I Don’t Get the Hate for the OG God of War

[psychic_dream]

I liked the first two for what they aimed to do best—mainly the arena brawler style combat. It’s one of the few big budget game series grounded in Greek mythology, and for the most part, it nailed that aspect.

The first game drops you right in after Kratos kills his family, seeking revenge on Ares for manipulating him. The scope is clearly more limited compared to the sequel—fewer bosses and power-ups—but it still holds up as tight edge kino from beginning to end. I actually preferred the Blade of Artemis over the standard Blades of Chaos. The puzzles were also well designed, more engaging than the usual "put object here, pull lever" kind.

The second game majorly improved upon the original across the board: a wider FOV, more boss fights, and a good mix of weapons and abilities. Santa Monica did go a bit overboard with the bloom effect, but it was still a solid step forward. I haven’t played God of War III yet, but from what I’ve heard, they apparently made it easier to appeal to normies, which feels like a bit of a letdown.

I watched the behind-the-scenes documentary recently, and it’s honestly surreal how much David Jaffe has changed. He used to criticize the industry's trend of dumbing down games, and now he’s saying Metroid Dread and Elden Ring are too hard and “inaccessible.” Don’t even get me started on his son’s current situation.

What are your thoughts on the original and its sequel? Will we ever see a return to the series' true roots, without the redundant RPG elements introduced with the reboot?

[Tangerine]

Will we ever see a return to the series' true roots, without the redundant RPG elements introduced with the reboot?

No, because designers are now theater kid story ****.

[Valter]

God of War 2 and 3 were so enjoyable.

Edit: Hate? What hate? They are regarded as some of the best games of their era

[Steel-Knight]

At this point I kind of doubt the God of War series will return to how it used to be unfortunately, especially given this is modern Sony we're talking about. Doesn't really seem like they output much of particular note these days.

[asf]

console garbage

[Jordy]

I didn't know there was hate for the OG GoW games. I would take a PC release of the originals over the new ones any day.

I haven’t played God of War III yet, but from what I’ve heard, they apparently made it easier to appeal to normies, which feels like a bit of a letdown.

All the games were made to appeal to normies. GoW III was just more 'epic' in there advertising because it was on the PS3 and was an established franchise.

Kratos doing a Teal'c impression while cosplaying as Norse will never be normal for me.

[Vergil]

Edit: Hate? What hate? They are regarded as some of the best games of their era

People constantly bad mouthed the God of War games whether it be game journo types soying about how evil and nasty Kratos was or more hardcore gamers complaining about it being a casualized version of Devil May Cry. The latter is kind of true but it's far better than the beardfat TLOU surrogate dad sims the series have turned into now.

[Roguey]

It's okay for what it is, a shallow cinematic dial-a-combo action game. The blade towers at the end were ********, as was the last boss that required a QTE sequence to finish off. Real brawler aficionados played Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden which were deeper, more hardcore games. And yes it was always Jaffe's intent to make a casual game for the masses, some foolish underlings even tried to go over his head to make it more hardcore to suit their own tastes.

http://criminalcrackdown.blogspot.com/2 ... louse.html

What the **** is it about making games where it brings out the worst, most immature, most obnoxious sides of certain types of people on a team? Everyone thinks they always know better than the people in charge. On God of War 1 I still remember a small group of hard core gamers on the team that felt we were making the game 'wrong' because there was not all this deep, deep, Street Fighter 2/Tekken style depth to the combat system. "Jaffe's out of touch!" "Jaffe doesn't 'get it!'"...never did it occur to them that we were going for something else...even tho I explained this to them over and over! But still, every few weeks I could count on this little contingency being up in the studio head's office pitching 'their' version of the game, with the goal being to have the head step in- which he never did- and shove their ideas into the title. **** it annoys me! Am I the only one in games who has experienced this?

And this is why to this day the God of War series is mired in clunky, poorly automated combat (dodge on the right analog stick lol) and anyone with a clue considers Bayonetta, Devil May Cry, or Ninja Gaiden to have far superior controls and combat mechanics.

Matheww, you miss the point. We were not trying to go head to head with those games. ANYONE can see the pure technique involved in those games- or games like Bayonetta- blows the doors off GOD OF WAR. They are SUPPOSED to! In GOD OF WAR our goal was to get the player to feel like they were on an adventure that was easy to play, had cool scenarios, puzzles, platforming,etc.

The goal was NEVER to be some amazing combat simulator. Your reaction proves my point: you may not LIKE GOD OF WAR but you don't even stop to think that perhaps there are other goals and ways of doing things, not JUST the ones you like.

And if you look at the GOD OF WAR sales compared to those games you mention, clearly- at least from a sales standpoint- we did something right.

For the record, NO It was NO ONE on the combat team...the combat team seemed to get what we were going for from the very start. Probably because they were so well versed in the more complex fighters like SF2 that they KNEW if we wanted to hit the mainstream target we'd have to dial things back a bit.

[rusty_shackleford]

I miss brawler games

[traxtan]

I only played 2 hrs of it, never really got into it and stopped playing.

[Vergil]

lol

[rusty_shackleford]

I miss brawler games

There was a decent Werewolf: The Apocalypse game a few years back that got **** on but I actually enjoyed it because it's just you as a big werewolf fighting a bunch of enemies and it reminded me of a kind of game they don't really make anymore.
Stealth sections were pure *** tho.

[psychic_dream]

I didn't know there was hate for the OG GoW games. I would take a PC release of the originals over the new ones any day.

I haven’t played God of War III yet, but from what I’ve heard, they apparently made it easier to appeal to normies, which feels like a bit of a letdown.

All the games were made to appeal to normies. GoW III was just more 'epic' in there advertising because it was on the PS3 and was an established franchise.

Kratos doing a Teal'c impression while cosplaying as Norse will never be normal for me.

God of War 2 and 3 were so enjoyable.

Edit: Hate? What hate? They are regarded as some of the best games of their era

I’ve come across people, both in real life and on internet forums, who argue that God of War is the game that popularized the moviegames **** we’re seeing today. That’s simply not the case. The cutscenes in GOW are short and don’t disrupt the flow of the game. If you want to look deeper, it was actually Metal Gear Solid that really pushed this garbage forward. Half of the playtime in MGS4 consists of cutscenes, yet it rarely gets called out.

[rusty_shackleford]

I didn't know there was hate for the OG GoW games. I would take a PC release of the originals over the new ones any day.

I haven’t played God of War III yet, but from what I’ve heard, they apparently made it easier to appeal to normies, which feels like a bit of a letdown.

All the games were made to appeal to normies. GoW III was just more 'epic' in there advertising because it was on the PS3 and was an established franchise.

Kratos doing a Teal'c impression while cosplaying as Norse will never be normal for me.

God of War 2 and 3 were so enjoyable.

Edit: Hate? What hate? They are regarded as some of the best games of their era

I’ve come across people, both in real life and on internet forums, who argue that God of War is the game that popularized the moviegames **** we’re seeing today. That’s simply not the case. The cutscenes in GOW are short and don’t disrupt the flow of the game. If you want to look deeper, it was actually Metal Gear Solid that really pushed this garbage forward. Half of the playtime in MGS4 consists of cutscenes, yet it rarely gets called out.

are you sure they're not referring to god of soy?

[Vergil]

Half of the playtime in MGS4 consists of cutscenes, yet it rarely gets called out.

Literally the first thing anyone ever talks about when MGS4 comes up in discussions online to the point I'm tired of hearing about it. MGS4 let you skip every cutscene and didn't make me walk around like I have a stick up my *** while a character pressed their fingers into their ear to listen to exposition.

[psychic_dream]

It's okay for what it is, a shallow cinematic dial-a-combo action game. The blade towers at the end were ********, as was the last boss that required a QTE sequence to finish off. Real brawler aficionados played Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden which were deeper, more hardcore games. And yes it was always Jaffe's intent to make a casual game for the masses, some foolish underlings even tried to go over his head to make it more hardcore to suit their own tastes.

http://criminalcrackdown.blogspot.com/2 ... louse.html

What the **** is it about making games where it brings out the worst, most immature, most obnoxious sides of certain types of people on a team? Everyone thinks they always know better than the people in charge. On God of War 1 I still remember a small group of hard core gamers on the team that felt we were making the game 'wrong' because there was not all this deep, deep, Street Fighter 2/Tekken style depth to the combat system. "Jaffe's out of touch!" "Jaffe doesn't 'get it!'"...never did it occur to them that we were going for something else...even tho I explained this to them over and over! But still, every few weeks I could count on this little contingency being up in the studio head's office pitching 'their' version of the game, with the goal being to have the head step in- which he never did- and shove their ideas into the title. **** it annoys me! Am I the only one in games who has experienced this?

And this is why to this day the God of War series is mired in clunky, poorly automated combat (dodge on the right analog stick lol) and anyone with a clue considers Bayonetta, Devil May Cry, or Ninja Gaiden to have far superior controls and combat mechanics.

Matheww, you miss the point. We were not trying to go head to head with those games. ANYONE can see the pure technique involved in those games- or games like Bayonetta- blows the doors off GOD OF WAR. They are SUPPOSED to! In GOD OF WAR our goal was to get the player to feel like they were on an adventure that was easy to play, had cool scenarios, puzzles, platforming,etc.

The goal was NEVER to be some amazing combat simulator. Your reaction proves my point: you may not LIKE GOD OF WAR but you don't even stop to think that perhaps there are other goals and ways of doing things, not JUST the ones you like.

And if you look at the GOD OF WAR sales compared to those games you mention, clearly- at least from a sales standpoint- we did something right.

For the record, NO It was NO ONE on the combat team...the combat team seemed to get what we were going for from the very start. Probably because they were so well versed in the more complex fighters like SF2 that they KNEW if we wanted to hit the mainstream target we'd have to dial things back a bit.

I never managed to get into Devil May Cry tbh. I tried the first one but couldn't get past the fixed camera angles and awkward movement. This kind of perspective works fine for survival horror games, but it’s definitely not suited for fast paced action games. I’ve heard that DMC 3 is good, though.

[psychic_dream]

Half of the playtime in MGS4 consists of cutscenes, yet it rarely gets called out.

Literally the first thing anyone ever talks about when MGS4 comes up in discussions online to the point I'm tired of hearing about it. MGS4 let you skip every cutscene and didn't make me walk around like I have a stick up my *** while a character pressed their fingers into their ear to listen to exposition.

Does the sequel shift the focus more onto gameplay and less on the story? Which one do you think is better: the PS1 Metal Gear Solid or the GameCube remake?

I didn't know there was hate for the OG GoW games. I would take a PC release of the originals over the new ones any day.
All the games were made to appeal to normies. GoW III was just more 'epic' in there advertising because it was on the PS3 and was an established franchise.

Kratos doing a Teal'c impression while cosplaying as Norse will never be normal for me.

God of War 2 and 3 were so enjoyable.

Edit: Hate? What hate? They are regarded as some of the best games of their era

I’ve come across people, both in real life and on internet forums, who argue that God of War is the game that popularized the moviegames **** we’re seeing today. That’s simply not the case. The cutscenes in GOW are short and don’t disrupt the flow of the game. If you want to look deeper, it was actually Metal Gear Solid that really pushed this garbage forward. Half of the playtime in MGS4 consists of cutscenes, yet it rarely gets called out.

are you sure they're not referring to god of soy?

Here’s my problem: I never encountered anyone during my school days who thought the PS2 and PSP entries were just vehicles for Hollywood style stories. This seems more like a revisionist take that started with the 2018 reboot, and I don’t consider it to even exist, much less be canon.

[Vergil]

Does the sequel shift the focus more onto gameplay and less on the story?

What do you mean? MGS2 or a sequel to MGS4?

Which one do you think is better: the PS1 Metal Gear Solid or the GameCube remake?

PS1 is over all better because the level designed was created around the original gameplay and the voices are better. The Gamecube remake is a fun game but it's pathetically easy because they just gave you all of MGS2's tools in MGS1's levels with no extra challenges so it's hilariously easy to abuse.

[KOS-MOS]

I had no idea og GoW was hated

[psychic_dream]

Does the sequel shift the focus more onto gameplay and less on the story?

What do you mean? MGS2 or a sequel to MGS4?

Which one do you think is better: the PS1 Metal Gear Solid or the GameCube remake?

PS1 is over all better because the level designed was created around the original gameplay and the voices are better. The Gamecube remake is a fun game but it's pathetically easy because they just gave you all of MGS2's tools in MGS1's levels with no extra challenges so it's hilariously easy to abuse.

I meant MGS5. All I know about it is that it went the same route as Final Fantasy XV: stuck in development hell, felt incomplete and empty, and came off more like a tech demo

My issue with MGS, and really with most old PS1 games that aren’t fully 2D, is that ugly dithering effect, which makes me hesitant to play them. It’s especially noticeable in games like Silent Hill. You pretty much need an emulator shader to hide it, since it looks even worse when blown up on a 27 inch or larger monitor.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Hate? What hate? They are regarded as some of the best games of their era

In the early 2010s, they became a popular punching for "games journalists" and other forums with redditor opinions because they were action games as opposed to "the true art that will make Roger Ebert take gaming seriously!" like SotC and Last of Us.

[J1M]

The only real problem with the early God of War games was the excessive number of trash mobs.

I view Darksiders 1 as the best God of War game.

[Irenaeus]

When it first came out, I played a couple fights at my friend's house, it was meh... Read the story on wikipedia and found it ******** (I'm a greek mythology buff).
Die in a fire, David "Gay Jew" Jaffe

[Vergil]

Does the sequel shift the focus more onto gameplay and less on the story?

What do you mean? MGS2 or a sequel to MGS4?

Which one do you think is better: the PS1 Metal Gear Solid or the GameCube remake?

PS1 is over all better because the level designed was created around the original gameplay and the voices are better. The Gamecube remake is a fun game but it's pathetically easy because they just gave you all of MGS2's tools in MGS1's levels with no extra challenges so it's hilariously easy to abuse.

I meant MGS5. All I know about it is that it went the same route as Final Fantasy XV: stuck in development hell, felt incomplete and empty, and came off more like a tech demo

My issue with MGS, and really with most old PS1 games that aren’t fully 2D, is that ugly dithering effect, which makes me hesitant to play them. It’s especially noticeable in games like Silent Hill. You pretty much need an emulator shader to hide it, since it looks even worse when blown up on a 27 inch or larger monitor.

MGSV raped me

[weaselus]

God of War was panned on release by the Ninja Gaiden crowd (that I am a part of). They all played it, though.

But I liked God of War for what it was - a high production value Sony original when that was a badge of honor.

The combat felt silly, even compared to Spartan: Total Warrior, but everything else was top notch. Kratos was a grating choice of character, and you have probably heard of the animal sacrifice parties they used to host at the studio, but overall they pulled it off.

[Valter]

you have probably heard of the animal sacrifice parties they used to host at the studio

Hey hi hello hey there the what?

[weaselus]

A lot of South Korean (and by extension, Japanese) businesses use witchcraft to enhance their success.

If you have watched any KPop performances, the girls are doing witchcraft gestures in front of their faces constantly. These are not harmless gestures; they are made to entrap and affect the subconscious.

From the Japanese developers list, the Shin Megami Tensei creators are the most obvious. Which is why that series should not be played by Christians. Even less by non-Christians I guess.

[rusty_shackleford]

A lot of South Korean (and by extension, Japanese) businesses use witchcraft to enhance their success.

If you have watched any KPop performances, the girls are doing witchcraft gestures in front of their faces constantly. These are not harmless gestures; they are made to entrap and affect the subconscious.

From the Japanese developers list, the Shin Megami Tensei creators are the most obvious. Which is why that series should not be played by Christians. Even less by non-Christians I guess.

well, does it work?

[logincrash]

- Why was Thor a fat ginger midget?
- Because it's closer to the actual mythology.
- Oh, okay. And why is Angrboda black?
- You evil bigot racist!

NuGoW is gay and soy and pozzed beyond belief.

[J1M]

The primary gripe I had about the first God of War game was how many waves of enemies they added to pad the length. I would generally recommend Darksiders as a superior alternative with similar combat feel.

Haven't played the new GoW games. Saw too many GDC videos about how they handle the camera and AI to feel like it would be fun.