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RTTP: I don't think I have played a game as speculatular as God Of War 3

OZ9000

Banned
So I recently decided to play GOW 3 Remastered after completing God Of War 2018 on PC.

I thought God Of War 2018 was good, but my god, it feels so tame compared to God Of War 3. Seriously - this game is balls to the walls awesome from the get go. The sense of scale is unmatched, and every boss battle feels unique and epic.

The music is also spectacular. I don't recall much music being played during my God of War 2018 playthrough. Everything was so subdued. Furthermore, there is not a single boss battle in the sequel which compares to GOW 3 (except the final battle with Baldur).

Frankly I've enjoyed my time with GOW3 much more. It was an adrenaline fueled rollercoaster ride. And the level of brutality/violence was also much better in GOW3. There is absolutely no violence in the sequel and enemy bodies disappear after 1 microsecond. Hugely disappointing.

The one shot camera in God Of War 2018 really hurts the story telling and cinematic experience. I have no idea why developers think a one take direction is the way to go. I really did enjoy the introduction to GOW3 - with Zeus' speech and seeing the titans climb Mount Olympus. The way the camera zoomed in and out was a visual feat when battling the bosses and navigating parts of the game (eg Labyrinth). The fixed camera angles really did help with the cinematic approach (although I'm aware this is considered 'dated' game design).

I don't think I have played a game as spectacular as GOW3 to be honest. As a package, it delivers on all fronts - fun gameplay, great graphics, fantastic bosses, and a satisfying ending. In truth, I do miss the cinematic linear games of the old (God Of War 3, Resident Evil 4, Halo 3, Modern Warfare 2, Killzone 2, Metal Gear Solid 1/2/3 etc) - although I don't think anything compares to God Of War 3. It takes the crown for being the most bombastic video game experience out there.
 
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Kupfer

Member
I thought God Of War 2018 was good, but my god, it feels so tame compared to God Of War 3
Yep.
Don't miss on playing GoW 1&2 as well. Although they are PS2 titles they aged pretty well and are still a lot of fun.
Old Kratos is best Kratos.

Quoting myself from a thread some time ago:



I played the old games two years ago for the first time. Chains of Olympus, 1 & 2 on the Vita, GoW 3 on the PS4, then God of War 2018.
The old ones are imo the better games. Kratos is a strong Character , the story, cutscenes, gameplay, bossfights, scenario, puzzles - everything fits together and is fun. GoW 2018 may be the "better" and modern game in terms of graphics and it's open worldish levels and camera, but it just lacks the fun and enthusiasm of the original ones.
They just made another game with a big name on it, GoW 2018 could have just been a new ip as well. There's not much GoW in it and boy is just annoying.

Don't get me wrong, I liked the game while playing it and it was good. But as I said before, it's not a GoW no more.

And I'm disappointed, not because of my nostalgia. There is none, as I said, I played the saga like two years ago the first time. But because of the game wants to be deep, wants to be mature, wants to be serious but it just overestimates itself. I was just annoyed by grumpy Kratos and Boy.
Mid game I hoped Boy dies and Kratos becomes the old one...also the pacing was totally off. Once you realize, you're just climbing or crawling in superslowmotion because the game needs to load the next area, it gets SO annoying.
The old loadscreens got me hyped, I was more like "yes new chapter, mission accomplished" instead of being annoyed by slow climbing grumpy kratos. Same goes for Shadow of Tomb Raider, but that's another story.

I could write for hours stating out why I don't like GoW2018 as much as the old ones.
The game has hit exactly the point where the majority of players are just about to go for it.

It's a casual adventure now which is ok, but not outstanding.
7/10
 
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AV

We ain't outta here in ten minutes, we won't need no rocket to fly through space
Imagine all the clueless people losing their minds over how good GoW2018 is...

There's nothing clueless about enjoying both. Old and new God of War are just completely incomparable games attempting to do totally different things, and they're both great.

The only clueless thing would be writing off one because of the other.
 

JohnnyFootball

GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
I've played them since 2009 when God of War Collection came to PS3. All have been great even Ascension, but 2018 is probably my favorite. I will say that nothing in the series has been as hard as Sigrun the Valkyrie.
 
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Whitecrow

Banned
There's nothing clueless about enjoying both. Old and new God of War are just completely incomparable games attempting to do totally different things, and they're both great.

The only clueless thing would be writing off one because of the other.
The post was aimed to the PC players playing GoW for the first time saying the game is great.

They are absolutely missing out if they didnt play gow1 to 3.
 

OZ9000

Banned
Yep.
Don't miss on playing GoW 1&2 as well. Although they are PS2 titles they aged pretty well and are still a lot of fun.
Old Kratos is best Kratos.

Quoting myself from a thread some time ago:
Well said.

The pacing from the latest game is just off.

There is so much padding with unnecessary travelling/walking/climbing/boating.

I'd prefer a leaner experience without the fluff.

God Of War 3 = driving a Ferrari
God Of War 2018 = driving with your kids (literally)

Don't get me wrong - I still enjoyed GOW 2018. I actually thought it was one of the better games which I have played this year. That is, until I tried GOW3. It just does nearly everything better than the sequel.
 
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Yep, GOW 2018 is just another title, like so many others, that fall victim to the open world hype. There are just a few open world games that I don't find boring after a couple of hours and GOW 2018 is not one of them. Still finished it though but GOW 3, with it's linear approach, is much better in my opinion.
 

SeraphJan

Member
Yep, the original trilogy was truly amazing. Played through the games twice, the second playthrough being in highest difficulty.
Meanwhile i couldn't even bother to finish GoW18.
I would love to see Bluepoint pick these game up, if you know what I mean:messenger_sunglasses:
 

FingerBang

Member
I have no idea why but my brain read that as Gears of War 3 and I was so confused by the post lol

I hear you OP, but the way I see it, they're different games. I loved the original trilogy, how violent and over the top it was. Kratos would kills gods and bang chicks with big boobs and yell SPARTA!
But 2018 for me was the first game in the series I simply couldn't put down and constantly wanted to go back to. It was God of War meets Dark Souls meets Zelda. I might agree with the fact the old games are probably more fun to play a second time.
 
One of the few sequels that felt next gen to me. That intro is god tier, felt like the perfect continuation of God of War 2 and agree with the rest of the OP! Perhaps I'll continue playing 3 Remastered on PS4
 
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Ozrimandias

Member
I don't remember a level that had more impact on me than the first level and the battle with Poseidon. Immediately got into my head as the best first level in any game.
 
I never did play this game fully. Maybe I will sometime. Your enthusiasm is infectious.

FYI, pretty sure the director of this game went on to direct Jedi Fallen Order. It's not as over the top as GOW3, but it's a great action game as well.
 
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OZ9000

Banned
I never did play this game fully. Maybe I will sometime. Your enthusiasm is infectious.

FYI, pretty sure the director of this game went on to direct Jedi Fallen Order. It's not as over the top as GOW3, but it's a great action game as well.
I tried Jedi Fallen Order but didn't like it. Suffers too much from Dark Souls syndrome. It also tried to be too clever with it's level design and backtracking, which I found frustrating. Furthermore, the fights are just like your typical Dark Souls encounters (a problem I had with God Of War 2018).

You owe it to yourself to play GOW3.
 

OZ9000

Banned
I would love to see Bluepoint pick these game up, if you know what I mean:messenger_sunglasses:
GOW3 holds up very well graphically; I don't think it ever needs to be remade. It looks as good as most PS4 titles (remastered edition runs at 1080p60).

GOW1/2 however would certainly be fantastic.
 

Markio128

Member
I really enjoyed GOW 2018 for what it was, but I do think GOW3 was a better game for me personally. In fact, GOW 3 is my favourite in the franchise, but they are all brilliant games in their own right. Also, I got the platinum trophy for GOW3, which is a testament to how much I loved that game.
 

K' Dash

Member
sensible-chuckle.gif
 

SeraphJan

Member
I really enjoyed GOW 2018 for what it was, but I do think GOW3 was a better game for me personally. In fact, GOW 3 is my favourite in the franchise, but they are all brilliant games in their own right. Also, I got the platinum trophy for GOW3, which is a testament to how much I loved that game.
The Classic GoW are the only ones I felt had done QTE right.
 

Fbh

Member
Biggest problem with 3 is that it peaks really early:
8afde5d721bbd0e7c8185f542b943dee.gif

Don't take me wrong, there's plenty of cool moments later on. But I kept waiting for the the big moment that would match the intro and it never came.


But yeah, the game was fun. Overall I still prefer GOW 2018 but I did miss the over the top epicness of 3, the boss battles in particular all felt rather tame and scaled back. That's the one area where I really hope they step up their game in Ragnarok.
 

Erebus

Member
I'm replaying it on PS4. It's really good and holds up pretty well graphically too. I enjoyed the 2018 game but I still prefer the original trilogy overall. Having said that, is there any way to play Ascension without a PS3? It's the only GoW game I haven't played.
 

Kupfer

Member
I'm replaying it on PS4. It's really good and holds up pretty well graphically too. I enjoyed the 2018 game but I still prefer the original trilogy overall. Having said that, is there any way to play Ascension without a PS3? It's the only GoW game I haven't played.
I think it's on PlaystationNow. I didn't use it once, so I actually don't know how to look it up.

Edit:

Found it, actually the whole old saga is playable via Playstation now.
  • God of War HD
  • God of War II HD
  • God of War III Remastered
  • God of War: Ascension
  • God of War: Chains of Olympus
  • God of War: Ghost of Sparta
Source
 
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Bragr

Banned
I also enjoy the old no-nonsense Kratos, where he is clearly a bad guy who only lives for revenge and power.

The first 3 hours of God of War 3 might still be the best God of War has ever been. Too bad about the last few hours, God of War 3 is a pure frenzy early on, I still vividly remember that Hercules fight when Hera is watching. I hope God of War Ragnarok turns up the heat when it comes to the gods, they are a lot cooler in the older entries.

AbandonedCorruptLacewing-size_restricted.gif


reinaldo-garcia-01.jpg
 

OZ9000

Banned
I also enjoy the old no-nonsense Kratos, where he is clearly a bad guy who only lives for revenge and power.

The first 3 hours of God of War 3 might still be the best God of War has ever been. Too bad about the last few hours, God of War 3 is a pure frenzy early on, I still vividly remember that Hercules fight when Hera is watching. I hope God of War Ragnarok turns up the heat when it comes to the gods, they are a lot cooler in the older entries.

AbandonedCorruptLacewing-size_restricted.gif


reinaldo-garcia-01.jpg
If all we fight in the next game is Freya and Thor, I'll be extremely disappointed.

I want the boss battles to be multi-layered like the battles in GOW3 (with multiple stages).

They should bring on the entire Norse pantheon in the next game.

This is why I think Egypt would be good for God Of War - there are loads of Egyptian gods to kill.
 
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Melfice7

Member
God of War 1 to 3 were all amazing at the time, God of Us (2018) is a great game and a much needed refresh on the original GoW formula

There was something that greatly annoyed me when the new one came out and this videos shows it well:

 

zcaa0g

Banned
Damn good game, but it was nice to see the newer GoW join the 2000s and get rid of the crap forced cinematic camera angles where the game made it feel like it was controlling you instead of vice versa.
 

Bragr

Banned
If all we fight in the next game is Freya and Thor, I'll be extremely disappointed.

I want the boss battles to be multi-layered like the battles in GOW3 (with multiple stages).

They should bring on the entire Norse pantheon in the next game.

This is why I think Egypt would be good for God Of War - there are loads of Egyptian gods to kill.
It's not just that, Freya, Thors's sons, and Balder in the first game were just normal-ish people with some powers, in the old games, the gods were portrayed as epic monsters with crazy powers. It was more interesting and fun to fight them.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
Never played it.

But watching videos, it has by far the best boss battles I've seen in an action game. Hades fights are awesome. And the boss fight where Kratos rips that guy's head off.
 

Vognerful

Member
I haven't played the 2018 version yet, but 3 was not a great god of war. At least for me. I do remember it felt really boring halfway through.
 
The post was aimed to the PC players playing GoW for the first time saying the game is great.

They are absolutely missing out if they didnt play gow1 to 3.
PS Now subscribers play the old ones streaming on PC. Not ideal but it is possible to play all 4 of the console games and both PSP games on PC
 

Mobilemofo

Member
I enjoyed god of war 3 more than the more recent god of war. i find it hard to give a shit about his kid at all. Actually find him irritating, and i wish there was a way to get rid of him. kill him but have it marked on your soul forever.
 

JimmyRustler

Gold Member
The biggest problem of GoW 2018 compared to the old ones is just that is not replayable at all. It may be better than some of the older ones but it‘s just not a fun to play. I only finished it once. Tried to replay it just last week on PS5 and gad to drop it after a few hours because it just so low and boring once you finished it.
 
I love the original trilogy so much. I wouldn't go so far as to call 2018 a *bad* game, but it was crushingly disappointing to someone who loved the tone of the originals. I've said it before, but the reboot almost felt like a sort of apology for the earlier Kratos, and that really rubbed me the wrong way. Kratos may have been a character in need of redemption, but that's part of what made him so compelling...as he *was*. To make no mention of how old Kratos' rage was in perfect harmony with the gameplay - all the killing. He had such a singular direction and that intensity was very engaging. I'm not even sure I'll get the sequel to 2018. I'll read some reviews, but the direction things went with the first one wasn't my cup of tea.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
I enjoyed god of war 3 more than the more recent god of war. i find it hard to give a shit about his kid at all. Actually find him irritating, and i wish there was a way to get rid of him. kill him but have it marked on your soul forever.
Old GOW games have insane boss fights that are awesome to watch on YT. Then I watch GOW 2018 and they are crap. Kratos fights the same kinds of bosses a few times.

I don't know. Maybe the Norse stuff is just boring. While I think everyone can appreciate crazy Greek mythology.
 

ZywyPL

Banned
Yup, GoW 3 is easily the absolute peak of the series and one of the best action games I've ever played, and it'll probably never be matched let alone exceeded given it was made in totally different times, where games were all about fun. 2018 on the other hand is basically just a Nordic TLoU, just one of many games that followed the semi-open-world, story-driven TPP formula the past generation has spawned.

Biggest problem with 3 is that it peaks really early:
8afde5d721bbd0e7c8185f542b943dee.gif

Don't take me wrong, there's plenty of cool moments later on. But I kept waiting for the the big moment that would match the intro and it never came.

Water pony with crab legs, I seriously can't comprehend what people see in that opening fight, the Poseidon designs is like something straight from a Japanese game with their typical weirdo designs.... Now this fella over here:

HeartfeltLikelyAdouri-size_restricted.gif


I replayed this boss fight tens of times, literally, I finished the game in a single walkthrough but for the next 2-3 weeks I just kept coming to this single fight over and over again, beating it several times in a row each time, the arena with dead bodies all around, Hades' design, his attacks and animations, it's just sooo goooood.
 
always felt god of war 3's movement/combat felt just a little off compared to gow1 & 2... floaty or soft, or something like that.

but yeah, gow 2018 was missing the persistent, casual brutality of the originals;
it went from regularly ripping people apart to... pushing enemies around with an axe.
 

The_hunter

Member
Gow 4 has great violence


Another favourite move of mine is the heavy charged r2 on enemies, you split most of them in half.
 
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