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God of War Ragnarok: SPOILER-HEIM

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes


god damn this guy predicted the TYR IS ODIN twist over a tear ago. Great video with some dope GOW lore.

Isnt it hilarious that these Sony studios put so much emphasis on stories and storytelling because they consider themselves master storytellers and yet both Joel is Dead in TLOU2 and Tyr is Odin twists were called the moment the first trailers landed.

Focus on gameplay people.
 

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
Isnt it hilarious that these Sony studios put so much emphasis on stories and storytelling because they consider themselves master storytellers and yet both Joel is Dead in TLOU2 and Tyr is Odin twists were called the moment the first trailers landed.

Focus on gameplay people.
The bolded is projection, I have yet to see anyone call themselves that.

And GOWR has great gameplay.
 

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
But all the funeral is disappointing and feels cheap. You arrive to the celebration in the tavern and there are only three characters and Brok's corpse lying on a table. With no extra props or clothes, only the same Brok 3D model lying on a table. I remember thinking "when did this game went from AAAA to AA?". I would rather prefer nothing than something so poor for a such important and dramatic scene.
Yeah, this is a huge issue with modern games. The Vanaheim rebellion was made up of a total of 4 people. Like wtf dude. Is this a realm or a native american tribe. Hell, i led a bigger team of native americans in the Red Dead finale.

I understand that Jaguar CPUs held them back here in gameplay, but in cutscenes?? The funeral scene was hyped a lot for me by gaf so I went in expecting a big funeral like you and got 2 people in a bar and then the same people on a beach.

Say what you will about ND, but they went all in on camps and number of NPCs. The finale in TLOU2 felt a lot bigger in scope. At least in the onrails sequences. The combat sections were the same linear corridor stuff we saw here.
 

Shakka43

Member
Isnt it hilarious that these Sony studios put so much emphasis on stories and storytelling because they consider themselves master storytellers and yet both Joel is Dead in TLOU2 and Tyr is Odin twists were called the moment the first trailers landed.

Focus on gameplay people.
As if both games don't have ridiculously good gameplay... in the case of TLoU2 masterful.
 
The bolded is projection, I have yet to see anyone call themselves that.

And GOWR has great gameplay.

Yea, I don't see any studio considering themselves that - but there are definitely folks on this forum that consider the studios "masterful" at storytelling. Which is baffling as the writing is, at best, only OK. Never above that.

GOWR has great gameplay at times. But the first 5-8 hours is so insufferably slow. It should be nearly 10 hours into the game before you get heavy runic attacks. Also the level system really ruins combat. It doesn't create a more tense combat system, it is just a cheap and lazy way to gate content for later. But when the gameplay is good? It is damn fucking good. Switching between the various weapons, attacks, combos, etc - so fun.
 
Why is Neogaf obsessed with this woman?
Theres something i don't like in this game. Lets blame that woman I know has been working on it.
braindead GIF
 

Lokaum D+

Member
i miss the old God of War, just chill and kill gods, for so long i fantasized killing Thor with his own hammer and Odin with his spear and what do we have now ? A pacifist Kratos that doesn't like to kill anymore, a Kratos that talks about feelings :messenger_downcast_sweat:

Kudos for the only true GoW death in both games and it was Heimdall, the rest was just boring, its a amazing game, but imo this isnt GoW anymore, i gave the game a 7.5/10 and dont know if ill come back for a next one, but im in for a remake of the old ones.
 

MagnesD3

Member
i miss the old God of War, just chill and kill gods, for so long i fantasized killing Thor with his own hammer and Odin with his spear and what do we have now ? A pacifist Kratos that doesn't like to kill anymore, a Kratos that talks about feelings :messenger_downcast_sweat:

Kudos for the only true GoW death in both games and it was Heimdall, the rest was just boring, its a amazing game, but imo this isnt GoW anymore, i gave the game a 7.5/10 and dont know if ill come back for a next one, but im in for a remake of the old ones.
I dislike the pacifism as well, I prefer kratos as a god checker, if your gonna make trouble he's gonna put you down.
 

Punished Miku

Gold Member
I think my opinion is a little different from most I've read so far. So far my main complaint is all about the level design, pacing, UI and gameplay. The story is not great right now, but its honestly not at the point that its truly hurting the game for me. I've played many games with bad stories. The story in Bayonetta 3 doesn't even attempt to make sense and it didn't bother me (but it did keep a fun tone at least).

What I cannot get past is the gameplay. Combat truly sucks a lot of the time. You do such a small amount of damage and enemies don't react that much to hits so it feels unsatisfying landing normal strikes. The camera is so close you cannot easily see enemies even on your sides, let alone behind you or up above you or on the walls. And way more than the last game enemies in literally every fight actively try to flank you or jump down from a wall or out of the ground behind you even when you had your back almost to a wall and there was no one there. They're always behind you. The camera is so close that sometimes with the stone wall shield I actually can't see the enemy directly in front of me doing attacks. Im just blocking off of memory not reading visual or auditory combat tells. The tells are also vague on bosses, resulting in a bad UI with the giant red and yellow circles. They're ugly. The blue circles also have a bizarre issue in that time drastically slows down for no reason so you can double tap L1 in time even when the enemy attack is way earlier than your reaction. Just feels odd.

Many of the puzzles I've encountered are bad. I am convinced that the constant hints are actually an improvement over not having them and they were added as a result of playtesting and seeing that most people didn't know what was going on with the puzzles.

My favorite part of the game so far is the single Atreus section I played. He feels new at least and controls pretty well. Decently cool moves.

Graphics have been awesome so far.

I honestly don't HATE the game but there are so many strange flaws. I feel like I should be having more fun than I am. The best addition so far is probably the drops and climbs with the platforming. Fast and fun.

Im still super early and will be playing this for a long time I guess. I feel a little burned out after 1 hour a night. I dont know why. I like that there is side content. It should be fun to explore new areas and get bits of lore. I dont hate these characters. But I'm making my way through it slowly. Tyr is cool.. Everyone else is neutral or a little annoying. Kratos is way over the top with how soft and sensitive he is. It is noticeable. Also honestly feels like Chris Judge's acting is noticeably worse. Worse directing, script, injury? I dont know. Just sounds like he's barely even reading the lines in the scene correctly sometimes. Maybe because the game is just huge.
 
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Represent.

Represent(ative) of bad opinions
i miss the old God of War, just chill and kill gods, for so long i fantasized killing Thor with his own hammer and Odin with his spear and what do we have now ? A pacifist Kratos that doesn't like to kill anymore, a Kratos that talks about feelings :messenger_downcast_sweat:

Kudos for the only true GoW death in both games and it was Heimdall, the rest was just boring, its a amazing game, but imo this isnt GoW anymore, i gave the game a 7.5/10 and dont know if ill come back for a next one, but im in for a remake of the old ones.
I dont know how anyone can prefer the old Kratos. This new Kratos is possibly the best character in gaming now.

You know who he reminds me of? Vegeta. The best character in anime (fight me). They both have the same character arc.

Used to be a straight menace, but in his older days, has come to have a family and he has changed for the better. But if you get on his bad side, he'll still fuck you up.

"Release my Son, or you will meet the God I once was"... This is WAY more badass than just screaming and yelling for the entire game. The old Kratos IS still there - Hes just no longer loud and obnoxious about it. You have to pay closer attention. The old Kratos is in there throughout the entire game in little lines like that.
 
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DeepEnigma

Gold Member
Yea, I don't see any studio considering themselves that - but there are definitely folks on this forum that consider the studios "masterful" at storytelling. Which is baffling as the writing is, at best, only OK. Never above that.

GOWR has great gameplay at times. But the first 5-8 hours is so insufferably slow. It should be nearly 10 hours into the game before you get heavy runic attacks. Also the level system really ruins combat. It doesn't create a more tense combat system, it is just a cheap and lazy way to gate content for later. But when the gameplay is good? It is damn fucking good. Switching between the various weapons, attacks, combos, etc - so fun.
Souls games and almost all non fully linear RPGs gate the same way with character/monster levels.
 

Lokaum D+

Member
I dont know how anyone can prefer the old Kratos. This new Kratos is possibly the best character in gaming now.

You know who he reminds me of? Vegeta. The best character in anime (fight me). They both have the same character arc.

Used to be a straight menace, but in his older days, has come to have a family and he has changed for the better. But if you get on his bad side, he'll still fuck you up.

"Release my Son, or you will meet the God I once was"... This is WAY more badass than just screaming and yelling for the entire game. The old Kratos IS still there - Hes just no longer loud and obnoxious about it. You have to pay closer attention. The old Kratos is in there throughout the entire game in little lines like that.
The difference is that Vegeta will go crazy and try to kill anyone who hurts his family, he won't talk, he won't try to reason with the enemy, he ll go full rage even if he is weaker ( when Bills slaps Bulma for exemple ).

Kratos has always been a complex character, despite all the screams, a character who begins his saga trying to commit suicide,is tricked into killing his own family, is reunited with his daughter on the Elysian fields and abdicates all power to stay with her just to push her away later in order to save her "life", goes looking for his brother taken by mistake and tortured by the gods and yet i need to read that Kratos before was a shallow character that only scream and kill for no reason.

But answering your first question, I prefer the old games because they were more fun imo, didn't play the games to see Kratos' character development, I played them just to watch Him burn the world,to see what god he was killing next, to bash some hero's head against a wall or kill some mythological creature on my way.
 
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Souls games and almost all non fully linear RPGs gate the same way with character/monster levels.

No where near to the extent as can be seen here. In Souls, you can kill most bosses, even at lower levels in just a few minutes. Unless you are punching them, there is no reason why it would take 5+ minutes to defeat any boss. Here? Its just damage sponges. The health of bosses and enemies are increased dramatically. That doesn't make the fight more of a challenge, just tedious slogs unless you are the "chosen" level for it. Or you cheese the fight using something like Lunda's armor.
 

Go_Ly_Dow

Member
Completed it. Enjoyable and better than 2018, but not iconic like the originals.

Biggest complaint would be the padding and the teen modern American dialogue that belonged in a Netflix Original than a game portraying the old world.

This is the sort of dialogue suits a mythological world like in God of War (timestamped):


Vs this



What we get didn't pay deference to classical literature, although I shouldn't expect that from modern American writers who seem not to have been exposed to such works.
A shame, as Final Fantasy XVI which isn't produced in the West seems to be more inspired by classic works.
 
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DeepEnigma

Gold Member
No where near to the extent as can be seen here. In Souls, you can kill most bosses, even at lower levels in just a few minutes. Unless you are punching them, there is no reason why it would take 5+ minutes to defeat any boss. Here? Its just damage sponges. The health of bosses and enemies are increased dramatically. That doesn't make the fight more of a challenge, just tedious slogs unless you are the "chosen" level for it. Or you cheese the fight using something like Lunda's armor.
IDK, maybe it was because I did 95% of the side stuff before the final set of bosses and the last 4 Berserker's as well as the Valkyrie G'na, where I died the first 2 times, then got their attack patterns down and mopped the floor with them. Didn't take me more than a couple of minutes with proper kit and how you utilize your elemental charges with certain order of runic attacks.

Right in the beginning of Dark Souls/Demon's Souls there are the red eyed guards that you can spend 5+ minutes on cheasing them, or go back when you are leveled up more and mop the floor with them.
 
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Tomeru

Member
Svipdagr the Cold is one of the worst designed fights I have ever had the displeasure of playing. Nothing good can be said about it, and nothing good can be done about that fight other than take it out of the game.

Any change to make it less "challenging" will just make the fight useless. The real challenge in this fight is being lucky avoiding getting stunlocked out of your health bar 👍
 

MiguelItUp

Member
I realized I never posted in here and wanted to change that.

I enjoyed my time with Ragnarok,. Though I could've done without some of the dialogue/writing choices, the what felt like constant pseudo-Marvel movie-like humor/tone, and the whole puzzle barking thing (should've been defaulted as off or VERY delayed). The combat was still very enjoyable from beginning to end, though the end game combat feels even better with all the tools at your disposal. The environments, characters, and music were great too.

Personally I feel like 2018 landed a lot harder, and more confidently than Ragnarok. Not just because it was a "bold change" for the IP, it just felt like a more confident game IMO. Not saying I thought Ragnarok was bad, it just didn't leave a lasting impression much at all for me. It just really felt like God of War 2018+ in a lot of ways. Which kind of made me understand why people were throwing the whole DLC label around. The way it all wrapped up was pretty neat, though I felt like so much of it was pretty predictable. It almost felt very "safe" IMO.

One thing that really struck me towards the end was how Ragnarok was described as this gigantic event, and that they'd really be putting everything they have on the line. But as it played out, I just didn't feel any of that at all, lol. I guess it kind of works with the whole fate, prophecy thing. But in the end I just felt like all that just kinda fell flat. Was I the only one?
 
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Ulysses 31

Member
One thing that really struck me towards the end was how Ragnarok was described as this gigantic event, and that they'd really be putting everything they have on the line. But as it played out, I just didn't feel any of that at all, lol. I guess it kind of works with the whole fate, prophecy thing. But in the end I just felt like all that just kinda fell flat. Was I the only one?
No, plenty of people have posted that the siege on Odin's stronghold felt rushed and underwhelming. Some suspecting that a boss fight with Ragnarök was cut since it just kinda ends with a white out screen.
 
IDK, maybe it was because I did 95% of the side stuff before the final set of bosses and the last 4 Berserker's as well as the Valkyrie G'na, where I died the first 2 times, then got their attack patterns down and mopped the floor with them. Didn't take me more than a couple of minutes with proper kit and how you utilize your elemental charges with certain order of runic attacks.
As did I, but I played 50% on Give me God of War and 50% on No Mercy. It felt like it was nothing but damage sponges to me.
Right in the beginning of Dark Souls/Demon's Souls there are the red eyed guards that you can spend 5+ minutes on cheasing them, or go back when you are leveled up more and mop the floor with them.
Meanwhile with this, aside from maybe the very first time I played Demon Souls/Dark Souls, new to this genre, did I spend more than 2-3 min on any red-eyed guard fight early on.

But honestly, even if "grinding" was a thing in God of War, it wouldn't fix the issue of having the gear locked behind certain areas. I can't upgrade to level 7 to fight that level 7 boss until I finish another 2-3 places that I haven't reached yet. but when you put a boss in front of me, I am going to want to fight them as soon as I can for rewards.

I would rather have the levels completely gone and just focus on a tight and rewarding combat system instead of soft-gating the player to "move on" instead of fighting the damage sponge bosses before the devs wanted you to. It isn't like the bosses themselves are that difficult, just a test of patience if you do them early.
 

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
As did I, but I played 50% on Give me God of War and 50% on No Mercy. It felt like it was nothing but damage sponges to me.

Meanwhile with this, aside from maybe the very first time I played Demon Souls/Dark Souls, new to this genre, did I spend more than 2-3 min on any red-eyed guard fight early on.

But honestly, even if "grinding" was a thing in God of War, it wouldn't fix the issue of having the gear locked behind certain areas. I can't upgrade to level 7 to fight that level 7 boss until I finish another 2-3 places that I haven't reached yet. but when you put a boss in front of me, I am going to want to fight them as soon as I can for rewards.

I would rather have the levels completely gone and just focus on a tight and rewarding combat system instead of soft-gating the player to "move on" instead of fighting the damage sponge bosses before the devs wanted you to. It isn't like the bosses themselves are that difficult, just a test of patience if you do them early.
I can see that, but even in Elden Ring, you will get a boss that will knock you into another realm, lol. Thus you go off and do something else and come back to them later when you have better gear and level/skillset. It's the nature of open and semi open RPG worlds versus linear design.

I think they wanted to avoid the whole "grinding" aspect most of those games employ, since more often than not in the game, after you achieve what you need for your gear to level you up, there is a favor/side quest that tends to bring you back to that area.
 
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MiguelItUp

Member
No, plenty of people have posted that the siege on Odin's stronghold felt rushed and underwhelming. Some suspecting that a boss fight with Ragnarök was cut since it just kinda ends with a white out screen.
I figured it was a possibility for obvious reasons, haha. I skimmed a lot of the thread awhile back, and couldn't fully remember. Yeah, I'd definitely agree with that. Ragnarok just deuced out, haha.
 

FunkMiller

Member
Personally I feel like 2018 landed a lot harder, and more confidently than Ragnarok. Not just because it was a "bold change" for the IP, it just felt like a more confident game IMO. Not saying I thought Ragnarok was bad, it just didn't leave a lasting impression much at all for me. It just really felt like God of War 2018+ in a lot of ways. Which kind of made me understand why people were throwing the whole DLC label around. The way it all wrapped up was pretty neat, though I felt like so much of it was pretty predictable. It almost felt very "safe" IMO.

2018 is the better game, because it has a far better focus, narratively speaking. It was telling quite a small, intimate story, against the backdrop of far grander exploits. Ragnarok tries to adjust the balance between the intimate character stuff, and the big set pieces, to put them on a more equal footing and doesn't work as successfully because of it.

Everybody loved 2018, because the simple story of getting to the highest peak to spread a mother's ashes was so easy to understand, and empathise with. That's gone in Ragnarok.

Ragnarok stumbles under the weight of its own storytelling a little. There's too much to cram in. That's why Ragnarok itself feels a bit rushed. They could easily have spun the war out into a third game.

Also, and this may just be me, but Ragnarok shifts focus away from Kratos too much. He's the character I'm interested in, not Atreus.
 

ElCasual

Member
Finish the game yesterday, weak history, two plot holes and good gameplay. A very decent game but still better than Elden Ring.
 

MiguelItUp

Member
2018 is the better game, because it has a far better focus, narratively speaking. It was telling quite a small, intimate story, against the backdrop of far grander exploits. Ragnarok tries to adjust the balance between the intimate character stuff, and the big set pieces, to put them on a more equal footing and doesn't work as successfully because of it.

Everybody loved 2018, because the simple story of getting to the highest peak to spread a mother's ashes was so easy to understand, and empathise with. That's gone in Ragnarok.

Ragnarok stumbles under the weight of its own storytelling a little. There's too much to cram in. That's why Ragnarok itself feels a bit rushed. They could easily have spun the war out into a third game.

Also, and this may just be me, but Ragnarok shifts focus away from Kratos too much. He's the character I'm interested in, not Atreus.
Nah, I'm right there with you on that. I'm sure others agree as well. They really wanted me to care more about him, and I didn't give a shit TBH. I cared about Kratos.
 

Shubh_C63

Member
My only complaint is the finale "ragnarok" part was pretty tame. The hype leading to it was truly amazing, I was actually excited.

Should have been much longer, more characters should have died, each side character should have their arc affected deeply with ragnarok, more earth shattering revelations should be there. the aftermath after the Ragnarok was better than the Ragnarok itself.
 

G-Bus

Banned
Finished the main story last night. It was alright. Honestly surprised this got so many 10s.

I understand the direction of the story and find the ending kind of neat and where Kratos is potentially headed. That's cool.

But I do miss angry fuck shit up kratos and I was really expecting to get that in this game.

Curious to see where this franchise goes from here.
 
Finished it today and I liked it much better than the first one. Atreus was still an annoyance the whole game, just like the first but thankfully you don't always have him at your side.
In the first one you get to go on a 2 day journey to the top of a mountain and now it's a 3 day journey to kill Odin.
It was all very well made but I like the first GOW games better. In this and the previous game you play with someone that looks like Kratos but doesn't act like him...

I hope they let the GOW franchise rest for a while and concentrate on something diffirent.
 

Puscifer

Member
Alright, like Death Stranding (playing it during Lockdown was fucking trippy) I'm really happy life happened and I was able to take my time with Ragnarok.


1. I have to say story was underwhelming, I'm sorry but it's true. You had Thor played by the dude from sons of anarchy with less dialog than an hour long episode. The last 1/3rd really dropped the ball IMO even though I looked everything up before to that point, it felt rushed even though I understand why. Getting cock teased half the game over the fucking mask only to have it pulled away at the last minute was infuriating

2. Like Witcher 3, the actual world was infinitely better than the main quest. The side quest, berserker's, puzzles and even some item hunting was more interesting than the main quest at times. The desert of Vanaheim was easily my favorite section of the entire game. I spent several nights doing everything I could do in the area.

3. The combat was massively improved for Kratos, the momentum options given we're wild. But they really need to fix the weapon switching speed, I thought I was crazy but no, I went back to GoW 18 and it's noticeably more responsive even though Ragnarok is responsive in it's own way. Think the weighty feel of DMC 5 and the slightly floaty feel of DMC 3/4. It felt really nice feeling like I was doing damage to larger enemies now, not just swinging my axe at them and watching the health bar go down. All the stuff you can block and counter now really made me feel like I was the God of War again and it was amazing.

4. I STILL don't like Atreus, sorry but I'm not a fan of kids and his sections were the absolute worst parts of the game. Maybe because I'm not a parent but I can't relate to their bond in the slightest. I just felt like he was a spoiled brat and needed to be checked.


Its a good game, I'd recommend it.
 
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Mossybrew

Member
I also just finished yesterday and was just kinda glad to be done with it. The game never really captured my imagination, it was just something to do to while away some time. I don't know exactly why I liked the previous game a lot more, but this was just "meh"
 

RaduN

Member
Finished it a couple of days ago, and also finished the 2018 one, right before starting Ragnarok.

Excellent games, both. Great level design, graphics and overall just fun to play, though both a bit too long and boring-ish at times.

I liked the first better in almost all aspects (2nd had much smoother framerates and some neat tehnical achievements like snow deformation, though much more input lag on ps4).

The more subdued narrative and scope of the 1st game were handled better, with the sequel trying a bit too hard to be interesting and dramatic, but ultimately completely failing to tie things up in a satisfactory manner.

A good effort, this duology is much better than the old trilogy in terms of narrative (the old ones were pretty amateurish anyway) but i feel the gameplay mechanics and the combat design was more polished in the old ones, probably because it was a different genre and i click more with that.
 

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
Alright, like Death Stranding (playing it during Lockdown was fucking trippy) I'm really happy life happened and I was able to take my time with Ragnarok.


1. I have to say story was underwhelming, I'm sorry but it's true. You had Thor played by the dude from sons of anarchy with less dialog than an hour long episode. The last 1/3rd really dropped the ball IMO even though I looked everything up before to that point, it felt rushed even though I understand why. Getting cock teased half the game over the fucking mask only to have it pulled away at the last minute was infuriating

2. Like Witcher 3, the actual world was infinitely better than the main quest. The side quest, berserker's, puzzles and even some item hunting was more interesting than the main quest at times. The desert of Vanaheim was easily my favorite section of the entire game. I spent several nights doing everything I could do in the area.

3. The combat was massively improved for Kratos, the momentum options given we're wild. But they really need to fix the weapon switching speed, I thought I was crazy but no, I went back to GoW 18 and it's noticeably more responsive even though Ragnarok is responsive in it's own way. Think the weighty feel of DMC 5 and the slightly floaty feel of DMC 3/4. It felt really nice feeling like I was doing damage to larger enemies now, not just swinging my axe at them and watching the health bar go down. All the stuff you can block and counter now really made me feel like I was the God of War again and it was amazing.

4. I STILL don't like Atreus, sorry but I'm not a fan of kids and his sections were the absolute worst parts of the game. Maybe because I'm not a parent but I can't relate to their bond in the slightest. I just felt like he was a spoiled brat and needed to be checked.


Its a good game, I'd recommend it.
The weapon switching lag drives me nuts on GMGOW. I have pretty much abandoned switching weapons against bosses. No idea who thought it was a good idea to not only not have any attack cancel but also add this massive lag when switching between three weapons. There is an enchancement that gives a storm of bifrost if you do three runic attacks for all three weapons back to back. Its a recipe for disaster.
 

Punished Miku

Gold Member
The weapon switching lag drives me nuts on GMGOW. I have pretty much abandoned switching weapons against bosses. No idea who thought it was a good idea to not only not have any attack cancel but also add this massive lag when switching between three weapons. There is an enchancement that gives a storm of bifrost if you do three runic attacks for all three weapons back to back. Its a recipe for disaster.
I have 100% noticed this.
 

Roufianos

Member
Finished it a few hours ago. Really wish I'd done less side content as the game really started to drag.

Positives

+ Gameplay is absolutely awesome, near perfect. Good enough to carry an extremely flawed game.

+ Side content is good, arguably better than large parts of the main story

+ Freya and Kratos have a good dynamic

+ Liked Kratos overall and his tears at the end were moving

+ Brok, Sindri and Mimir were all entertaining, though not as well written as in the original game

Negatives

- Atreus sections fucking reak of horse shit, that Ironwood part is dreadful. Dull objectives and Disney morning cartoon level writing.

- Atreus is just a shit character. Realised the only reason I gave a damn about him is just because he's Kratos's son. Can't carry the game or series without Kratos around.

- Starting out with a nerfed Kratos and relearning the same moves from the first game was super frustrating.

- Just too many puzzles overall. I liked some of them but the sigil arrow ones weren't challenging and were too repetitive.

- Angrboda fucking sucks, all the new characters are pretty dull also.

- Far too much bloat, game is poorly paced. Should be half the size.

- Menus are just as messy as in the first game, just too many systems in play. Fast travel sucks once again.

- Ragnarok ending was super rushed. Odin has zero presence. We hear all these awful things he done but he just seemed a frail old man.

I'd give it an 8 probably. Much prefer the first game and baffled by the near perfect reviews. Games media continues to be a hive mind.
 
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Puscifer

Member
The weapon switching lag drives me nuts on GMGOW. I have pretty much abandoned switching weapons against bosses. No idea who thought it was a good idea to not only not have any attack cancel but also add this massive lag when switching between three weapons. There is an enchancement that gives a storm of bifrost if you do three runic attacks for all three weapons back to back. Its a recipe for disaster.
The thing about having the option to cancel is the combat has to responsive to match it and that just isn't the case here. DmC 5 was a bit weighty but it added to the game by slowing it down *JUST* enough to really let you experiment and not just twirl the control stick and mash buttons. Ragnarok has all the makings of a great combat system but the responsiveness is such_trash and I thought I was going crazy because at times I NEVER remembered hard mode in GoW 18 giving me this level of grief, but it's true, the responsiveness is off and should be fixed.
 

Sleepwalker

Member
I beat this a while back and been meaning to go back and clean up the side activities but honestly I'm not feeling it at all... I went to the crater and freed the good traveller, did the funeral and found tyr around the different places.

Not feeling like chasing down berserkers, gna, the raven guy, the little dragons, the stags, the rifts, the asgard remnants, favors, the gay quest I didnt know existed lol, the hateful guys, its so much bullshit lol.

I did clear the camps because I love the doggos, but this is where my story ends. Overall I loved the game but Ive had enough. It has waay too much content.


I'd play a story DLC if we get it tho.
 
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bitbydeath

Member
So how did Faye die?
It was shown that she knew her death was coming, would that mean sickness or suicide?

It’s strange this wasn’t explained properly.
 

Swift_Star

Banned
I really loved the game and the Atreus parts was a niche change of pace.
I felt the final Odin fight was very anticlimatic and not fighting the Ragnarok monster was disappointing.
All in all, a very good game.
They also setup a potential Atreus solo spin off and an Egypt sequel, which is nice.
I'm finishing all the side activities as I want to platinum this game.
 
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DeepEnigma

Gold Member
I really loved the game and the Atreus parts was a niche change of pace.
I felt the final Odin fight was very anticlimatic and not fighting the Ragnarok monster was disappointing.
All in all, a very good game.
They also setup a potential Atreus solo spin off and an Egypt sequel, which is nice.
I'm finishing all the side activities as I want to platinum this game.
I'm wondering if there will be DLC for this centered around the Ragnarok monster? Or maybe in a spin-off like MM was to Spider-Man.
 

Swift_Star

Banned
I'm wondering if there will be DLC for this centered around the Ragnarok monster? Or maybe in a spin-off like MM was to Spider-Man.
I did some research that there's no DLC planned. I think it's more probable they do an Atreus spin-ff in the vein of MM, yes, focused on the orb things.
 

The Stig

Member
can somebody help me with the final muspelheim challenges?

Ive done 14/15. the combinations on the ground around the big sword dont help.

2 of them are lit, 3 are not. how do i do the final challenge?
 

Pimpbaa

Member
So how did Faye die?
It was shown that she knew her death was coming, would that mean sickness or suicide?

It’s strange this wasn’t explained properly.

Anyone know? I‘d sure as hell like to know too. If it was the Aesir that killed her (she did fight Thor in Vanaheim), Kratos would have a whole lot of hate for them. But he wanted nothing to do with them.
 

kyliethicc

Member
Isnt it hilarious that these Sony studios put so much emphasis on stories and storytelling because they consider themselves master storytellers and yet both Joel is Dead in TLOU2 and Tyr is Odin twists were called the moment the first trailers landed.

Focus on gameplay people.
Not even a single percent of why The Last of Us Part II is a great story and work of art has anything to do with pretending Joel's death is some unpredictable twist. Its an inciting incident and the natural reaction to the previous story's ending. Great stories are emotional and explore themes that resonate. They're interesting to interpret, reflect on, and discuss. Has nothing to do with "haha you didn't see that coming."

also the game is very fun to play

Alright, like Death Stranding (playing it during Lockdown was fucking trippy) I'm really happy life happened and I was able to take my time with Ragnarok.


1. I have to say story was underwhelming, I'm sorry but it's true. You had Thor played by the dude from sons of anarchy with less dialog than an hour long episode. The last 1/3rd really dropped the ball IMO even though I looked everything up before to that point, it felt rushed even though I understand why. Getting cock teased half the game over the fucking mask only to have it pulled away at the last minute was infuriating

2. Like Witcher 3, the actual world was infinitely better than the main quest. The side quest, berserker's, puzzles and even some item hunting was more interesting than the main quest at times. The desert of Vanaheim was easily my favorite section of the entire game. I spent several nights doing everything I could do in the area.

3. The combat was massively improved for Kratos, the momentum options given we're wild. But they really need to fix the weapon switching speed, I thought I was crazy but no, I went back to GoW 18 and it's noticeably more responsive even though Ragnarok is responsive in it's own way. Think the weighty feel of DMC 5 and the slightly floaty feel of DMC 3/4. It felt really nice feeling like I was doing damage to larger enemies now, not just swinging my axe at them and watching the health bar go down. All the stuff you can block and counter now really made me feel like I was the God of War again and it was amazing.

4. I STILL don't like Atreus, sorry but I'm not a fan of kids and his sections were the absolute worst parts of the game. Maybe because I'm not a parent but I can't relate to their bond in the slightest. I just felt like he was a spoiled brat and needed to be checked.


Its a good game, I'd recommend it.
I agree on many points. Well said.

As for the weapon switch speed nerf, pretty sure its an intentional choice made in response to giving Kratos 3 weapons. They probably felt 6 runic attacks and really fast switching was too OP. So they made it take longer, you have to be more tactical about switching. Find a window, etc. Not saying I like it, but I think thats why it is that way.

So how did Faye die?
It was shown that she knew her death was coming, would that mean sickness or suicide?

It’s strange this wasn’t explained properly.
Like most of the plot details of this game, who knows.

Nothing of any importance is revealed in any of the Faye flashbacks. They're pointless. They added nothing relevant or revelatory to the plot (and Kratos and Faye had no chemistry.) I get they're meant to be dream sequences but still. The only point of them was is "Kratos = worried bout his boy."

can somebody help me with the final muspelheim challenges?

Ive done 14/15. the combinations on the ground around the big sword dont help.

2 of them are lit, 3 are not. how do i do the final challenge?
You have to do the final 6 main arena challenges by doing each combo of the 3 arenas.

Left + Right, Left + Center, Center + Left, Center + Right, Right + Left, Right + Center.

Chances are you have done 5 of them, hence 1 of 15 total left. The big center arena sword will let you know if you try to repeat one. Pretty sure you just gotta use trial and error to find what combo of the 6 you're missing. I wrote them down as to avoid forgetting.
 
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bitbydeath

Member
Like most of the plot details of this game, who knows.

Nothing of any importance is revealed in any of the Faye flashbacks. They're pointless. They added nothing relevant or revelatory to the plot (and Kratos and Faye had no chemistry.) I get they're meant to be dream sequences but still. The only point of them was is "Kratos = worried bout his boy."
Agree, should’ve made her look like his first wife Lysandra.

images
 

Raonak

Banned
Finally platinumed the game. And wow, the side content really elevates the game, the whale, jellyfish and crater are all amazing pieces of content that could've easily been part of the main story or even paid DLC.
Performances in this game are next level. Kratos, Sindri, Brok are fantastic, and both Odin and Thor are masterfully done, they steal the scene every time they appear. The story isn't as good as TLOU1/2 but the gameplay is amazing, and the level design is so good - it's great balance of being psudeo-linear, but also having tons of optional content everywhere. It makes naturally completing everything a very fun experience instead of feeling like a map full of icons.

Probably the best sony game imo - 10/10
 

The Stig

Member
Not even a single percent of why The Last of Us Part II is a great story and work of art has anything to do with pretending Joel's death is some unpredictable twist. Its an inciting incident and the natural reaction to the previous story's ending. Great stories are emotional and explore themes that resonate. They're interesting to interpret, reflect on, and discuss. Has nothing to do with "haha you didn't see that coming."

also the game is very fun to play


I agree on many points. Well said.

As for the weapon switch speed nerf, pretty sure its an intentional choice made in response to giving Kratos 3 weapons. They probably felt 6 runic attacks and really fast switching was too OP. So they made it take longer, you have to be more tactical about switching. Find a window, etc. Not saying I like it, but I think thats why it is that way.


Like most of the plot details of this game, who knows.

Nothing of any importance is revealed in any of the Faye flashbacks. They're pointless. They added nothing relevant or revelatory to the plot (and Kratos and Faye had no chemistry.) I get they're meant to be dream sequences but still. The only point of them was is "Kratos = worried bout his boy."


You have to do the final 6 main arena challenges by doing each combo of the 3 arenas.

Left + Right, Left + Center, Center + Left, Center + Right, Right + Left, Right + Center.

Chances are you have done 5 of them, hence 1 of 15 total left. The big center arena sword will let you know if you try to repeat one. Pretty sure you just gotta use trial and error to find what combo of the 6 you're missing. I wrote them down as to avoid forgetting.
Thanks. That did the trick. I just got the platinum now!
 
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