and elegant at the same time. What I don't like: quick-time events. or to put it more specifically, randomized-button QTEs. They make me feel like I'm playing a hell-spawned version of whack-a-mole. I have to focus so much attention on which specific button I have to press that I miss half the epic kill. Nevertheless I still love the game because I have the choice not to use it in the average fight, and in boss fights there is usually enough of a chance to regain the health lost in failed attempts that it doesn't make for endlessly-frustrating "you would have killed the boss, but since you hit X instead of O, he killed you instead" events. Well, not all the bosses are so unforgiving, luckily. I also don't like how easy it is to not use magic, but that's probably just a result of my play-style: Why use magic? Carving off the flanks of minotaurs doesn't use any mana! That I might need if a boss comes up soon! Instead of an inevitable blue-orb chest >.< oops.
Anyway, the point of all this is that some people love the QTEs, and fire lightning into enemies faster than previously-mentioned blue orbs can fly, but couldn't care less about the story or the glowy (awesomeness of) dual-wield swords chained to your wrists, but still find the game to be deeply enjoyable. It doesn't have to be universally and unanimously loved to be a great game, if enough of the angles one may view it from form a good shape that doesn't fall apart at the seams.
*not including people who just plain don't like whichever genre is in question. I can't stand sports video games, for instance. Or suspense-horror movies.
True, true...but GoW has DMC beat on magic, at very least. And sex. Really, that's all you need.Eiseman said:
It was a completely mindless hack and slash game that delivered exactly what it promised. Then fanboys made up their own delusion where it was deep and meaningful.
I loved the game because it embodied Greek mythology almost perfectly. The story is very good and kept me going even through the God damned escape from Hades level (especially the part with the spiky columns.) People bash it because it has nudity and gore but that is what the actual mythology is based on. Maybe not so much the gore but there was a lot of nudity. The people who participated in the Olympics competed naked. I can't see why the game is bad unless you complain about camera angles which was kind of a problem. But overall the game is awesome and if you don't like Greek Mythology then don't play it.
You know Devil May Cry came several years before God Of War, right?Indigo_Dingo said:
About the main things God Of War added was Greek (Roman?) mythology and quick time events. The core of the game is pretty much Devil May Cry.
Nah, they're different enough in a genre this specific. Specifically, the control scheme of God of War is loose and freeform, whereas DMC is tight and precise. GoW rewards you for landing a long chain of hits in a row, while DMC rewards you for attacking with "style," such as taunting or mixing up your combos.geldonyetich said:
Wait, what? "Despair of loss"? "Burning torture"? Alright, I'll admit. My only experience with the series is getting GoW2 for a fiver in a bargain bin a few months ago. So maybe I'm not really in the best position to criticise the story, when I've only seen a third of it. But what I saw didn't "deal" with any of the stuff you mentioned. All that happens is that the gods betray Kratos, and he rages around for a few hours. "Dealing" with themes would involve exploring the consequences a little. Or showing that Kratos is still capable of actual thought. Personally, I'm astonished that they took a man who's had his life destroyed by the gods he worshiped, who sets off on a quest for vengeance against insurmountable odds, and managed to turn him into a petulant brat.Indigo_Dingo said:
The gameplay was good, but again, I can only imagine that they watered it down for the sequel, since I didn't see this "tight and challenging combat system" people keep referring to. It was pretty straightforward to get through using... Two, maybe three different combos? The flexibility and huge range of the default blades made the other weapons somewhat redundant, since the majority of the game was spent fighting crowds, and it was easier just to go for the swirly chains of death route. And the QTEs were nice for a while, but couldn't they have put more than one stock sequence in for each enemy? I mean, The Force Unleashed didn't handle them very well at all, but at least there was a little variety in some of the animations. Watching a pale man twist a gorgon's head off for the first time? Gruesome. For the seventh time? In the same fight? Yeah, not quite the same. And that the circle button gave instant kills against low level enemies was nice, but I don't really know if giving you invincibility frames for that was such a good idea.
It was a well made game. An enjoyable hack-and-slasher, certainly. Not amazing, but a nice way to spend a few hours.
Because no other game let you feel badass, while playing your choice of hard rock in the background...and by "hard rock" I mean bands like Slipknot, Disturbed, with a hint of Three Days Grace here and there...
Plus, its Kratos. You don't go against a guy who
Plus, he's a Spartan...and, to quote Master Chief from a fan-made Arby n' The Chief episode, "Spartanz are insta win." Don't believe me? Go see "300".
Can't help but be bias, I haven't had a more intense, and FUN, gaming experience since Prince of Peria: Warrior Withen.
To the guy who said Force Unleashed didn't do QTE's properly...They, at least, didn't kill you if you failed. Plus, they were a part of the game overall, and they were predictable.
Plus, its Kratos. You don't go against a guy who
survived Pandora's Temple, crawled out of hell TWICE, killed two gods (Though one was by accident)...wounded another, mauled his way through millions of monsters out of Greek Myth, AND saved the Titans.
Plus, he's a Spartan...and, to quote Master Chief from a fan-made Arby n' The Chief episode, "Spartanz are insta win." Don't believe me? Go see "300".
Can't help but be bias, I haven't had a more intense, and FUN, gaming experience since Prince of Peria: Warrior Withen.
To the guy who said Force Unleashed didn't do QTE's properly...They, at least, didn't kill you if you failed. Plus, they were a part of the game overall, and they were predictable.
God of War is funny because of the challenges. You have to solve multiple "puzzles" doing the games, so even though you are a great gamer, you still need to think about some of these challenges. When you play in God mode (or Titan Mode in God of War II), you cant take more than a few hits before you die. Its ultra challenging when bosses takes 3/4 of your health in a single strike. Also i like the instant-kill combos. They pwn, and make the game more brutal, and changing, instead of just having to keep cutting, you can throw the opponents around you, rip their arms off, and use their own weapons to finish them off.