AVS › AVS Forum › Gaming & Content Streaming › Home Theater Gaming › PlayStation Area › God of War III reviews and impressions
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

God of War III reviews and impressions - Page 3

post #61 of 347
3/10/10 at 12:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by thedrizzle85 View Post

seriously warcrow, good stuff man!! can't wait to getta hold of this game! it's gonna be amazing!

Thanks man.
Reply
Reply

AVS Top Picks

post #62 of 347
3/10/10 at 12:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bdwright77 View Post

I really hate that they've forced the story to a point where you begin not to like Kratos, even though as a player, you're hell bent on having him succeed. I could understand the revenge story throughout the first two, but I'm nervous about this now...and you're not the only one to make this point.

Strange. This is why I didn't like the first GoW game initially. Kratos is a nihilistic, over-muscled thug. It just felt like a bunch of mindless gore, above and beyond the usual fare even for video games.

But after playing through GoW2 and coming back to the first game, I feel like I get what they were doing with the first game. Yes, he's an anti-hero. But he's also a brutal rationalist; a twisted atheist who literally aims to tear down the gods. Those moments in Pandora's Temple are absolutely brilliant. Not only is the temple a reflection of the architect's psychology and family relationships, but it's also a reflection of Kratos's similar psychology. There's a reason why that temple is constructed by puzzles and mazes as much as it is built on its gore and violence. It perfectly blends and explains the relationship between rationalism and gore. That temple sequence justified for me all the brutality and harsh nihilism in Kratos and in the series. It's also worth recognizing that the story of Pandora and the box is the Greek version of the Eve and the apple story in Judeo-Christian mythology--both are myths about unleashing knowledge and death upon the world.

Seeing that all come around in GoW2 is inspired. Greek history/mythology buffs instantly recognize the parallelism going on in Kratos's attack on Zeus. Zeus tore down his predecessors (the titans) and established a new order. Kratos aims to do the same. How can you not be godless, brutal, and nihilistic if your goal is to utterly reshape the belief system of the world?

Needless to say, I'm very excited to see where this game goes.
Reply
Reply
post #63 of 347
3/10/10 at 1:31pm
Nice write up Warcrow. I'll pick this game up but right now... too many games to play, too little time
Reply
Reply
post #64 of 347
3/10/10 at 1:40pm
But you're leaving out the most important piece of this story, that of the initial betrayal.

SPOILER ONLY RELATED TO GoW 1 and 2

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
Spoiler  
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

Kratos was betrayed by the Gods (specifically by Ares) and subsequently lost all that he loved in the world (at least, all the PEOPLE he loved).

He then went on his kill crazy rampage (to borrow a line from Kill Bill) and defeated Ares, only to supplant him as the new GoW. But even that was not his choice, and he was still plagued by the acts of his past.

As any good Spartan would do, he sought to destroy his enemies...the Gods, and in particular Zeus (in GoW2), after growing tired of their lies, deceit, and hypocrisy. All of this still ultimately motivated by the gravity of his loss due to Ares' manipulation.

But from the sound of these first impressions, it seems the game allows the story to stray from this motivation, and Kratos ultimately becomes just as you describe him, a nihilistic, over-muscled thug.


Quote:
Originally Posted by confidenceman View Post

Strange. This is why I didn't like the first GoW game initially. Kratos is a nihilistic, over-muscled thug. It just felt like a bunch of mindless gore, above and beyond the usual fare even for video games.

But after playing through GoW2 and coming back to the first game, I feel like I get what they were doing with the first game. Yes, he's an anti-hero. But he's also a brutal rationalist; a twisted atheist who literally aims to tear down the gods. Those moments in Pandora's Temple are absolutely brilliant. Not only is the temple a reflection of the architect's psychology and family relationships, but it's also a reflection of Kratos's similar psychology. There's a reason why that temple is constructed by puzzles and mazes as much as it is built on its gore and violence. It perfectly blends and explains the relationship between rationalism and gore. That temple sequence justified for me all the brutality and harsh nihilism in Kratos and in the series. It's also worth recognizing that the story of Pandora and the box is the Greek version of the Eve and the apple story in Judeo-Christian mythology--both are myths about unleashing knowledge and death upon the world.

Seeing that all come around in GoW2 is inspired. Greek history/mythology buffs instantly recognize the parallelism going on in Kratos's attack on Zeus. Zeus tore down his predecessors (the titans) and established a new order. Kratos aims to do the same. How can you not be godless, brutal, and nihilistic if your goal is to utterly reshape the belief system of the world?

Needless to say, I'm very excited to see where this game goes.
Reply
Reply
post #65 of 347
3/10/10 at 1:50pm
Thread Starter 
bdwright77 how about editing your posts with spoiler tags please?
Reply
Reply
post #66 of 347
3/10/10 at 1:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by joeblow View Post

bdwright77 how about editing your posts with spoiler tags please?

Sorry, Joe. I figured since the spoilers were in relation to the first two games, then it wouldn't matter. My apologies.
Reply
Reply
post #67 of 347
3/10/10 at 2:24pm
Great warcrow, just great to hear your Impressions!! Can the wait be any harder? Yep! ^_^
Reply
Reply
post #68 of 347
3/10/10 at 2:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by confidenceman View Post

How can you not be godless, brutal, and nihilistic if your goal is to utterly reshape the belief system of the world?

Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and Jesus Christ somehow managed.
(but then again, you don't see them much in video games, except in Assassin's Creed II puzzles, that is)
Reply
Reply
post #69 of 347
3/10/10 at 3:14pm
Demo was great, although replay value is low for me - def a rent and play the **** out of it for 4-5 days then bring it back...
Reply
Reply
post #70 of 347
3/10/10 at 3:55pm
Thanks warcrow Man, I have not been this hyped for a game in years!
Reply
Reply
post #71 of 347
3/10/10 at 4:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zookster View Post

Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and Jesus Christ somehow managed.
(but then again, you don't see them much in video games, except in Assassin's Creed II puzzles, that is)

That's a very, very narrow view of each movement. If you take the total histories, at least with civil rights and Christianity; they've had very dark periods as well as enlightening ones. Can;t say much on Gandhi and his following, but it's much more recent and culturally different then American/Europe/South West Asia.

Reply
Reply
post #72 of 347
3/10/10 at 5:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by TyrantII View Post

That's a very, very narrow view of each movement. If you take the total histories, at least with civil rights and Christianity; they've had very dark periods as well as enlightening ones. Can;t say much on Gandhi and his following, but it's much more recent and culturally different then American/Europe/South West Asia.


I was actually refering only to the individual and the methods they advocated for social/religious change. In many cases the movements that grew out of their non-violent approach did turn quite violent -- doing Kratos proud!
Reply
Reply
post #73 of 347
3/10/10 at 8:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zookster View Post

I was actually refering only to the individual and the methods they advocated for social/religious change. In many cases the movements that grew out of their non-violent approach did turn quite violent -- doing Kratos proud!

Ding - Trophy!

Yeah, and thinking of it, I'd really question how many of them set out to "change the world" rather then the world changing because of them.

Most men that have set out with the preconceived notion that they wanted to change the world in a profound way have done so through war and violence. Napoleon, Khan, Hannibal, Alexander, Hitler, ect.
Reply
Reply
post #74 of 347
3/10/10 at 10:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zookster View Post

Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and Jesus Christ somehow managed.

Depends on who you ask. There were plenty (of horribly misguided people) who thought all three men were harbingers of evil. It's not for nothing that they were all killed before their time.
Reply
Reply
post #75 of 347
3/11/10 at 7:56am
03-11-10: Final Impression

It's done. Finished.

After 5 long years the God of War story arc has come to a close and, man, what an ending. I can tell you right now that it's probably not what you might expect--at least it wasn’t for me. It's definitely going to spawn a ton of discussions on gaming forums too. It will be interesting to see what people say as they both stand behind and oppose where it's gone and how it's told. Personally--even though I have some issues with the way it was handled--I think that it's about as epic as one could expect from a series of this magnitude. As a character, Kratos is delved into a little deeper with this telling which of course crescendos interestingly near the end. There are some cool revelations in store for the fans. I do, however, think they could have gone beyond what was told and more into the development of Kratos as a meaningful and interesting character. All-in-all it was still a tremendous ride coupled with a praiseworthy ending. If you're a fan of the series then you must play this game.

Santa Monica Studios should be proud of what they've done with the GoW series. After finishing the game last night I took a step back and looked at all of it and as a piece of entertainment I have to say that I just love it. From this perspective you kind of just have to sit back and smile as realizing the series knows exactly what it is--epically over the top in every way. It knows it's going to offend some people with its ridiculous amounts of gore, unapologetic sex scenes (wait until you see this one) and the pure, revenge-filled gameplay. It knows you're going to eat all of this stuff up loving ever minute of it! With each game having a different director at the helm a unique perspective was brought to the series with each iteration that's benefited it immensely. It managed to stayed about as fresh as it could in a series that’s not as malleable as other games in terms of gameplay.

Seriously love this Greek tragedy stuff. Bravo gentlemen!

Also--because it's been asked countless times--my play time clocked in at an estimated 10 hours. I forgot to look at the counter last night to find the exact time.
Reply
Reply
post #76 of 347
3/11/10 at 8:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by warcrow View Post

03-11-10: Final Impression

It's done. Finished.

After 5 long years the God of War story arc has come to a close and, man, what an ending. I can tell you right now that it's probably not what you might expect--at least it wasn't for me. It's definitely going to spawn a ton of discussions on gaming forums too. It will be interesting to see what people say as they both stand behind and oppose where it's gone and how it's told. Personally--even though I have some issues with the way it was handled--I think that it's about as epic as one could expect from a series of this magnitude. As a character, Kratos is delved into a little deeper with this telling which of course crescendos interestingly near the end. There are some cool revelations in store for the fans. I do, however, think they could have gone beyond what was told and more into the development of Kratos as a meaningful and interesting character. All-in-all it was still a tremendous ride coupled with a praiseworthy ending. If you're a fan of the series then you must play this game.

Santa Monica Studios should be proud of what they've done with the GoW series. After finishing the game last night I took a step back and looked at all of it and as a piece of entertainment I have to say that I just love it. From this perspective you kind of just have to sit back and smile as realizing the series knows exactly what it is--epically over the top in every way. It knows it's going to offend some people with its ridiculous amounts of gore, unapologetic sex scenes (wait until you see this one) and the pure, revenge-filled gameplay. It knows you're going to eat all of this stuff up loving ever minute of it! With each game having a different director at the helm a unique perspective was brought to the series with each iteration that's benefited it immensely. It managed to stayed about as fresh as it could in a series that's not as malleable as other games in terms of gameplay.

Seriously love this Greek tragedy stuff. Bravo gentlemen!

Also--because it's been asked countless times--my play time clocked in at an estimated 10 hours. I forgot to look at the counter last night to find the exact time.

Argg, Can't wait, March 16 is way too long lol!
Reply
Reply
post #77 of 347
3/11/10 at 8:33am
so get to fedex and overnight it to me then?

j/k (but not really)

glad to hear it, interesting to see how the ending actually plays out.
Reply
Reply
post #78 of 347
3/11/10 at 9:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by warcrow View Post

03-11-10: Final Impression

It's done. Finished.

Aaahhh!! warcrow! you're killin' me man! i can no longer wait for this game! haha, it's gonna be awesome thanks for the insight w/o spoilers man, very well done. It's gonna be amazing!
Reply
Reply
post #79 of 347
3/11/10 at 9:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by confidenceman View Post

Thanks for the impressions, warcrow. This might be the first GoW game I buy new and at full price.

It's no Modern Warfare 2, but 1 million plus units sold is far from "niche," especially for a relatively small, independent studio. As said above, thankfully sales don't equal quality.

I was making a case for not being mainstream, I said nothing about quality. Most of that 1 million is Japan, nuff said.
Reply
Reply
post #80 of 347
3/11/10 at 10:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by thedrizzle85 View Post

Aaahhh!! warcrow! you're killin' me man! i can no longer wait for this game! haha, it's gonna be awesome thanks for the insight w/o spoilers man, very well done. It's gonna be amazing!

Thanks for the kind words and glad you liked the write-up.

You're in for an awesome ride, it's well worth the wait. Really looking forward to everyone's opinions.
Reply
Reply
post #81 of 347
3/11/10 at 11:04am
I'm seriously stoked after reading this last write-up. Means I have to cook through GoW2 this weekend in preparation.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tgable View Post

As we see from Bayonetta's sales, those Japanese nonsense games have no wide appeal. Keep that garbage.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tgable View Post

I was making a case for not being mainstream, I said nothing about quality. Most of that 1 million is Japan, nuff said.

Reply
Reply
post #82 of 347
3/11/10 at 11:11am
Oh man I almost forgot--you're going to want to stick around for the credits to finish.
Reply
Reply
post #83 of 347
3/11/10 at 11:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by confidenceman View Post


Garbage is my opinion of the game and the whole genre, it is not review of the game nor it's technical achievements. Clear now? I don't like eating pig testicles, but that doesn't keep me from forming an opinion about them despite the fact some people do enjoy them.
Reply
Reply
post #84 of 347
3/11/10 at 1:27pm
Warcrow thanks for the insite and I envy you great write up can't wait.
Reply
Reply
post #85 of 347
3/11/10 at 2:22pm
stick around for credits too!! hahahaha awesome! thanks for the heads up
Reply
Reply
post #86 of 347
3/11/10 at 3:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tgable View Post

Garbage is my opinion of the game and the whole genre, it is not review of the game nor it's technical achievements. Clear now? I don't like eating pig testicles, but that doesn't keep me from forming an opinion about them despite the fact some people do enjoy them.

So, basically, since you think the entire genre is garbage, your only purpose to continue coming to the thread is to be a nuisance and type things like "eating pig testicles." Gotcha.
Reply
Reply
post #87 of 347
3/11/10 at 5:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zookster View Post

Perhaps if I had started gaming in my 20s instead of 40s I would have built up greater strength, resistance and stamina for these kinds of games.

It's not the graphic violence/gore that bothers me, I am 41, and have been gaming since the first home PCs came out- Apple ][s with tape drives, etc. The thing is my hands just can't keep up with it anymore (and yes, my fingers/hands started to hurt this year too, especially from pressing the gamepad buttons). I do much better with RPG/action non-button mashers. That's why I tend to gravitate towards games like Fallout 3 or even a game like Just Cause 2, which involves more play mechanics and less slamming on the gamepad.

Also, if I play an FPS it's always on my PC as the mouse/keyboard is a much easier way for me to go. But even there I can't really keep up anymore, and play mainly for fun (I always get killed quickly in MP, not like 5-10yrs ago).
Reply
Reply
post #88 of 347
3/11/10 at 5:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by confidenceman View Post

I'm seriously stoked after reading this last write-up. Means I have to cook through GoW2 this weekend in preparation.




I'm doing the same thing. Just played through GoW1 for the first time last week and I'm trying to make it through 2 by the end of the weekend. I can't believe I never played these games when they were out on PS2!! Very good stuff.
Reply
Reply
post #89 of 347
3/14/10 at 6:42pm
1 More Day!!! ^_^
Reply
Reply
post #90 of 347
3/14/10 at 7:26pm
Thread Starter 
While we all wait for the final release, here are a few tidbits to chew over....

The director of GoW III says that this epic game taps into about half of the PS3's maximum limits:
Quote:


Absolutely, we can do much more with it. I don’t know if we are even close to 50% of PlayStation 3’s power at this point.


Also, here's a detailed comparison article that reveals all of the tech improvements that the final game received when matched up with the demo we all have. A summary:

- A richer and more realistic lighting engine.

- A realistic, per-object motion blur has also been added to the game.

- Increased detail in the skin texture of the Titan

- The team has added additional shadow effects

- The fire effect on Helios's circling chariot now looks much more detailed

- The main light source that influences the environment has improved in its effect

- It's now using an implementation of morphological anti-aliasing, carried out by the SPUs to achieve superior edge-smoothing

- They achieved all of this while creating a smoother game with a faster frame rate
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: PlayStation Area

AVS Top Picks

AVS › AVS Forum › Gaming & Content Streaming › Home Theater Gaming › PlayStation Area › God of War III reviews and impressions